Day 6 - Bhaiska Kharka to Ghandruk

 

 After a short hike, we arrived in Ghandruk to stay for two nights.  Great timing for our scheduled rest day for the trek since Mary can sleep and rest to recover from a bad cold.

We had thunder and lightning storms both afternoons we were here.  On the second day, when the weather cleared we noticed a helicopter flying from Annapurna.  Later we learned that 3 South Korean climbers had disappeared while attempting a new route to the summit.

 There are many different ethnic groups in Nepal.  This village is a Gurung settlement and the houses are their traditional dwellings.  We stayed in one that had been renovated for a lodge.

 

Most of the places we stay depend on solar panels for heat and electricity.  The photo below on the left shows a larger installation for the village of Ghandruk.

 While we had passed camping treks on the trail (obvious given the number of porters and what they carry), this was our first close encounter with the operation.  A little odd in that they were camping on the lodge's front yard but as they climb higher they will be in undeveloped areas.  Porters are heavily loaded (each porter seemed to carry all of the gear needed for each pair of trekkers (tent, sleeping bags, personal gear) and easily carried over 60 pounds.  There have been problems with the poor treatment of porters and Edmond Hilary has set up a foundation to help improve their conditions.