Seeking Warmth
The tea houses where we stayed at night were very simple—basically just walls, a door and a bed. And most importantly, no heat. And because the rooms were so cold, we ended up spending very little time in our individual rooms. Instead, we were forced to take advantage of the fact that each tea house has a wood burning stove in the common area. And this turned into one of my favorite parts of the trek. Now, I am guilty of really enjoying my alone time, and could happily spend hours in my room by myself, but because the cold drove me towards the warmth, most of my down time was spent around the fire with all of the other frigid trekkers. And because of this we ended up meeting some really cool people from all over the world. On top of that, because most of us trekkers were following the exact same route, we’d often see our new friends and familiar faces along the trail, at the next lunch spot or at the tea house later that night. A bit of comradery was formed amongst all of us, especially after completing a challenging day on the trail. We were all in it together, even though we barely knew each other. I’m always impressed by the human ability to connect with others with nothing more than a common goal, destination, or curiosity.
"Mingle often with good people to keep your soul nourished."
-Anthony Douglas Williams
