Cow paddies

As night fell we began to look for a place to put our tent... as we turned the corner we came upon a nomad settlement... Our signs for "we have a tent can we put it here," were interpreted as, "can we sleep in your tent." And before we knew it, our bikes were parked inside the woolen home and we were sipping tea with the family; mother, father, daughter and married son (21 years old) daughter in law and two grandkids ... Ahhh bliss. We tried to make ourselves useful but we didn't feel comfortable yet with our host family to help milk the yak. They are so quick and efficient around the beasts that our 'help' would only delay them... And a yak's 'equipment' is different to that of a cow; its smaller and harder to grasp. Once the milking was finished and the Yak were let loose to graze, we finally saw our chance to help. The women began collecting the fresh yak dung and spreading it out on the ground to let it dry for fuel. Haha! We quickly rolled our sleeves and started collecting the fresh deposits. Some which had had some time to dry were easy to hold as they held their shape. But others that were freshly laid seeped through our fingers before we had time to carry them to their destination. The family had great laughs at our expense. We had obviously not yet masterd the art of fresh cow paddie transport.