Last night I went to bed with two layers beneath me and five layers on top of me. It took me awhile to warm up the bed with my body heat. I attempted to sleep with a massive headache. I couldn’t sleep because I was in so much pain. I had to lean on my right side to relief some of the pressure. My fourth chakra in the front was in pain also.
In the morning, our water in the cup that was left out last night froze during the night. It was -12 degrees. Our young Tibetan host decided to smoke us out by smoking the burner and then opening the door wide open. We were all cold and we decided to get packed to leave. I didn’t have to pack because I didn’t unpack.
She nagged some more in Chinese how we give her trouble by giving her work. She barely spoke Chinese whenever there was any confrontation. She would all of a sudden loose her ability to communicate and be lost in translation. But whenever she needed to complain and just trash people she would all of a sudden be very fluent in Chinese again
I couldn't wait to get away from her. I just wanted to scream and cry. She was driving me crazy. Everybody just felt she was delightful and sensed she had a bit of attitude and kept wanting me to like her and would frown at me for being uncooperative. I want to like her. She made it very difficult. In fact she was scary to me with her switching of poor me to westerners and then to playing the nasty mean person.
For breakfast Stef and Nate left for another tent that actually was warm and served food and hot water. I didn’t join because I couldn’t handle the smell of Yak butter and meat etc. Rupert, who didn’t sleep at all because he was too cold last night decided that we could pair up and that we would head down to Rombu Monastery where our driver was waiting for us. Rupert and I started to walk, a Tibetan horse buggy rider came to get us for business. We had another Tibetan translate to him that we were not interested. As we walked he kept walking and came with his horse and buggy. He asked in Chinese, "how much" Rupert said 5y per person and 10 for both of us. He agreed we hopped on. It turned out to be a rough ride. It really hurt my back and gave me whiplash. We both squatted and didn’t even sit because it was such a rough ride. My legs were a bit numb and I think I may have pinched a nerve on my back on that buggy. We got off part way because we were in so much pain and didn’t even want to be on the buggy in the first place. As Rupert handed him money, he yelled at us and demanded 60y. I started walking, I was too tired to reason or even deal with it.. He kept yelling violently and we kept walking.
We made it to the Rombu monastery restaurant. I couldn't handle anymore smell of meat, smoke, yak butter. Who in their right mind smokes in this altitude? I sat outside in the car and meditated. I recited, and it never fails, I always feel better after I recite and meditate. What a priceless treasure, meditation and the rest of Buddhist practices.
My massive headache returned and my back was burning from the buggy ride injury. We passed the summit again and once again got to see the magnificent peaks of Everest, Choya, Mogoru. As we passed the summit, the clouds were moving in and started to cover parts of the peak. We really lucked out on weather. We headed for Sa’gya for food. I had a terrible headache and chest congestion. We sat to eat and I couldn't eat the noodles that didn't have garlic in it but had garlic oil in it. Somehow it was giving me fevers and made me tremble here in Tibet. Nate helped me finish my food. During dinner, Stef really wanted to stay at the Guest House, she had her romantic notion of it. Really, the rest of us didn't care. I just didn't have any energy to keep up with her ungrounded energy that came out of her tongue and how she needed all of us to agree with her how her ideas are most perfect and thoughtful and well thought out for all of us. I did snap at her to stop her. I couldn't take it anymore and a room all to myself for 50y a night.
