The campsite was already occupied by a Spanish group, so we stayed at the Maili Manaslu Hotel, Shyala, Gorkha. The lodge is being run by a mother and her daughter. The girl laughs liberally while mom sits silent, but smiling. I ate my dinner of rice and vegetable curry (hey, this isn't daal baht, is it), I watched as the girl cut mini-potatoes and fried them in a cast iron type pan on a small wood stove. I told her that potatoes were my favourite. She offered me a bowl, which I gratefully accepted. They were fantastic, though a bit spicy.