|
Thursday,
18th March, 2004
I woke
up this morning to realise I had missed St Patrick's Day. I doubt
whether I would have found any Guinness even if I had remembered.
We
soon headed towards a village called Tare, where I was scheduled
to meet my final two Welfare Pensioners.
 |
|
To
everyone's surprise a snake had slithered amongst the
crowd
|
 |
|
On
the way we stopped in a village called Salija. There was a one tiny
wooden hut that acted as the village shop, village café and
general meeting point.
I sat
for 15 minutes, drinking a cup of tea, watching local life go by
- literally. Families, school children, chickens, buffalos and cows
all wandered passed me. I was beginning to get used to it.
We
arrived in Tare at our normal early-lunch time. While my porters
started cooking I climbed up to my first pensioner's house to be
told he was collecting his pension and had left for Beni that morning.
 |
| A
stone mason repairing the path above Nagi. |
The
second pensioner was at home, but terribly frail and almost completely
deaf. However he still managed to salute me smartly when I approached
his farmhouse. Once a soldier, always a soldier.
After
lunch I decided to press on with the following day's trek programme.
Four tiring hours later we arrived in Durlung. We were given permission
to camp on the small playing field in front of a recently built
school, which I had to inspect the following morning.
We
once again attracted considerable interest. After food at about
8pm I was asked whether the local women could sing and dance for
me. With my cigar and whisky beside me I was more than happy for
a little entertainment.
It
was pitch black apart from a few lanterns and candles. For 90 minutes
the Amatoli (women's group) sang and danced in front of my ridge
tent. After only a few minutes I counted 50 people sitting with
me. I could see lights streaming down the hillside as people were
attracted to the music.
 |
| My
porters take a quick break in Salija. |
I joined
in the dancing, as did my porters. However it wasn't only people
who were attracted to the party.
Suddenly
there was a huge commotion with the ladies jumping up from the grass.
To everyone's surprise a snake had slithered amongst the crowd.
I
could see it quite clearly 10 feet in front of me, bathed in torch
light and probably a little confused itself.
My
porter took charge with his flip flop. Once the snake was dealt
with, the party continued.
I made
sure my tent was well zipped up when I went to sleep.
Previous
entry | Next
entry
|
