Horseman

I am back in Delhi. It is 42C outside in the bazaar and I am in my hotel room sweating away, lolling about on the bed trying to shake myself out of a mini illness, my bones are aching and I have a temperature which is understandable. A few glasses of curd and the butteriest of all lentil curries and I am improving a bit so will venture out in while.
Returned here yesterday after a 14 day tour with Pat and Ash from Australia joining me and Rakesh the Nepalli guide. Ran all the lower level trails and then rode back up to the glacier sadly loosing one of our number on the way; Ash; who came off on the last corner of a 1000 metre super tech descent and earned himself a 3 inch gash underneath his right knee which required 10 stitches a few days rest and most impressively of all a chance to ride himself out of the valley on an ageing horse back to the trail head. A French skier rode the bike out of the glacial valley while Ash negotiated the 22 km trail like a veteran horseman on the rocky and times terrifyingly steep path. Even the horse balked a bit at some sections but was forced on by a big stick wielded by the local pony boy.
24 bottles of superstrong beer had been donkeyed in for the 6 days we would spend on the trails leading to the glacier plus one bottle of wine. Takers for the superstrong tipple were small with Pat an almost tee-totaller, Rakesh refused to drink with his new policy of not drinking at altitude, while Ash managed to end up on antibiotics before we could reach the first beer drop. As for me two bottles of superstrong beer each night rendered me almost senseless which isn’t much fun when all around are slurping sugary tea. Eventually locals from the goat-herder to the donkey wallah helped out and enthusiastically joined me in the cause to finish of the two crates of ale and I am indebted to them for that.