Markha Valley Day 2 Jingchan to Ganda La Base Camp

Jingchan Camp 27 July 2010 6am
The "village" of Jingchan is a single farm - 2 or 3 buildings and a few fields. It doesn't look capable of producing enough for anyone to live on so I suspect the camp sites actually sustain the village.

I slept really well last night for the first time since arriving in India- apart from meeting alerts on my phone at 3:30am and 5:15am - I stayed up after the last one. I have had my phone switched off up till now but I used it as an alarm clock not sure I could wake up at 6am.

I've had my first experience of a squat toilet. Last night I couldn't manage to relax enough but this morning needs prevailed. Washing my hands afterwards I dropped my good pedometer into the river. I hope it survives as the GCC pedometer is useless.

Rumbuk tea house 9:30am
My pedometer died shortly after leaving Jingchan but putting it in my pocket has allowed my body heat (no shortage of that I can tell you) to dry it out.

The river had to be forded 3 times between Jingchan and Rumbuk plus 3 other crossings on bridges. For two crossings it was boots off an wade. The third one Pema jumped a big gap between rocks and then helped me to get across by holding my hand as I jumped. The walk here took just under the 2.5hours fast time in the guide book.

There is a group of 23 horses here - must be quite a party to need that many. Amongst the things loaded on the horses are 2 tables.

Ganda La Upper Base Camp 4500m 2:15pm
Getting here from Rumbak was hard work. The horses caught up with me when I stopped at Rumbuk. After Rumbuk the Jingchan River is braided and the track follows the river. I kept up with the horses through the Rumbuk fields and grazing land but after the river turned towards Yurutse it became steeper and I could no longer keep up with the horses. As we got higher I found it harder an harder. Pema called a lunch stop at the far end of the Yurutse fields (about 4100m) and then it was about half an hour to the lower camp where there is a teahouse. I had another rest (and a bottle of mango juice) before tackling the short climb to the upper camp. At sea level I could have climbed that hill in 5 minutes - it took me half an hour - stopping every couple of minutes to try an get my breath back. Actually at this altitude just breathing has you puffing without trying to exercise.

I saw several chako partridges and a little bird rather like a sparrow but with a red head and brest but no marmots.

4pm
Just woken from a nap. A third group of horsemen have arrived while I was napping so that must mean a third party at the camp. I have a rather bad headache - altitude sickness.

8pm
The Czech party I played cards with last night were going to Stok but decided to go up to Ganda La for a look. They came back down abou 4:30pm an said they were disappointed with the view of the other side.

The rather fat Indian women with the red jacket is from Bangalore and knows 2 people who work for ANZ there. I was told her name but managed to forget it before I got to write it down. Anyway if I thought I was slow on the last climb she was even slower. But her last stop before the camp site was so long I thought something was wrong and went like a knight in shining armour to the rescue. I wasn't needed.