Tango Five - The Journey Continues

Here's an update on the progress of the intrepid Tango 5. It comes to you in the form of a guest blog kindly written and dictated over the phone by Hinesh.

The first few paragraphs provide greater insight into the two days that Ruth and I spent with them last week, as described in my recent blog, whilst most of it covers completely new ground, to use a trekking term. Enjoy!

2 December 2012

Hello, world! I am delighted to inform you that Tango Five are staying alive out here on trek.

The last time you heard from us we were on our survival day on a leech-infested patch of land. To call it a campsite would be bending the truth way out of proportion. Having put up our tarpaulin shelter we went to sleep in very close proximity to one another, though Mangesh snuck off and slept in the bag tent.

Despite the dew forming puddles on our sleeping bags during the night, we did survive and moved on to rafting and kayaking. After a rare cup of chai we proceeded to build rafts out of bamboo and rope. However, three quarters of the way through, the guide saw that our raft probably wouldn’t make it ten metres down the river, and so promptly took over and made a much sturdier structure that could actually carry the weight of seven people.

Our journey down the river was a beautiful, serene and tranquil experience until the person steering the vessel, namely myself, decided to crash into the bank of the river. After two kilometres of rafting we swapped into kayaks and went ten kilometres downstream until we reached our campsite, a rubber plantation.

Once the sun had set and the moon had risen it was an extraordinarily peaceful and beautiful place to spend the night. The calm was shattered, however, once our first food drop was delivered. Among the rest of our supplies there were two tins of condensed milk. This long-anticipated sugar-filled treat caused great consternation and excitement among the group, none more so than Hannah, who actually began doing a rather bizarre dance while eating the condensed milk with her biscuits. 

The next day was our first cycling day, and we were also informed that it would be the hardest one of the three. We had to cycle 38 kilometres over undulating terrain, which was more often than not rocky Indian mud tracks. However, 23 kilometres down after lunch and being re-energized by a lunch of Parle G biscuits and Nutella, we made it to camp by the deadline given to us by the guide. This was despite an extremely steep last kilometre where even Jenny had to get off her bike and wheel it up the slope.

The reward was a rather small rocky campsite, but with a breathtaking view of the surrounding lakes and mountains. This was not all. Our designated bathing area of one section of the Meenmutti waterfall really did provide a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The view on the walk down was stunning, and the water was crystal clear if not absolutely freezing. A truly unforgettable experience.

Day 8 brought with it a new day of trekking, which sadly meant putting our backpacks on for the first time in four days. It was a tough day, embarking on the Demon mountain trail, scaling two peaks. We arrived at camp early that day in order to prepare for the next day’s night trek. For this we awoke at 1.30 a.m., an experience made much more pleasant by Kavya’s warm voice and Joris’s incessant but hilarious cursing.

Trekking at night was actually a pleasant experience, and possibly easier than day trekking due to the colder conditions. It did mean that we were treated to a spectacular sunrise over the mountains as we ate our morning porridge. Not the ideal choice of breakfast food for such an idyllic setting, but it certainly tasted better for a while. The post-breakfast trekking was another tricky ascent, made all the more difficult by barbed wire brambles, but once again it was all worthwhile as we were treated to yet another amazing panoramic view that stretched to the horizon. The rest of the daylight was spent recovering from that early start, with a three-hour nap following our arrival at the campsite and an early night for all.

On the tenth day of Tango Five we had to trek our longest distance to date, 15.5 kms. We did this in surprisingly good time, however, partly because we were told that we would only be able to lunch in a restaurant if we reached there by midday. This didn’t stop us having a wonderful snack break sat on top of a small waterfall. The progress to our rest day campsite was fairly speedy as well, and we had even bought ourselves a pineapple as a treat for reaching the halfway stage in one piece. 

Well that’s all, folks, and it really isn’t very long until we’re back at home with you all. Can’t wait to see you all, and all our love to everyone at home. Tango Five, out. 


Just in case you were wondering why you've seen nothing from Tango Six this phase, fear not. They're all alive and well, and I hope to be able to update you on what they've been doing soon.