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| Batal - July 5th |
| While walking the road to Batal I spotted some wild thyme growing on a hillside. I knew what it was because Nitin had showed me some at Chhatru explaining it made a great tea which was good for a number of things, including intestinal problems. So I gathered a wee bit...just in case. |
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| I came across this truck with a couple guys underneath (and another two who had stopped to offer them advice and encouragement) working on a gearbox which was on the ground. As I walked by I said; "Uh, oh. Doesn't look good." I figured they'd be there for the rest of the day and part of the next. But a couple of hours later their truck pulled up beside me and one of the drivers (below, left) jumped out and motioned me inside. Whoa! The gear box was in (although leaking) and they were rolling. He was all smiles and seemed to be in a hurry, so I didn't hesitate. This would baffle Szymon (my new Polish friend) who had about a two kilometer headstart on me; when arriving at Batal, he would find me already there. |
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| "Wait a minute", says Szymon, "how did you do that?! |
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| From Chhatru the road follows the Chandra River to Batal. Chandra means "moon" in Hindi. So here it is, the original Moon River. Probably not what Henry Mancini had in mind when he wrote the song and it doesn't exacty conjure up images from Breakfast At Tiffanys. Below, Chher orders extra supplies as the store owner writes them down. While they were gathering the stuff on the list, we tried some of the local rum. After a small glass my head was spinning, but Chher had lots and lots of small glasses...and was lucky to FIND his head. |