Thursday, 11th March, 2004 After spending the previous evening packing and repacking my kit, not really knowing what I would need for a ten day trek in the Himalayas, I had a slice of toast and then left.  | | The porters were carrying heavy loads but were great company. It was also good practise for my language training; none of them spoke any English. |
The duty trek is funded by the Gurkha Welfare Scheme in order to monitor community aid projects in Nepal, such as new bridges, hydro-electric schemes and new schools. It is also an opportunity to check on the condition of destitute welfare pensioners, paid a monthly pension by the GWS. My duty trek would take me along a well trodden tourist route for the first five days, then off the beaten track, before finishing at a small town called Kusma. Along with my three porters, we headed west and soon arrived at Dhampus Phedi, our drop off point. It was an easy-to-miss collection of small tin and brick huts, selling everything a trekker could need. I bought some digestive biscuits. My first two tasks were in the village of Dhampus. I had to meet two elderly welfare pensioners who had served in the Indian Army during WW2. They were both well. I had to wait for one of them because, despite being in his eighties, he was in the forest cutting wood 30 minutes away.  | | The last road I saw for ten days. |
We stopped for an early lunch in the village. Before we moved on I was surprised to receive a garland of flowers from the village women. This spontaneous act of hospitality was to be repeated many times over the next ten days. Although the porters were carrying about 40kg each, we made good progress and finally arrived at our overnight stop in Landruk at 6pm. All in all, it was not a bad way to spend my Birthday. Previous entry | Next entry | 
