Remembrance day

Today back in namche, I decided to pursue an acclimatization hike I missed due to rain on my way up.

I walked 45 minutes up the hill, where I ran into a group of female Canadian engineers. One joke about Americans knowing everything won them over, and I joined them for hot chocolate at the lodge, where we arrived 2 mins before British military (goddammit why didn't I start my trek 2 weeks later?!) began playing the trumpet for remembrance day, which is celebrated in British commonwealth countries by 2 minutes of silence to remember ww1 and 2 vets at 11am. It was amazing how all the patrons grew silent, stood, and observed the 2 minutes.

Later, while visiting the original Hillary school, we came across a bunch of monks who, I kid you not, were at the school to help rescue a nak, a female yak, who had fallen into a pit toilet. Being engineers and thus, problem solvers, we wanted to help too. With kids huddled on the rocks watching, 30 minutes of rope pulling, building a platform, and installing a ladder into the latrine went by, after which the nak was free and everyone clapped...except one very upset nak.

Honestly, the image of a pissed-off, shit-covered nak running across the school yard being chased by monks was pure comedy. For sure, my introduction to remembrance day, with a bit more pomp and circumstance than veteran's day, is one I won't forget.