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| A homestead in the mountains. |
This past Christmas holiday was quiet and tranquil - just what I was looking forward to. I spent the holidays up in the mountains of Eremi in Metu. One main activity that I found refreshing, besides catching plenty of naps, was hiking. The scenery up there was simply breathtaking and the people were friendly.
The mountainous landscape of Metu still fascinates me like it did many many years ago when I first visited. It is even more amazing when you consider the plateausque beauty of Eremi. The mountains has two distinct plateaus (from what I could tell), making it seem like two different mountains. At each plateau one finds settlements. Eremi trading center is on the first of the plateaus, with schools, a church, a health center and a forest reserve. The second peak (above Eremi trading center) is steep. It has always beckoned to me, but I hadn't had the chance to climb it.
Hiking is much more fun when it is done in a group. So the day after Christmas, a group of us set out to explore the highest peak. We set off after lunch since our destination was quite far away. The heat of the afternoon dictated our pace. Midway into the hike I was fully drenched in sweat and breathing like a spent ox. And that was before we had even begun to climb our intended peak.
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| The hiking trail through the forest reserve in Eremi. |
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| A dry season stream bed that runs through the forest reserve in Eremi. |
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| Starting the climb - the steep part of the hike! |
The trail ran right through a forest reserve, which offered welcome relief from the sun. The hillside was steeper than I had anticipated... my chest heaved, and my legs trembled with every other step that I took. We made it to the top of the plateau after a while following a brief rest on the rocks. To my amazement, the top of the plateau was relatively flat with minimal disturbance. It was as if time had stood still here.
There is a community that has settled here for decades. From the distance (to an extent, lack of) between the huts and homesteads, it appeared the community had a closeness about it.
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| A section of the plateau on the mountain. |
We made our way past the homesteads, intent on going as far as our legs could carry us. Along the way we came to a clearing with many kinds of wild fruits... and that abruptly marked the end of our hike. We sampled some, and gathered what we could. Our party then made an about turn and retraced our way down the mountain. The descend was much easier. Even with the fatigue the experience was worthwhile!
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| Some of the wild fruits we gathered. Locally called itiaviri (I don't know the English name!), the fruits sprout from rhizomes below-ground. This fruit has the aroma of passion fruits, but with a stronger taste. |
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| These two boys, residents up the mountain, were kind enough to pose for a shot with their toy cars made from motor oil containers, with carefully cut-out flip-flops for tires. |
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| A close-up of the toys... simple, yet creative! |
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| Descending home! |
