Nepal Challenge by Steve_Shears

Morning 5th April

We came down Poon Hill and back into Ghorepani in the full glare of the early morning sun - time to pack our stuff, eat something (for those of us that could) and begin the long downhill to Tikhedunga. This was going to be our longest day so far - as we had been up since stupid o clock as it was! and we had a fair way to go yet. It was basically down but I remembered the sudden sharp uphill bits too that took you by surprise and sapped your energy. I was greatly amused by Emma and Jo's rendition of a novel way of coming down flights of steps without putting too much pressure on your knees (already battered by various long flights in the previous few days) - it was a sort of impression of a chicken running down steps -but Jo being Jo added the sound effects too! The locals looked on at the sight of strange white folks pretending to be chickens - probably wondered if Jo had been at the cash crops! The morning got hotter and it was relieved by sightings of monkies in the trees across the river that we were following down and buying monkey nuts from a seller taking said nuts and baskets of fruits up towards Ghorepani. We had the odd mule train to contend with too and kept well out of their way. We eventually encountered where a new road was being excavated from the side of the mountain and all of the spoil was ending up cascading down towards the river below, Emma asked the guides if they thought that putting this new road in was a good thing or not? Was it progress? The guides thought that is was a good thing to create roads into the interior - and I suppose that they had to live here so that put a different perspective on what the earth movers were doing.