I thought I was going to be trussed by Tibetan schoolboys today when I took a walk instead of staying with my group to visit the Sakya Monastery.
Still at about 13,000 feet elevation, I was suddenly overwhelmed by sleepiness and took a nap instead of inhaling more yak butter fumes from the lamps in the monastery.
I took a walk toward sunset and sat on a rock to watch the villagers threshing their barley harvest. A steady string of children passed me by, mostly chirping "Hello! How are you!," but some asking for money with the universal outstretched hand.
Then it happened that I nearly got mugged by four eight-year-old boys, realizing their strength in numbers despite being half my height. They circled to look at me, then noticed all the cool essentials I have attached to my purse: the twist pen with KAREN printed on it; several carabiners; my water bottle; and the flat LED flashlight; my REI compass/thermometer; the tiny bottle of hand sanitizer.
One clever munchkin snatched off the hair clip I always keep on the strap but I got it back. Another had time to untwist my pen to remove the cartridge, but I managed to get it back, too. I felt this was quickly getting out of hand, like sharks smelling blood in the water, like feral dogs hunting in packs, and I was the Gulliver who was going to be overwhelmed by pint-sized people.
I sprang up to make my escape, fortunately at the same time as an Anglo guy about 6'7" was near. He turned out to be a 20-something Swiss national named Blaise who had bicycled alone from Kirghizstan on his way to Lhasa. One little guy still tried to leap up us, like an ambitious Chihuahua, but I was safe. Thank you, Blaise.
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