Trekking the Himalayas With Our Six Indian Brothers

Well it turns out the size of our trekking group was two; Us. However two foreigners going up into the Himalayas requires at least 6 local Indians; four to carry our camping stuff, one to cook for us, and one to guide us. Don't worry, we did carry ourselves up the mountain. 

We began our trek with a 6 hr OMG (oh my goodness) jeep ride through some very curvy mountains. Finally we arrived at a town called Uttarkashi, the home of our local mountain guide, Rajveer. The next day we began our trek, passing through little villages where we saw the locals cultivating their mountainous terrain and and herding their livestock through the ravines. We even passed our guides father on our way up as he was making his daily commute from Agoda to Sanga Chatti (the "bigger" village). We made camp that night where we promptly put on every garment that we possessed, as we were now at 7000 ft elevation and certainly nowhere near the equator. It was at this point that we started questioning the sanity of traveling from the heat of Africa to the heights of the Himalayas. 

The next day we felt acclimatized and continued our ascent where we passed apes jumping from the tree tops and saw soaring eagles landing in their nests. The air was filled with songs of birds. We arrived at a seasonal village that is only occupied in the summer by cattle grazers. Now we were at 9500 ft and the view was truly breathtaking as we were surrounded from every direction by snow peaked mountains. 

The next morning we woke up to a surprise, an early summer snow. So much for our fine efforst at acclimatizing! We quickly found ourselves in our Sherpa's hut, huddled by their fire, discussing our new plans for the day. The snow made it impossible for our porters to move camp to our next destination. So with our day packs, our guide and two others we hike to and from our next campsite of Dodital; a still frozen lake nestled beneath 2 mountain peaks. We learned that we were the first trekkers to hike there for the year 2012.

Although the snow changed some of our plans, with the help of our 6 Indian brothers the snow quickly turned into a playground. The next day we hiked about 2 miles up the mountain behind us and used it as a sledding hill, a place to perform snow acrobats and to have many a snowball fights. It felt like we were 12 again playing with our own brothers. That evening we shared a campfire and learned about their cultural and religious beliefs. We also learned a new way to play gin rummy, ( a form we still don't quite understand and never ever won. ;)

We are grateful to have had this opportunity to witness the awe-inspiring beauty of the Himalayan range and to have had the unique experience of befriending our guides, learning more about the northern Indian culture and seeing the natural way they live in these mountains. 

Farming that defies gravity

Our awesome Mahindra. 

Porters in the making!

Now that's an eagle!

Nursing mommy

Part of the beautiful Himalayan range. Where we camped for 3 days.

Braving over 3 feet of snow on our way to Dodital.

We arrived at Dodital. Too bad we didn't bring our ice skates!

Sledding with no sled...

SNOWBALL FIGHT!

Well our voyaging is coming to a close. It's been fun sharing our experiences with you from BenIndia!

See ya soon!

Katie and Rebecca

So Long, Farewell, Au Revoir, Goodbye

We said goodbye to Benin yesterday. It all felt a little surreal. It seems the 3 month mark is when you've actually got some things figured out. Good thing we left just after this discovery.
Our last week was filled with memorable highlights. The congregation suddenly realized we were leaving and felt the need to feed us for our long journey. Many a night was spent dining at a brother or sisters house, and even joined in one familie's worship night. The family study extended until 10 pm. It had the hopes of lasting longer, but Katie being the shy, patient person she is spoke up and said she was ready to eat. Hats off to their kids who were ready to continue past 10 pm, as is their usual habit.
We also had a small dinner party at our apartment. We tried to cook as close to the African cuisine as possible. As much as they appreciated our hospitality, several Africans were spied putting their food onto their friends plate. One young brother who is not picky, ended up eating 3 peoples' meals. We asked him if he like it, and reluctantly he gave his honest answer. Fortunately , this difference in taste did not inhibit us from enjoying the evening.
The grande finale of our 3 month stay was the Saturday before we left. Our congregation rented a very posh garden called les jardin des plantes to throw us a going away party. The evening include a schedule of events: More food than could be eaten, professinal pictures with every variation possible (smile), and the big moment of presenting our gifts. The other surprise was that we had to make a speech, which of course brought no end of joy to the both of us (and when I say joy, I mean heart palpatations). Many words of encouragement were exchanged and the love of the Oganla congregation was truly felt. Our time here in Benin has only strengthened our appreciation for the vastness of our spiritual family. It's amazing to have traveled so far, and yet felt so personally cared for and loved.
.....Off to Recreate in India
 Rebecca and Katie

Au revoir

"Bon Peaking"

Check out these kids! It seems as if these little ones are destined for espionage, for the are experts at spying! ;) While not wanting to be seen they are compelled by a deep curiosity and carefully find their place to peak. Some after peering at us for a few moments are moved to run out and touch us and perhaps bless us with the lovely "Yovo" song, while others are quickly moved to tears. It takes a special person to make a two year old cry by just standing in front of them. Their mother always seem to think this is funny though, so we're safe there. ;)

Despite their love for singing that little annoying song that we hear ALL day and EVERYDAY and their undying curiosity to spy and follow us, we've really fallen in love with these children. Everyday when returning home we are greeted with 3 big hugs from the young girls that live in the same apartment complex as us. (We might be bribing them with cookies. ;) Either way it is a wonderful way to be welcomed home! Children here are incredibly hard workers. It is not uncommon to buy your food at the market from a 10 year old or to see them dutifully performing their chores at home or more commonly helping out at the family shop. Most are very respectful and even do a little bow when shaking your hand. And as you can (partially ;) see by these pictures, they're very beautiful.

What we've been the most impressed with though is their amazing appetite to learn about the Bible. It's not uncommon to be out in service and be quickly surrounded by 10 kids after only beginning to talk with one. We have a few cherished group studies that are with young ones. They take their study so seriously and they are excellent students. One family of 4 young boys and one girl has already read the entire book of Bible stories and the Listen to the Great Teacher book since we've been here.

We are sad to leave them, but know that we've left these young ones in the hands of those who will take good care of them. 

Rebecca