Day 10: Tilicho View Hotel to Ledar 10km (137km)

Sadly, we could not have a 5:30 breakfast as planned; the earliest they could do was 6:30, but Himalay convinced them to prepare ours for 6:00. We still didn't get breakfast until 6:30. That derailed our plan for watching the sunset from Upper Khangsar, but it was a foggy morning anyway. We rushed out and managed to be the first to leave; we were getting better at packing quickly. Our rush was to reach Ledar before the Manang crowds. As trekkers head higher up the pass, beds are limited, so early mornings are essential.

The walk climbed to the deserted village of Upper Khangsar. I asked Himalaya how a whole village could be empty. He explained that many Managi are quite rich from all the tourism and own homes in the city, only living in the mountains to raise the yaks for the season. It was quite creepy to see such recent desertion. The morning views of Khangsar Khang over the village were stunning.

We climbed up the mountains behind the village and looked over Manang to the South and Yak Kharka to the North. Himalay claims when clear, this is the best view in all the Annapurna range. Looking back over the past ten days of fantastic sights, I found it hard to pick one as the "greatest" of all. It was though, an amazing place.

The trail then passed through a cluster of scraggly trees, the last I'd probably see for days. In fact, these trees were the first I'd seen in days too and their presence above the timberline was odd. Eventually, the trail crossed the river and joined the main trail again. The whole path was a line of trekkers, slowly making their way up the pass. I missed the nearly empty trails of the Tilicho area. It took only an hours to reach Ledar, which despite it having a name, was not a village, but three hotels and a bar. Himalay showed no signs of his wild night before, only once mentioning how he shouldn't be drinking so much at high elevations.

Our hotel had a book exchange, the first I'd seen on the trail. I spent the day reading the last 100 pages of Les Miserables that I had been rationing since book were hard to find these days. Right on top of the pile was Catch-22, which I hadn't read for about five years.

The nights were getting colder with each day. We all huddled round the fire. I read for a while, then had some dal bhat, which warmed my soul. With a bellyful of dal bhat and a warm bed, sleep comes easily. Dal bhat had amazing sleep inducing qualities, this probably being the reason why Nepalis rush to bed right after dinner. It may be the most incredible food in the world.

The concept is simple, a big bed of rice, some pickles, typically radish, with a papad, a large portion of tarkari, which is vegetable curry, and finally the dal, a bowl of lentil soup. Sometimes this comes with saag, fried green vegetables. You take the curry and dal, then mix it together into a great mass of sloppy vegetable goodness. It is often an all-you-can-eat affair or a thali as they say in Nepal, though two large portions are standard.

After a long day trekking,m a hearty, filling meal like dal bhat is essential. Even with no meat, the protein rich dal does a fine job at taking its place. I haven't had meat in days. Dal bhat warms when cold. It has the ability to raise the near dead. Some Nepalis eat two meals of dal bhat a day, but this seems excessive. Once a day is enough. I don't want to know what would happen if I skipped my dal bhat for a day; it has been keeping me pumping since I started my hike.

Some complain, calling the dal bhat boring and especially repetitive. I admit it sounds odd to say that eating the same things for dinner has been great. I've had some less good dal bhat, but I've yet to bore of it. Every restaurant has a slightly different version. The dal can be anywhere from a smooth, thick soup like a porridge to the merely broth, or thick and chunky with the lentils whole. Not to mention, that there are many varieties of lentils as well. The curry is the most susceptible to regional or village based change. It is usually an assortment of the veggies growing out back. Different vegetables grow at different heights and different seasons. As most curry eaters know , it is the unique choices of masala by the cok that dictates much of the flavor. Every dal bhat is special. I plan to start eating dal bhat at home even, to make my own variation.

Rich in fiber and spices, I find dal bhat to be easily digested. Since I switched to the dal bhat diet, I've yet to have one occurrence of my typical digestive troubles. It boosts regularity, which is one of its greatest qualities. Hiking in the mountains is no place to be running for a tree.I would have to say that dal bhat is the perfect food for hiking in this region.