We ventured from Om's Home over to Xanadu. Exotic town names? No, these were the hotels where we stayed. Om's was booked so we were forced to switch it up. We were staying in Jomsom for the day, lying low and resting. We tended to Internet for a good part of the morning and were in need of lunch. The owner at Xanadu makes a mean hot chocolate apple pie, so we each got a slice with our first freshly ground coffee in weeks. The hotel was lovely and the food was equally wonderful...if only the portions were double in size (yeah, you already know we eat a lot). The hotel owner told us about the kids she had working for her. The newest member being a very young boy from Kathmandu. His family was going through a rough time and so was he. Misbehaving in school, acting out. She took him in to teach him skills and provide some structure to his life. Nice to see people helping each other in need. Seems to be a common theme in this country.
The rest of the day was needed for errand doing, jeep booking, and leg resting. Recently found a map with distances and we have walked some 200+ km over the past little while.
We still don't know how businesses operate in this country as closed and open times vary. It seems, "open when we're here, closed when we aren't," is the norm. Our second attempt at booking a jeep went mostly flawless. First off, no jeeps go to Tatopani. Bus only.
"Ok, bus then," Kevin said.
Furious scribbling on a pink slip indicated our destination and cost.
"2400," the ticket man stated.
The total was triple what our Lonely Planet guide book stated. Little steep for a shatty bus on a rock strewn road, but worth it at the same time. Desert walking just won't do.
"630 tomorrow. Bus 90," we were told.
"19 or 90?" I asked.
"Nin-ty! Lucky number 90!"
"Ya, sounds like a winner," I smiled thinking anything but lucky.
Smiles and thanks were exchanged all around. Kevin got custody of our pricey ticket, he is much more organized than me.
Back at the safe hold of the Hotel Xanadu we read, looked at maps, plotted our course and logistics. Laundry dried and we basically took it easy. The wind around here picks up after 11 AM so venturing out is less than ideal.
Despite our not so great first experience eating yak meat, we both decided to give it a second try. Yak meat (yak) cheese burgers are the way to go. Super tasty and far, far better than yak chili. When in Rome, right? Although tasty, who knows how it will sit in our systems. Let's just hope we don't have to find out while aboard "Lucky #90."
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