Sete to Dudhkund Khola, Nepal III (2026)

Thursday, 23rd April, 2026, Sete to Junbesi I got up at 0:30 to pee. Ken ambushed me and asked me to take a look at the back of his neck, as it was sore. He had a bad sunburn. His hat has two flaps at the back, a left and a right. He'd been sunburnt between the two flaps above the top of his shirt.  Dawa made us breakfast at 6:30. I'd requested a vegetable omelet and roast potatoes. He brought a heaping plate of roast potatoes. Patsy helped me eat some and I managed to finish the rest. He's a really good cook, although he said his wife is better, but she's in Kathmandu. Dawa said it was really quiet at night since his neighbour's two dogs had both been eaten by leopards. Say what? He said he locks up his goats at night otherwise they'd also be killed by the leopards. We had a 3,000' climb today to Lamjura Pass (3,530 m). It was surprisingly warm when we started out. We stopped for a break at Sonam Guesthouse. A little later, we stopped at Tashi Dalek Restaurant and Cheese Shop for another break. I wanted to try some cheese, so I sought out the proprieter. "What country are you from,  sir?" "California, USA". "Trump country!".  "Not by my choice", I said. "He's a motherfucker", he said. Too right. I asked him how he learned such good English, and he said his friend taught him. We reached the pass just after noon, by following the old path that was interrupted in multiple places by a road. There was nothing at the pass. It was a desolate, windy, forlorn place. We arrived at Junbesi Homestay at 16:00 where we were welcomed by the host and hostess, Dawa and Sanu. Even before we'd decided to stay, Sanu turned away another group and told us that she was running the place on her own and taking care of the three of us was enough work for her. So we figured we had to stay. I had two pots of fresh-ground coffee. Patsy, meanwhile, had ordered a buckwheat pancake with apple and banana accompanied by homemade kiwi jam that was excellent. Sanu showed us to our rooms and explained how the gas-heated shower worked. She has an extrensive organic garden and made us "Kinema ko" soup and "Gundruk ko char" for dinner, dishes with fermented vegetables and fermented soy beans that was reminiscent of the Japanese nato. Ken had a "Sherpa stew" that he said was the best of the three he'd had so far. Sanu's a really good cook. 9.5 miles, 3,070' gain, 2,500' loss Friday, 24th April, 2026, Junbesi to Dudhkund Khola. We slept well after showers and dinner. Sanu said she'd have breakfast ready for us at 7:00, so we roused ourselves out of bed at 6:30. I had a double pot of coffee together with the fruit-filled buckwheat pancake that Patsy had yesterday afternoon. Junbesi Homestay was excellent. Dawa used to be a trekking guide. He's 78 now, but last year he did the 3-Passes circuit with one of his sons and a porter. He's done all the standard treks multiple times. Shortly after we left, we ran into a young woman, Nives, from Slovenia. She's planning to hike the 3-Passes also, but was going in the opposite direction for more training, she said. We told her we were going to climb Triglav this summer, and she put her hand over her heart. Next we met Johannes & Astrid, a middle-age couple from Austria. They'd just completed the 3-Passes and were hiking out to Jiri. They advised us to try Diamox, but I prefer gradual acclimatization. Next, we were overtaken by V.J. & Jonathon from New Zealand. I guess they're ultra runners because they ran off with very light packs. They're planning to do the 3-Passes clockwise, whereas I've been planning to do it anti-clockwise because climbing to the passes is more gradual in this direction. They spent last night in Junbesi and visited the local school that was paid for by Hillary and Norgay. We crossed the Dudhkund Khola (river) on a bridge close to a hydroelectric plant and made our way to a settlement that appeared to consist of two open guest houses and a larger number of closed buildings. A young couple, Simon & his girlfriend, from Munich, were sitting outside "Sunrise Lodge", having just finished a Dal Bhat lunch. They said the food here is very good and this is their second time staying here. We three ordered a bowl of "Sherpa Stew" for lunch, requesting no dumplings, noodles, or salt. It came with noodles, but after picking them out and salting it to taste, it was very good, and we got seconds. Later on, for dinner, I had spaghetti, Ken had an omelet. Patsy was too full from lunch.  7 miles, 1,800' gain, 1,700' loss