Sumatra2Somerset: Trek Day 10: Briddhm to Timure (Tibet border)

It is the last days of Lhosar here in Briddhm, celebrated on a different date in each village determined by the local lama. Today they will use butter and wax to make colorful offerings (puja) up at the Gompa, and tomorrow there will be dancing. Tempted to hang around, but also wary after our run in with drunks at the Gompa yesterday, we decide to move on. Ceremonies are not in short supply around here.
Walking down to Lingling was our first unrelenting knee-crunching descent.

The old trail from Lingling to Timure is closed due to rockfall, so a new trail is emerging and has brought providence to unexpecting households. We stopped at a private home for lunch. Good job we're not in a hurry - the chappathis and omelettes took forever.

Lunch was eaten looking across at great slabs of cliff rock and an alarmingly step path up the hillside. Little did we know we'd be taking this 'shortcut' tomorrow! 800m vertical in little more than 500m horizontal!
Brief drudgery followed as we took the road toward the Tibetan border - one of many optional side trips to the Tamang Trail.

We settled into the Timure Guest House, easily the best place in town, Discovered sangdong (known as dindu later on the trail), a blend of millet, barley and maize, served in lieu of rice in a dhal bhat manner. Kids likened it to Weetbix. It was fabulous to be down at 1700m and WARM in CLEAN lodgings!

We spied four or five rather large deer scrambling around on the steep mountainside across the river from the village, though didn't manage to get a clear shot of them.