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| expensive and difficult to bring in, the
openings are shuttered against the cold with thick cloth. It is
dark and physically depressing, but the friendliness and
hospitality are bright and cheerful.
Each passing day gains us elevation and is felt in the coolness of
the night air. Geez! It’s a hard life. The next time a person back home complains
about his living conditions, I’ll just shoot him and put him out
of his perceived misery since an explanation would be worthless.
The gift of the sewing needles again was a big hit. She had never
seen a thimble and Dawa again did the explaining. The Sherpa
people do not use the word thank you. The giving is what is
important not the receiving. But they sure show it in their faces
and this certainly thrills me.
It
has been two years since Dawa has seen his sister. And he is a
happy man. |
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Water
Buffalo pulls Wooden Plow Across Narrow Field |
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| Walking
through Dawa’s homeland, off the beaten track, through the
backyards, into and out of their lives like a large white
apparition, little kids staring and gawking, I have found
the beginning of what I came for. It has been
difficult getting here but
really worth it. To seep into the fabric of a culture
without knowing the language isn’t easy, but when achieved is worth the
effort. There are still lots of leaches
because of the late monsoons, but it won’t be long till
the higher elevations will eliminate these pests. It is
the wettest it has been in twenty years for this time of
year and I am getting rather anxious to get it behind me. The mountains have only peeked at me once, toying with my
anticipation.
Monday 10/19
Breakfast consists of tea, potatoes, eggs and a kind of
porridge made from ground millet, with tea serving as a
milk substitute. The porridge is incredibly bland to
my taste. Not having a great fondness for tea it
seemed particularly incongruous being served over the
millet. An acquired taste which I have no desire to pursue. For
dinner, last night we had what they called Nepalese bread. At least that’s what it translated into. A special treat
for their guest of honor, me. It is emulsified potatoes cooked on a round cast iron skillet over the open
flame. Like a thick potato pancake that is not cooked through so
that it is raw and cool on the inside. As with the steamed whole
potatoes this is served hot with a side of hot sauce. |
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