Merry Christmas

Our guide is standing in the doorpost with a big grin on his face. If we’re ready for our dinner? The table looks festive with candles on beer vase that are turned upside down. Soon our table is filled with delicious food. Both our guide and our cook are at our table to wish us a Merry Christmas and as a special treat they didn’t only go the extra mile for the food but they also have a bottle of rice wine. They poor our glasses and we toast and take a sip. All of us try to hide our grimace; the taste is dreadful! Overruling the taste with great food we’re determined to finish our Christmas present.

I’ve been on a second hike, but this time I did not only have a guide and a cook but also a group! And it really was good fun to be in a group for 3 days. In total we walk about 60km through forests, by meandering meadows and sliding down narrow pathways. When climbing steep rocky hills the cheery chatting is stilled. 

We don’t pass through a lot of villages and the ones where we stay overnight are really remote. Upon arrival the first night we’re welcomed by a happy black pig when have our tour along the toilets (hole in the ground) and shower (bucket of cold water). Still the ‘shower’ is so welcome after a sweaty day. We sit close together around the fire, trying to interact with the family while peeling loads of garlic.

We sleep all together in their living room, huddle against each other, still dressed in several layers of clothes, under three blankets and shiver in the cold of the dark night. Early morning when the clouds give the valleys a mysterious look the cold seems to disappear quickly. We’re ready for another day of hiking!