The first thing we heard yesterday upon our return from trekking yesterday is that “Jing Mai was killed by a tiger!”
Jing Mai – one of the monastery’s four dogs – is nowhere to be found. After some loud noises the night before, she was suddenly gone. Nawang adds clout to his tiger explanation by noting: “Baloo (the alpha dog) was so scared by the tiger incident that every time he hears us call Jing Mai’s name, he gets really nervous again and starts looking around everywhere.”

I laugh, thinking about the first day I arrived here and saw the HUGE y-shaped bone hanging in the kitchen and was told it was from a cow that was killed by a tiger just days earlier. They’re pretty big on tigers here.

UPDATE 18.June.2012: Last night Nate ran into the kitchen saying, “Hey! They’re headed out on a tiger hunt tonight! Nawang’s leading it!” We spent the rest of the night laughing and joking about what they’d take with them. The final verdict was that Nate – at 6’2″ and about a whole foot taller than all the Sherpas – would be the one to wrestle the tiger. Dorjee picked up a four-foot long iron pole and armed Nate, who also picked up the kitchen cleaver. So funny.