Came out to eat breakfast, set on the verandah just outside our room today, and was THRILLED to see the peaks of the Himalayas off in the distance! It has been cloudy and foggy and we were resigned to the fact that we wouldn’t catch even a glimpse, but there were the tips and some of the ridge line as well. I couldn’t capture any of it by camera, and after an hour or so, they were covered once again by clouds. The manager thinks we may get a better look tomorrow morning. I can’t wait to see. We could def see Kanchenjunga, the third highest peak in the world, and a few others. Man, I can only imagine how breathtaking it is in the summer and on clear days, when the peaks are a vast wall in the distance all along the horizon. I thought the flatirons were a beautiful backdrop, and they are, but they seem a little bush league when I’m standing and looking at these peaks.
After breakfast, which was moved out on the lawn so we could enjoy seeing the peaks, we had a tour of the tea factory and a tasting.
Bins for processing and drying:
Tea rolling machine, replaces hand rolling:
Different tea finishes (fine, granular, chunky):
Yes, we tasted them all, although not in the professional way, which is very similar to wine:
So interesting and complex, the process of gathering, drying, rolling, fermenting, sorting, auctioning and blending. Picking is done four times a year. The first, in late February/early March, is called the first flush and considered by many to be the best. The second flush is in early summer, the third is called the monsoon pick, and then there is the autumn. Each subsequent picking is stronger in flavor. He also discussed the CTC tea, which is lower quality, but much larger yields, so is used by large companies like Lipton. Lipton will buy the last harvest, but mix it about 20% good tea, 70% this last, stronger batch, and about 10% funky quality and create the blend we all grew up with. After the tasting, I went to their store to buy some second flush, oolong and Assam teas. Darjeeling tea bushes are smaller leaves grown on plants originally from China. Assam tea is from the next state over in India, and is what they use to make chai. So of course I bought 3 containers of that one!
Time to change and head out with our new guide, Prakesh, for our two and a half hour hike up to the top of the mountain we see ahead of us. He queries if we want to follow the road or go through the village and we opt for the latter. Or should I say ladder? It was climbing stones stairs for quite a while. All along the way he is pointing out bushes with medicinal applications, building uses as well as a few birds. He has us try out a small, round berry that grows at the roots of a bush that can be used when you’re thirsty and have no immediate water supply (looks kind of like a grape):
We pass a gentleman putting the finishing touches on a basket he’s weaving to be used for carrying rocks and stones, and another grating some kind of root veggie for other villagers:
The path continues its vertiginous ascent, dragging us along with it. Prakesh points out the 5km trail that high-schoolers trek every day (thats two hours each way). We stop at a few resting spots and the view over the valley continues to impress.
We’re making good time, and in two hours,we walk through a field of tea bushes and around the corner to the flat top, complete with our table, place settings and embroidered umbrella. A bit windy, but that doesn’t change our being greeted with cold, wet hand towels and fresh lemonade. Happy to fall into my chair, I survey the scene before me. Evidently the whole panorama is lined with the snowcapped giants on clear days.
Again, we sit and read for a few moments until we are surrounded by three men, each laden with trays. Today’s menu includes quartered tomatoes with fresh herbs, vinaigrette and capers, cucumber flair in a delicate crust (not really flan, minced cucumber and herbs held together with some kind of cream sauce, but no mayo, very light), grilled chicken with horseradish chutney, a biiiig green salad filled with nasturtium, a smoked eggplant salad and fresh, homemade bread. Feeding time at the zoo! Needless today, I allowed Matt some. But polished off the greens with a few pieces of chicken thrown in. But the eggplant was killer – the smoky flavor of the aubergine balanced with the sharp bite of garlic and bare crunch of red onion. Another stellar repast.
By the time Matt finished, I hightailed it into the car to escape the sharp, cold wind. I ate my bowl of melon and Papua in the car, and then we pulled out for home. It was a Colorado-worthy 4-wheel drive road, evidently having been finished only the week before. We watched as a dirt-hauling truck maneuvered a turn, and nearly capsized in the process. Home again, Matt checked to confirm he won some Burning Man tickets in the lottery and I enjoyed a cup of hot cocoa. Then back for an initial round of packing and we awaited massages. Hope springs eternal, I guess. They were indeed better than our last ones, by smile, but it’s clear none of these masseuses have attended the Boulder School of Massage!
Cocktails and dinner with the newbies, another couple from England, and then to the room for a good night’s sleep. Long travel day tomorrow. A little sad to be leaving this area, but happy to be southbound and entering the seriously warm climate. XO