Start of day (6.00 am): We woke up at 6.00 am to a chilly 10 degC morning. The valley in front was misty. As we gazed at the sunlight slowly emerging, we made up our minds. Today will be devoted solely to lazing and gazing, enjoying the deck, looking at the valley, and perhaps a short walk somewhere. Our host Mahavir came up and asked whether we are planning the Tunganath trek, that same place we got stuck yesterday, in the rain, and we said an emphatic NO. What about Deori Taal then, just a 4 km drive, followed by a 3.5 km trek? Why are you pushing us, we asked. We want our guests to have fun, he said. Too much for us, we said. They have horses, he said. Oh, that’s another set of unused muscled brought into play, can you imagine the aches - better to laze and gaze, what? As soon as he had gone downstairs, a tad disappointed in having such inertial masses masquerading as travellers in a trekking country, Panna and I looked at each other sheepishly. We had a tacit under...