"This small town where we spent the night was built on the edge of a wide flat valley at an altitude of 4,300m. On the far side of the valley was the start of the Himalayas, and in the light of that late afternoon, the mountains were a truly magnificent sight. The town that had once been a tradiing centre for goods between Tibet and Nepal, was now not much more than a truck stop and a collection of whitewashed buildings. Despite this its romantic setting made it seem all quite beautiful. The hotel situated at the backof the truck compound was about as basic as they came. The accommodation in two rows of brick built rooms with two metal framed beds in each, had no running water or lights. When I asked the manager of the hotel if he could fill the flask from my room, he lowered a bucket into a well just outside his office and filled it from that. I was glad I had my small stove with me so I could boil the water and make some hot soup. - MH