Dulikel

We spent a night in the Dulikel Mountain Resort. A bunch of chalets perched on the side of a hill. And, I mean perched! We are in the foothills of the Himalayas and everything here is uphill or downhill.

I watch the children going to and from school and wish I could bring a video of it back home. Imagine climbing twice the height of Marble, but steeper, twice a day. They are all wearing uniforms and look so clean and neat and happy. Everything is transported on people's backs and everyone we pass on the trail have baskets full of food or water that are perched on their backs with a strap that wraps around their heads to keep the weight distributed evenly. Arthritis is unheard of here and I cannot imagine why. It is nothing to see a person in their 70's pass me on the trail with 50 lbs. on their backs. Boyd, it makes our hikes look pretty Mickey Mouse!

We got up at sunrise and climbed to a lookout point to watch the sun rise over the snow capped Himalayas. Apparently, they have been covered in smog and have not been seen in a couple of months. They cleared off just for us and we watched a spectacular sunrise. I just knew that it would. When we arrived at the top, there was already a group of 8-10 year old boys waiting there for their Tae Kwon Do instructor. We were treated to watching their morning workout. Up until then I assumed that these people did not have as much as us. Silly me! Imagine doing your workout to a sunrise over the greatest mountain peaks in the world!