Pekoe Trail stage 1

Today we planned to hike the entire first stage of the Pekoe Trail. Our host was kind enough to drive us there. We didn’t want to walk all the way up the road to the Tea Museum again.

We stocked up on cookies and roti at a stand to fuel our twelve-kilometer hike. Since it’s not a loop trail, we planned to hike back the same way. Alternatively, you can take a bus back to the city.

Some reviews mentioned that there are water stations along the way, but we didn’t see any. There was running water in a few places, but we didn’t have a filter with us.

The trail here is mostly paved and wide at first and leads through tea plantations. You have a very beautiful view of the mountains and temples.

You have to be a bit careful not to accidentally take a wrong turn; the markings are somewhat overgrown in places.

After about five kilometers, a small path branches off to the right and leads along a narrow trail through the undergrowth. Part of the filming for the Indiana Jones – Temple of Doom movie took place here. There isn’t much to see here, though.

What we did see, however, were small worm-like creatures stretching upward in search of their next prey. They were leeches that had crawled out due to the rain showers of the past few days, and we were their prey… The little beasts crawled up our shoes and inside in the blink of an eye. We could barely catch them—they’re that slippery. One even managed to latch onto my ankle for a moment, and a larger one made it all the way up to Simon’s upper body. We then hurried back to the main trail.

After about 6.5 km, the main trail grew narrower and overgrown, and the leeches found us again. We fought our way a few hundred meters further, but there were simply too many of them and the path remained the same. So, with a heavy heart, we had to turn back. In the end, each of us had picked at least ten leeches off ourselves.

Further down, we met a couple who were prepared and were hiking in long clothing and socks over their pants.

Guides usually spray salt water generously over their shoes and lower pants to keep the leeches away.

After a quick shower, we drove into town to buy me some creams and Allegra (instead of Cetirizine), because that apparently helps with mosquito bites that cause blisters. The mosquito bites on my legs aren’t healing very well right now.

At a small restaurant, we enjoyed a serving of biryani and curry with rice. For the evening, we bought samosas and fruit again.