Questions of Fitness and Squatting Naked in a Cow Shed with a bucket of warm water

'Wake up, wake up, see the sunrise!' Deepak was banging on my door. Indeed it was, full of oranges and yellows, a beautiful start to the day.

We breakfasted Nepali style, an omelette sandwiched between two roti. By 7.30 we were on our way.

The path wound upwards through green jungly forrest. It was mostly paved, flat flagstones and steps.'These look quite old Deepak'. Many were covered in moss and looked almost as much part of the forrest as the trees.

'Yes, could be centuries old. The village would have made them'.

'So where are we going today?' I asked.

'First Panchesi Lake. This is where they hold the festival. Then after that we walk to the top of Panchesi Hill, Mount Gurung, have some tea, then walk down to Banjar where we still stay tonight'.

Rather than three hours, we made the lake in under two. The water was very green, and a small shrine had been built on an outcrop.

I am always drawn to isolated lakes. There is something special about them, something a bit otherworldly, something holy. It could be felt at this lake, deep and quiet. I stopped to contemplate there.

'You are ready to go?' Deepak asked after I had clambered up the steps to the ridge.

'Up there.' He pointed at the peak.

'How much higher is that? Lets see if I can guess. 300m?'

'More than four. Should take us about an hour'.

One of reasons I had left the bike and come hiking was as a warm up to Everest Base camp, which I was starting a week later.

The steep climbs and high altitude had begun to concern me slightly. Would I be fit enough to get all the way? After all, the most exercise I had done in the last month was kick starting Ambliss.

'Am I fit enough to get up to Base camp, Deepak?', I puffed as we strode up the hill.

'Yes, no problem', he grinned. 'Just take it a bit slower, you are too fast. Slowly, slowly, drink water'.

We made the top, Gunung Hill, in about forty minutes. I was puffed but it felt good to sweat and feel my heart race. I felt a little more confident with a proper guide's opinion.

We had made very good speed so had plenty of time to rest at the top. I left Deepak and found a viewpoint where I could snooze for an hour under the eye of the Annapurnas.

An hours walk down, in a small village called Banjar, were three stone guesthouses. I chose the one with a fine view of the sunset, and immediately had a shower.

They heated some water for me (which I wasn't expecting), gave me a bucket and pointed me in the direction of a small cowshed.

The shower consisted of me squatting naked, and pouring cupfuls of wam soapy water over myself, the smell of cattle in the air. It was one of the more unusual ablutions I have had.