Lho

This was most probably the most delightful day of the trek. Firstly it was a short day and secondly we passed through the many beautiful villages. At this altitude barley is the major crop. The fields were full of women working to harvest, separate and dry the grain with their children warmly wrapped and playing alongside. Many men are seeking better paid work in Malaysia and the Gulf states.

Fifty percent of Nepalis rely on financial help from relatives abroad which puts the burden of food production onto the women and elderly. There is no mechanization. To enter or leave the villages we pass through Kani gates with ceilings richly decorated with mandalas and other religious images. Brightly colored flags flutter in the breeze with crows perched on poles monitoring progress in the fields. We stop for tea and sit in a garden filled with cabbages and swaying marigolds.