By mid-afternoon in the Kali Gandaki Valley north of Marpha, the winds have had the better part of the day to build up.  They come from the south, bearing hard on the weary southbound voyager and coating him with a layer of wind-blown dust.  The northbound traveler is pushed along, his back coated with the same dusty film.  It's a playful wind, one that blows my hat across the wide rock-strewn dry riverbed.

At sunset in the village of Kagbeni, the icy summit of Nilgiri Mountain glows cold white in the late afternoon light.

This shot of Nilgiri is actually taken the following morning.
Notice the wood stacked up on the rooftops.

In the Red House Lodge dining room, the conversation of travelers brought together for the evening wanders, focuses, wanders again then coalesces.

This spirited girl was working at the Red House Lodge.

Hot embers in a metal basket under the table warm our legs and our bodies; we use the tablecloth as a blanket.  Trekkers hang out, sipping lemon tea and chatting ... they call England, Switzerland, the U.S., and China home.  The beer is kept remarkably cold without electricity.