Nepal Gallery

Happy New Year! All the best of health and happiness to you and yours in 2008. May your dreams be realized.

Our free time and widespread internet access has allowed us the opportunity to organize our photos and videos. As a result, I was able to put together this final gallery of Nepal photos and video that capture some of the more colorful aspects of the trip there that we did not touch on earlier.

First, here's a video we took on the top of Tsergo Ri, the peak that we climbed in northern Nepal. It's from a height of 16,328 feet. You'll get a glimpse of the high peaks, glaciers and valleys of Nepal and even Tibet. You'll also see and hear the player flags flapping in the wind which is such a common sight and sound there. Might take a bit to load since it's a big file.

Kathmandu - The Good
Boudhinath - Buddhist Temple

Kathmandu - The Bad
The Cow (which is Sacred in Hindu and Roams Freely) Eating Garbage in the Street

Maoist Checkpoint - Near Dhampus, Annapurna Sanctuary Trek

Nepal's political situation is currently in flux. The Maoists are a group a group of communist insurgents who started a revolution in the country earlier in the decade to overthrow the government and monarchy with which the whole country seems dissatisfied. At first it was a bloody fight, but in the last two years there has been a ceasefire and the Maoist have joined in political discussion. I have mixed feelings about the Maoists - aside from being communists. On the one hand, they are making change and the government of Nepal just passed a measure to abolish their monarchy just a few days ago. That seems like a good step to me, and Nepal is hopefully on the way to a republic with direct democratic elections. The government needs to be more accountable and effective. But the Maoists are definitely not angels, and their methods are very suspect. They steal and take food, crops, money, and resources from the hardworking people of the countryside. They also kidnap, kill, torture, and injure their opposition - including people involved in government, school, NGO's that are there to help the people, and others.

Our direct interaction with Maoists was limited to passing two checkpoints, one on the way in to the Annapurna trek and one on the way out. They extort money from every trekker (hundreds in a day) to support their cause. They hand you a propaganda letter that states their case and says they "loathe the very idea of extortion from anybody as alleged by their detractors" and "humbly appeal to you to make a voluntary donation according to your capacity" and then inform you that you must give a fixed sum of money per person per day of your trek and if you do not, you will not be allowed to pass. There were no arms visible, but it was clear that a donation was not voluntary. With our guide's assistance, we negotiated down our payment and eventually paid a sum roughly equal to $16. I was not ever scared or threatened, but at the same time felt like, "I can't believe this is how things go down here. It's crazy."

Made me thankful for the fact that we have a sound and generally just and organized government in our country. Those lessons are also driven home by the current events in places like Kenya and Pakistan. In big picture terms, the election situation in Kenya is not too different from what the U.S. experienced a few years back with the disputed Bush-Gore election. As controversial as the result was, the political leaders and people accepted the decision of the government and courts and went on with their lives. In Kenya, the leaders and people are not accepting the decision and the country is being torn to shreds before the eyes of the world. Again, it's crazy! Again, I feel lucky.

Bus to Langtang

Speaking of lucky, I feel lucky to have survived the 9-hour rides - mostly on dirt road - up and back to Langtang. This is our bus. Note the many people on the roof and the dude climbing up the ladder on the side. In this shot, we are at a rest stop in a small town. But when the bus is moving, the scene is no different. Tons of people on the roof, jam packed inside with people and crops and packages, and riders climbing on and off of the roof while in motion.

There are a lot of Buddhists in Nepal. During our time there, I came to understand that Buddhists believe that all life is suffering and hence they are trying to reach samsara which is an eternal escape from rebirth and worldly suffering. After this first bus ride, it became pretty clear to me why the people feel that all life is suffering.

Lady Carrying Monster Bundle of Wood in the Mountains

Typical scene in the mountains. This one is of a lady, probably 40 or 50 years old, carrying a bundle of wood that she just chopped down and that is about as big as she is. The method of carrying is with the load attached to the back by a strap that runs over the forehead. No waistbelts, padded shoulder straps, or load lifters here, kids. Hard living.

Bamboo Basket Maker near Chhomrong

We witnessed so many amazing sights of local mountain people making everything that they use in their everyday life - knitting clothes; cutting and weaving bamboo for baskets, roofs, walls, an other uses; building their own homes; and many more. We also saw a family - mom, dad, sons, daughters, grandparents - gutting and cleaning the insides of a goat that they had just slaughtered. It was clear that every part of the goat was of huge value to them - blood, intestines, meat, tongue, etc. I spared you the photo of this scene, but my point is that we witnessed the amazingly different way that the Nepalese people provide for themselves than what we are used to.

Natural Millstone

Speaking of the above, here's a natural millstone we encountered. In the photo on the left, the mountain stream is being diverted by a half of a hollowed-out log that carries the water into the bamboo-thatched hut where the millstone sits. The photo on the right shows the inside of the hut. The bamboo cone sits above the millstone and "sort of jiggles" in such a way that corn falls slowly out one kernel at a time onto the surface below. The power of the water turns the millstone which grinds the corn into powder. It's a very simple device all in all, but I was completely blown away when I saw it and took in what I was witnessing. It seemed ingenious it was so simple and effective. Just another incredible example of how differently we go about our daily lives.

Mani Stone
In the Buddhist areas of Tibet, one encounters many mani walls. A mani wall consists of many stones that are carved into scripts, images, and prayers. Each stone is about 2 feet high and 4 feet across. Some of the mani walls are hundreds of feet long and contain thousands of stones, all of which have been engraved by hand over many years. The Buddhist walks clockwise around the walls while praying "Om mani padme hum" which is the most common Buddhist mantra. The prayer is directed to the Buddha of compassion and is supposed to contain or represent all of the Buddha's teachings. Buddhist or not, it's quite a sight to behold walking along a mani wall while taking in the amazing natural beauty of the Himalayan mountains all around you.

Between a Rock and a...
It's not every man that can live off the land. This guy should be proud.
Comic Relief, Take 1

A sign outside a small store we encountered on the way down from our first trek after walking down and up thousands of feet and hundreds of stairs and steps. Note the item toward the middle, just above the tiger balm - Knee Cap 1 piece, 100 rupees (about US$1.50). Not a bad deal under those circumstances. I think Erin gave it some serious consideration.

Comic Relief, Take 2

Litter Tree Zone

Amazing Sunset Between the Clouds
that Erin took from Kyanjin Gompa

Final Gratuitous Mountain Shots
It was too hard to choose just one so here's two.

Dhaulagiri at Sunrise
7th highest mountain in the world, 26,794 feet

Annapurna South Face
with Prayer Flags and Monument to those who have Died
Climbing the Mountain, including Anatoli Bookreev
10th highest mountain in the world, 26,538 feet

Peace Out.
Drew