Contact with the Gujjar

We got back this PM from an overnight stay in Sonamag. The camp was at 10,000' and we hiked up to 11,800' to one camp. Lots of sheep/goats, but more horses than I expected. Horses have many things in common; saddle sores/abscesses due to ill fitting saddles and no understanding of how to treat a sore, weak animals ( malnutrition -- over half of these animals are a body score 3 +/- the owner would likely go to jail in the US), or sore feet. Many of them are shod, but one size shoe fits all, and little, if any trimming takes place prior to having the shoe placed. On day 1, I treated 2 goats and one sheep for bear bites!! I also treated one old man's hand for a laceration, he said when he slapped the bear!! I have seen broken legs, a broken jaw due to a rock slide, and treated a horrible case of conjunctivitis in a sheep. Keep in mind these people have these animals to make a living, and little else. Some of the camps were unbelievable -- others were where Brummy and I would pitch a tent! The people are marvelous. It isn't long after you start that children are standing all around you -- and these people like to press in, touch you and shake your hand. This has been a great two days. The simple things that I have done have meant so much to them. They are calling me Dr. Bruce Sahib, meaning Bruce, great doctor. Pretty cool. God is everywhere around this team, bringing these people to us because of their reputation. (We are also going to contact as many different camps as possible. Oddly enough, some of these people have cell phones!) There is Titus, the team leader, and 4 native Gujjar men that I am training to carry on once I leave. 1 is especially eager, 2 are willing, and 1 would rather help, but my job is to change his mind from helping to doing. I have had butter tea (made with sheep milk and butter, plus black tea) and had the local fare for supper which was rice (they eat LOTS of rice) and lamb parts -- don't ask me which part. Surprisingly, lunch was just like dinner. The food must be agreeing with me, because so far, no upset stomach, etc. Pretty spicey with lots of chilli powder, onions, and yogurt at every meal. There is no mention of religion at this point, just a sense of satisfaction from helping, teaching, and mentoring. The mountain scenery is killer. Glaciers are easily seen from base camp, we cross snow rivers to get to some camps, and towering peaks reach 17,000 - 19,000 feet all around. This is just what I thought it would be. Off tomorrow to maybe shop a little, regroup, refresh supplies (almost everything I need is available across the counter in any little pharmacy shop in the bazaar), and prepare to go back to the mountain on Monday morning. I will get more published tomorrow during some down time. Thanks to all for supporting me. This is going to be one humongeous chapter in my life. I can't wait to start telling you more about it, but I am in no hurry to leave, even if these people do NOT believe in toilet paper (sorry, but I brought my own)!! More on that later too. 'Tika' (means goodbye).