Before continuing with a description of the trek, I'd thought I'd make a short post on the lodges or teahouses we stayed in. It occurred to me after my last post, that in commending the guides I may have been the impression that we lived in the lap of luxury.
The lodges were in the same type of stone and mud building as in the rest of the village. The rooms were typically dirt-floored with simple wood-frame bed with foam mattress that was comfortable enough. Light was available if the power did not go out, but sometimes there was solar power as well. There was a common toilet, which was a squat toilet you 'flushed' by pouring a bucket of water down the whole. Used toilet paper went into a basket. Also a common wash area with cold water. The only warm water was the bowl of heated water brought to us in the morning by our guides. No hot shower until we return to Pokhara.
The food was mostly prepared by the guides, and was carbohydrate heavy like pasta, potatoes, with some egg and vegetables. I would have preferred more Nepali food, but apparently the only Nepali food is dahl-baht, or rice with lentil stew, which is all that is prepared by the people at the lodges. Personally, I wouldn't have minded, but I can imagine that previous clients probably complained about it.
The cleanliness of the lodge varied a lot from village to village. Sometimes it was perfectly clean and swept. Other times there was garbage and dirt around, tons of flies, and horribly musty smelling rooms. In fact, you could almost tell upon entering the village what the lodge would be like. Some had a run-down look with garbage around and messy fields. Others looked tidy and prosperous. These would be villages only half a day's walk apart, so I can't explain it.
The lodges were in the same type of stone and mud building as in the rest of the village. The rooms were typically dirt-floored with simple wood-frame bed with foam mattress that was comfortable enough. Light was available if the power did not go out, but sometimes there was solar power as well. There was a common toilet, which was a squat toilet you 'flushed' by pouring a bucket of water down the whole. Used toilet paper went into a basket. Also a common wash area with cold water. The only warm water was the bowl of heated water brought to us in the morning by our guides. No hot shower until we return to Pokhara.
The food was mostly prepared by the guides, and was carbohydrate heavy like pasta, potatoes, with some egg and vegetables. I would have preferred more Nepali food, but apparently the only Nepali food is dahl-baht, or rice with lentil stew, which is all that is prepared by the people at the lodges. Personally, I wouldn't have minded, but I can imagine that previous clients probably complained about it.
The cleanliness of the lodge varied a lot from village to village. Sometimes it was perfectly clean and swept. Other times there was garbage and dirt around, tons of flies, and horribly musty smelling rooms. In fact, you could almost tell upon entering the village what the lodge would be like. Some had a run-down look with garbage around and messy fields. Others looked tidy and prosperous. These would be villages only half a day's walk apart, so I can't explain it.
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