There's something important I need to share as I finally wrap up writing about Bhutan. I took Diamox to alleviate altitude sickness symptoms, and it worked quite well. The main side effect is it makes you pee a lot. But for me, the main side effect was farting. ALL. THE. TIME. Occasionally with enough vehemence it woke me up. No one else reported this phenomenon but the internet assures me I'm not alone. Though it was tough leaving the warm cocoon of my sleeping bag, I did see some beautiful stars and magical moonlit frosted landscapes when I peed at night.
It was a trek of extreme contrasts: from sweating under the midday sun to huddling for warmth in the wet night; from mustering all my strength and will to climb as my legs ached for mercy to easily trotting down scree slopes and bouldery riversides; from feeling we'd hit our stride to realizing we quickly approached the end. Reaching the last snowy pass was a happy feeling for me, of accomplishment and physical vitality, but I also don't like when things end.
We abruptly returned to civilization, walking down a road(!) to a final tent lunch, so very posh with warm washcloths, glassware, linens, and celebratory beers. That evening our smelly, dingy crew piled into a fancy hotel and emerged showered and almost unrecognizable in new/clean clothes. We had a day of sightseeing in the capitol city, a mass of buildings and people and cars and culture. And then suddenly we all dissolved back into our individual lives.
Mostly -- a few of us flew together to Kathmandu, and connecting the experiences in Bhutan with Nepal made for a pleasant transition.
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