We left Chhomrong at the usual time a little after 8. The plan was to cover to big descent and climb across the valley in the morning, have lunch at the furthest visible guesthouse, and then spend the night at the next settlement named Bamboo, where the trail finally reached the bottom of the canyon.

We made such quick progress at first that it became clear we would get to the lunch place much too early for lunch. Sonam therefore suggested we have lunch in Bamboo and spend the night upriver at the Himalayan Hotel, which might put us in striking distance of Annapurna Base Camp the next day. That would put us a full two days ahead of schedule but might be wise since the weather could change any day. We agreed even though it might mean a couple of fairly long days.

Clouds rolled in while we were having lunch. Actually, the afternoon clouds just materialize all at once in this part of the Himalaya. One minute it was bright sun with only a hint of clouds down valley and on the tops of high peaks. Then all at once it became cloudy and at least 10 degrees colder.

It was in these clouds that we did the three-hour afternoon climb to the Himalayan Hotel. In a way that made it cooler, although it would have been nice to see the scenery. Soon after we arrived, the clouds parted briefly to show we were now in a deep, narrow canyon. We will see better in the morning.

Guesthouses often have posters on the walls of the dining room, everything from Dalai Lama pictures to inspirational posters with Christian or other messages. One recurring theme is pictures of a large Western-style house with a message suggesting to aspire to having one. This hotel’s posters had the rather odd message “Home is the place where, when you have to go somewhere, They have to take you in.”