Day 10

I think today may have been my favourite day of the whole trip (I can't speak for any of the others, but I think it has been a high point all round). We woke up in really warm and comfy beds in our tents and headed up to breakfast. Just like in our other 'jungle lodge' we are the only people here because the season has only just started and places are starting to reopen after the monsoons. So we got exclusive attention from all the really nice staff here.

One of the 'boys', smiley Sanjay, then took us on a walk straight up the mountain (and I mean STRAIGHT up the mountain) at the back of our camp. We are in the foothills of the Himalayas, but haven't seen the proper mountains since we climbed Cheena peak days ago because the foothills are too high to see over. It was a really steep climb, but on a well worn path, because right at the top was a settlement of about 5 houses in which an extended family live. Because it was Diwali everyone was home and they happily took us on a tour of their homestead and talked to us about their lives. It took approximately 30 minutes for Ellie to decide that she was going to move up here to live. She has even picked out her future husband!!!!

Our main guide was one of the sons who now works as an accountant in Haridwar and he introduced us to his brother (aged about 12 I guess) who is away at boarding school and (I think) his cousin who is a local priest and who was busy preparing a new house for his impending marriage (on 6^th Nov). There is no road up to their 'village' so to get to any town, they need to walk down the mountain and along the river bed for about an hour to a place where 2 rivers meet where a few cabs arrive between 9 and 10am to take them to Haridwar or Rishikesh, both about another hour's drive away from there. They explained how they can occasionally get a jeep to bring big items to the bottom of the mountain, but no vehicle can make the steep climb. Which explains why the girls thought they had seen a group of people walking past our camp yesterday carrying a double bed - they had - it was the new bed being brought up ready for after the marriage! They also told us how the local children (if not at boarding school) walked 7km to the public school each morning and then 7km back home again each afternoon - one way always vertically up the mountain!!

After our amazing morning visit, with more photos of our new friends, we headed off after lunch back down the river bed to the nearest temple (at the top of another part of the mountain) where we shared Diwali rice pudding with the Brahmin and admired the stunning views and the incredible peace of the area. We were also shown the water powered mill which local farmers brought their grain down to be made into flour and then Scott and the 2 younger girls had a really great swim in the river, which was surprisingly warm having recently emerged from under the ground in the mountain. We seemed to have inadvertently hit rush hour at the river - hordes of goats and cows were being walked home from all over the area through the ford - it was incredible how many people seem to live in this wilderness and how far they all walk for work or fun every day.

After dinner, our fabulous day was rounded off with an impromptu Diwali celebration round the camp fire. The 'boys' from the camp all came down to dance with us to local music played on a mobile phone and our guide had bought fireworks. They were all particularly impressed with Mia's instinctive display of what they thought was a fine example of 'punjabi dancing' - priceless!!