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| at the peaks. The canyon walls
are amazingly steep, with free falling waterfalls and
creeks roaring
thousands of feet below as they plunge from stone to
stone. Finally, the soreness is leaving me, and my body
is adjusting to the demands of the trip.
As I was sitting in the dining room with some porters
and the proprietor’s young daughter of about four, and
waiting for the evening meal, the young girl came to me,
pen in hand. Eyeing my writing book, she made it
clear what she needed. I had no spare; however I did
ripped out a few pages and gave them to her.
She was soon lost practicing with the pen.
It is so easy to please kids when they have so little.
Even a scrap of paper will do. |
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The child has sparkling white teeth. It seems tooth decay is
not a problem here in that there is very little sugar in the
diet. The only tooth loss I noticed are among the very old,
and probably due to gum disease. The porters are
drinking some home brew. It is very good; but, I have a long day
tomorrow, with many more ahead, so I think I
will abstain and wait for dinner.
I am constantly aware of how well behaved the kids all seem
to be. No corporal punishment has been noted nor any harsh
words heard.
I’m getting hungry. It takes a long time for dinner to
be prepared. There are no cans here, only fresh foods.
Peeling potatoes is no longer a problem for me and I look |
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forward to the ritual of peeling the skins. It
is fun as well as relaxing, even if a bit tedious. Tonight,
however, we are having curried potatoes made in a wok with fresh
greens. Delicious! |
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It seems kind of cold but Dawa informs me it actually is
warmer here than in his village, at least on the average. He
knows this not because he has measured the difference with a
thermometer but because here they can grow corn, while in
his village they cannot, despite being at a lower elevation.
There was a plant that grew on a trellis with vines and had
fruit an inch in diameter and looked like a small squash. The juice seeps down and numbs the root nerve of the tooth.
Along the trail, besides wild flowers, there is an abundance
of strawberries. They are smaller than a raspberry and
quite sweet.
Well it’s about time to track down some food, and then put
my feet up, they are very tired. |
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