As quick and frenetic as our pace had been, the brakes were now clamped down hard. Even our van stayed in the parking lot until well into the afternoon.
Breakfast was unhurried and leisurely. After another hearty meal, we opted for the "nature walk" which had our guide Muthi walk us through herb gardens, row upon row of tea bushes, and up precipitous hillsides to get the best view. If we had been expecting a meandering stroll, what we got was a two-hour bush-whacking jungle trek. It was grueling and rewarding.
James worried about snakes and I worried about spiders, but we encountered neither. Rachel saw a large rabbit bounding through the semi-jungle. Muthi hushed us with a raised finger to the lips a few times when he thought he heard an elk at the edge of the forest, but unless it was deaf, it had clearly gone scampering. We tasted wild husk cherries and tiny native strawberries, crushed handfuls of fennel fronds to release the scent, and learned about the three top leaves of tea that become a lovely beverage when dried and cured. We hiked past hillsides of women plucking the precious leaves by hand.
Muthi explained the workers' schedules, how their children attended nearby schools and how each family was allotted a small garden plot where they grew their own vegetables: leeks, beets, carrots, lettuce, cabbage.
Their homes were sturdily built and colorfully washed in pinks, turquoises or mustard yellows, but incredibly tiny for full families. Windows were flung open to catch the cool morning breezes and freshly washed clothes hung drying in the sun. Life was insanely simple here but intrinsically beautiful.
In the late afternoon, I indulged in a pedicure. The one I'd had before leaving home was no match for this one... Incense, quiet treatment and the feeling of total pampering. Simple and beautiful!
Breakfast was unhurried and leisurely. After another hearty meal, we opted for the "nature walk" which had our guide Muthi walk us through herb gardens, row upon row of tea bushes, and up precipitous hillsides to get the best view. If we had been expecting a meandering stroll, what we got was a two-hour bush-whacking jungle trek. It was grueling and rewarding.
James worried about snakes and I worried about spiders, but we encountered neither. Rachel saw a large rabbit bounding through the semi-jungle. Muthi hushed us with a raised finger to the lips a few times when he thought he heard an elk at the edge of the forest, but unless it was deaf, it had clearly gone scampering. We tasted wild husk cherries and tiny native strawberries, crushed handfuls of fennel fronds to release the scent, and learned about the three top leaves of tea that become a lovely beverage when dried and cured. We hiked past hillsides of women plucking the precious leaves by hand.
Muthi explained the workers' schedules, how their children attended nearby schools and how each family was allotted a small garden plot where they grew their own vegetables: leeks, beets, carrots, lettuce, cabbage.
Their homes were sturdily built and colorfully washed in pinks, turquoises or mustard yellows, but incredibly tiny for full families. Windows were flung open to catch the cool morning breezes and freshly washed clothes hung drying in the sun. Life was insanely simple here but intrinsically beautiful.
In the late afternoon, I indulged in a pedicure. The one I'd had before leaving home was no match for this one... Incense, quiet treatment and the feeling of total pampering. Simple and beautiful!
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