This is the second part of a report on a trip behind the scenes to Upper Mustang in April 2016.
Відразу за Челе дорога плавно йде вгору. Обертаюся назад і бачу Нілгірі (7 061м) у ранковому світлі – дуже красиво! Не поспішайте на стежці і крутіть головою на всі боки, інакше ризикуєте проґавити те, за чим йшли.
We say goodbye to the greenery of gardens and trees. As we gain altitude, we enter a zone where spring has not yet come into its own.
Soon the road turns to the right, and we turn onto a hiking trail along a grand canyon. This trail appears in all reports about the upper Mustang and we were looking forward to it. We take a photo with the flag against the backdrop of the canyon.
The “hard life of a freelancer” is especially difficult in Mustang, a place where there is no Wi-Fi and no internet.
Very soon we developed a certain pace of movement. Ed ran ahead, Ihor stomped behind him, and Sasha walked behind, taking lots of pictures and admiring the scenery. I was rushing between everyone (until I started shooting time-lapses, then I mostly caught up), but mostly walked in front of Sasha so as not to lose him by accident))
Sasha is walking along the path, and behind him is a beautiful bridge over the gorge, which we will descend to on our way back.
The boys ran ahead, and Sasha and I stopped at the Troll’s Tongue in Miniature. If you choose the right angle, you get good photos.
If you are tired, you can lie down to rest and sunbathe.
I have to balance. By the way, it’s not very comfortable to do this in hiking boots.
The process of photographing was also non-trivial. The pebbles just kept falling down.
Admiring the canyons, we reach the village of Samar. Here we stop for a standard masala/jinger-honey/minth tea and rest. A woman guard stands at the gate at the exit.
The road goes along the Nilgiri and Annapurna massifs, delighting us with magnificent views.
It’s hard for the guys on the way up. It could not be otherwise. The altitude is under 4000 meters, and the acclimatization is still poor. We walk, puff, and rest.
We went “there” by the upper trail, believing it to be more species-specific and difficult. As it turned out, we were wrong. But more on that later. We pass the Bhena la pass (3,830m) and stop for tea in the village of the same name. I liked the young monk and the shaggy kids. It seems to me that at their age I was also shaggy:)))
Soon we are approaching the Yamba la pass (4010m). Ed is already there, taking panoramas.
Congratulations to the guys on their first top four on the track. The views from the pass are stunning. The first part of Annapurna is clearly visible. On the right is the peak of Nilgiri, next is Tilicho (7,134m) and now Annapurna (8,091m), one of the most “unpleasant” eight-thousanders to climb, is peeking out from behind it.We watch the eagles circling nearby for a long time. We joke that they are looking for the smallest and weakest of us to take for dinner. But we didn’t find any – they were all big and strong. Except for our local guide, but he had already run away. He was afraid of the eagles, 100% sure.
We watch the eagles circling nearby for a long time. We joke that they are looking for the smallest and weakest of us to take for dinner. But we didn’t find any – they were all big and strong. Except for our local guide, but he had already run away. He was afraid of the eagles, 100% sure.
We arrive in Gelling (3,570 meters) in the late afternoon, tired. We don’t go to the temples, because we don’t want to.
In the courtyard of the hotel, I played soccer with local boys with an improvised ball. This is their team. You can clearly see the typical Tibetan facial features.
The road outside the village is smooth and pleasant. Ihor, followed by Santosh, with Sasha behind him.
There are views of colorful rocks. Very beautiful and unusual. And here comes the village of Chami. Needless to say, it is located in a picturesque place.
And here comes the village of Chami. Needless to say, it is located in a picturesque place.
Spring is coming.
A little further beyond Chami, the longest Mani wall in Mustang begins. This is a religious structure consisting of stones with the mantra “Om mani padme hum” carved on them.
Just beyond the wall, I freeze, unable to go any further. The view of the stupa and the red rocks is so beautiful that I just have to stay here and take a time-lapse. And so I do. On the right side of the photo you can see Sasha walking along the road. I have never seen such a view during other treks in Nepal.
Meanwhile, the boys are running forward toward the pass. I speed up to catch up, but I can’t take my eyes off the stupa. It looks so organic against the red and yellow rocks!
And not only red and yellow. It looks organic against the background of any rocks.
I catch up with Sasha and Ihor on the way up. We go up together. The view from the pass is quite beautiful.
I go down to Tsarang with an American. He’s a very cool guy – 63 years old, he’s been hiking all his life, cheerful and happy with life. And all because he is not married. Just kidding. He tells me about the Upper Dolpa trail, which is probably the wildest, most interesting and most expensive in Nepal. I will definitely have to go there! At the entrance to Tsarang, there is a very beautiful stupa-gate – Chorten gate.
Tsarang is an interesting town. Among the sights here are the dilapidated royal palace and the monastery, which houses the largest library in the Lo Kingdom.
The streets of the town are narrow and winding, often ending in dead ends – cattle pens. This is done for a reason: the wind loses its power in such streets and does not complicate the already difficult local life. We make our way along these streets to the entrance to the gompa.
The temple is big, beautiful, interesting/and closed. So we just walk around and spin the drums. Each drum has a mantra written on it (most often the same “Om mani padme hum”) and it is believed that when you touch the drum, you say it. The drums are to be spun only with the right hand, as the left hand is “dirty”.
In the background is the white building of the former royal palace. Very modest.
If you climb the walls of the palace, you will see a view of the gompa and mountains from above.
A growing beauty, the future owner of the lodge, helps her mother prepare dinner and clean the guesthouse. She is only modest and turns away from the camera.
A small collection of trinkets is a must-have part of every home decoration.
Tomorrow we will arrive in Lo Mantang, the capital of the Lo Kingdom and the main goal of our trip. But I will tell you about it in the next part.