Extra Sugar

It’s morning. I have slept well the buffalo’s have to started to mooch about below in the barn and I am groggy but awake. There is scrambling on the steps outside a tiny hand is visible at the door a child enters the room shortly followed by a bigger child, then a youth enters followed by another youth and a couple of adults. They arrange themselves on the bed opposite and observe curiously. What am I supposed to do? Thinking of no other options I mumble a few good mornings then rouse myself from bed much to the delight of the crowd, pull on a few clothes, grunt a bit to further the crowds enjoyment and head out the door for a slash. I am followed out, flippin eck surely I can do this unobserved.
Breakfast is consumed outdoors, black tea, chapattis and some spinach, its good. I offer Mr Singh some money for the night and food, he declines sheepishly but then reluctantly takes it, my next cup of tea has milk in it and extra helpings of sugar it is handed over with a beaming smile.
The forest trail works this time it is simply brilliant 8km of singletrack through thick forest, birds coloured more brightly than I could imagine; red, blue, yellow whistle through the trees as if putting on a show. The trail traverses trough the trees then swooshes down to a water mill with a busy old lady milling chapatti flour. I am in Sootol.
Sootol has a fly blown wild west fell to it, all the men and women appear to absent apart from a couple of shop owners. Its Lawa season so many have headed high onto the meadows to search for the mummified caterpillar that’s worth £4000 a kilo and shipped over to Chinese as an aphrodisiac. For me the town is memorable for the horde of kids following me around armed with pots, pans and empty buckets and sticks to beat the makeshift drums with. Noise follows me everywhere. I depart the town the kids give chase, spewing over the front wheel clinging to the bike his is dangerous and incredibly noisy.
The rest of the trail is cracking its all narrow track running along a ledge with a big drop on one side, its edgy stuff, landslides here and there force me off the bike as do a 40 minute carry and a freak rainstorm. I ride and ride singletrack turns to wide track then a jeep trail then its tarmac and the small town of Ghat. A bit of an eyesore after all the pristine forest. I ride on to the town of Chamoli and treat myself to an overpriced room with hot water and a T.V.