Six days clambering around sandy, rocky, snowy mountains and we're back at SECMOL, thank goodness! Everybody had a fantastic time, despite some sickness and sore injuries. The first day we left our taxis in a blizzard, snow accumulating quickly on our backpacks and frozen hats. Later, as we descended a mountain pass the snow stopped and we stopped for lunch, chowing down on some delicious peanut butter, apricot jam bread and kit-kats. When we reached our first home stay in the town of Yangtang, we were all exhausted, huddling around the small stove drinking tea. Our days were quite similar to this for the rest of the trek, drinking tea and eating biscuits around the fire. Every home stay seemed more welcoming than the previous, and despite the remoteness of some, there was always plenty of warm and tasty food to eat with no shortage of tea.
The second night in Ule, the most remote village, was very cool. I stayed at a house far removed from the rest of the tiny village with two other vispas, James, and Jigdol, one of the SECMOL students who joined us on the trek. We stayed with an elderly couple whose children were living elsewhere. They treated us very well, cooking a lunch of boiled barley balls fried in yak cheese and butter with sugar. At night, the father tucked us in with the heaviest and itchiest blankets ever, made from yak wool.
The rest of the trek came with favorable weather and an even nicer home stay in Hemishukpachen. I stayed in a large house with three other vispas, Amy and Tenzin, another SECMOL student. Highlights included: Being served tea an biscuits in bed, an incredibly cute two and a half year old and an overall incredibly kind and happy family. I was also able to find out lots about my appropriate technology, terracing. (For which we're all writing articles).
The last day of trekking started with an incredibly fun run down the side of a very snowy mountain, led by our trusty guide Tashi, with lots of whooping and shouts of excitement. Others followed, tumbling into the fluffy snow. We all dried ourselves at the bottom in the intense Ladakhi sun. An hour later we started our ascent up a very, very steep hill. At the top we felt truly accomplished, chowing down on more peanut butter, chocolate and apricots.
The trek was more than just fun; the night after we got back we all told each other about our fondest memories, whether it was playing cricket with a two year old, getting to eat meat, understanding a conversation between a mother and her son in Ladakhi, simply because what was happening was so familiar, or the simple amazement with home stays, Ladakhi villages and the beautiful landscape.
(posted by Schuyler)
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