Well, I'm back in Kathmandu, now. We've returned the gear to the tour company. The others in the group catch planes tomorrow to go home, and we've said our good-byes. Feels like the end of the trip, but for me there's more to come. Tomorrow morning I'm on my way to the Chitwan Nature Park for a few days. After that I'll be in Lumbini, the birthplace of the Buddha, for a couple of days, before coming back to the Kathmandu area.
Today I'm organizing bags, so I can leave the trekking stuff in storage while I'm away.
Sunday, October 16, 2011
the trek back
After Lo Mantang, we trekked back using a different route for part of the way. It was at higher elevation and consisted of trails used by shepherds. During the past few days, the temperature had dropped, and the wind was colder and stronger and really whipped up the dust. Also, we walked for more time each day, often covering in one day what we did in two days on the way up. This include multiple passes at over 4000m.
Our one night of camping was also during this time.
It's interesting how your attitude changes on the way back. The novelty of the landscape has partly worn off, and your focus is just getting back, so now the climbs became more of a slog.
Also, the cold, wind, dust, and poor sleep from altitude finally took their toll and I caught a bad cold. Actually about 3 of us did. This made the long days particularly exhausting. However, I was able to shake it off in a couple of days. By the last couple of days of the trek, I was cruising along, listening to music on my phone, moving at twice the speed we were walking at the beginning of the trek.
That brings me back to Jomsom. This morning we flew from Jomsom to Pokhara, and tomorrow we fly to Kathmandu.
Our one night of camping was also during this time.
It's interesting how your attitude changes on the way back. The novelty of the landscape has partly worn off, and your focus is just getting back, so now the climbs became more of a slog.
Also, the cold, wind, dust, and poor sleep from altitude finally took their toll and I caught a bad cold. Actually about 3 of us did. This made the long days particularly exhausting. However, I was able to shake it off in a couple of days. By the last couple of days of the trek, I was cruising along, listening to music on my phone, moving at twice the speed we were walking at the beginning of the trek.
That brings me back to Jomsom. This morning we flew from Jomsom to Pokhara, and tomorrow we fly to Kathmandu.
paintings and more
I managed to do a couple of paintings so far. An advantage of painting is that you see things in much more detail that when taking a photo. Also, it allows interaction with local people as they come to watch what you are doing.
Here is one of chorten outside the village of Samar, on the third day of our trek:
And here is one of prayer wheels at the entrance to Lo Mantang:
As I sat down to draw the one in Lo Mantang, about half a dozen kids, ages from about 4 to 10, gathered around, and sat with me to watch as I drew. Soon, the littlest ones were literally hanging off of me. When I finished, one of the older boys, who spoke some English, asked if he could try. I tore a piece of paper from the pad and gave it to him with the pencil. I asked what he wanted to draw and he pointed to me. So, I sat patiently for about half an hour, with kids hanging off of me, while he drew. I could tell he was pretty focused on it, and I gave him pointers when I could, like not to make the top of the head too small. In the end it was not a bad drawing for a kid his age.
While I was sitting there, something interesting happened. There was a stretch of time when there happened to be no other tourists around, and my presence didn't seem to matter, and something seemed to shift. More people came outside and were joking with each other. A boy monk went by trying to ride a horse, and then the horses owner put his toddler on the saddle and let it around just for fun. It was a very light, fun atmosphere, and it seemed to me to be a rare and privileged glimpse into this aspect of village life.
Here is one of chorten outside the village of Samar, on the third day of our trek:
And here is one of prayer wheels at the entrance to Lo Mantang:
As I sat down to draw the one in Lo Mantang, about half a dozen kids, ages from about 4 to 10, gathered around, and sat with me to watch as I drew. Soon, the littlest ones were literally hanging off of me. When I finished, one of the older boys, who spoke some English, asked if he could try. I tore a piece of paper from the pad and gave it to him with the pencil. I asked what he wanted to draw and he pointed to me. So, I sat patiently for about half an hour, with kids hanging off of me, while he drew. I could tell he was pretty focused on it, and I gave him pointers when I could, like not to make the top of the head too small. In the end it was not a bad drawing for a kid his age.
While I was sitting there, something interesting happened. There was a stretch of time when there happened to be no other tourists around, and my presence didn't seem to matter, and something seemed to shift. More people came outside and were joking with each other. A boy monk went by trying to ride a horse, and then the horses owner put his toddler on the saddle and let it around just for fun. It was a very light, fun atmosphere, and it seemed to me to be a rare and privileged glimpse into this aspect of village life.
Lo Mantang
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.
Saturday, October 15, 2011
lodges
Before continuing with a description of the trek, I'd thought I'd make a short post on the lodges or teahouses we stayed in. It occurred to me after my last post, that in commending the guides I may have been the impression that we lived in the lap of luxury.
The lodges were in the same type of stone and mud building as in the rest of the village. The rooms were typically dirt-floored with simple wood-frame bed with foam mattress that was comfortable enough. Light was available if the power did not go out, but sometimes there was solar power as well. There was a common toilet, which was a squat toilet you 'flushed' by pouring a bucket of water down the whole. Used toilet paper went into a basket. Also a common wash area with cold water. The only warm water was the bowl of heated water brought to us in the morning by our guides. No hot shower until we return to Pokhara.
The food was mostly prepared by the guides, and was carbohydrate heavy like pasta, potatoes, with some egg and vegetables. I would have preferred more Nepali food, but apparently the only Nepali food is dahl-baht, or rice with lentil stew, which is all that is prepared by the people at the lodges. Personally, I wouldn't have minded, but I can imagine that previous clients probably complained about it.
The cleanliness of the lodge varied a lot from village to village. Sometimes it was perfectly clean and swept. Other times there was garbage and dirt around, tons of flies, and horribly musty smelling rooms. In fact, you could almost tell upon entering the village what the lodge would be like. Some had a run-down look with garbage around and messy fields. Others looked tidy and prosperous. These would be villages only half a day's walk apart, so I can't explain it.
The lodges were in the same type of stone and mud building as in the rest of the village. The rooms were typically dirt-floored with simple wood-frame bed with foam mattress that was comfortable enough. Light was available if the power did not go out, but sometimes there was solar power as well. There was a common toilet, which was a squat toilet you 'flushed' by pouring a bucket of water down the whole. Used toilet paper went into a basket. Also a common wash area with cold water. The only warm water was the bowl of heated water brought to us in the morning by our guides. No hot shower until we return to Pokhara.
The food was mostly prepared by the guides, and was carbohydrate heavy like pasta, potatoes, with some egg and vegetables. I would have preferred more Nepali food, but apparently the only Nepali food is dahl-baht, or rice with lentil stew, which is all that is prepared by the people at the lodges. Personally, I wouldn't have minded, but I can imagine that previous clients probably complained about it.
The cleanliness of the lodge varied a lot from village to village. Sometimes it was perfectly clean and swept. Other times there was garbage and dirt around, tons of flies, and horribly musty smelling rooms. In fact, you could almost tell upon entering the village what the lodge would be like. Some had a run-down look with garbage around and messy fields. Others looked tidy and prosperous. These would be villages only half a day's walk apart, so I can't explain it.
trek overview
It's been about 11 days since my last post. The trek is finished and I'm back in Jomsom, where there is a decent internet connection. My last post was from Kagbeni, after the first day of the trek, and the power cut out so frequently that it was done in a hurry. So, I've gone back and edited it quite a bit and added pictures, so have another look.
Wow, how to describe the past 11 days! The trek was everything I wanted it to be: days of just settling into the rythym of walking and just taking in the spectacular scenery, passing through picturesque, little villages that were like going back in time, and meeting the people and their culture. We really lucked out with the weather, as the skies were perfectly blue every day. I think my favourite part of the day was waking up to outstanding scenery lit by the morning sun. Like this:
or this:
The trek was to what's called the 'Lost Kingdom' of Mustang. It's a part of Nepal that buldges north into Tibet, north of Annapurna. It used to be an isolated kingdom of Tibetan culture that was actually forbidden to tourists until the 1990's. Even now it's what they call a 'restricted area', which means the goverment charges a large fee to go in and are supposed to limit the number of tourists.
There were 9 of us in the group. In addition to myself, there was Paul and Elaine, from England, and their friends Jeff and Caroline, formerly of England by now from Australia. There was also Helen and Tim, and Dianne, and George, all from Australia. The tour company I booked through, Peregrine Adventures, is an Australian company. Everyone had done something like this before, and had travelled to a lot of places, so they were familiar with the trekking, accommodation, etc. They were all pleasant and easy-going about things.
We were helped by our tour leader, Mukund, and his three assistants. They did an outstanding job, and worked very hard doing everything from leading the way on the trail, organizing our bags when they were off the mules, getting our rooms organized, helping the people at the lodge, waking us up in the morning with warm water to wash in, even cooking some meals. They were attentive to every question. Highly, highly recommended. In the picture below from left to right are Ghire, Mukund, Mannu, and Ramesh:
There were also two mule tenders. Typically the mules were loaded and started off after we left in the morning, and would pass us at some point in the day, so our bags were at the day's destination when we arrived.
The day would start with a wake up at 6:30, breakfast, and start walking by 8:00 or 8:30. We'd walk from 4 to 7 hours. On the shorter days we'd reach our destination by lunch, and have the afternoon free or visit the local monastery. On longer days there would be a lunch break for about an hour. All the meals were at lodges or teahouses in the small villages. In fact, we only had to camp one night, and the rest were spent in lodges. We got lucky there as well, as it seemed the greatest number trekkers to Mustang started after we were on our way back, so there was not yet much competition for rooms in lodges.
The villages were small and so quaint, with people manually working in the fields, carrying in harvest, tending cows and goats. Typically a village was single narrow alley between white-washed stone and mud buildings, with roofs consisting of stacks of wood. There would also be 'chorten', or structures of religious significance, in the village. The people would be going about their business as we passed through, though the little kids would run up to us saying 'hello' and 'chocolate'.
The first couple of days were about 2800 m altitude, and it quickly rose to 3500 m and then 3800 m. Most days during the walk we'd go over at least one high pass about 4000 m, the highest was 4300 m.
The hills were characterized by a striking red colour and erosion patterns that formed columns in the cliffs. There often caves in the cliffs were the people lived a long time ago.
The walking was reasonably demanding, but the pace was good. On the way, even during a long climb, it never felt like a slog. I just had to stop and look and the scenery and just be so amazed at where I was.
One difficulty was that I had more trouble with the altitude than I expected, particularly at night. I'd lay awake consciously breathing just to get enough air into my lungs. Most nights I got enough sleep though, because it gets dark at 6:00 so after dinner there really wasn't anything to do except read for a bit and go to bed.
The landscape got more and more barren as we went north. Looking ahead, it would be hard to believe that we were going there, to what seemed like completely inhospitable territory. But then, as well climbed a ridge, a valley would come into view that had a stream and a village and fields that provided and oasis of green.
Our destination was Lo Mantang, the walled town containing about 150 houses, the kings residence and three monasteries - two of which dated back to the 7th century. However I will save that to the next post. Tomorrow we fly back to Pokhara, where there will be good internet connection and more time to catch up on the posting.
Wow, how to describe the past 11 days! The trek was everything I wanted it to be: days of just settling into the rythym of walking and just taking in the spectacular scenery, passing through picturesque, little villages that were like going back in time, and meeting the people and their culture. We really lucked out with the weather, as the skies were perfectly blue every day. I think my favourite part of the day was waking up to outstanding scenery lit by the morning sun. Like this:
or this:
The trek was to what's called the 'Lost Kingdom' of Mustang. It's a part of Nepal that buldges north into Tibet, north of Annapurna. It used to be an isolated kingdom of Tibetan culture that was actually forbidden to tourists until the 1990's. Even now it's what they call a 'restricted area', which means the goverment charges a large fee to go in and are supposed to limit the number of tourists.
There were 9 of us in the group. In addition to myself, there was Paul and Elaine, from England, and their friends Jeff and Caroline, formerly of England by now from Australia. There was also Helen and Tim, and Dianne, and George, all from Australia. The tour company I booked through, Peregrine Adventures, is an Australian company. Everyone had done something like this before, and had travelled to a lot of places, so they were familiar with the trekking, accommodation, etc. They were all pleasant and easy-going about things.
We were helped by our tour leader, Mukund, and his three assistants. They did an outstanding job, and worked very hard doing everything from leading the way on the trail, organizing our bags when they were off the mules, getting our rooms organized, helping the people at the lodge, waking us up in the morning with warm water to wash in, even cooking some meals. They were attentive to every question. Highly, highly recommended. In the picture below from left to right are Ghire, Mukund, Mannu, and Ramesh:
There were also two mule tenders. Typically the mules were loaded and started off after we left in the morning, and would pass us at some point in the day, so our bags were at the day's destination when we arrived.
The day would start with a wake up at 6:30, breakfast, and start walking by 8:00 or 8:30. We'd walk from 4 to 7 hours. On the shorter days we'd reach our destination by lunch, and have the afternoon free or visit the local monastery. On longer days there would be a lunch break for about an hour. All the meals were at lodges or teahouses in the small villages. In fact, we only had to camp one night, and the rest were spent in lodges. We got lucky there as well, as it seemed the greatest number trekkers to Mustang started after we were on our way back, so there was not yet much competition for rooms in lodges.
The villages were small and so quaint, with people manually working in the fields, carrying in harvest, tending cows and goats. Typically a village was single narrow alley between white-washed stone and mud buildings, with roofs consisting of stacks of wood. There would also be 'chorten', or structures of religious significance, in the village. The people would be going about their business as we passed through, though the little kids would run up to us saying 'hello' and 'chocolate'.
The first couple of days were about 2800 m altitude, and it quickly rose to 3500 m and then 3800 m. Most days during the walk we'd go over at least one high pass about 4000 m, the highest was 4300 m.
The hills were characterized by a striking red colour and erosion patterns that formed columns in the cliffs. There often caves in the cliffs were the people lived a long time ago.
The walking was reasonably demanding, but the pace was good. On the way, even during a long climb, it never felt like a slog. I just had to stop and look and the scenery and just be so amazed at where I was.
One difficulty was that I had more trouble with the altitude than I expected, particularly at night. I'd lay awake consciously breathing just to get enough air into my lungs. Most nights I got enough sleep though, because it gets dark at 6:00 so after dinner there really wasn't anything to do except read for a bit and go to bed.
The landscape got more and more barren as we went north. Looking ahead, it would be hard to believe that we were going there, to what seemed like completely inhospitable territory. But then, as well climbed a ridge, a valley would come into view that had a stream and a village and fields that provided and oasis of green.
Our destination was Lo Mantang, the walled town containing about 150 houses, the kings residence and three monasteries - two of which dated back to the 7th century. However I will save that to the next post. Tomorrow we fly back to Pokhara, where there will be good internet connection and more time to catch up on the posting.
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
first day of trek
Today we flew from Pokhara to Jomsom, to an altitude of 2700 m. It was a clear day and the views from the plane were spectacular. We flew up a valley, with Annapurna on the right, and Daulaghiri on the left. Even the hills below were knife-edge sharp, and some were terraced. It took about 30 min to fly to Jomsom. The landing was a rollercoaster ride because the plane has to make a steep banking 180 degree turn inside the valley in order to approach the runway.
Jomsom is a relatively large town for the area. At first sight, the buildings are in the Himalayan village style, but they contain mostly hotels, cafes, internet, and shops for souvenirs and last minute trekking supplies.
At Jomsom we organized our bags, which were put on mules, and started the trek. We walked up a wide river valley with steep brown hills on either side, and the white diamond peak of Nilghiri looming overhead behind us.
We saw several other trekkers, as this part of the trail is actually part of three different treks: Mustang, which we are doing; Muktinath, which is a sacred place to Hindus and many do a pilgrimage there (I'm told the temple there is breath-taking); and the last leg of the Annapurna circuit.
Along the way we passed a man selling trinkets outside his house.
We walked for 2 hours and stopped for lunch. By the afternoon the wind gets very strong. After lunch it was another hour to Kagbeni. This is a village of stone buildings surrounded by the only green in the area, some buckwheat fields by the river and apple trees on the hillside. It has several lodges and there are many trekkers there from the different trails.
After settling into our rooms in the lodge, we visited the local monastery and walked around the village. Tiny narrow alleys between very old stone and mud buildings, some parts of which seem to hold livestock, others the people's residences. It's everything I would have expected in Himalayan village, in terms of the visual appeal and the honest simplicity of the life.
Kagbeni is the start of Upper Mustang, which is the restricted area. This will likely be the last place with internet for a while, so you may not hear from me for a week or so. I'll post as soon as I can.
Jomsom is a relatively large town for the area. At first sight, the buildings are in the Himalayan village style, but they contain mostly hotels, cafes, internet, and shops for souvenirs and last minute trekking supplies.
At Jomsom we organized our bags, which were put on mules, and started the trek. We walked up a wide river valley with steep brown hills on either side, and the white diamond peak of Nilghiri looming overhead behind us.
We saw several other trekkers, as this part of the trail is actually part of three different treks: Mustang, which we are doing; Muktinath, which is a sacred place to Hindus and many do a pilgrimage there (I'm told the temple there is breath-taking); and the last leg of the Annapurna circuit.
Along the way we passed a man selling trinkets outside his house.
We walked for 2 hours and stopped for lunch. By the afternoon the wind gets very strong. After lunch it was another hour to Kagbeni. This is a village of stone buildings surrounded by the only green in the area, some buckwheat fields by the river and apple trees on the hillside. It has several lodges and there are many trekkers there from the different trails.
After settling into our rooms in the lodge, we visited the local monastery and walked around the village. Tiny narrow alleys between very old stone and mud buildings, some parts of which seem to hold livestock, others the people's residences. It's everything I would have expected in Himalayan village, in terms of the visual appeal and the honest simplicity of the life.
Kagbeni is the start of Upper Mustang, which is the restricted area. This will likely be the last place with internet for a while, so you may not hear from me for a week or so. I'll post as soon as I can.
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