Oh My Chai Refill

The lower Himalayas. Kanchenjunga mountain observes us from afar as we push our way through stretches of dense and luxuriant nature. Our destination: an extremely remote and legendary tea estate, said to foster the most exquisite Darjeeling black tea in the world. It is presumed untraceable by many, even regarded a myth by some. But we are determined to find it. After a few days, the visions start to occur. Vague memories Of a village. Of people gathered. A kitchen table…Remnants of a festive night. Laughter, excitement. The air is thick, thrilling of scent and fragrance. A woman appears. She moves nimbly as she browses among the richness left scattered across the table. She picks her spoils and dissolves into the light. Bright light. The smell of coffee. A promising sound swells! Water is coming to a boil. Then, silence. We close our eyes and inhale, waiting for the burst… As our bus abruptly comes to a halt, we startle awake. We feel hazy. Outside, the activity of a small city unfolds. The young woman selling tea in the bazaar looks strangely familiar. We watch her pour coffee in the steaming cups of tea of two young men at her stand. With a few loud coughs, our bus shakes back into motion. Then we disappear.