Thingbong then trekking !

 I can not overstate the incredible privilege it is to be able to stay in a Lepcha home, surrounded by this beautiful, kind family. Pema, Tim and Gyatso’s friend, wanted us to try everything- including the traditional local fermented millet beer that I was seen sipping in the last post. I asked for just a taste, and was served that giant wood carafe. It is very strong, so I passed it off to Gyatso after a few sips. May and I have been laughing about how much food is pressed upon us every day. All of it is fantastic, but neither one of us is  used to eating three enormous meals per day, and saying no is truly not an option. The house is full of Pema’s extended family - his brother, his brother’s wife, mother-in-law, and several nieces and nephews all crowded into the kitchen/sitting area to talk and laugh in Nepali, occasionally stopping to fill us in on the conversation in English. After breakfast this morning we said a reluctant goodbye and loaded up for our jeep ride to the trailhead of our three day trek to a remote monastery. This monastery is the most sacred of Pema’s branch of Buddhism, and can only be accessed on foot.

I am writing this post from a wood-slat hut deep in the Himalayas that we trekked to with our porters, Wong Chuk, Noorgen, and Pema (different Pema - we have met five so far, so I get the impression that it is a common name). It is like camping but there are (kind of) walls. There is a clay oven on one side of the hut and the meal of curried potatoes, squash, rice and flat bread that Wong Chuk was able to create from it was impressive. We sat around the campfire last night and listened to the roar of the Teesta River in the valley. It was a little overcast, but the stars sure look a lot brighter from up here.