Rainy morning, rainier afternoon

5 Oct - Dovan to Deureli

A rainy morning! Time to repack to try to keep everything dry. I regret leaving extra drybags behind in Kathmandu. I had to repurpose various plastic and cellophane bags that I'd acquired on the way.

People slowly emerged into the dining room wearing a range of wet weather gear. Breakfast was porridge (two takers) or pancakes (the rest of us). The pancakes weren't as good as we'd thought they'd be. Maybe Team Porridge had the better idea.

As we left (and slightly on up the track) people acquired or brought out various disposable and reusable ponchos. Hannah looked dashing in her bright yellow poncho that covered her backpack too. Chenda and Georgina showed great product placement with their Intergen plastic ponchos, if only that brand still existed (sigh, Cap Gemini have just bought Intergen and stamped their brand and culture all over it). I had my fantastic Earth Sea Sky parka, but nothing for my backpack. Bechan took pity on me and lent me his pack cover.

Why was past Mike a dickhead?

• He left his migraine meds in Wellington
• He didn't change enough money
• He didn't bring any sunscreen, AGAIN. He left it in Wellington and didn't even buy any when he was shopping for ibuprofen at a Kathmandu pharmacy.
• He didn't bring any insect repellent, AGAIN. And didn't buy any in Kathmandu either.
• He left extra drybags in Kathmandu
• He didn't bring a pack cover for his daypack

It was wet as we set off, but we were warm and happy. We walked through bamboo and shrubby forest on a gentle slope. Because of the rain we spaced out a bit. It was nice walking at my own pace and with my own thoughts - though I did miss the conversation. 

I also appreciated my boots, splashing through mud and puddles and through the rivers. Some of the river crossings started to get, interesting enough that I made sure to wait for the next person (usually Trish) to make sure they were okay. Every time I come here I think, I really should bring some light trail runners for these easy flagstone-covered paths. And every time I'm happy to be in my solid leather tramping boots.

We came across a temple with amazing braided waterfalls behind it. We regrouped here and took photos. A dog befriended me, I thought it might adopt me for the day and follow me up the hill but it was just a bit too fickle.

We started up our first proper steps for the day, and I was alone when I came across a small shrine at the top of the spur. The moment was special - I quietly contemplated where I was, my Dad, Vivienne ... before the next group of people came strolling up the hill. 

I was happy that Georgina was the person ahead of me. Every fork in the path she was there waiting, like you should, usually making an educated guess which way it was because the person in front of her didn't wait!

Just 2 hours later, Himalaya Village suddenly lurched into view. We happily tucked into masala tea.

The stopping meant that I started to get cold in my wet clothes for the first time. I put my trusty beanie on and that was all it took.

Regrouped and replenished, off we set again. "Pleasant" is possibly not the word I'd use now. The rain got harder, the bush got sparser and the wind picked up. I was still warm ... enough, but I was definitely focussed on the destination not the journey now.

Rain means waterfalls and the steep sided mountains we were passing through meant the waterfalls were incredible. Puts Milford to shame. Water under so much pressure it rocketed off cliffs into mid air. Mighty cataracts flowing into a raging brown torrent in the valley cleft. 

It's hard to get the scale on that river,
 but it is raging

We had several quite sketchy river crossings. The bridge that was simply four narrow steel box sections attached to rock abutments scared the rest of the group the most. But for me it was the wider more stable bridge just beforehand, with raging torrents hammering against, through and over the hand built abutments. I ran across that one! Other fords were okay to cross, but with a raging torrent below. No margin for error.

Rabi and Anmol really stepped up, going back down the track, still with the 30kg bags hanging off their foreheads, to help us through the river crossings. Other porters scampered merrily over the rocks - but one lost the contents of his basket down the river! He could fortunately see the funny side of it as bottles and containers washed away and smashed against the rocks below.

Fortunately Deurali was right there and we gratefully made our way to our dining room and tried to dry out somewhat. We put on warm clothes and read and chatted about all sorts of topics. Including OnlyFans that, it seemed, only Sacchi and I knew anything about and I had to awkwardly explain what it was and then awkwardly explain how I knew (not from personal experience!! Nobody seemed to believe me but you've got to keep informed about social media trends, yes you do).  And then all the tests and poking about that should be done to a man my age. Hmm. Okay. I'll call the GP and make an appointment [As I'm writing this up a month later I haven't made any appointments].

Chips and momo and Dal Bat really hit the spot for dinner. It was still raining heavily as I wandered off to bed, sharing the room with Sacchi and Atul, with not a little trepidation about what tomorrow had in store for us.