BooksBarbecue
Back With or Without You
Chapters (84)
  1. Chapter one
  2. Chapter two
  3. Chapter three
  4. Chapter four
  5. Chapter five
  6. Chapter six
  7. Chapter seven
  8. Chapter eight
  9. Chapter nine
  10. Chapter ten
  11. Chapter eleven
  12. Chapter twelve
  13. Chapter thirteen
  14. Chapter fourteen
  15. Chapter fifteen
  16. Chapter sixteen
  17. Chapter seventeen
  18. Chapter eighteen
  19. Chapter nineteen
  20. Chapter twenty
  21. Chapter twenty-one
  22. Chapter twenty-two
  23. Chapter twenty-three
  24. Chapter twenty-four
  25. Chapter twenty-five
  26. Chapter twenty-six
  27. Chapter twenty-seven
  28. Chapter twenty-eight
  29. Chapter twenty-nine
  30. Chapter thirty
  31. Chapter thirty-one
  32. Chapter thirty-two
  33. Chapter thirty-three
  34. Chapter thirty-four
  35. Chapter thirty-five
  36. Chapter thirty-six
  37. Chapter thirty-seven
  38. Chapter thirty-eight
  39. Chapter thirty-nine
  40. Chapter forty
  41. Chapter forty-one
  42. Chapter forty-two
  43. Chapter forty-three
  44. Chapter forty-four
  45. Chapter forty-five
  46. Chapter forty-six
  47. Chapter forty-seven
  48. Chapter forty-eight
  49. Chapter forty-nine
  50. Chapter fifty
  51. Chapter fifty-one
  52. Chapter fifty-two
  53. Chapter fifty-three
  54. Chapter fifty-four
  55. Chapter fifty-five
  56. Chapter fifty-six
  57. Chapter fifty-seven
  58. Chapter fifty-eight
  59. Chapter fifty-nine
  60. Chapter sixty
  61. Chapter sixty-one
  62. Chapter sixty-two
  63. Chapter sixty-three
  64. Chapter sixty-four
  65. Chapter sixty-five
  66. Chapter sixty-six
  67. Chapter sixty-seven
  68. Chapter sixty-eight
  69. Chapter sixty-nine
  70. Chapter seventy
  71. Chapter seventy-one
  72. Chapter seventy-two
  73. Chapter seventy-three
  74. Chapter seventy-four
  75. Chapter seventy-five
  76. Chapter seventy-six
  77. Chapter seventy-seven
  78. Chapter seventy-eight
  79. Chapter seventy-nine
  80. Chapter eighty
  81. Chapter eighty-one
  82. Chapter eighty-two
  83. Chapter eighty-three
  84. Chapter eighty-four

The next few days are officially rest days—although I’m not sure that getting up at 5.30 a.m. constitutes a rest in anyone’s book. Sanjeev is leading the other members of the group on an optional walk. Being enthusiastic souls, they are all going along. Dean and I have opted to stay back in the camp—ostensibly to do some chores but, of course, we’re planning to do our own explorations. Some of them involving the surrounding countryside. Some of them involving a bit of loitering within the tent. Tee-hee!

When the sun is fully up and the warmth is coming back to the air and our bones, we take a long, slow walk back to the camp hand in hand. The place is a hive of activity. Some of the porters are entertaining themselves by playing cards—indulging the Nepali habit of gambling away most of their meagre pay, Dean tells me. The others have strung up a washing line and are busy rinsing out their clothes in the metal washing pans. As there are no designer cut-price shopping malls or multiplex cinemas within striking distance to occupy us, I can feel a frenzied bout of laundry coming on myself.

So as part of our first romantic day alone-ish together, we get down to the dirty business of washing our socks and pants. And I guess it couldn’t be classed as a particularly lovey-dovey way to spend our time, but my perceptions of a lot of things have changed since I arrived here—romance being one of them.

I sort out my tent, air my boots and repack my rucksack for the thousandth time and anyone watching this process would think that I was an old hand at this camping lark, I’m sure they would. Chores finished, we share lunch with the porters before setting off on a trail towards the village of Sikklis.

The track is a narrow stone path that winds up from the camp and within minutes I’m puffing away and thanking the God of Trekking Poles for finding me the man in the Outdoor Shop. We stand aside in an open, thatched hut to watch as a shepherd drives a reluctant herd of goats to lower pastures. The inside of the hut is covered in blood red, Maoist anti-government slogans, reminding me that not everyone here is happy with their lot. One man’s paradise is so often another man’s hell.