How It All Goes Down
Beaten by the Braldu
- Mortenson is whacked in the face by a branch as they roll into Skardu.
- They meet up with Mohammed Ali Changazi, a trekking agent whom Mortenson trusts to help him.
- Changazi lets Mortenson store all his materials at his office, saying it's "too late" (8.10) to build anything now.
- After Mortenson washes up, he runs into Akhmalu, a cook he knows, who tries to take Mortenson to his village, Khane.
- Mortenson agrees to the trip, which is "only three or seven hours" (8.21) (give or take a day).
- He has to cross a zamba, a bridge made of yak hair, to get there.
- Once he arrives, the chief, Janjungpa, is excited that Mortenson is there to build the climbing school he promised.
- Mortenson swears he never promised this, and argument breaks out between Janjungpa, Changazi, and Mortenson.
- Eventually, Akhmalu takes Mortenson to his home and feeds him.
- The next day, Mortenson returns to Changazi's office, where the man says that he had Mortenson's supplies "shifted" (8.47) to another office.
- Changazi tries to convince him to build his school in his village, because Korphe is very far away. But Mortenson refuses.
- They eventually travel to Korphe, but the only way to get across the gorge is by a several-hundred-foot cable, and more importantly, a cable that can't support the weight of all the supplies. Whatever will they do?