Kalopani (2530m)

We left Marpha and followed the river to a small village called Tukuche where we stopped for tea at a Dutch bakery. As per usual, they did not have any baked goods but they did have espressos and cappuccino! We didn’t have any but some of the peeps in our group did and they were impressed. The Nepalese woman who runs the place has a Dutch husband and they were obviously in tune with what most westerners like. It was one of the nicest establishments I’ve seen on the trail – comfortable, clean, and modern in that Muskoka cottage kind of way. They even had a western toilet that was clean and that flushed properly!

Unfortunately, the same could not be said for the teahouse we stayed in in Kalopani. There was one outdoor squat toilet to share amongst everyone and it was completely clogged when we got there. There was a sink, but it didn’t always supply running water (I suspect frozen pipes). It was still pretty cold in Kalopani so we were pleased to have a bucket of hot coals under our table in the dining room. However, there was no table cloth to contain the heat so it was still chilly. For dessert, most of our group ordered apple pie and I watched as they made it from scratch. It was one huge pie that fed over 10 people very healthy servings! It was pretty good (but not Kagbeni apple crumble good!)

All of the teahouses so far did not supply heat in the mornings, and this one was no different. After a chilly breakfast, we headed to Tatopani, where we were promised warmer weather.