Trekking through tea fields…

It was a beautiful day out: the sun was shining, but there was a slight breeze to keep the temperature comfortable. The perfect day for a walk.

I put on my walking shoes and headed out the door, camera in hand. I wandered through my cottage’s personal garden, taking in the sights of the brightly colored flowers and lush, green grass, and enjoying the chirping of the birds in the distance. I turned on to the estate’s cobbled road, and it was at this point that I decided to veer off the path and be adventurous by hiking through the tea bushes.

 Of course, I did not know if this was allowed but I figured as long as I didn’t step on anything or destroy the bushes, it would be okay. It was quite a hike. I had never realized that the terrain these bushes were planted on was actually quite steep, but  fortunately my sturdy shoes were supportive and gave me the feeling of balance.

As I climbed upwards, my path crossed with that one of the tea pluckers. There were a few of them out this morning, burlap sacks draped over their heads and lying against their backs, sticks in hand. Brightly clad, one tea plucker was slightly distanced from the others. I smiled and waved, she waved back, a bit perplexed as to what I was doing but obviously not bothered too much as she soon returned to work. I took a minute to watch her, envying how nimble her fingers were, picking out what looked like two leaves and a bud and throwing them in handfuls into her bag. I asked her to show me, I tried it, and I was so slow – at the rate I was going, I would probably only be able to make two cups of tea in three days.

I decided to continue on with my journey. I said thank you, waved good-bye, and as I departed slyly glanced down at her feet…barefoot! Not only strong and quick with her fingers, she could nimbly zig-zag between the tea bushes of the rocky terrain without faltering. Amazing.

I continued my climb, taking a break when I reached the road. I decided I would continue my steep journey up the side of the mountain, of course finding the most suitable and reasonable path to go up. Every now and then I would stop for a drink of water and turn around to see how much progress I had made, the breeze cooling me down as I caught my breath.

Finally, I made it to the top. I was proud of myself; although it looked like a relatively tame journey, I was out of breath.  Phew…but then my breath was taken away again by the fantastic view.  My own cottage looked so small, and the landscape sprawling below it was even more incredible. I sat there for awhile, contemplating nothing . . . no thoughts, no opinions, no chaos. Just basking in the peace and quiet, the glorious view . . . I truly was on top of the world. 


Sooner than I expected, it was time to make my way back to the cottage where I knew a delicious butter cake and cup of freshly brewed tea would be waiting for me. 

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