Free to roam. En route to Tilicho Tal. Day 12

Manang to Khangsar.

We were definitely leaving Manang! Today we will be heading towards Tilicho Tal, currently known as the World's Highest Lake and a 3 1/2 day excursion from Manang. At 5100 meters, the lake is surrounded by The Great Barrier, a dramatic lineup of icefall and glacier extending down and around Tilicho peak. Views from the lake are said to be spectacular and this side trip would be a great way to acclimate and prepare for Thorung La.

After eating breakfast and packing away our gear (which after 5 days of downtime was decorating every square inch of the room), we gave a few unneeded items to be left at the hotel and attempted to pay the bill. Due to Kevin's mix up with losing his wallet, he wanted to pay with his card and me give him cash. No problem, except the proprietor of the Yeti was out of town. Calls were placed and, in one hour, the owner would be back. Now, we know Nepali time and one hour could really mean any time. Oddly, 55 minutes later, our man had arrived. Miracles do happen!

We hiked along a crumbly trail above the Marysandgi Khola. Winds gusted and clouds hung low, looking like they could unleash a fury at any minute. Luckily, they held off until we were 15 minutes from Khangsar. The precip fell in the form of snow, and it would continue to fall for the remainder of the day and night.

We aimed for a red brick building. The woman in the entrance, Laxmi, invited us in and gave us a room. We lunched in the dining hall meeting the only other guests, Frank and Jurgen (Germans). By the time dinner rolled around, Kevin and I were both frozen and decided that hanging by the fire in the kitchen was a great idea. We joined the Germans next to the stove where Laxmi did all of the cooking. We all chatted about jobs, life, trip endeavors. The guys got skunked on accessing Tilicho Tal due to snowy weather and had to back down. We watched as Laxmi, her friend, and the German's guide prepared food. This was our first Nepali kitchen experience and it was noteworthy. Stove heated by woodfire, one woman chopping, the guide rolling veggie momos, and Laxmi cooking it all up. At times, she has had to prepare enough food to feed 20 hungry trekkers on only two burners. I'd venture to bet she does it while smiling too.

As day turned to night, snow still falling outside, in the warmth of that kitchen I had managed to forget that we had hiked our way back into winter. Did I want to move on from here? Hell yes. Was it possible that we'd be snowed in, unable to walk 5 hours to base camp? Seemed very possible. At least I could then check one off my list:
Get snowed in, trapped in the Himalaya.
With Laxmi at the stove, working her magic, I could think of worse places to end up.