The room in Ghandruk had a Western style commode, a shower in it and linens! It was like being at Hyatt Regency in the boonies! Tried Momos, which are like steamed pot stickers, quite tasty and very filling. Have to be very careful to eat enough because the higher altitudes and all of the exercise make you not feel hungry. Really no problem to accommodate Mother Nature on that one.

The mountain views in the morning are so incredibly beautiful, no clouds or pollution just fresh clean air. Started our trek to Tadapani, which took us through a forest of lush green ferns, trees and numerous streams. This is the perfect time of the year for trekking, as the temperatures are pleasant during the day and cool for sleeping at night.

Supposedly they are going to be catering to mountain bikers and to the Hindus who go through here on their pilgrimages.

Met an interesting young couple from San Francisco while having dinner. They put everything into storage and are going to see the world their way until they want to go back. She was gorgeous, looked like Princess Diana and wasn't tired. Poor thing! Did meet a number of other young people throughout the trek who were taking time off before going to work for a corporation. If you have the money and the time, go for it. We would, in retrospect. However, not sure we would appreciate it the same way then as we do now.

Before we headed out for the walk to the airport, we just had to stop and buy some Jomsom apples for the hotel staff. In Kathmandu, these delicious apples cost almost a dollar each and are quite a treat. We got a dozen for $.50. Walking to the airport was a little on the sad side as it meant our time with Sagar and Nawang had come to an end. Tendi flew back with us while they had to trek back to where we started. We had brought too much dried fruit, tea and candy (typical Americans!) so we gave it to the three of them to share along with some clothing. They had such a good time sorting out their treasures. These are all things that they could never afford to buy, only think about. We parted with the happiness of knowing two new friends even though we knew very little Nepali and they knew no English.

The plane carried about sixteen passengers. As we left the runway, it looked as if we were going to crash into the hillside to turn around to head towards Pokhara. Once airborne, we could see from above where we had been trekking. Could also see where the Tibetan refugees live in the hills. When the Chinese government finished slaughtering the monks and nuns in Tibet, those who were left migrated to Nepal and India. They continue to struggle for survival by selling hand made goods and produce. Today, the Chinese government continues to try to destroy the Tibetan culture by not allowing tourism or making it so difficult to get across the border. We heard a number of stories about Westerners being detained, flights out of Tibet cancelled and tour companies misrepresenting the situation.