Annapurnas Day 7: Yakpot!

During the acclimatisation day we were told that each one of us should drink at least 5 liters of water per day to prevent dehydration. The constant traffic of trekkers visiting the toilet (due to this psychosis for drinking) and the AMS itself caused that most of us had barely 4 or 5 hours of sleep from night 6 on.

Maybe because of this, the only thing that I remember about Day 7 is a 3-hour pilgrimage to Yak Kharkha (4050 m) powered by the beans that I had for breakfast. The land became rough, and the villages literally extinguished. A special mention deserves the lodge were we spent the first night above 4000 meters. Did you ever wonder what would happen if one day all the women of some remote settlement in the Himalayas left their husbands without notice? well, that scenario has a name: Snow Land. Snow Land is a very rudimentary guest house (more of a shelter, I'd say) run by a bunch of crazy Nepali men in Yak Kharkha. When the sun goes down (also before, I guess) there is no much to do there, so basically the lonely fellows kill their time drinking, smoking and playing cards. The consequences of this behaviour are as funny as unpredictable. Let's say that some random trekkers order some macaroni for dinner; well, this might very well end up with a drunk cook setting the kitchen on fire. What if another random visitor dared to order some garlic soup? then the drunkest men would reply with a sonorous burp before serving some unpeeled garlic into boiling water. In conclusion, it was a very entertaining night!

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Tal vez fuesen las costantes visitas al baño (debidas a la pseudo-paranoya sobre beber para evitar la deshidratacion) o tal vez los sintomas leves del mal de montaña, pero el caso es que del dia 6 en adelante nadie durmi mas de 4 o 5 horas. Por ello no recuerdo mucho sobre el dia 7, solo una caminata de 3 horas hasta Yak Kharka (4050 m) aguilizada por las alubias que tome para desayunar. ¿Alguna vez os habeis preguntado que pasaria si un dia todas las mujeres de una aldea remota de los Himalayas abandonasen a sus maridos sin previo aviso? Bien, ese es el caso de Yak Kharka. El refugio donde pernoctamos en Yak Kharta estaba regentado por un grupeto de solterones que mataban las horas bebiendo cerveza de arroz, fumando y jugando a cartas. Las consecuencias de tan maño equipo son tan divertidas como impredecibles. Pongamos, por ejemplo, el caso de que a alguien se le ocurre pedir macarrones para cenar. Dicha prerrogativa bien pudiera acabar con la cocina en llamas. Imaginemos ahora el supuesto de que algun montañero se decanta por sopa de ajo para cenar, pues bien, dicha demanda se saldaria con unos ajos sin pelar nadando en agua hirviendo. ¡En conclusion, noche interesante en Yak Kharta!