Pekoe Trail Stage 1

Today we intended to hike the entire first stage of the Pekoe Trail. Our host kindly drove us there. We didn't want to walk the road to the Tea Museum again.

At a stand, we prepared with cookies and roti for the twelve-kilometer hike. Since it’s not a loop, we wanted to return via the same path. Alternatively, one 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 were some places with running water, but we didn't have a filter with us.

The path starts mostly paved and wide, leading through tea plantations. There is a beautiful view over the mountains and temples.

You have to be a little careful not to accidentally take a wrong turn; some of the markers are somewhat overgrown.

After about five kilometers, a small path veers off to the right and leads along a narrow trail through the underbrush. Part of the filming for the Indiana Jones - Temple of Doom movie took place here. However, there isn't much to see.

What we did see were small worm-like creatures stretching upwards in search of prey. They were leeches that had crawled out due to the rain showers of the past few days, and we were the prey…. The little beasts crawled up our shoes in no time. It was hard to catch them; they were so slippery. One even managed to attach to my ankle for a short time, and a larger specimen made it to Simon’s waist. We quickly returned to the main path.

After about 6.5 km, the main path became narrower and more overgrown, and the leeches found us again. We fought our way a few hundred meters further, but there were just too many, and the path remained the same. So we sadly had to turn back. In the end, each of us had pulled off at least ten leeches.

Further down, we encountered a couple who were prepared and were out in long clothing with socks over their pants.

Guides often generously spray salty water over shoes and lower pants to keep the leeches away.

After a quick shower, we drove into the city to buy some creams and Allegra (instead of Cetirizine) because it's supposed to help against mosquito bites with blisters. The mosquito bites on my legs aren’t healing well at all.

In a small restaurant, we treated ourselves to a portion of biryani and curry with rice. For dinner, we stocked up on samosas and fruit.