We headed down to a small field with our tools in hand, only to find that we weren't planting the trees in the soft, smooth field, but rather the hardened, rocky border to the roadway. They showed us how to dig into the unforgiving 'soil' to get started. The work was significantly harder than anticipated. In this instance it would seem that the size of the tools one was working with did, in fact, matter.
All-in-all we planted out two dozen or so trees in the hour and a half that we toiled in the warm, bright sun. It seems that this was not enough for our hosts.
The clincher though was when they asked after lunch if any of us wanted to come back to plant the rest. After holding back a chuckle, we let them know that we were on holiday and we're much more interested in a brief siesta followed by the walk to the lookout.
The change in elevation made even a few hundred meters a challenge. Deep breaths and open chests made the climb easier. We were greeted with a stunning view of the surrounding mountains and the gorgeous valley down below.
On our return we came across a French tour group who complimented Saje on the quality of her French (no Canadian accent)!
Look! We just climbed that!!
After some dancing and stories around the campfire, where the entire W clan joined in and towered over their dancing partners, we retired for the night under a blanket of stars (including the Southern Cross!).
Apparently the local packs of dogs and the neighbourhood donkey didn't get the memo that it was sleep time as they howled and brayed throughout the night
No comments:
Post a Comment