Day 4 – Jagat (1310m) to Dharapani (2000m) - 14km

Toby Diary

Woke on time and breakfasted on hot chocolate and apple porridge – yum yum.  The usual faff in getting going because it takes so long to cook from fresh.

A day of constant climbing through very hot sun up the narrow Marsyandi Gorge.  One brief lunch stop at Tal where the river levels out into a plateau looking area with no rapids and wide white/grey sand shores.  Village has a very wild, middle of nowhere feel about it, partly due to blowing dust and horse trains carrying on up.  The map is out of date here as the old path on the right of the river has been eroded due to landslides.  Therefore there are new river crossings just above Tal and just below Karte so that the path on the left hand side (looking up) can be used for this stretch.  On arrival at Dharapani we re-cross the river to the left (west) bank to the village and check in at the police post.   (Police post in Tal as well).  The village head man took us up to the New Tibetan Hotel 10 minutes above the village – definitely new and not at all the cosy places we had stayed in on the previous two nights.  However, was presently surprised by the food; Dahl Bhat worth the extra R10 at R100.  Also apple fritters made an excellent round off to the meal.  Jules has no appetite and is definitely very down.  We gave him Kaolin and Morphine earlier today which has stopped him up temporarily but he really needs the antibiotics to cure him properly.  Give him 3 x 400mg Metrinidizol.  This lifts his spirits and we all believe this will sort him out.  Will give him 2 x 400 per day for next two days at least. Will try and phone dad to check on contra-indication with K&M.  Porters having a wild party downstairs with lots of traditional songs.  Am off to investigate as all others have gone to bed.