Don't be stupid

Birthdays have come and gone and the second day as a 35 year old is celebrated as a rest day with many routine tasks to do. As I type away Rakesh is busy fiddling with his bicycles front mech; a cause of endless fascination and frustration to him. In the room next to me is a giggling Aravind who seems more than happy blowing washing- up liquid bubbles all over me and the computer for reasons known only to himself.
Spent the last three days on trail research which involves getting up at 7.30 a.m for the proposed 7.00 a.m starts and much faffing about. Rakesh maintains that only he can cook food properly with Anglo-Nepali relations reaching a nadir as he accuses me of undercooking the porridge; itself a recent innovation as Rakesh distrusts food taken from outside; I counter attack later in the day as I reprimand him for putting to much oil on his chain.
Massive days on the bikes with an epic 10-hour ride through India’s highest tea estate of Kohl Kumaily with its astounding sheer 2000-meter drops down to Tamil Nadu below. Climb up to 2300 meter with the last 30 minutes a carry to break through a seldom used pass to drop us into Silent Valley and complete a hoped for loop back to Munnar. Things take a turn for the worst as the trails disappear into the forests and we cycle and carry for hours staying high on the ridge looking for signs of a path. By 4 p.m it seems sensible to scramble down any which we can “Anyhow Kam Chalou” in the words of Rakesh. Long grass, stubborn shrubs and thorny trees tear our shins to shreds as we finally catch a glimpse of the tea estates again, only to be thwarted by a cliff sheer drop. We veer left back towards the forests in the gathering gloom and luckily manage to scramble down some less imposing rocks to the tea estate paths just before a night out in the open became a serious concern. I ask Rakesh what lessons we have learnt today expecting some Nepali philosphising about respect for the mountain. The lesson he proclaims is “don’t be stupid”. Seems reasonable enough.