Day 1 - Follow the river to Kagbeni, Lower Mustang

Like trail ponies we assembled and ventured into the vast, Huge, no, MASSIVE open-mountain range. Peed behind some scruff, yakked with some yaks and walked parallel with the riverbed. Our two Nepali friends set the pace and we soon found our rhythm amongst the desert mountains and snow capped peaks. Half a day later we arrived in Kagbeni, a small mountain village with seemingly random cows, sheep and donkeys. We checked into The New Asia tea house, settled at a family style picnic table and “enjoyed” our first Veg. Dal Bhat.

After checking out the slowest internet café, Yak Donalds… yes, it even had the golden arches (no photo, my bad), we explored the town and stupa, walked the walk to gain some karma, visited the local Monastery, and found a wood carving of a man with a huge dong, what’s that about? Ang Kami had to blush. Back at the hotel we tripped up unique stairs of random heights and decided our room while clean was colder than a witch’s tit—that’s a technical term, eight layers and counting.

Dinner was insightfull, garlic soup is the secret for altitude sickness and rosti in the Himali’s is nothing like Zermat, boo hoo. That’s OK, the fun of meeting trekkers from countless countries (initiated this evening by the Spaniards) is only surpassed by the laughs of playing ‘camp’ games. As 15 of us share broken English—lost in translation makes for great entertainment as it creates universal laughter shared with new friends bonded by the mystic journey. Too bad, Thom lost interest before getting to play “detective!”

With glee, looking due North at the Upper Mustang Trek from the roof of the Monastery, Kagbeni.