“The first day we trekked for roughly 18km. While it started off cool, it grew hotter as the day progressed. Fortunately, the path was an easy one to walk. Our first stop was for tea with an elderly woman weaving textiles for sale at the local markets. We moved on, walking past massive squares of harvested red chilies drying in the sun, then along train tracks and terraced rice fields. At one point, we even found ourselves in the the midst of a funeral.”