Generally, Nepal is mostly Hindu, with the Buddhist areas being in the mountainous north. As we started the trek, there was still a mix of Hindu and Buddhist symbols on the inside of lodges, etc. However, as we headed north toward Lo Mantang, by the third day of the trek, the culture and symbols seen in the villages and lodges was definitely Tibetan Buddhist. By the fourth day, even the first language of people was Tibetan, although they also speak Nepali. So, instead of saying 'namaste' to say 'hello', we said 'tashi deleh'. The word 'Lo' in Lo Mantang refers to an ethnic group of Tibetan origin that occupies the northern part of Mustang.
We approached the walled town of Lo Mantang and walked around the outside of the wall towards our lodge. There are now several houses and lodges around the outside of the wall, a trend that is certain to continue. After settling in, I explored the walled town. Compared to the villages that we passed through, which had populations of at most a couple of hundred, Lo Mantang has a population of about 1000. The wall and buildings are of the same white-washed stone as the villages, and the alley-ways are very narrow. It was clear that the life inside was similar to that of villages though: I saw herds of goats and cows being herded through the alleys, and people bringing in harvest from the fields.
It is harvest time, and the fields were being cut and grain being separated, all being done manually. It was like a pastoral scene from a town from middle ages Europe.
The next day we were given a tour of Lo Mantang by the owner of the lodge, which was really great as he was so full of information. We started at a monastery which is very new, built and supported by the American Himalayan Society, and is the only active monastery with about 100 students. There is a small museum with ancient artifacts that were found in old monasteries or caves. Some of the paintings were almost 1000 years hold. To get to the museum we walked through a room of students writing exams:
Next we went to a very old monastery, built in about the 8th century. It was so old that the floor was lower than the ground of the surrounding town, but when it was built, it sat on a mound above the town. An interesting thing is that the wood columns and beams that supported the inside of the monastery we made from locally harvested wood. The barren hills around Lo Mantang were once forests of juniper. A classic case of deforestation. The population was once much larger. At some point hundreds of years ago, thousands of monks studied in the monasteries here. There are also ruins of fortifications in the surrounding hills.
Next we went to the roof of a monastery for a view of the town:
We had a break in the afternoon, and in the evening we went to the kings residence. In fact, we had tea with the king! He does this for tourists. He is 79 years old and is the 25th ruler in the line of kings of Lo Mantang. We went to the finest room (ie. it had a wood floor instead of a mud one) that was colourfully decorated. We lined up in front of the king each presented him with a white scarf that he put over our necks. We then sat at the side, drank tea, and were told to ask questions if we had any. I asked what he thought of the road being built from Jomsom to Lo Mantang. We walked on parts of this dirt road during the trek. It is in pieces now, used mainly by people of neighbouring villages, but in a couple of years it will be complete. He said the road was very much favoured by the people, but he feared the increase in congestion, pollution, and crime, and the loss of way of life that will result.
It's easy to see the dilemma. Certainly the road will provide better access to health care and education, etc, but that pastoral way of life I took pictures of will likely be gone in a few years.
We approached the walled town of Lo Mantang and walked around the outside of the wall towards our lodge. There are now several houses and lodges around the outside of the wall, a trend that is certain to continue. After settling in, I explored the walled town. Compared to the villages that we passed through, which had populations of at most a couple of hundred, Lo Mantang has a population of about 1000. The wall and buildings are of the same white-washed stone as the villages, and the alley-ways are very narrow. It was clear that the life inside was similar to that of villages though: I saw herds of goats and cows being herded through the alleys, and people bringing in harvest from the fields.
It is harvest time, and the fields were being cut and grain being separated, all being done manually. It was like a pastoral scene from a town from middle ages Europe.
The next day we were given a tour of Lo Mantang by the owner of the lodge, which was really great as he was so full of information. We started at a monastery which is very new, built and supported by the American Himalayan Society, and is the only active monastery with about 100 students. There is a small museum with ancient artifacts that were found in old monasteries or caves. Some of the paintings were almost 1000 years hold. To get to the museum we walked through a room of students writing exams:
Next we went to a very old monastery, built in about the 8th century. It was so old that the floor was lower than the ground of the surrounding town, but when it was built, it sat on a mound above the town. An interesting thing is that the wood columns and beams that supported the inside of the monastery we made from locally harvested wood. The barren hills around Lo Mantang were once forests of juniper. A classic case of deforestation. The population was once much larger. At some point hundreds of years ago, thousands of monks studied in the monasteries here. There are also ruins of fortifications in the surrounding hills.
Next we went to the roof of a monastery for a view of the town:
We had a break in the afternoon, and in the evening we went to the kings residence. In fact, we had tea with the king! He does this for tourists. He is 79 years old and is the 25th ruler in the line of kings of Lo Mantang. We went to the finest room (ie. it had a wood floor instead of a mud one) that was colourfully decorated. We lined up in front of the king each presented him with a white scarf that he put over our necks. We then sat at the side, drank tea, and were told to ask questions if we had any. I asked what he thought of the road being built from Jomsom to Lo Mantang. We walked on parts of this dirt road during the trek. It is in pieces now, used mainly by people of neighbouring villages, but in a couple of years it will be complete. He said the road was very much favoured by the people, but he feared the increase in congestion, pollution, and crime, and the loss of way of life that will result.
It's easy to see the dilemma. Certainly the road will provide better access to health care and education, etc, but that pastoral way of life I took pictures of will likely be gone in a few years.
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