Thursday, 18th March, 2004 I woke up this morning to realise I had missed St Patrick's Day. I doubt whether I would have found any Guinness even if I had remembered. We soon headed towards a village called Tare, where I was scheduled to meet my final two Welfare Pensioners.  | To everyone's surprise a snake had slithered amongst the crowd |  |
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On the way we stopped in a village called Salija. There was a one tiny wooden hut that acted as the village shop, village café and general meeting point. I sat for 15 minutes, drinking a cup of tea, watching local life go by - literally. Families, school children, chickens, buffalos and cows all wandered passed me. I was beginning to get used to it. We arrived in Tare at our normal early-lunch time. While my porters started cooking I climbed up to my first pensioner's house to be told he was collecting his pension and had left for Beni that morning.  | | A stone mason repairing the path above Nagi. |
The second pensioner was at home, but terribly frail and almost completely deaf. However he still managed to salute me smartly when I approached his farmhouse. Once a soldier, always a soldier. After lunch I decided to press on with the following day's trek programme. Four tiring hours later we arrived in Durlung. We were given permission to camp on the small playing field in front of a recently built school, which I had to inspect the following morning. We once again attracted considerable interest. After food at about 8pm I was asked whether the local women could sing and dance for me. With my cigar and whisky beside me I was more than happy for a little entertainment. It was pitch black apart from a few lanterns and candles. For 90 minutes the Amatoli (women's group) sang and danced in front of my ridge tent. After only a few minutes I counted 50 people sitting with me. I could see lights streaming down the hillside as people were attracted to the music.  | | My porters take a quick break in Salija. |
I joined in the dancing, as did my porters. However it wasn't only people who were attracted to the party. Suddenly there was a huge commotion with the ladies jumping up from the grass. To everyone's surprise a snake had slithered amongst the crowd. I could see it quite clearly 10 feet in front of me, bathed in torch light and probably a little confused itself. My porter took charge with his flip flop. Once the snake was dealt with, the party continued. I made sure my tent was well zipped up when I went to sleep.
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