Phillipa's Sidebar - FOMO or Precipice?

by guest blogger Phillipa

View Tea House to High Camp

A hard decision to stay at View Tea House and not be sucked along with FOMO to base camp.

The team set off and I was surprised that only Tim, an unwell Anita and I stayed at the tea house - a plastic covered structure erected by permission of the Annapurna Conservation Area. This rustic hut served us tea as we waited for 40 minutes or so looking after Anita. While the mice wandered in and out of the stone platform that Anita was looking cool on, we listened to Thanka, aka OBEY according to the logo on his beanie, explain the talisman that protects him and his tea house from evil spirits. A large head of the thistle.

We set off down through the mud, sheep shit and admired the yaks. Expansion (who also stayed with us) photographed himself and all the wild flowers. After a loo stop we were faced with a decision on which path to take. The safe one we came up at 5:00am that morning, or a quicker Nepali Short Cut.  This way, Expansion gestures. I ask questions to clarify what this entails to assess outcomes and after assurances that the "cliff" pass has a barrier, we descend.

Goodness me (language amended for sensitive eyes).  It was an extremely precarious cliff pass that made you cling to the side and wish you didn't have a pole so that you could hold on with both hands. Like a nana I lowered my centre of gravity and sat on my bum for some areas.

Anita, Expansion and I slipped and fell in the mud. Good job we can't see the precipice for the fog. 

I wonder when the barrier will start.

We arrive at High Camp.