Aphrodisiac...

From Pisang we walked to Minang, the largest village in this area & mostly Tibetan. Very primitive housing. Lots of  Terraced fields and the workers out digging & weeding from 5.30 am. Plowing the fields with a cross between a cow and a yak. Growing barley, corn, wheat and potatoes. There is a month long season at this time of year where the Nepalese people can buy a very expensive permit and come up to this area and hunt for pupa caterpillars. There is only a 5mm black breathing tube sticking up out of the ground. Very difficult to find for us but locals seem to know where to go.They r found around 5000m. They r sold mainly to the Chinese and are supposedly an aphrodisiac though one guy told me it was like viagra! They sell for 800 rupees each, about $10. So it was a bit crazy in the evenings when they all returned from their day hunting and partied up large,  pockets full of these things. Slept anywhere then got up again at 5am & scoured the hills all over again.  Lots of people making lots of money. Bizarre & fascinating at the same time. We have had a young Swiss guy, Reno, join us for a few days, he is traveling alone and wants to come with us up to Tilicho lake, not recommended to do on your own, photo of Tilicho peak and other ones taken around Minang. We still have Yadab, our porter, he is great and the four of us have had some good card games in the evenings. We are awake by 5am, its light, the roosters are up and the cow bells are ringing! But ready for bed at 8pm, sleeping well after all the exercise.