We are off today high in the mountains to a rural area and farm stay in Merak. I pack up. I’ll use just my small day pack at the home stay, lugging a suitcase a pain. A shower. Breakfast – tea & fruit & juice only. I have just a bit of time to write in my journal – and probably should not have – a bit late, but we are underway.
A long discussion with Kinzang as Jamyang finds me more tissues – the price of laundry at the hotel! $ 3,516 NU = $ 59 CAD! Socks seem to be the most expensive at $ 200 NU = $ 3.30 CAD. Underwear the same. But trousers and a dress only $ 130 NU. The liquor bill is much better – the $500 NU = $ 8.25 CAD for a 1/2 bottle of peach wine (Bhutan) that’s too sweet is a bit steep. Beer is the way to go.
We retrace the road to Radhi, the village from yesterday, and then continue past on our way to Merak. Highlights:
Pass lovely rice fields again – by the road and across the mountain valley. We pass some amazing scarecrows. They are so animated and dressed completely – the first an archer with bow & arrow & bag slung over his shoulder. We laugh delightedly.
Across the mountain valley I see a temple high on a hill. Eventually we will climb so high that the temple is way below. Up, up we go. The vegetation ever changing. We come now to high meadows with short grass, trees on the sides. And then a rhododendron forest! I can’t imagine what it looks like in the late spring.
At one point I look over at the tall mountains to the north and see just a small vista of a snow capped mountain! The Himalayas. The Bhutanese Himalayas! It seems so very special.
We are climbing almost above the tree line. The road for the most part is quite good – and the last 1/2 way good (relative – dirt) as it has been gone over with the roller used on pavement. There’s one bad section where there is construction. What’s new?
And now coming to our village of Merak. A small stream at the valley floor, and we climb up from here to our farm house. Much more rustic than farms in the valley. About 10 km before the village we see people dressed in a very different way – the nomadic yak herders – though they are not now so nomadic – but still yak herders.
At the guest house tea and then much by Jamyang and Kinzang to get me a more comfortable bed – including sheets! I think remaining constipated for a few more days might be yeah!
BTW – the rhododendron forest is a great ‘bush toilet’ as there are much easier slopes.
We head off for a walk around. Firstly up above to the meadows where the yaks, cows, and horses are grazing.
Then we continue on and come to archers! It is really amazing. They have 2 targets set up – one on each small hill and they are 150 m apart. Those arrows just fly! There are 5 archers, later 6. They take 2 arrows each and then jog to the far target to retrieve the arrows and shoot from the opposite hill. They get amazingly close to the target often, but direct hits are few. Cheers for each hit from all – and a little money passes hands.
Down through the meadow. Pictures with a herder and yak – and the hand spindle he uses to spin the tail wool from the yaks. The spindle is beautiful. Apparently the fur from the sides of the yaks (sheered in the summer) is the warmest. Pictures are OKd.
Two women and a young girl (about 7) leading a pony – all dressed in traditional clothing for these mountains. The girl is very shy, but they say we may take some pictures.
Continue our walk through the village meeting many. We stop at a general store and there is a young boy (about 11) in Class 4B, with books. I ask if I may see them. They are in English. The first a picture book but with complex language and the second text only – one of the famous scary kids books (Goosebumps). I ask if he could read it for me. Yes. His reading is excellent and this proves to be more so when he reads the text only book. His comprehension of some words – say ‘useless’ or ‘loneliness’ not great, but I am so impressed. He reads very well. (Thought – maybe the concepts of useless and lonely are just not concepts in this village and life.)
Our hostess comes for a proper greeting – and white scarf for me and Ara for all. She stays and tells her life story – well the last 5 years anyway – as her husband has left her for a younger woman. She’s 62 so he’s probably older and the younger woman is 31. She too was married when this affair began and with 2 children. I try to encourage her to not give over her life to him and his foolishness. But then I do understand (or try) how after so very many years together this is very painful. She says the return of guests after Covid will help.
Dinner. Then somehow we get on the topic of card games. They have several that are very similar to those I have played – probably with the DeAngelis. Jamyang is off to the store to buy cards! (And yes in the middle of nowhere they have them!) We play “Pick Two”. They are pretty good at this game – though I think I hold my own – at least not a disgrace. My biggest problem is 9s – changing direction of play. Going counter clockwise really messes me up. Great fun! We play until 10 – and then to bed.
I seem to have some kind of mini panic (?) attack in bed – well an emotional one anyway. I do not feel comfortable here. (Probably all down to a whiny foreigner, creatures of comfort, and I think some altitude issues as we are just above 3000 m.) I keep thinking about the stove and fire and getting locked in (which happened this evening). The cold! I’m wearing T shirt, nightie, fleece, socks, and 2 blankets. Yet with the door closed there’s no fresh air. I’m worried about going to the bathroom in the night – outside off the porch. In the cold! Changing shoes. The people of this village are from a different group – originally from Tibet. They are semi nomadic – and I am sure life is hard for many / most! I keep thinking of the yak herder in the meadow spinning. He made me so uneasy – and probably for no good reason did I feel this. But really, does everyone in this village really want us here? I think the remoteness also bothers me. It is so far away from any other place. I think about when last I was ever this remote? Not sure if ever. And the village is close in – narrow roads and pathways. The mountains all around. Maybe just a bit of claustrophobia? I am crying and feeling so very uncomfortable. And I think of our host – and can’t help comparing this host to the farm in Phobjikha Valley with Wangchuk & Karma and in Khoma with Tshering. Those hosts seem to enjoy being hosts. Here in Merak I don’t think she does enjoy this – it is a practical thing only for her to do. It feels that everything is done just to the minimum. But who am I really to say – this place is so remote and again I imagine so hard. Finally I settle enough to try to sleep – deciding I would prefer to leave tomorrow morning. And this is another thing – what will we actually do tomorrow from 6AM to 10PM? This time seems to loom so large.
I don’t sleep at all – the bed is very hard even after Jamyang & Kinzang have completely, and very efficiently, remade it and asking for sheets and a pillowcase. Also a towel for me. Good thing we brought toilet paper as there is none. As I feel – just the minimum. We are in this so remote place, but it is never quiet. All night the dogs bark endlessly, at 3AM prayer wheels with bells, and at 5AM people.
I don’t feel so emotionally bad though without any sleep, as I am resigned to this when I first got into bed, so just try to rest, stay calm, and roll over when the aches of one position are too much. Toilet once in the night. Not actually as difficult as I imagined – though I do not like locking the door on our bedrooms, so keep an ear out as I go.
(Quite a day! Highs and lows and all in between.)