When you stay in a place for more than a few days you start to get to know the locals. A friendly smile turns into a conversation and next thing you know you are trekking through jungle paths in search of a waterfall. Meet Bharat, the youngest son of a family who owns the chai and samosa stand just down the street. Such a sweet character ... touching the heads of every cow, acknowledging the statue of Krishna and saying hello to all the neighborhood families. It was Bharat that took us on a backcountry walking tour on Sunday. As we headed up the mountain, he was concerned about our timing since we started out a little late in the afternoon ... apparently it was the time the elephants came out and there was a possibility we could encounter a stampede. 'Oh Great! I hope we don't meet any tigers', I joked. He laughed and assured us they were high in the alpine. As we neared the waterfall, we entered a small Ashram where one lone Baba lived. He called down from his perch wanting to know where we were going. Bharat told him we were going to visit the waterfall. Baba warned against this pointing to paw prints on the ground. A tiger had indeed been roaming these parts and dusk was the time to cool down for a drink at the waterfall. Baba said to come back another day earlier in the morning and he would show us all the hidden caves around the area. We turned back and headed home. The waterfall awaits us for another day ...
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