Day 137 - 2630 Metres Elevation. Kagbeni to Marpha

Jomsom lies halfway between Kagbeni and Marpha. It is the largest town in the area, boasting an ATM, internet, hospital, even a tiny airport! IT is also the first place we have seen in over a week with motorized vehicles. We stopped there for lunch, to use the ATM, and to send out e-mails letting family know that we were still alive.

From Jomsom, we walked against the wind (gale-force winds howl down the valley all afternoon) into Marpha. According to the sign at the entrance of town, Marpha is "The Delightful Apple Capital (sic) of Nepal". It was indeed, and we ate ourselves stupid. We even ventured to try the local apple brandy. Turpentine would have been better. We each tried one small glass, and then passed off the rest of the bottle to a group of older Canadians and a table full of already well-toasted French.

Some kind of bug must have ridden in with all the eating. Within two hours of going to bed I was up again, and spent the rest of the night sick and miserable.