Wakis and Water 9 Aug, 04 - 02:52 ------------------------ I sleep really well in the crowded communal room and am woken by the morning sunshine streaming onto my face through the dusty window. Outside, almost everyone is up and the drivers have laid out some...Boroghil 10 Aug, 04 - 06:56 ------------------------ It wasn't the most restful night. The wind blew like a dervish and having been too lazy to properly flatten the ground under my tent, I lay in a plough rut all night. I very carefully explained to t...Our first day actual trekking 10 Aug, 04 - 14:39 ------------------------ The Waki told us last night that they would have to go to the mountains for more ponies, but that all the horses and donkeys will be here by 11am. None of us even begin to assume that this will be the...A mountain path 11 Aug, 04 - 17:54 ------------------------ The night was terrifically cold, which is something I always feel a little uneasy saying considering I am going to the South Pole in November; nevertheless, by the early hours of the morning I was we...Yaks, Horses and Marmosets 12 Aug, 04 - 18:03 ------------------------ We treat ourselves to a 'brown tin' breakfast this morning to make up for the 5am wake up call. The way ahead from camp looks fairly flat, so I mount up on the poor old gray along with all t...A lake on top of the world 13 Aug, 04 - 00:45 ------------------------ It is a blisteringly cold night and once again I end wearing or lying under everything I have with me. I wake up at 4.45 and can hear that everyone else is moving too. Even before I sit up I know...A long walk 14 Aug, 04 - 03:57 ------------------------ Another bitter night and in addition, everything this morning is slightly damp. Nevertheless, it all seems worthwhile when I unzip the tent and am faced with the extraordinary sight of Lake Chakmaktin...Injured horses and a call home for help 15 Aug, 04 - 16:51 ------------------------ This morning as we all take advantage of the morning off, I walk down the pasture to look at the two lame horses. John's black mare is still lame, but doesn't look any worse, but Raymond's little bay...Dr Alex Duncan 18 Aug, 04 - 16:58 ------------------------ As we pack up camp most of our Waki friends reappear to help us. I think they are keen to see what goodies they might glean from our departure, but they also seem genuinely sad to see us go. The owner...Returning down the valley 19 Aug, 04 - 01:34 ------------------------ We all get off to rather a grumpy start on account of Moobin getting us all up early. Alex told us that the optimum time to cross the big river is between 8am and 11am and that it is 40 minutes away. ...Return to Faiserbad 20 Aug, 04 - 07:58 ------------------------ Moobin has very proudly procured a rather curious breakfast of bread and what seems to be long life double cream in small cartons, but to be honest we will eat anything these days and polish it off wi...An Afghani party 21 Aug, 04 - 05:42 ------------------------ I sleep really well. There is something so restful about this house above the roaring river. This time I am on the opposite side of the high white building and my concrete balcony looks out over the b...