Day 18: Dal Bhat, Kitchens and Toilets!

JUST IN CASE you ever travel the Annapurna Trek, I want to prepare you for a few things :)  On one of the teahouse menus, it states "Of the 24 million Nepalese, 22 million will be eating Dal Bhat twice a day."  It is a beautiful meal consisting of a bowl of lentil soup, steamed or fried veggies, sauteed greens, potatoes, a wonderful spicy tomato relish, and lots of rice. When you order Dal Bhat, you get unlimited servings so this can be a very filling meal as well. Cost?  About $3. Here are some of the awesome kitchens, amazing food, and interesting toilets from the trip. Note Vern's expression when he sampled the peppery wild herb Rosan gathered along the way !? Prakash also gathered fiddle head ferns (delicious) and I loved the banana pancakes.  We learned NOT drink the water or anything washed in it...no raw salads or fruit except peeled ones: bananas and oranges, but always had wonderful hot drinks. I loved getting to know the cooks and watching the preparation. One afternoon I sat where the grandfather usually sits for about an hour, just watching the preparation (see video), chicken peeking through an open window hole, the husband peeling potatoes, the wife chopping veggies, and the baby swinging in a basket tied to a beam overhead. As far as the toilets go, I was dreading my first "hole in the ground" (which I had youtubed so I knew how to use one!?!), but realized that they are usually white porcelain and accompanied by a bucket of water running over from an open spigot. Every place we went to had sinks and soap and plentiful water which was a surprise to me - most were quite clean! Was good advice to bring your own toilet paper tho...