Bowman Crossing Borders: The Trek: Day 2

We woke up in Tumling with 15 kilometers to trek for the day and Dad not feeling super great.  Mom and I explored the village and watched the sunrise while Dad slept in a tiny bit, and then we were off for the day, starting by hiking into the foggy Singalila National Park.  (Dad said, "Son, as long as my legs work, I can hike" when I asked if he was sure he should be carrying all of our gear.)

As we entered the park, we had to show our passports for probably the seventh time on the trek.  I asked Milan why I had to keep showing my embarrassing photo (you see, when it was taken, I was too young to hold my head up so I'm a little self conscious about it) to so many men in army uniforms.  He explained that it was because we were hiking along the Indian/Nepali border, so each of those times we had been crossing that border and having our passport and visa information recorded.  

The ascent, although mostly along a jeep road, was pretty steep, so Mom kept having to take breaks.  She says hiking is harder after living at sea level.  I didn't mind because I had pack straps to chew on whether we were moving or not.

It rained all day again, but Milan was really good about getting us to tea houses before the heavy clouds rolled in, and we reached the waters of Kalpokhari and the our hut for the night before the afternoon downpour.

It's rumored that five-headed vipers can be seen in these "black waters" that never dry up. 

The best part about our stay that night was meeting a new friend who introduced me to the local dogs and tried to sneak me a lolly pop.  The second best part was the huge portion of chow mien that Mom ate for dinner, and I got later.