Dream Trip 2009

Great Travel Moment

I always travel with my good luck charm, Nikki, a woolen doll that my mother knitted for me. She always is attached to my backpack. When I was trekking on an eight day journey through Markha Valley, Northern India, our group encountered these sheepherders during their lunchbreak. Right away, the other tourists attempted to take pictures which the herders did not like. The women proceeded to bark at us and shied away ......but when they saw Nikki, all of a sudden they were intrigued and wanted to touch and hold her. All of a sudden their faces lit up. I was astonished how quickly their moods could change just from seeing a handmade doll. They felt a connection through the knitting........they herd sheep afterall. Next thing you know, I am having lunch with them.