Day 5

In so many ways, today has been a total contrast to anything else we have done so far. After torrential rain in the night, we woke (after a complete lie-in till 8am!!) to no sounds at all except the sounds of nature - leaves, crickets, birds and the mountain spring water flowing beside our lodge. This place really is off the beaten track, in the middle of lord knows where and just built into the jungle.

After breakfast were taken by Ganesha (one of the men who works here) to the local local village school that 3 of his children go to; a typical rural village school. There were about 50 pupils between the ages of 4 and 10, divided into two classrooms with 2 lovely teachers. Apparently the Adventure Company (who we have come with) sponsor this school to an extent and come about once a month, either with visitors like us, or just the local agents. We spent a really fantastic couple of hours there while the children sang and danced for us and showed us their books and we attempted to communicate with them. They especially loved having their pictures taken and watching our children doing clapping rhymes, Flora showed them a bit of gymnastics and we sang 'Twinkle, twinkle little star" because it is one of the things they learn in their English lessons! Ellie thought this was one of the happiest experiences of her life - I sense a gap year of teaching in a rural village school in South America coming on!!

After leaving the children with our 'gifts' of pencils, sweets, and balloons (which felt frankly pretty mean, but better than nothing I suppose), we continued our tour of Ganesha's village to see what the women, young children and old people were doing. Lots of people commented on Mia's hair. Ellie was taking pictures of the blankets laid out with chillies drying and the women working with them asked whether we grew chillies at home. When told not, she was incredulous - whatever did we eat? Weren't our vegetables awful without any chillies?? I think we left her feeling quite sorry for us!!

We walked down to the Kosi river where the local children swim and take their cattle to graze and have picnics (the children, not the cattle!!). At the height of the monsoon season, the river is full, but now, only a month after the monsoons, it is already quite low, but a clean, fast-flowing and lovely river which E, F & M loved paddling in. We were told how damming higher up the river causes problems in the valley because every so often they will open the dams and many villagers picnicking downstream are drowned each year by a 6 ft wall of water which descends on them without warning.

After lunch, Scott and the younger children swam in the lodge pool which is beautiful, but freezing, as it is filled with the spring water which has come from the mountain behind. Then a nature walk through the jungle to a plateau overlooking the river, with the most amazing view and tea, pakora and biscuits awaiting us.

Back at the lodge we had "one of the most funnest evenings of my whole life" (Mia) - cards on the terrace next to a roaring campfire and just to make it extra special, they laid on a power cut for us, so all was conducted by torch and fire light. A fantastic funnest day for us all (which is why there are so many photos today). We all wish we could stay longer here, we love it. But tomorrow we are off to our lodge at Corbett National Park & Tiger Reserve.