Tuesday 17 April 2018

Another trek in Nepal

Last week I showed you some slides that I had taken in Nepal during a trip in 1975. I have transferred the slides onto an SD card so I can download  them onto the computer. Here are some more photos taken on another trek that I did. I was in Nepal visiting a friend who was teaching in Kathmandu and I'd been invited to accompany him on some treks. This one was a 23 day trek and started with a 35 minute flight from Kathmandu to Bhaurahiva. Four of us set off from Kathmandu, Tony,my friend, Ram, another teacher from the school,Carlu a porter and myself. I have used extracts from the journal I wrote at the time to explain some of the photos.

Ram met the father of one of his pupils who was also a friend. He was a wealthy man and offered us his car and driver to take us to the next town from where we were starting the trek. Tansen was a large town by Nepali standards and we spent the night in a hotel which even had a toilet. We left early the next morning as we had a lot of walking to do. Ram had found another porter and it was decided that two porters would be enough as Ram would carry his own rucsac.

It wasn't long before we passed through Ridi Bazaar. A fruit seller and his family.
A man sawing wood.
Field of mustard.
Here they are grinding the mustard to make oil.

We stopped at a tea shop and a group of children came to have a look at us. I was something of a curiosity and was followed wherever I went by the local children.
We decided to stay in this village for the night.
A man selling herbs

Inside the house where we were staying, they cooked a meal for us on the open fire. The meal consisted of dal (lentils) rice and spinach.
The women of the house.



Early morning view of the mist rising up from the valleys.
This man was carrying guavas in his doko which I was very keen to buy. A diet of rice and dal twice a day meant we were delighted to find any kind of alternative, especially fruit.
This was the Kalikandaki River which we would be following. We descended down into the valley to the river.
This was the suspension bridge we needed to cross. It was a good bridge but was in need of some repair as there were many holes in the planks that we walked across. There was a chill in the air but the walking soon warmed us. We followed the river up the valley all morning. Ram pointed out various trees and plants en route which had everyday uses. The fruit of one tree could be used as a glue whereas the leaves from another plant were used to get rid of the leeches on your legs. We stopped for lunch by the river so we could have a good wash as well as washing some of our clothes.
After lunch we had a long, hard slog uphill. It was now very hot which made it difficult. There were one or two streams which cooled me down as I doused myself in water. By the time we reached the spot where we were to stay for the night I was quite exhausted.
Making plates from leaves.
Man playing a fiddle

Men fishing in the river.

We stopped around 4pm at a good rest house. The man had been in the British Army so could speak a little English. Although it looked a good rest house we spent a miserable night scratching and listening to the rats running around all night. I had made the mistake of turning my torch on to see what was making the noise only to see a number of rats running along the walls and trying to get into our bags as they searched for food. In the morning I noticed that they had been chewing the laces on my boots!


The next day was a lovely walk with no high climbs to be made.

A man with a crushed toe had asked for some medication. As the people saw that Ram had medicines with him they soon all wanted something for their cuts etc.
Towards the middle of the afternoon the Dhaulagiri range came into view but by  mid afternoon we had lost sight of the white mountains as we back down in the valley.
The pass between Dhaulagiri and Annapurna.


You can see the prayer flags on top of the houses.

Family we stayed with in Jomoson.
A more sophisticated cooking area. Notice the long tea churn on the left. This was for making butter tea using tea leaves, yak butter, water and salt. It was not a drink I would recommend!

On our way back down the trail we were accompanied by a group of Mustangi people. Their whole village was on the move down South for the winter. We took a few photos of them and made what little conversation we could and then said our farewells to them. Little did we know we would be bumping into them all the way to Pokhara.



In the village of Tatopani we came across a group of dancers performing for some villagers. It was the festival of Tihar and the villages were festooned with flowers and flags.




Ram leaving Tatapani village
Annapurna
Crossing a log bridge.

Our mustang friends once again.
Yak dung drying on the walls of a house near Pokhara.

A woman carrying wood into the town.

23 comments:

  1. Wow what a trek that was! These photos must bring back amazing memories. You sure were an adventurer and still are.

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  2. What an amazing trek and great memories!

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  3. These photos from 1975 are really precious. I love trekking in Nepal too.

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  4. That's a lovely post. The photos looks so contemporaneous and although Nepal is now more popular, you and your party must have been quite a sight for the locals in 1975. I remember being followed everywhere in India by kids. they were especially keen to look through my binos!

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  5. you captured the people well. Loved to see it!

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  6. Wow! What adventures you had. I'm so glad you have your journal to explain the trip.

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  7. Those are fantastic picture and I see you in a whole new light. I can not imagine being brave enough to attempt something like that and share my room with rats!

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  8. What can one say but what an amazing trek. As ignorant as I am about rough walking, I have heard the yak butter tea is not to westerner's taste. So good that you are getting these experiences out on the world wide web.

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  9. Thank you for sharing this long-ago trek with me. I enjoyed the pictures and story, thinking about how I would have dealt with a similar experience. Wow! I wonder what the places look like today. :-)

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  10. So many smiling faces. You really captured the local people. What an adventure.

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  11. What a fascinating trip and photos ~ the local people are so beautiful!

    Namaste,
    A ShutterBug Explores,
    aka (A Creative Harbor)

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  12. These photos are fabulous if not priceless. This look back in time and all the interesting lives and lifestyles show why we (you) do what we do today. Someday people can look back with interest and in awe, especially at those wonderul faces.

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  13. It's amazing that after all these years your pictures look as if taken yesterday ! Spring has moved in !!

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  14. Wonderfully expressive faces, and beautiful shots. I would love to see Nepal someday.

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  15. What an amazing trip - that's one I'd really love to make.

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  16. So many fabulous photos, but I must admit you had me at "tea leaves, yak butter, water and salt"!!
    I agree with my two friends, Penelope and Gattina, that your photos are priceless. So many to choose from...my favourites have to be the ones with rivers in them. We were forever exploring rivers when I was growing up, because my father loved them so, and we loved rivers because we loved him!
    Kay
    An Unfittie's Guide to Adventurous Travel

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  17. That is quite a trek. You were very brave too! How did you stay healthy?

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  18. That was life time experience..It is really exciting .. waiting for the next post..

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  19. Incredible scenery, and what an adventure for a young woman. I had to think as I was reading, where was I in 1975, and determined I was on an interesting adventure, too, building a home from logs and teaching in rural Appalachia, where the mountains have been described as "older than the Himalayas"! We are so fortunate to have these memories to grow old with, Marie,.

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  20. Hi! Your photos are very interesting. Transferring onto the SD card is very nice idea. Thanks for sharing.

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  21. You've been an adventurer for a while! An amazing trip. Wow. Every summer I think I'll do something with our old slides and photos but every year I run out of time .... (not that I have any adventures as amazing as this one, but there are memories I'd love to re-live and save where I could see them oftener.)

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  22. What a trip and adventure it must have been! I really enjoyed reading your posts and seeing your photos. It's all so beautiful!

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Thank-you for reading my blog. I would love to read your comments.