trekking – Be Kind To Dragons

Nepal Notes: day hike to Namobuddha

Posted on January 3, 2026January 3, 2026 by ianraitt

I have done this walk many times, but this time I noted some of the gradients. After passing through Dhulikhel, there is the steady ascent on ‘the thousand steps’ to the Kali temple, then the path goes down quite a way to the main highway that goes to the Terai, then gradually rising and winding round, with good views of the mountains, if only the humidity and smog were less these days. The road was being levelled and graded probably prior to being resurfaced, and it was quiet too. Above we could see a new building, that looks like a hotel, but incomplete, then another much more elaborate construction of a hotel underway, and finally the rather large and imposing new hotel, Dusit Thani Himalayan Resort. All of these new places have been constructed with the view in mind, though it is a bit further away than Dhulikhel, but it might allow a perspective on the further western ramparts of the Himalayas.

Finally, we go round the corner and descend slightly. Suddenly, another new hotel, though smaller, comes into view, the construction still going on. But beside it, there was a copy of an old style farmhouse. I wanted to go and see it close up, and Madhu said, yes, we could. So went down and a friendly lady showed us around both the large building, and this smaller, typical house. They had done the small house nicely, but to get to the second floor you had to up a metal spiral staircase on the outside. Both the upper level and the lower level consisted of two rooms, with a bathroom in the middle. The total cost of this house seemed modest from a western price model. I imagined doing something similar, but with slightly expanded dimensions, and an open plan area downstairs with kitchen, dining area and sitting area. Also, there was a third level with lower windows, and gable windows, but this is only accessible via a hatch. This is where they would keep the corn and other crops to store and dry in the traditional houses. Now this is just for the water tank.

So, finally, the stupa of Namobuddha comes into view, with the golden roofs gleaming. A descent, and another climb up. The views of the Mahabharata Hills are superb, though the air is still misty. The most interesting part for Madhu, is the shrine that celebrates the idea that in his previous incarnation, the Buddha sacrificed his body to a starving tigress, whose cubs were about to die as well. This legend attracts Hindu visitors to this place as well. We also went to the main prayer hall. Here, I think there are seven Buddhas in golden statues of various sizes, which represent different aspects of Buddhahood, such as The Buddha of Compassion. Otherwise, I still wonder why the prayer halls are so crammed with illustration, pillars, roofs, all sporting mandalas. Maybe all this represents samsara, or moreover something similar to the Hindu concept of maya, so all of this quite gaudy display of colour is meant simply to be ignored in the meditational practice. However, every time I go into a Buddhist redoubt, I feel very detached and it doesn’t set the pulse racing. But I always recognise the place Buddhism has in the religious experience.

The walk back could have been via another route, towards Panauti, which would be a descent, but I opted just to return the same way. I wanted to do the complete walk, which would be at least 25km. And, in fact, this was a good idea, since once you have gone up a short way, there was a long, gradual descent on that road which is being resurfaced, and was still quiet. The final section back to Dhulikhel features quite a long rise up from the road to the Terai, then you reach the Kali temple again, where we bought some drinks, then back down the steps. The whole journey was 27.5km. This was certainly enough for today!

Nepal Notes: a wondrous sound

Posted on January 3, 2026January 3, 2026 by ianraitt

A visit to the Sanskrit School

Madhu suggested a stroll up towards the well known viewpoint above the house, where there is a tower that you can climb up, to see the hills. Today was a particularly misty day, with all the usual pollutants, but I think the mistiness was due to higher humidity, so visibility was even more reduced. I have been checking the weather forecast in the hope that there might be some snow in the mountains. Nothing is really on the way. But I did note that the pollutants are not reaching up into the Mustang area.

I suggested that finally we could go down to the Shiva Temple. It is in a grove, a peaceful place. Sounds of the city recede, though the penetrating horns of the buses and trucks still rend the air. We sat for a while with the Sadhu, who was warming himself in front of wood fire. Madhu asked him some questions. In a small receptacle, reposed some marijuana. These Sadhus are known to use it as way of getting into what they think is a more receptive state towards the god. However, he also explained that he added hemlock, which sounded dangerous. I looked this up, and there is a ‘hemlock’ tree which is used in incense, as opposed to the plant which is the neurotoxin of Socrates fame, causing gradual paralysis, and death. The consumption of poisons by such Sadhus emulates the great acts of Shiva who saved the universe by consuming poison. The idea is that the holy man will demonstrate his immunity to the poison due to the level of spirituality he has reached. But it remains in doubt if the gentleman was referring to the real plant hemlock.

He mentioned that he suffered from thieves in the night raiding his supplies of rice, for example. This is quite a symptom of societal breakdown. Madhu and he discussed the problem of refugees in Nepal. It turns out that such countries as Bangladesh and Myanmar are expelling immigrants of Nepali origin. He has a small plot for growing vegetables. Ginger was drying in the sun. He depends on donations. He left his home at the age of 25. A Brahmin, he would be celibate to take on this role. I asked Madhu if he could not do service in this temple for some time, then move on to something else, but this is not so in Nepal, but would be practiced in India where there are more priests to circulate. The previous post holder was reverenced by a statue within an enclosure.

As we were walking up from the sacred grove, I stopped below the Sanskrit School, entranced by the sound of the boys chanting. Madhu said we could go in, so we walked up into the precinct. Boys were sitting in small groups in the sun, receiving instruction. We were invited to enter a prayer hall, shoes off first. On a raised dais, sat a rotund teacher in the same maroon robes as the boys. While Buddhist monks in Nepal, Bhutan and Tibet all use the maroon coloured robes, here the Brahmin boys were all using the same colour. Chairs were brought for us to sit on. Madhu made a brief introduction. I suggested that they continue the lesson. There were thirteen boys seated in front of the teacher, and all chanting in the most melodious fashion. The scripture had been learned by heart and was beautifully rendered in unison, but somehow there seemed to be a subtle and gentle harmony, as if a few were forming a major triad. As they continued, I surrendered to the beautiful sound, which brought tears to the eyes.

When they stopped, the teacher suddenly produced an infant, much like a conjuror. This was the first time I had seen someone teaching while harbouring a small child. The child was quiet and biddable. The teacher, who was the Principal of the school, said that the chanting pacified the little girl and could put her to sleep! He motioned to us to join him in the adjoining room, where we conversed in general terms about the school. There are 55 students from age 10 to 18. I mentioned that Sanskrit is taught in the St James group of schools in the south of England, and he knew of these schools. He mentioned that the school enters the boys for IGCSE Sanskrit, taken at the British Council. I mentioned A level Sanskrit, but they did not seem to have thought of that.

The students do quite an extensive early morning meditation practice, and it must be Transcendental Meditation, as he mentioned the Maharishi. It may be a total meditation period of about two hours.

So, now I found out that a Brahmin priest does not need to be celibate, this is a choice in others for their form of devotion as a sadhu. Madhu thought that the boys can pursue a normal career in engineering for example, or go on further in Sanskrit studies. Of course, as well as being such a precise and elegant language, it harbours the whole range of profound religious texts. They do the normal SEE exam (aged 16) and then the +2 examination at age 18, focused on social studies, so with three languages. But what a wondrous sound, this grade 9 group made, and it is not always easy to find boys willing to vocalise in this way in Europe.

Nepal Notes: Christmas

Posted on January 3, 2026 by ianraitt

I am mildly curious if I will find some way to celebrate Christmas this year. Probably hotels will put on a Christmas meal for those interested. When working at the school, I recall a couple of Christmas Days when I would work as usual and not take the day off, but a doctor from the Bath area in the UK was out working as a volunteer for a few months in Dhulikhel Hospital, and he would invite a few British people to his flat, quite near where I lived in Dhulikhel, for a Christmas meal in the evenings, which was certainly welcome. So, although I don’t miss the Christmas and New Year atmosphere, there is a lingering attachment to some kind of recognition of that special day.

The incredible smog continues here, but the Nepalis appear to be oblivious of it, just accepting it as normal. At least it is not so far an irritant to eyes and throat. Rajiv, who works in the health sphere, is on a contract for WHO in the Terai, the border area with India, which being warmer has a greater amount of infectious diseases and plenty of parasites. He is working with vaccination programmes. He mentioned that it was getting colder down there, but still it can’t be as cold as Kathmandu which is about 1500m up. He was surprised when I said most of the air pollution was coming from India. It can be quite warm from about 11.00 am to 4.00 pm, but noticeably cooler when out of the sun. And after 4:00 pm you really notice how damp it is. windy.com reports presents humidity of 55%, but on the Indian border it rises to 83%. It is windless. windy.com also shows all the layers of the pollution, which is even worse in the north Indian plain, that is sulphur dioxide, carbon dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, and PM 2.5, the fine particulate matter which can enter into the lungs and is just not a good thing for us to be breathing, being linked to all kinds of health conditions. The air quality here is one reason I would be reluctant to live anywhere in this region. Generally, in the south of Spain, the air quality is good. Today almost no PM 2.5 is reported.

The Nepalis are very stoical as the houses are unheated, so this means a cold December and even colder January, when schools close for three weeks. It’s important, as in Spain, to try to have a least one room which will get winter sunshine, but often that is not so, as the house in which I used to live in here proved each winter. The sun barely gave any warmth through the forest above, and now some organisation has erected a building above which blocks the sun even better! But suddenly, in the last week of February, there can be a surge up to 23 degrees, as it warms up much faster than southern Spain, being on the same latitude as Mauritania. So, the upcoming trek to Upper Mustang will feature cold temperatures at night, but not as low as on the Everest trek, which goes up to 5500m, whereas the destination of Lo Manthang, the ancient town, is at 3800m.

But this is also the picnic season, probably to avoid the hot sun at other times of the year. There are numerous picnic grounds, usually on the tops of hills with a view, where organisations or families meet to enjoy the brief hours of sunshine. Today we passed quite a few groups out for a picnic. There were a couple of extended family groups, and one group of youngsters with girlfriends in a circle, gambling with cards, while a pot of rice bubbled on a wood fire. I hoped they would extinguish the fire properly before they left. Visitors to Nepal often deplore the litter problem, and indeed we could see piles of plastic and other discarded refuse in various locations.

So I managed a 13 km walk today and yesterday, but of course this is a much lower altitudes, though today there was a bit of climbing. Probably the Mustang trek will be the most appropriate, since it will be cold, but not extreme. But oh, would that the mountain wall of the Himalaya were clear and bright in the still air! Clouds appeared today, like stately galleons. There was a slight breeze at times, useful to disperse the smog maybe.

Nepal Notes: Cultural Changes and Traditional Leanings

Posted on January 3, 2026January 3, 2026 by ianraitt

On Sunday I went for a short walk with Ram. The mountains were clear, though the smog haze can be seen here.

I asked him about the erosion of arranged marriage by caste in Kathmandu. Seven years ago I had a conversation with some young Nepalis when going up to Tilicho Lake in the Annapurna Circuit trek. They said that love marriage was on the increase. Ram confirmed this. He got married last year in the traditional way. Young couples make contact on social media, and present the families with a fait accompli. This is underway with his two cousins. They want to marry their girlfriends which are of the Newari social group, thought of as a merchant class, whereas he is a Chhetri, being the warrior class traditionally, just one below the priestly caste, the Brahmins. The father said, well what can I do, they are in love. However, the marriages have been delayed, so we do not know what is really going on.

It is thought that arranged marriage in caste is being maintained much more on traditional lines in India. It is also much more complicated than we can imagine, as there are many sub-castes. The arranged marriage system has advantages, for example divorce rates are lower. It is a different concept of union based on compatibility with an emphasis on support from the community. So, the arranged marriage system is not going to disappear, but it is undergoing a challenge. It is paradoxical, since arranged marriage does have a different concept of what a union should be, with some advantages of stability in the community and in the union itself, and though the caste system itself can be thought of as outmoded, it is likely to be very resistant and resilient. But it’s an example of how the noble and profound idea of rebirth has been changed by human convention, because it is believed that you journey through the castes and arrive at the ‘top’ caste.

As were talking and admiring the view, a group of boys aged about 13 or 14 in orange robes came up from a nearby temple to return to a small boarding school situated above on a knoll. This is a school where Sanskrit is taught, since these boys are Brahmins, and they are training to be priests. The script used for Sanskrit is the same as that for Nepali and Hindi. Sanskrit is the parent of these languages, but completely different, and a dormant language in that it is not used for everyday communication, though it is used for all the important religious ceremonies, so the priests have a guaranteed role. I felt a certain disquieting sympathy for the boys, going as they were to an unheated dormitory.

I have had a certain fascination with Sanskrit as a language, since some of the terms that I am familiar with from my spiritual studies, are Sanskrit ones, and are not translated since there is no easy English alternative. I also am fascinated by those people who are very multilingual, such as Sir William Jones, whose day job was as a lawyer, but who knew 12 languages very well, and another 10 quite well. He was very well paid for the time, in the mid 18th Century in Calcutta. He is famous for coming up with the theory that Latin, Greek and Sanskrit shared many grammatical points, so he speculated they are all born from a now disappeared parent language. Subsequent studies confirmed his analysis that there is a common ancestor, but that the idea that Sanskrit is the most perfect of the three languages is now deprecated, though it does have a very admirable and precise grammar. And Sanskrit is valued for its actual sound, said to have originated from a ‘higher plane’ and thus calming and inspirational. This must be one reason why it is insisted on by Hindu believers.

When I was in the school in Nepal, we were visited by a certain Yogi who also had a boarding school for boys in Kathmandu for the teaching of Sanskrit, and a gentleman from England accompanied him. The Yogi declared, a little ruefully, that he thought the students of the English gentleman had attained a higher level of Sanskrit for their age, taking GCSE Sanskrit. They were students in a group of schools in London and Surrey that had been founded by a British philosopher who was a follower of an Eastern teacher, who obviously also thought that to learn Sanskrit was good for the integrated being of the child. In these schools, Sanskrit is taught from 4-11 with options to continue to GCSE and A Level. The grammar of Sanskrit is so logical and pure that it would be a strong foundation for the learning of other languages, so this is another echo of what William Jones thought. The other point is that Sanskrit has 2000 years of literature to be encountered. The proof would be in the pudding. I have a theory that Sanskrit did originate in the previous world age, ie the Bronze Age. The Kali Yuga (Iron Age) is said to have begun about 3100 BCE. If Sanskrit is older than this date, then it would belong to an age that had a higher vibration that the current one.

Mardi Himal Ridge and Annapurna Base Camp

Posted on August 13, 2025 by ianraitt

**_{moonlight illuminates Annapurna I, lights of Base Camp visible}**

In late September 2025, a lingering low-pressure system over the Bay of Bengal and northern India caused a tremendous amount of rain to fall in Kathmandu and eastern Nepal. On Saturday 28th and Sunday 29th September from 240mm to 322mm of rain fell and parts of Kathmandu itself were flooded. It rained heavily for 40 hours, a continuous and dispiriting downpour. Since October is the start of the trekking season, tourism would be affected. Bridges, houses, highways were swept away, people displaced.

**_{side roads are not built with proper drainage to cope with storms}**

In the aftermath, we walked a little way out of Dhulikhel towards Namo Buddha, and parts of the road below the Kali Temple, near where I used to live, had been swept away by the surging floods. I had been intending to go to the Everest region, but road transport had been severely affected, and flights were all booked up. The only possibility would be trying to go by helicopter, but these flights were full, and the price kept going up, so we switched to the Annapurna area, as the road to Pokhara was open. It did occur to me that I was acting like a selfish Western tourist, only devoted to getting into the trek, while all this devastation was hitting Nepal, almost like another earthquake. But somehow Nepal is very resilient and just keeps going.

Day 1: Kande to Deurali

As we looked back towards Pokhara, everything was bathed in milky light; all that rain was still evaporating into a new cycle. Rain started again at 5:00 pm. No visibility, and not a very good outlook for clear views, with the forecast for rain continuing on and off for a week.

Day 2: Deurali to Low Camp

**_{at least the early mornings were clear}**

A clear view at 05:30. Cloud billowed up the valleys at about 10:00. Despite all the rain, the path was in good condition, everything held in place by the trees, for example the hardy Himalayan Oak, Rhododendrons, all trunks mossy. It was still and silent, though with the buzz of cicadas.

**_{clouds quickly formed below as the hot and humid air starts to rise}**

Leeches evident. Blood soaked hand. Left pinkie kept bleeding, thanks to the anti-coagulant they inject. A spectacular thunderhead was visible at 18:00

**_{someone down there is getting a soaking}**

Day 3: Low Camp to High Camp

**_{Bishnu, Pashupati and Purna, the ridge stretching ahead}**

The late monsoon was still producing a lot of moisture, and clouds formed from below through condensation, so clear views were only available early on. As we climbed up the trees started to thin out and became shorter. Suddenly we could see all the way to High Camp with a well-defined ridge. It was quite windy and cool when we approached the lodges at High Camp. Cloud battalions were advancing up the valley towards the Annapurna range. We could see the sheer walls on the Annapurna Base Camp trek, and all the villages beyond Chomrung. It was reassuring to see this quotation from John Muir:

**_{John Muir – Scottish born American naturalist and philosopher of nature (1838-1914)}**

Day 4: High Camp to Upper Viewpoint, and descent to Forest Camp

We left at 04:00 to catch the sunrise. Many people were going up, a visible flow of head torches. Sheep were sleeping on the path. We arrived after a two hour ascent, and in time for the sunrise, with about 70 people milling around. It was a little tempting to go on and escape the crowds at the viewpoint, but the ridge does get quite narrow, and there have been reports of people slipping.

**_{sheep rest impassively, blocking the path}**

**_{discretion is the better part of valour}**

After breakfast at the lodge we continued down, a longish descent of 1600m and 20 km. The highest the rhododendrons will grow is about 4000m and all concentrated on one side of the ridge, either due to the soil or to get some shelter from the prevailing winds. They are stunted but just as beautiful.

Day 5: Forest Camp to Landruk

It was a drop of 1045m to Landruk. The weather was humid, windless and cloudy. There were many steep staircases on the way down, all wet and quite slippy. Handrails were in place for safety. We have met the following nationalities on the trek: Belgian, French, Australian, Swiss, Indian, German, Israeli, Japanese.

Day 6: Landruk to Chhomrong

We still had to descend to the river this morning. We met a French guy aged 72, walking alone with a minimal pack. Plucky. Now the trail is much busier. After lunch there was a gruelling rise up to Chhomrong. The second longest suspension bridge in Nepal is impressive, and removes the very steep descent previously necessary.

Day 7: Chhomrong to Bamboo

A strong stream ran by rice fields. A short day, but going up was still quite challenging, through the humid air. A large group had descended from the Base Camp, but there was no room at Bamboo, so they had to keep going to Chhomrong. It is apparent that this trek has become a ‘must do’ for young Nepalis, particularly during the Dasain festival, as I had never seen the trail as busy as this.

Day 8: Bamboo to Himalaya

**_{the valley narrows towards the Annapurna Sanctuary}**

Cloudier weather. Lunch in Doban then a steep rise to Himalaya, where the three lodges were packed. Rain fell shortly after arriving. Many dogs on the path, who seem to shuttle between the lodges.

Day 9: Himalaya to Machhapuchhre Base Camp

The trail is rockier and rather worn. We passed the avalanche zone, Himalayan birch trees by the path. If there is an avalanche, there is no warning and everything shoots off the heights and thunders down below. Anecdotally, someone saved themselves by going towards the river. A long slow climb up to MBC, where the lodges are impressively built stone structures. About 350 people an hour going up or down, certainly an impressive volume, if not tranquil.

Day 10: Machhapuchhre Base Camp to Annapurna Base Camp – down to Himalaya.

A sleepless night. Started off at 04:00. Some hot water to drink, and two Hobnobs on the way. Very much lacked energy, but kept going, and no other altitude effects evident. There were hordes of people out for the sunrise, many perched on the abyss above the glaciated valley which is crumbling away. Some new snow lay just above the base camp at 4130m.

**_{crumbling walls of the ancient glacier basin seen on the right}**

We had a clear view of the avalanche zone on the way down. The classic U-shaped glaciated valley appeared, though hard to imagine the whole place completely filled up with ice slowly eroding the edges under the law of gravity.

Day 11: Himalaya to Chhomrong

A long descent to Chhomrong, and it was not all down, with some impressive rises on the way as well. A thunderstorm started as we left Sinuwa, with quite heavy rain. But afterwards the air was very clear with impressive views, and new snow could be seen on the rocks of the heights. The following day a jeep took us to Pokhara.

Further into the unknown region: The Ganesh Himal base camp.

Posted on February 7, 2024March 14, 2025 by ianraitt

Nile to Domje: While many of the most famous treks in Nepal are circuits, for example Annapurna, Manaslu, Kanchenjunga, there is also interest in going down the way that you came up, for example in the Everest base camp trek and the Langtang trek, due to the surprising new viewpoints you may have missed on the way up, as you see the landscape from a new perspective. This was a long day, all the way down to Domje, but no stress on the lungs. Leaving Nile, it was worth noting that these weather-beaten welcome gates, hide a rich set of Buddhist illustrations if you look up when passing through the gate.

weather-beaten welcome gate just outside Nile

look up to the heavens inside the welcome-gate

There must be a Tsum Valley diaspora, since on descending we took the path ‘less traveled by’ and came upon this magnificent, and freshly-constructed stupa, which Madhu discovered had cost some $270,000. Contributions must have come from far and wide.

magnificent stupa, with dramatic backdrop

Our descent took us to a pleasant, though seasonally parched, pasture above Chhokang Paro, where the north Indian plain smog could clearly be seen in a layer below, and which did not bother to delay before surging upwards and turning the pristine air murky.

Now we had to negotiate the exposed path that descends from Chhokang Paro to Domje. Wild mountain goats above looked down disdainfully. The path was stable, but some nerve was still needed in places, with steps submerged in fine dust.

in the smog again … narrow exposed trail

But we established that the Gompa on the way to the Ganesh Himal base camp is open! Now I only had to rally the troops, reminding them of what we would miss out on if we neglected this adventure. Meanwhile, approaching Domje, I was reminded of the parable of the sower: ‘ … and other seed fell upon rocky ground …’

Domje to Gumba Lungdang: The following day we went up through the forest, a magnificent walk. A winding path, not so steep at the start, but later it became quite tough as we went over 3000m, and also the full ascent was about 800m. Madhu said that we were travelling through an oak forest, but the leaves were evergreen. Many species must exist, and there certainly is a Himalayan oak. Meanwhile, views across the valley showed deep gorges and a thick covering of pines. The mountains were closer, with high extensive snowfields.

Hidden Himalaya, in all its untouched glory

We arrived, gratefully, at the Gompa, but only three nuns were in residence; the other ten or so sent, compassionately, for winter leave to warmer climes in India for study courses. Three nuns, and two hungry dogs. Some biscuits made friends of the dogs.

in bright sunshine outside one of the prayer halls at Gumba Lungdang, 3200m

There is not much flat land at the Gompa. Our rooms are perched above a steep drop. The kitchen is organised and warm. It is the universal habit to lop some branches from growing trees, and these long sticks are fed into the stove. A large kettle sits directly above the flames, and the stove door is kept open. But this often leads to rather smoky rooms, though in this case it was mostly smoke free.

We asked Ani Ri San why she had become a nun. She said it was of her own volition. She told us that her father had deserted her mother, and life became very difficult. She did not have a very positive image of marriage. Another issue in Nepal is child marriage, often due to poverty, though mainly experienced by marginalised social groups. Nevertheless, some nuns do not maintain their vows and leave the Gompas to seek a marriage partner. I asked if the practice of meditation may have a positive effect not only on the practitioner, but also on the world at large, and she agreed to that.

dusk is early at 16.45 … looking towards the amphitheatre of the Ganesh Himal – small meditation cell seen in the distance on the left

My room is constructed of wood, with many little shelves that could be bookcases. The pillow is even filled with sawdust; nothing is wasted here! There is very little flat land. around the Gompa, except for a few terraces where potatoes may be grown. An apple tree renders tiny fruit. This is a peaceful place. I could imagine spending a longer time here, especially in the winter, looking out longingly for snowfall, and at the wonderful evanescent cirrus clouds.

Tsum Valley Approaches: December 2023

Posted on February 7, 2024March 14, 2025 by ianraitt

Leaving Jagat, the Buddhi Gandaki, gushing down – a tributary is providing local hydro power

Jagat to Lokpa: we were still in the common area for trekking around Manaslu. Frequent mule trains descended, unladen, usually placidly, but at times there was jostling and kicking. We could see that this traditional means of transport will be replaced by the gradual extension of the road towards the villages in the Manaslu valley. But one issue is, should a road also come to the untouched Tsum Valley?

The only way to extend the road is to blast through sheer rock faces. This is being done by the engineers and workforce of the Nepal Army. We are cautioned by an infantryman with an automatic weapon to wait, as a routine explosion was imminent. For some reason, there was a ‘test explosion’, then the real one came with a cloud of dust.

Classic Himalayan valley, our route on the right

This type of work may not be done with standard western risk management. There have been fatalities with similar road construction on the Annapurna circuit. But it is hard not to be impressed by the persistence that brings better communications.

Doing the Manaslu circuit in winter has an enhanced risk, even though the weather appeared very stable so far. We met a group of six trekkers who had turned back due to deep lying snow, wind and drifting snow. Later, though, we met two other groups going to attempt the Manaslu circuit: one from Germany and one from Australia, the second with an impressive 75 year old trekker, giving hope to others near that age!

Lopka to Chumling: A forest walk, winding up and down, with the river roaring below. First, a massive landslide that took 45 minutes to cross. It looked alarming, but in the dry season it was stable enough. We heard later that one trekker had taken fright and retreated!

There was only a glimpse of sunshine at the lunch stop. The owner of the tea house explained that they didn’t get sun for two months in the year. Suddenly a suspended walkway appeared in the cliff, but reassuringly ‘Swiss designed’. The metal holding plates had spaces for six bolts but only two were in use. We rationalised that the weight of the metal only required two bolts!

soaring cliffs show the sheer scale of things

Tiny settlements could be seen huddled beneath crags. One thing that has improved in Nepal is electricity provision, and even the remotest villages had their power lines, and the supply is stable, unlike fifteen years ago, when massive ‘load shedding’ was universal.

A rare hot shower was available at Chumling. The views became quite alpine. We ate in the cosy kitchen and later gathered round a small campfire.

Chumling to Chhokang Paro: Altitude started to kick in at 2500m. A group of women descended, asking, ‘Why are you taking this old man up? We are coming down to escape the cold!’ A couple of small children, aged 3 and 5 were walking 2km unaccompanied to school. Then two British chaps, but with Australian accents, as they had moved down under, jaunted down the trail in T-shirts and shorts.

Our destination at Chhokang Paro was the Bio Hotel. We were grateful that something was open. Again we ate in the warmth of the kitchen. While begging for an internet connection, we elicited from the lodge owner that his father was truly fortunate, living in the present moment, without the distractions of technology. Now we were in the real upper valley, with grand vistas and extensive level agricultural land.

early morning, looking back at Chhokang Paro, as the valley opens out into cultivated fields

Toward the Unknown Region: the Tsum Valley in Nepal

Posted on February 7, 2024March 17, 2025 by ianraitt

Chortens announce the entry to the upper Tsum Valley

Yes … a touch melodramatic, because the Tsum Valley in Nepal is only unknown to those who have yet to explore it. But the idea of the ‘unknown region’ is a symbol for adventurous travel, and maybe for deeper exploration, since Toward the Unknown Region is the title of a poem by Walt Whitman, and also of a piece, with the same name, for chorus and orchestra, by Ralph Vaughan Williams (1906), who also used Whitman’s poetry from Leaves of Grass for his epic A Sea Symphony (1909). The poem has some wonderful phrases, and though I might demur that Time and Space in themselves are worthy of such exalted praise, there is no doubt that Whitman’s words carry us vibrantly along in a mystical, ecstatic trance. https://whitmanarchive.org/published/LG/1891/poems/245

The Tsum Valley is a Buddhist enclave. The inhabitants are of Tibetan origin and speak a dialect of the Tibetan language; there are a number of monasteries, called Gompas, whose inhabitants in this area are nuns. At the head of the valley are at least two entries by high passes into Tibet, still used for seasonal trade, and through which, no doubt, the valley had been populated in earlier times, by explorers from the high plateau beyond. There is also a famous cave where the great saint of Tibet, Milarepa, is said to have been in retreat. The valley is liberally supplied with chortens, stupas, and prayer walls, and omnipresent prayer flags. It is an independent branch of the Manaslu circuit, and those trekkers who come up to the top of the Tsum Valley, will be acclimatised for the higher regions ahead on the main circuit.

Gradually the idea formed of a winter trek in December, by poring over maps, and reading Trekking around Manaslu and the Tsum Valley (Pritchard-Jones and Gibbons – Himalayan Travel Guides). You could see that after quite a steep day of climbing at one point, the land broadened out into a high, level valley, before narrowing again in its ascent towards the border. And I began, also, to speculate about an approach to the Ganesh Himal base camp, which should allow a viewpoint of the high, massive snowfields of these mountains, as yet unthreatened by the climate-induced melting going on in other places, due to their aspect facing north. We would have to stay at Gumba Lundang at 3200m, one of the monasteries, if it were open at this time of year, when people come down to spend a couple of months in Kathmandu and escape the cold.

So while journeying deeper into the mountains, I started to consider how
little I knew about Buddhism. Why was the religion so prominent and persistent in these remote valleys? Why were there so many nuns in the Tsum Valley? Even though Buddhism expresses some of my deepest beliefs, such as the ultimate illusion of our sensory life and our repetitive reappearance here on the earth planet, with only small incremental evidence of progress, I knew that my understanding of its traditions and current realities was superficial. As it happened, after the trek, I found some books in Kathmandu to add to those I had already read, that gave some further understanding, such as the following:
1. Thomas Shor: A Step Away from Paradise
https://www.thomasshor.com/a-step-away-from-paradise
https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20220830-the-himalayas-hidden-paradise-valleys
2. Lama Yeshe Losal Rinpoche: From a Mountain in Tibet - A Monk's Journey
3. Alexandra David-Neel: Magic and Mystery in Tibet
4. Mick Brown: The Dance of the 17 Lives - the incredible true story of Tibet`s 17th Karmapa.
And I decided to re-read Lost Horizon, the 1933 novel by James Hilton, that immortalised the name, Shangri-La. Yes, fiction, but it also captured the public imagination, that somewhere on earth, there could be a rarefied place where the normal dissolutions that characterise human life, might at least be delayed, and where a conflict between temporal love and higher aspiration is brought keenly into contention.

The journey toward the unknown region would be both an inner and outer experience.