We moved out of the Sunrise Guest House early this morning and left our packs in trust with the owner of the trekking company we booked with, then returned to the Tower View for tea before we caught our ride to the National Park entry point. Our guide's name was Ajoy, a young Nepalize dude with an ominous laugh. By 11:00AM we were on the trail, going mainly up today. It was a good hike. We made a few stops in different regions, each one proudly offering it's own locally grown tea. We reached a high point of 3,070 meters in which we were walking through small clouds. The trail hugged the border of India and Nepal and it was liberating to roam freely through the mountains without the hassle of boundries and checkpoints.
After 11km we arrived in the village of Tumling (Population 25), where we set up in a family tea house with lots of beds. The first villagers we met were two young Nepali girls, Sustica and Bobbita. They were meticulously preparing a table of 108 candles for a ceremony of prayers to honor the life of Sai Baba, the revered spiritual leader/guru with the identifiable afro. Once again we were very lucky to be a part of something special, as we were asked to join in the ceremony, light some candles and say some prayers. Eventually, over half the village was huddled into the small room. There were at least 4 religions present, all singing and praying for the same holy man. When the ceremony ended we went downstairs for a hot meal of soup and curried veg with custard and tamarind sauce for dessert. I felt spoiled.
We ended the evening by playing cards with the girls. They taught us a new game called "jack thief" and the rest of the family gathered round to watch and laugh at our intensity. It's places like this that make me never want to return to a big city.
Read Day 14
Read Day 14
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