We walked through a pine forest, and then to Choya (2630m), the last village we would see, with a magnificent sweeping view of Dhaulagiri to Tukuche Peak (6920m). Here is my crew in Choya with Dhaulagiri behind: cook Ang Phuri Sherpa; porters Dhansing, Dhan Bahadur Tamang, and Ram Bahadar Tamang; and guide Gyan Tamang. I noticed that the local people were drinking heavily, just like in 1950. “The sounds of laughter, singing and general hilarity led me to suspect that chang - rice-alcohol - was being generously distributed” (Maurice Herzog, Annapurna).