Our hotel in Ledar was still under construction. The room had been painted very recently, apparently just before we arrived, and it reeked strongly of fresh paint. I became rather dizzy from the fumes while I was taking a rest in there. At first I thought that the mountain sickness symptoms I had experienced up near Lake Tilicho were coming back, but these went away when I came out to attend the cocktail hour a short time later. A little hot rum mixed with cloves and honey is very restorative at the end of a long day climbing steep hills in the rain…

Over in the dining room we met Soo Yun, an especially stylish and smartly dressed Korean girl who was walking the circuit with a Nepali guide. She was the quintessential picture of an outdoor-wear model. She had on a floppy, rainbow-striped, knitted hat, a tastefully arranged Kashmiri wool scarf, a top-of-the-line, turquoise windbreaker that fit her to perfection, equally made to order, navy-blue waterproofs, and dayglow yellow trainers. She was probably the most elegant fashion statement I have ever beheld on a trail.

However, Soo Yun was not feeling anywhere near as good as she looked. She was very much under the weather with some major altitude problems that appeared to be getting dangerous. She was quite sick and thoroughly disheartened, leaning dejectedly on her table, and was on the verge of abandoning her walk. Fortunately, I had lots of Diamox tablets with me, far more than I needed, and gave her a handful. She took one, and what a change it made. Within an hour or two she was significantly better, cheerfully eating dinner with a solid appetite, and showering me with heartfelt gratitude in the effusive Asian manner. The whole house, especially her worried guide, was cheered to see this rapid and surprising recovery. I bumped into Soo Yun again a few days later just below the pass, slowly but bravely ascending. I do believe she made it up and over the top. Diamox can really make a difference. One should not go walking in the Himalayas without it.