I had three walks today. First one was early morning around the compound and the town while it was still mostly asleep. That is when the locals are out walking, going to mass, and opening their shops. Then I had a shopping walk before my green trekking.
The compound has individual cottages, two restaurants, a bar, and a screened in area for yoga. There are also one each a basketball, tennis, and badminton court. None of which seem to have been used in some time. Outside the in we perimeter they have a composting areas for food waste and yard waste. Women with stick brooms sweep the sidewalks and the grass every morning and deposit the leaves in the pile.
Once outside the hotel grounds, I walked into town. There seemed like so many shops when we drove through the previous day. It turns out most qare the same--souvenir stuff and spices because this is THE spice region of India. The only atorws open were small cafes selling tea or filter coffee to locals. Other shopkeepers were just arriving and opening their stores.
Soon it was almost 7:30, so i could go back to the hotel to get breakfast. Another buffet, but just Wow. There were stations for omelets and dosas and then a huge assortment of other goodies. They cater to westerners and have pancakes and chicken sausage. Yogurt with toppings including many flavored honeys I clueing garlic and chili. They had some addition savory Indian dishes and kanji, which is a fermented rice in broth that you mix with a paste. Containing probiotics, this is good for the stomach. I proactively had some as so far no tummy troubles.
There was also the polenta like dish that I had at my other hotel. Or so I thought. This one is not savory but sweetened with probably honey. I also tried a slice of millet bread with some of the flavored honeys. They are big on millet here. I have read it is a healthy grain that other cultures use while we put it in wild bird feeders. And the piece de resistance was all the fresh fruit both cut up and juices. Yum! Papaya and pineapples are grown here as well as cantaloupe and water melon.
They brought me my own French press of black coffee and I enjoyed my meal and did some journaling before I set off back to town. My object was to buy a hat that is light in color and cheaper than what is in the store in the compound.
As I looked into each store for hats, of course, each shop keeper tried to draw me in. I inally found one with baseball caps but all were darkly colored which is only going to make my head hotter. Finally he pulled out a bag of more hats and in there was a white NY Yankees hat. Or at least it had been white at one time. Because it was slightly soiled, I'm guessing this is one of those fast fashion type of things. The hat was probably made in China, purchased in the US, taken to a thrift store and shipped to India for yet another life. For the sun of 95 rupoees ($1.14), I had a hat to protect my face from the sun during my green trek.
I stopped at a few other stores because I want o find a kurti or two. They are long tunics that you can wear over leggings or with cotton pants that come as a set. All were two small because even the XXL was not made for my broad shoulders. On the way back to the hotel, I had to explain to the carpet guy that I have no need for hand knitted carpets no matter how beautiful and move on quickly. And then I found it.
A place with nice souvenirs and clothing. The sweet man there from Kashmir was not pushy but extremely helpful. He listens to what I said and brought out options that suited my taste. I soon had a teal tunic, an orange and white Kurti set, a Kashmir scarf and various figurines made of rosewood.
His family is still in Kashmir in far northern India. He was just retuned from a month long visit to see his wife and small daughter. It gets very cold there also and there is. It much heating in the homes. In addition to heavy jackets, each person has like fire pit they keep inside the jacket to stay warm.
We also talked about the importance of giving. Buying from tradespeople so they can make a living, brings more prosperity to the buyer who can in turn keep passing that along. He brought me a chai while he wrapped up my items and tallied up my total. Then it was a hustle back to the hotel to meet my guide for trekking.
As it turns out, the man from the hotel walked me up to near where I had been earlier in the day and I met my guide Rameshat the reserve. I was out fitted with leech socks that come up over the knee and over one's pants. I was also given tobacco powder to remove any leeches should they attach.
Now you may be wondering as was I, how can I get a leech on dry land? Like ticks they perch on low plants and attach themselves to passersby. They are like a small worm with a snout in one end with theee teeth to attach and draw blood. Nice, huh?
Pretty much right out of the gate, we came upon an eagle and Ramesh took the camera to get the photos for me. We stalked that for awhile and saw some other birds as welll.
I asked what the mounds around some trees were and was not surprised to learn they were termite. But they are tiny creatures and don't eat wood. He also shows me a strangling fig tree. It basically wraps itself around another tree and looks like a banyan tree.
We walked across some plains at the bottom of the mountains and I saw what looked like a large deer stand in a tree. Ramesh explained that was for safety from elephants if needed. I soon had a few leeches attached which Ramesh removed.
It was quiet for a bit and then we briefly saw some deer and found a honeycomb. Once a year locals may get a permit to harvest some things from the reserve. Honey and bee colonies are one. There were a few akills along the way-- a bison and a deer. The tigers get them.
We happened upon a group of bison chilling in a swampy area. They have the cutest ears! They paid us no mind. Then Ramesh spotted an owl ina teee cavity. We had discussed owls earlier. I had told him if it's safe that I leave dead trees in my yard because the woodpeckers make holes and I hope the owls will use them for a nest. We did see a brown backed wood oecke, too which looked to be about the size of the pileated who visits my feeders at home but not as colorful.
This was about a two hour walk. We returned and I was checked for leeches and returned my leech socks and then it was back to the hotel. When I was changing to take a quick swim before my massage, I realized some leeches had got under my shirt and had attached to my belly. And one dropped to the floor. Ick. I left if there because I thought it was dead and I would deal with that après swim.
was bleeding from multiple bites. I cleaned up and went for a that swim.
I had just enough time for a few laps in the small pool before heading to the Ayurveda center. Without going down a shady path, I'll just say massages here are different. One there is no case modesty and covering up as in the US. The massage starts in a seated position as they work your head. The massage is more flow oriented that spot specific meaning they use flowing motions up and down the body and crossing from left to right and vice versa. From what I know about yoga chakras and chiropractic, I'm guessing it is meant to activate energy centers in the body.
I was also got a steam bath in a contraption that looks like some kind of medical torture chamber. It's a wooden box that they shut you in with just your head sticking out. There are steam vents inside and you sweat. Then they used a body scrub to remove the oil in a shower. I'm always up for a new experience and massage is always a good thing in my world. They also used some natural medicine on the leech bites.
It was a full day and time for a nap before dinner and work.
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