Also Goyem is a confusing place, as there seems to be three seperate villages all with the same name!!
The pass Derek and I were heading for was called Lhamjura and the trek to the said elusive pass seemed to go on forever!!! But there were these villages where we would stop for a break and a refreshing glass of tea! I must say I got heartiful sick of saying: "Yogah unko namee ke ho?" which in Nepali is "What is the name of this village" and each time I got the same responce "Goyem!" so I concluded there was a lower Goyem, a middle Goyem and an upper Goyem...and we got stuck at the latter...Now up there at almost 10'000 feet its cold!! so we made our way down a slope to a local Bhatti (tea shop) for some warming Rakshi (local fire water, very strong served hot and often sipped through yak butter) I had several hot glasses of these before I could actually feel my toes again, and a flush to me cheeks, while Derek checked a crumpled map for the upmteenth time supposidly looking for ansewers....
"Snow come!!!!! snow come!!!!" yelled the landlord as he came rushing back in!
Now snow is not unusual in this region but this was a veritable storm!! and I am not kidding!!!
Derek and I rushed out side and hastily began making camp in the freezing ice storm. At one point I swear my fingers were refusing to obey the commands of my brain, as I felt like I was being frozen to death, before crawling into the newly erected tent while Derek scrambled back to the Bhatti for some supplies of Rum and a large flask of hot water!
Needles to say that was one of the worst nights of my life! But we had come prepared with a expedition standard tent, and some emergency supplies from Kathmandu....the next day it was still snowing and by now our tent had vanished under it...Derek looked out and about half a ton of snow fell in and said with dismay "we aint going anywhere in this!" and so it was we were stuck for two day's playing HangMan and trying to keep warm while nibbling on chocolate! The second day the wind had set in, and that night it got much warmer and the snow had started to thaw so we would de-camp in the morning and continue our onward trek....at one point I looked out of the tent flaps at the snow covered trail and burst into tears!! Why was I kidding myself I could do this when I was just a pub landlady and not an adventurer? Silly cow! I thought to myself and lit another Chewrot (local cigarette) breathing in the comforting smoke deeply! Well at least it wasent as cold, I decided as I setlled down in my sleeping bag that night, and within a short while I was drifting off to sleep...
SCHEKKK!!!
At first I thought I had drempt it!
Sccheck!!! the noise came again.....
Something was outside the tent running its claws down the outside of our tent!!!!!!! SCHEKKKKKKKKKK!!!!! The next noise came and I almost jumped out of my skin as it was almost by my ear "Derek!" I hissed and shook the crumpled sleeping bag next to me! "Derek!!" I almost screeched "Whaa..." a sleepy scruffy, curly head apeared!
"Thers is a freaking Yeti outside the tent!!!!!" I panicked as my heart was almost beating out of my chest "its a YETI!!!"
"Don't be so bloody...." he began, dismissivly as the sound came again! Claws running over the outside of the tent! "Whaaaa the..." he started as the terrorfiying sound came again! By the look on his face Derek was starting to rethink, and his loss of confidence made me a tad more terrified!
"Im going to check" he hissed quietly "there is definatly someting out there"...I waited with baited breath as he quietly unzipped the tent and shuffled to poke his head out...I had expected a scream, but all I could hear was a fit of man giggles, as he began to laugh...
"What??" I said impaciently
"Its just snow!!! Snow sliding down the side of the tent!"
I felt soooooooooooooooo stoooopid! DUHHh!
My tales like these are many as I kept a kind of diary of the trek as I sat many an evening at a local Bhatti with a braizier keeping my legs warm! Very greatfull to the wonderfully, hospitable locals, as well as the ammount of readily available Racksi and ciggies! The Nepalese do love their drink and I even tried what I called "Birdseed beer" which is basically millet seed soaked in boiling water that miraculusy turns into somthing that closely resembals Sherry...I remeber with great fondness asking a local porter why eyerone drank so much out here? "well you have seen the state of the trails!! It gives us courage! He replied!
This is me on to of Lhamjura pass!
"Just call me Maria Von Trapp"
and here I am filling in said diary when I was invited to tea!
