On that first trek, the first of what would become many, our ‘equipment’ was non existent. No tent, no insulation matts, no stove, no boots or warm clothing. We had basic, cheap external frame rucksacks and thin sleeping bags. At nights we made fires from driftwood and when it rained, we pulled a sheet of plastic over us. 

For food, we were reliant on villages, usually a few days apart. Sometimes we paid for a meal with a local villager – like below – and sometimes we could buy supplies (nuts, apricots, a local porridge called ‘suji, goat cheese and barley flour)

A ‘school’ in a village; lessons were only given during the summers…

In this village there was a barber, who I visited and caused a mild sensation….

Back on the trail – we always got time to fill in our diaries at the end of the day

Eating one of our self made ‘chappatis’ – don’t look too impressed by it, even though we were always ravenous and lost a lot of weight

Bad weather on the way and we seek shelter in a high altitude shepherds’ enclosure

This elderly villager got tired and decided to take a nap. It was actually quite a task to edge around him on that narrow trail. The villagers often walked for days, even weeks, over the traditional village trails. This was in the days when there were very few high altitude roads and no local buses. 

We met these guys one morning camped near some rocks at the bottom of a valley; they were heading towards the hill country and still had a week to go…

Next blog: On The Move, Part 1:

https://serioustravelimages.com/2017/01/26/on-the-move-part-1/