पहाड़ (Translation: Mountain)

         Erik, Jeanie, Erin, Allegra and I all ventured up north to Darjeeling during our week off. What a magnificent trip! Tea galore! Tea tea tea tea tea. TEA. We stayed at a lovely hotel with a prime rooftop seating to watch the sunrise over Mount Kanchenjunga (Try saying that three times fast. Heck, just try to remember how to spell it). Mount Kanchenjunga is the third largest mountain in the world and is just a few peaks over from Everest. Needless to say, the mountains made for some beautiful morning views.

Sunrise over the Himalayan mountain range

           While in Darjeeling, we scoped out a 500-year-old monastery. A kindly old monk generously  showed us around the inside. Murals covered every wall with accents in gold paint, and among other neat things sat two large drums. When Erik asked the monk the purpose of these huge drums, the man replied, "Oh those? I hits those and all the peoples of the city come." I suddenly had to squelch the desire to test that little fact out.
          The monk proceeded to give us a private concert with a large wooden wind instrument. He introduced his first serenade as,  "Like bison, ferocious grunts after glorious fight." Have you ever heard a bison grunt before? Given the circumstances, I think we all managed to stay very well composed.

Prayer flags of Tibet, hanging on a wall on the outskirts of Darjeeling

From the monastery adventures, we went on to a two-day hike where we tromped around the edges of Nepal. My "tough-it-out" side was a little embarrassed to be staying in a lodge on the hike. However, when I realized how cold the foothills of the Himalaya get, I swallowed my pride between gulps of the delicious hot tea they gave us. We were quite the happy [indoor] campers.

Kachenjunga (spelled right? You were supposed to remember!)

Hope all is well where you are! Take care!