May 16-17, Pokhara to Samar

Day 2: Pokhara to Kagbeni (2,810 meters)

Up early this morning and we flew from Pokhara to Jomson before we started on foot. Finally a day of trekking awaited me. On arrival in Pokhara we met the reminder of the big group which now brought their number to 9. After a brief breakfast, Kunga, Gopi and I set out towards Kagbeni. There was something about Jomson, the clean mountain air, the super clean streets and sparsity of people makes this town a pleasant short stop before the trekking starts on day one.

The trek from Jomson to Kagbeni was about 2.5 hours or so, across the Kali Gandaki river bed, (which was barely flowing at this time of the year, one can only imagine what this river looks like during monsoon season), with a brief tea stop at Eklo Bhatti, we reached Kagbeni. Our arrival at Kagbeni could not have happened sooner, as the wind started to pick up rushing in sand and uprising dust in all directions.

Kagbeni was a stop for day 2 of the trek. My room window provide a great undisturbed view of the river bed and the Annapurna mountain range. Late that afternoon, Kunga and I went sight seeing in Kagbeni to the Kag Chode Thupten Samphel Ling monastery which was established by the Tibetan scholar Tenpai Gyaltsen in 1429. The three story monastery, more than 500 years old boasted a rare and antique collection of protective deity worship weapons and the wall of this prayer room was covered with painted murals of Tibetan protective deities on its walls. The room was poorly lit, the walls in a state of deterioration, some of the murals destroyed and unclear, but this was truly a great start to the trek - the paintings were nonetheless beautiful and probably as old as the monastery itself. From the roof top, I got a clear reflection of how small Kagbeni actually is. The houses are designed in the traditional Tibetan style with flat roofs which serve as storage for firewood for the harsh winter ahead and the hanging of prayer flags that flutter in wind :-)

Day 3: Kagbeni to Samar (3,660 meters)

Let me start by saying that today was a bitch. The walk up from Kagbeni was tough and almost all the way we walked either with the wind in our backs or with howling wind against us. We started at around 07:30am and only finally reached our pit stop for the night in Samar at 15:15 pm. As we left Kagbeni we hit the trail with a steep hill, but due to a construction of road we were forced to either go up higher or cross the river bed. We chose the river bed for the start, however, due to the river being too deep at various spots, the high mountainous trail it was for most of the day. From the hill tops we got to see great views of the villages we had either passed through and of Kagbeni.

We had a short tea break at Tangbe (3,060 meters). What is really striking about the villages we have passed, including Tangbe, is the missing age group of people. In most vilages I came across, I found either elderly people in their 60's (and older) and the parents of children ranging between the ages of newly born to 10 years old. I saw no teenagers or anyone between 11 and 30 years old.  On asking various questions on why this was so, I was interested to learn that most families send their children to study in India, Jomsom and Kathmandu. Some children return back to the village, however, a large number of children growing up away from their families end up staying in those places and getting jobs to support their families from afar.  The fields of Tangbe were covered in barley and wheat, which as I am told will be ready or harvest in a few weeks, long after I have come and gone. A rare and beautiful sight to see the field green and glowing compared to the surrounding mountainous terrain of red and brown sandstone pillar looking formations.

After Tangbe, it was time to hit the trail with a steep uphill climb making our way to our lunch stop for the day, Chele (3,030 meters).  After lunch we braved for the infamous 'Chele cliff' - it was all steep and falling rocks around the mountain's edge, which just kept going on and on. And when you think you have reached the top, around the corner it would get even steeper. Needless to say the infamous 'Chele cliff' was the hardest part for me on this trek.  Somewhere half way up, the wind started howling and battered us from all sides. The end point was not near and the journey now got harder.

On reaching Samar, Gopi, Kunga and I just sat in silence drinking Tibetan tea, and catching our breath. The silence seemed to go on forever. But after a hour or so of resting our feet we explored this little village. Although Samar was small, the villagers appeared to be united in their day-to-day activities (keeping the village clean, maintenance of the dirt road and the daily grazing of the goats and cattle that belong to the villagers). Samar at 3,660 meters was my stop on day 3.

May 15, Kathmandu to Pokhara

Day 1: My trek to Lo-Manthang begins. It started off with an early flight from Kathmandu to Pokhara, which is the third largest city in Nepal situated about 200-250km west of the Kathmandu valley.

For this trek to Lo-Manthang, let me introduce you to the team: I did this trek with a trekking company called 'Royal Mustang Trekking' which is actually owned and operated by the future king of Mustang, Jigme Bista. Jigme has actually been inaugurated as the King of Mustang some years back, however, in keeping with the culture of the kingdom, since the King himself is still alive, Jigme's title for now is the 'Crown prince of Mustang'. I first met Jigme a few days prior to my trek, dressed in plain clothes of jeans and a t-shirt one -- really not the royal dress code one would expect for a first meeting. But I was soon to learn that Jigme is an intelligent and down-to-earth man. It was refreshing and most welcomed. You will certainly hear me talk about Jigme a lot more in my future blog postings. Then there was Kunga Bista, my dedicated guide. His English was excellent and his knowledge base so vast and educational that everywhere we stopped this trek, every foreign person trekking to Lo-Manthang was impressed with him and his explanations. Then there was Gopi, my porter who complained that my bag was too light....lol!

At the airport in Kathmandu, I met a group of about 6 individuals largely from Taos, New Mexico aged between 60 and 78. They were a great bunch of people to chat to. On arrival in Pokhara (820 meters in altitude), I decided to branch out on my own and spend the day sight seeing in Pokhara. I hired a driver and headed down to Phewa Lake and ventured off in a dugout canoe across the lake to hike to the World Peace Pagoda. The pagoda was described in the brochure at the hotel as being a 'Buddhist monastery with an idyllic location on a high ridge overlooking the himalaya range' - and that it was!

My hike to the holy shrine was about 35 minutes or so, but provided a scenic view of the lake and the surrounding mountains. The hike weaved its way up and in-between a forest that echoed with the sound of birds chirping and nothing but a slight cool breeze. Once I reached the top I took a few minutes to enjoy the view down below, Pokhara (reminded me of little Britain - 'If you look to the right, you will see Pokhara. If you look to the left you will see Pokhara.'.....lol) stunning. It was amazing how different this city was from Kathmandu, firstly purely on a visability perspective, much more green spaces and the air OMG, I was beginning to forget what breathing in fresh air felt like. And literally all you could hear for miles on end, was birds and prayer flags waving to the wind, cows and goats in the fields with the ringing of their neck bells. I could very easily have laid down on the ground and fell asleep :-) Instead I walked around, had a snack and took advantage of the 360-degree view on offer and then hiked back down a different route to my waiting car and driver.

Next stop was Tibetan (refugee) village in Pokhara, which was interesting as a workshop for the manufacture of Tibetan arts and crafts and perhaps more so for the production of hand woven Tibetan rugs. Next I stopped off at 'Patale Chhango-Devis Falls' (strange rock formation which leads to a dramatic waterfall several meters below land level). As interesting as that was, I headed across the road to 'Gupteshwar Mahadev Cave'. As I walked through this damp cave with bat dung-covered floors and walls, I made my way to the bottom and towards the 'light'/end, which proved to be rather quite surprising. What appeared to be light, turned out to be a crack in the cave's core and provided a view of the Patale Chhango-Devis Falls hitting the river bed as it rushed further below the earth's crust - surprising and awe-inspiring all at the same time.

For me, that was enough of Pokhara for one day and I headed off back to the hotel to rest my feet alongside the pool and watched the clouds disappear and expose a mountain range with snow covered peaks. What a sight :-)!

Change in plans

For a long time before I embarked on this journey, I decided to do the following: (i) a trek to Mount Everest base camp, and (ii) a trip to Tibet. However, on arrival in Kathmandu my plans changed.

Firstly, I had just finished this great book by Michel Peissel ' Mustang, The Lost Tibetan Kingdom'. Secondly the indecisiveness of the Chinese - closing the border to Tibet in March, then took forever to open it, only to close it yet again. And thirdly, as the Everest base camp route has been trekked to death, I then started to search for something that could offer me a trek of a lifetime, something to be remember always but also I wanted to see a place that practiced life, culture and customs as Tibet once did, this I found was in the last Himalayan Kingdom of Mustang.

Known as 'Little Tibet' Mustang offered me more than I expected. Sitting in the trans- himalayan region of north eastern Nepal (bordering Tibet), Mustang survived the Chinese invasion of 1951 and became a part of Nepal. Despite every citizen in Mustang holding Nepali passports, the citizens of Mustang, foster a strong unequivocal link to the Tibetan culture and predominately to the Sakya sect of Buddhism as it once flourished in Tibet. The dominant language is Mustangi, a dialect of Tibetan.

Mustang is only open to approximately 1500 tourists a year, and the trek up to the remote capital of Lo-Manthang provides nothing short of an absolute adventure :-) The trek which trails through remote areas and villages sometimes comprising of only one or two houses, also winds its way through substantial villages (Kagbeni, Chele, Tsarang and Ghemi) that once served as a thriving salt trade route between Nepal and Tibet. These whitewashed villages (decorated and built in an age old traditional form), are set amidst the dry mountainous terrain, lying in valleys populated by fields of barley and wheat, home to beautiful ancient chortens and monasteries that date back a hundreds of years, are a true reflection of the flourishing Buddhist culture that this region is known for. Flanked by an unimaginable terrain of what looks at times as the Sahara Desert in Africa, with its steep ravines, deep gullies and rocky jagged edge formations, the route to Lo-Manthang provides breathtaking views of the Annapurna mountain range snowy peaks and terrain only seen in movies.

What is to come in my next few posting is my twelve day trek in this himalayan kingdom making my way to the capital Lo-Manthang. I hope you find my posting as interesting as I found the trek to be.

24-27 April 2009, The India Experience

Let it be known that for many years I have had no interest to visit India. Not sure if that was because I am of Indian origin or because many people that have meet have said very little good about India as a whole. People often described as a polluted, dirty, poverty as seen no where else in this world and conjestion of people (over crowding) and poor local transportation. However, if one puts aside the views of others, you would be surprised to learn and find out that Delhi in fact offers a beauty rarely spoken of, as i discovered - captivating ancient historical monuments, old school museums, a vibrant and active art scene, top-notch resturants and a capitol which is literally littered with gems at every turn waiting to be discovered.  And this is me being honest. 

Randy and I stayed at the Ambassdor's residence in Delhi in an area that can only be described as the 90210 zip-code of Delhi. We spent most of our time in Delhi, sight seeing in the old city via rickshaw - which let me just say is an experience and a must do on anyone's list.  It is mind boggling how a man less than half my size with golf sticks as legs had the strength to ride around 2 grown men.  We also walked around the Delhi Fort, (Jama Masjid mosque) and shopped. The city in my view is stunningly rich in culture.

The main priority of our trip to India was to see the Taj Mahal. We took a day trip to Agra to see the famous mausoleum. The drive was literally an 8 hour return journey. DO NOT BE DISCOURAGED. No matter what people have told you, and no matter how many pictures or tv documentaries you have seen, nothing quite prepares you for the awe of the Taj Mahal. Of course everyone knows that the Taj Mahal is regarded as the world greatest example of Mughal architecture. Whilst we were having our tour of the Taj Mahal (which is nothing like Slumdog Millionaire), it was interesting to learn that the architect of the monument was actually Turkish, who borrowed styles of designs from the Persians, Ottomans, the Islamic world and the Indians. The Taj Mahal which was built by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his favourite (third) wife Mumtaz Mahal, who died during the birth of their 14th child. The Taj Mahal is a dedication to the love shared between to people. Now if I could only get a monument built in my honour :-) .... lol

After having a lunch at the Oberoi Hotel in Agra with a great distant view of the Taj Mahal in the background, Randy and I ventured off to experience the Red Fort - the sight were the Emperor Shah Jahan lived and was later held captive by his son until his death.  According to the local guide, Shah Jahan died in the section of the fort which held an excellent view of the Taj Mahal. To me, the design and layout of the fort indicates the great architectural style of the times. There appears to be no compromise or side stepping/shorts cuts (as is so often today) in the layout or flow of the building, one chamber leading onto the next, each holding a breath taking view of the city of the Taj Mahal. 

This visit to India has only whet my appetite to see more of India. So don't be surprised in the years to come if I end up spending more time in this beautiful country.

 

10 April, Bisket Jatra in Bhaktapur, Nepal

It was Friday afternoon when Randy and I headed to witness the Bisket Jatra celebration in Bhaktapur.  We were in the square for about an hour or so before the start of the festival, so we made our way to a guest house that had a roof terrance restaurant to get a better (and safer!) view of the festivities.  From this vantage point, it was interesting to people watch and see the square and all available space in and around it fill up with people. Everyone was vying for a view of the festival yet to come. 

Similar to the White Machhenranath festival, the Bisket Jatra also involves a chariot but that is where the similarities stop. In the Bisket Jatra festival, a wooden chariot is dragged through the city in a tug of war battle. A good friend of ours, Rabindra Puri, explained that the tug of war is between the people of lower Bhaktapur (the part of the city near the river) and the people of upper Bhaktapur (away from the river on higher ground).  The Bisket Jatra is celebrated in the memory of the slaying of serpents in the valley by the prince at the time. 

The chariot is richly decorated in traditional Newar style (similar to the red and black saris worn by Newar women during temple offerings) and holds a deity of Bhairav in it.  Men of all ages, many intoxicated with homemade rice beer partake in this festival by pulling the chariot in opposing directions, each doing their part to ensure a positive outcome for their side.  The chariot is pulled from the middle of the square, down some uneven paved narrow streets and some tricky  and tight corners, all of which aimed at winning the tug of war and pulling the chariot to the relevant temple present on either sides of town.

As we watched this, all I could say was WOW.  I have downloaded some pics and a video on my facebook profile, have a look. There were times as they pulled this chariot in the little street below us,  the chariot had begun to sway back and forth, Randy and I could easily and yes patiently  awaited that moment when the chariot crashed to the ground.  But it never did.  It withstood all the pulling from one direction to the other and finally when it seemed like all was lost to the upper-town folks, as their opponents were doing so well and had made their way up a narrow street and steadily heading for the temple.  However, the upper-town folks got an influx of men and tried to turn the fate around and could have succeeded, which would have made for an interesting tug of war in this 3rd world setting, but it was not their day, as one of their 3 ropes snapped. As the snapped occurred the lower-town folks took hold of that window of opportunity and made good ground moving the chariot and the deity it carried steadily towards the temple that awaited it in the lower town.

Hope you enjoy the pictures.

19 April 2009, Thangka - Kathmandu, Nepal

Where ever I travel, I always buy something that reminds me of that country, be it a hand carved chess set, a carpet, or a set of antique tea pots. When I look at them months later I always have a smile on my face as I remember the memories of that trip.

Kathmandu, Nepal is no different. There is just so much to buy, Tibetan furniture, antique prayer wheels, traditional hand made Tibetan carpets, richly decorated door panels depicting the Gods of Buddhism and Hindusim and thangkas.  Deepak Chopra said that 'great art is a doorway to the divine', and thangkas are the embodiment of that sentiment.

The thangka is painted on white cotton, which after numerous applications of chalk and glue ends up looking like a white canvas. A thangka can be likened to a scroll painting, which can be found hanging in Buddhist monasteries and in Tibetain homes.  Because a thangka can be rolled up, centuries ago it became increasingly popular for monks traveling from one village  monastery to another to take their scroll painting with them. In Tibetan culture, the thangka serves as an important teaching tool. Thangka's differ in style and depiction of the Buddha in various stages along his path to enlightenment.  Two of the most popular thangkas are the 'Life of Buddha' and 'Wheel of Life', although if truth be told, as beautiful as these thangkas are, the Buddha in his individual form is enough to blow your mind away.  In traditional life, the Thangka is used to meditate upon. 

When a thangka is done in its traditional form, a colorful layer of three brocades will surround the scroll painting of the divine. Then a bright yellow or orange silk curtain will appear over the painting. It is said that in most Buddhist homes, the curtain always covers the scroll painting, and when any member of the family is praying/meditating, the curtain is pulled over the painting to enable the devotee to be visually and mentally stimulated by the image before him.

Naturally Randy and I have gone over board - to say the least.  After this last Sunday, between us we now own 7 Thangkas (the Mandala, Shakyamuni Buddha - depicting the Buddha at his moment of enlightenment; Palden Lhamo - the glorious goddess rides a horse through a sea of blood in a universe of flaming darkness; the Wheel of Life; the Amitabha Buddha - the Buddha of infinite light; and the White Tara - the Tara (similar to the western concept of an 'angel' sitting on the spheres of sun and moon supported by a blossoming lotus), neitherless to say more are on the way.

Enjoy the pictures and let me have your thoughts if you want a thangka. 

People of Kathmandu, Nepal

It is hard to describe what goes through my mind when I sit at a place like Boudha and people watch. It is amazing the story a face can tell. I have been in a unique position over the last few years to have traveled to many beautiful places (nothing quite beats home - Cape Town), and I have always find myself fascinated by people's faces. Their eyes (the window to one's soul), their hair (unkept and unclean), their cheeks, and the wrinkles that dominate their outlook to others. What we as members of western society visiting Nepal notice, are these faces and we think, how sad! He looks like he has had a rough hard life, a poor life by our standards, a life that has one challenge upon another (very different to what you or I would view as being challenges). 

However, the people in this beautiful country may live a simple life filled with hardship and poverty but their belief is strong and filled with hope of their next life. It is my understanding that here 'karma' is something every one believes in. For those of you who do not understand, 'karma', 'reincarnation' - "What goes around comes around" - In other words, it is the result of our past actions and our own present doings. We ourselves are responsible for our own happiness and misery -- meaning we are the architects of our own destiny and our own fate - our actions in this life, will affect our next life. This is the nutshell of understanding 'karma'. 

So when I people watch, I learn to appreciate their distinctive facial expressions, looking closely, I can sometimes see in the faces of others the hope and belief in a system that the western society frequently misunderstands and once wrinkles do appear we in the west mask those wrinkles with anti-aging cream and botox. But here, in Kathmandu, wrinkles tell the story of a life lived. A life with no regrets or wants, than what one is born with in this world. A life of simplicity.