Advertisement
Published: January 17th 2007
Edit Blog Post
The Yeti is said to live amongst the Nepalese Himalayan mountains. The local villages that inhabit the northern regions believe he is a kind of shaman and his existence seems better substantiated than his American cousin, Bigfoot. Whether true or not, the myth adds yet more mystery to an already intriguing country. Far from the highest peaks in the world along the Tibetan border, the Buddha was born in the southern jungles as prince Siddhartha around 2500 years ago. During my time here I found these historic and geographic phenomenas somehow softened. Perhaps it is the people: gentle and charming. Or maybe it has simply been a matter of time. For whatever reason, monks in robes, stoned sadhus and the Himalayas have become comfortable. Like a co-worker or aunt. First, the mountains.
There are several areas to trek in Nepal. The most popular are the Annapurna and Everest Base Camp routes. There is a road being built to connect some of the villages on these hikes and many people have complained the experience is compromised. If you want to do these routes, do 'em soon. We opted for another, lesser known trek. Called the "Lang Tang trek", it is north
of Kathmandu near the Tibetan border. We hiked for eight days and enjoyed the best of both worlds: beautiful scenery and rugged mountains during the day and warm cozy beds and home-cooked meals at night. New Zealand has a pretty extensive and famous trecking circuit but the combination of nature and culture here puts it in another league. Different from other camping experiences I have had, the trail in Lang Tang meanders through villages and is peppered with locals living in a modified traditional style. Although Nepal is about 90% Hindu, the people here are mainly Tibetan refugees and they are Buddhist. Their homes, which are available to sleep in for around $1.50, each have a Buddhist shrine which is a part of their daily rituals. The scenery ranged from dense forest in the lower valley to expansive mountains harboring glaciers as you climbed north. We saw huge Himalayan eagles (wingspan 6 feet), yaks, monkeys, a unique species of mountain goat, and a ton of birds. Do yourself a favor and come trecking here. What has changed for me is the overwhelming aura of THE HIMALAYAS. Although hiking at high altitude, we reached about 14,000 feet, while "trecking" it is
not necessary to have technical mountaineering experience. Back home we would have been summiting peaks at that height, but the range is so big that we found ourselves on giant foothills with a fairly comfortable terrain. What this lack of "extreme" adds is the essential and unique element of community. Although you lose out on the highly prized brag-to-your-buddies factor, there is a possibility to interact with the families here and the trek is better for it.
The cultural aspect of Nepal is equally bizarre/mellow. There is an atmosphere of lawlessness that results less from ambitious criminality and more a relaxed understanding that you can do what you want here. I was bored on a 10 hour bus ride through the mountains and simply climbed on top of the roof to enjoy the rest of the trip. No worries. This laisez-faire social philosophy has it's drawbacks: litter is everywhere and the man driving a tractor or bicycle has as much right as anybody to be in the middle of a busy road. Also, the abuses of the monarchy have been permitted at the expense of democracy. This is changing. The "Maoists" began a war in 1996 in response to
a lack of opportunities and resources for the vast majority of the population. Since then the rebels have managed to gain control over 80% of the country. Part of their strategy for fundraising is charging "tourist entrance fees" to the mountainous areas. We encountered them as we approached our trek and, although you would think being confronted by an armed militia demanding money would be frightening, it is surprisingly mellow and the process is similar to bargaining with the locals over fruit prices. In fact their leader, a kid of about 16 dressed in U.S Army fatigues, inspired more puzzlement than fear. A few months ago the Maoists and the Monarchy agreed to work together in governance. In fact, the King remains in only name, as his royal properties and powers have been stripped by the latest parliament. Periodic fighting continues in the remote areas but the country is safe for travel.
We spent most of our time in capital of Katmandu. It is charming, yet chaotic. Along the more heavily touristed areas, the vendors can be quite obnoxious. Our favorite neighborhoods were the Tibetan area named "Boudhanath" to the east and the dignified former kingdom of Patan
to the south. The city is small enough to get most anywhere by foot. However, before attempting to be an urban-walker in Asia I encourage you to train in advance. To imagine the roads here picture a mix between a drag-race and a stampede of farm animals. To navigate through, relinquish all notions of safety and go for it like Frogger. The rural areas are decidedly slower. Very slow, in fact. Our bus to Pokhara had an accident in a small town and over 100 locals came to watch like it was the circus. There is an obvious problem of unemployment here. Standing around seems to be the primary occupation of most. Our buddy Al came up with what seems would be an effective solution: "NO LOITERING" signs posted everywhere. This should get some work done in Nepal. The country is trying to improve it's economy but being a land-locked country in the midst of a civil war, the investment needed to develop it's potent hydro-power resources (2nd highest in the world due to it's massive glaciers and snowfall) wasn't there. Furthermore, the current system of sending the rural children to urban boarding schools is raising education levels but destroying
the local communities. To be sure, Nepal has it's share of problems to deal with. The most inspiring part of the country, though, is the people's ability to be graceful in times of difficulty. The charisma of this country has led to numerous NGO's involvement and it seems brighter times are the future here. Regardless, the idea of a direct and static correlation between prosperity and sense of well-being is challenged in Nepal. I don't use the word "happiness" here because it is not always laughing. Instead, there is a peace and friendliness that seems to exist in spite of the challenges. Overall, a special place recommended to come visit.
Advertisement
Tot: 0.277s; Tpl: 0.012s; cc: 8; qc: 54; dbt: 0.0653s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 2;
; mem: 1.2mb
Meaghan
non-member comment
More Stories Please!
It seems as though there must be more stories packed in Nepal with those pictures of you guys! I've always wanted to visit, I would love to feel the ambience of a buddhist culture, take care and blessings!