who are friends of Tendi's. Having the title of Sherpa is an earned honor and to be a porter is also a very good position. We had decided to hire two porters as we felt we had too much "stuff" for one person to carry. Needless to say, they were all very happy to have the work and we were happy to have them. The five of us would be together the next ten days.

We were left at the drop off point and from there we hiked for about a mile into Birethati to get a room. The inn we were supposed to stay at was full. Keep in mind, there are no telephones to make reservations; it is a first come first serve deal. Tendi found a place for us at another inn. We were on the third floor; the room had two beds, no linens, a small table, an ashtray and a view of the mountains that was unbelievable as the sun was setting behind them! The typical "bathroom" was on the main level and was a squat commode that had running water. The shower room was on the main level and hot water was also on first come first serve deal. Dinner was preceded by a Happy Hour which we all shared beer, cokes and popcorn.

The selection for food was outstanding, contrary to what we had read. Dal Bhatt (rice with lentils) was available but so were many other options such as homemade soups, pizzas, noodle dishes and potatoes fixed any way you could want. Most everything was vegetarian and quite healthy, as they do not use any animal fat in their cooking. Bedtime was a very welcomed event that night. It had gotten a little cooler so the sleeping bags felt quite nice.

Around 5:00 am, the bells on the donkey's necks awakened us as they made their way through the town. What a pleasant sound even at 5 am! We sat down to our first breakfast at 6:45 and we were on the trail by 7:30, every day. It was an all-uphill day to climb from 3,000 feet to 7,000 feet amidst the majestic mountains. We were so exhilarated!

We saw one porter carrying a fridge on his back and another carrying a coop with about twenty live chickens in it both wearing flip-flops.(Not the chickens, the porters) We were in our hi-tech boots. Generally speaking, these people are small framed, strong, work very hard when they are younger and can plan to live to be about 55. $3.00 a day is a fantastic day's pay and they are thrilled to get that. While trekking, we kept going through all of these little towns so we were able to get a glimpse of everyday life. Ghandruk, our next stop, was very picturesque. It had electricity and a phone in the town. Do not believe they have such a thing as 911. In fact, there is about one

Kathy and Don at Poonhill

doctor for every 100,000 people and then they have to walk to wherever the doctor is. If you get very sick, you have had it for sure. We had taken out evacuation insurance as a precaution but it still could be at least a day before someone could walk to the nearest phone to call.