Dzongri trek (first days)

I left Gangtok for Pelling last week on a share jeep. Prerna's suggestion that I get my ticket the night before made the 6 hour ride more pleasant because I was in the front seat, sharing the bench with only 2 other people as opposed to 3. I got there after dark, so I couldn't see the mountains peaking through the clouds, even though I knew they were there. Dinner was at a westerner-filled restaurant, a strange shift for me since I had been so long in the local scene in Gangtok. But it was pleasant, nonetheless, because I sat next to an older Swiss couple and the conversation turned to Aescher and Wildkirchle and other places in Appenzell that usually only locals know about. I enjoyed the first few chapters of Robinson Crusoe, one of the books taken from Bandana's schoolbook collection (since I exhausted Prerna's already). It seemed fitting to start the adventure book as I was starting my own adventure, though I had none of the misgivings or bad omens that Crusoe suffered. I woke up at 6:15, not early enough for the sunrise but it was still clear enough that I could see across to the snowy peaks for the first time. Gangtok has some views of Kanchendzonga, but only if you are high enough and it is early enough to still be cloudless. Peaks like these I hadn't seen since the dramatic flight out of Ladakh. During the 26km taxi ride to Yuksom (which took more than 2 hours), I stopped at Khecheopalri Lake, a holy wishing lake surrounded by fading prayer flags. Surrounded by Bengali tourists, I didn't make a wish, but I did find a little trail that led away from the crowds and around the lake. The silence the holiness of the lake demanded was dimished somewhat by the buzzing of insects on the reeds--it is a sound that might fool you--it seems silent until you really stop and listen. There were some small waterfalls along the road that all the jeeps stopped at--they were nice but after Yosemite Falls (and Vernal and Nevada Falls) these little ones aren't quite as notable. In Yuksom I met with the guides, Phurba and Jeewan, and my fellow trekkers, Margie and Kevin. I read a few more chapters in my book - by this time Crusoe had left his Brazilian plantation and landed on a deserted island - but I left the book for another day since we were meeting at 7.15 to start our trek. 

After breakfast, we climbed up above Yuksom to see an old monastary on a hill. I was slow on this first little walk and I worried that too much time had elapsed since my last trek. But this was just a warm-up, and the walking only got better. We gave our bags to the porters who brought them to the yaks (4 total for our group), and we stopped briefly at the Coronation throne before starting on the actual trail. The throne was basically an eroded, whitewashed rock. The colorful designs of the monastaries I still find interesting, but I am not very attracted by the rocks imbued with holy powers or significant histories. The first day on the trail lasted only 3 hours, but it felt like a full day since we didn't get on the actual trail until past 11. We had to stop and have our permits checked at more than on outpost at the beginning of the trail. Permits are necessary for all foreigners, which is why it took a while to arrange this trek. Part of the permit fees went to government organizations like the forest ministry that was in charge of environmental concerns, but although we saw plenty of signs in English advising us on environmentally friendly trekking practices, we saw little of this in action. From the farms just outside of town, we climbed gradually on rocky trails. We passed over 3 suspension bridges, some with loose boards that threatened to fall at any minute, and were passed by teams of yaks heading down the mountain. I mentioned how hungry I was to Jeewon and he obliged by finding a few roots for me to sample. As he played Beatles songs and music from a recent Bollywood hit, Rock On, from the speaker on his cell phone, Jeewon picked a yellow leafy plant with a white stem. Peeling away the outer layer of the stem, he told me to eat the rest. It was tart like a lemon and surprisingly juicy. The other plant I tried wasn't quite as good--it made my mouth go all dry and pasty. I made it to camp about 10 minutes behind Kevin and Margie. Together we enjoyed tea and chubby bananas and then lunch, quite late at 3pm. We were at a campsite rather than staying in a rest house because the nearest rest house would have been too far for our first day. There was still a structure--2 rooms, made of wood-- where the guides and porters could cook (and sleep). Our tents were up above the trail while the cooking went on in the building below the trail, so there was no scent of fuel wafting towards us as we relaxed in the afternoon, only the sound of huge nuts falling from the trees. I enjoyed talking with Kevin and Margie from the very beginning. I understood the subleties of how they described themselves ("I was raised Catholic" and "we live in Georgia but we're from the Midwest") and that made me realize how long it had been since I had spent time with Americans. Of course I have met a few during the last 3 months, but mostly I have spoken to local people and trekkers from other countries. That is what I was expecting as I planned for this project, but it was comforting to find people from back home with whom I had so much in common. From the earliest conversations, Kevin and Margie proved to be great trekking partners. We all enjoyed the starry sky for a while that evening while the light played tricks on the mountains across the valley, making us think that an outcropping of rocks was some abandoned building.