August 6: Day 8
We gathered together in front of Norbu Ngodup's house in Old Saybrook at 8:30 am. We were treated to more breakfast, tea, and band aids, but most importantly, we were joined by a new walker--Tashi Dorjee, our youngest walker, who is 13 years old and will walk the rest of the way to New York with us. We showed him the ropes and gave him a lesson in how to tape his feet in order to avoid bad blisters.
Our starting point was only a minute down the road, so we ended up starting early for once, around 8:45 am. We had 32 walkers, as many local Tibetans and supporters joined us for the day. The police gave us another escort through Old Saybrook, and we enjoyed the sights as we passed through the quaint towns of Madison and Clinton. Yet another huge feast for lunch was provided by the Tibetan community. We are extremely grateful to all their hospitality!
We reached our stopping point in Guilford around 4:15 pm, but walked an extra mile, for a total of 16.5 miles. We were shuttled back to Old Saybrook where Norbu's mother, Kunga la, and Sonam la, gave us foot massages, tea, and snacks. Then we went to a local church for a party held in honor of Thapkhey Tsering la's daughter's first birthday. She looked beautiful in her party dress and birthday hat as she received many gifts and khatas from family and friends. Although we enjoyed ourselves immensely, it was another late night with another early morning in sight.
