Goodbye to Manang! Walked out enjoying another beautiful, sunny day and trekked to Gunsang. A short trek but gained 300 meters.  On arrival to the tea house today, we discovered that the cook is gone for the season. Our multitalented guide Tendi took over the kitchen and our guides and porters not only cooked up a tasty lunch and dinner, but served several other trekkers coming through. As we are heading above treeline, cooking methods are also including solar water heating...a nifty invention from the UK. Wood is scarcer and deforestation an issue. Collections of wood and yak dung are both prevalent as people are ready for winter.  Most tea houses have a rectangular cooking stove centered on a packed sand or cement type block, elevated off the floor. It is encouraged to sit for meals at the same time to preserve firewood. On these small stoves, hot tea, pancakes, tibetian bread (remains the kids favorite!) and rice in many forms can be cooked and served fairly rapidly. Many of the tea houses have small shrines in their kitchens to Buddha and occassionally to the Dalia Lama.

Most Hindu Nepali is vegetarians and it is a great country to procure vegetarian choices. Daal bhaat is the staple on every menu and comes with continual seconds, Daal=lentil soup, Bhaat=rice and is usually accompanied by a vegetable/potato curry-spiced mix. At times a spicy, small pickle collection (achar) is included. I think these pickles are the local fix for sinus congestion.  One of HRA friends had a T-shirt made reading “Powered by Dal Bhaat”…truly the best fuel for daily trekking!

Bye Bye Manang
Making a Local Wine (Raksi)	Local Kitchen
Sun Solar
puja room