The main path to Kagbeni runs through the village of Jharkot. We decided to cross the valley into Dzong and head down from there. We had a hard time just getting to Dzong. We had to wind through the back alleys of Ranipauwa and ask for directions several times. We still didn't find the best path.
The name of the village is transliterated as Dzong or Jhong and simply means 'fort'. From this viewpoint it's obvious why.
The remains of the actual fort, a sand-colored tower, are visible on the right of the plateau. It's called Rab-rgyal-rse, which translates to the rather florid "Peak of Supreme Victory". Next to it is is a guesthouse where we stopped for tea. The view looking back towards Muktinath and Thorung La was awesome, but I couldn't get a decent photo looking into the fierce morning sunlight. You'll have to go and see for yourself.
We saw two tourists in Dzong. Then we hit the trail. From that point on we literally saw one person until we arrived in Kagbeni -- a farmer plowing a field with a buffalo in the valley below. On the other side of the valley, on the main road through Jharkot, we saw a steady stream of jeeps and minivans. We chose our path wisely.
As magnificent as the scenery is in Nepal it is often lacking in color, which makes the view looking back to Dzong and Thorung La all the more startling.
From this vantage point it is obvious why Tibetan traders from centuries past chose Thorung La as a mountain pass. It doesn't look so high from here...Popular souvenirs on this part of the trail are fossilized sea critters called ammonites. You can buy them or you can find your own. We found dozens. Most are smaller than a plum, but Kasia found this monster.
If you want it you can probably still find it on the trail. She and Rob had another two weeks of hiking so it didn't make sense to add a giant rock to her pack.
We were hiking at an altitude of nearly 10,000 feet, within sight of mountains nearly three times that high, and yet we were finding remains of critters that lived on the sea floor. The extreme terrain of the Himalayas forces you to rethink your conception of space and distance. These fossils forced me to rethink my conception of time. My mind clanked to a screeching halt as I tried to process the knowledge that these animals lived before the Himalayas even started to form, when the land I was walking on was at the bottom of an ocean.
Part of the appeal of the Annapurna Circuit is the chance to hike in the Tibetan Plateau, the world's highest desert. It's a stark landscape unlike anything I had seen in Nepal. Here are my hiking homeys on the way to Kagbeni.
We finally arrived at the river valley and this mind-boggling view.
The village is not our intended destination of Kagbeni. It's Tiri, the only village in the Upper Mustang region that tourists are allowed to visit without a permit. The region is restricted, which meant we were probably breaking the law!
Granted, this is Nepal. Here they would point wayward hikers in the right direction with a friendly smile, not throw them in a rat-infested hole and start lopping off body parts. Still, I did experience a mild frisson knowing I was doing something illegal.
Or maybe it was the wind making me shiver. We were standing above the deepest river valley in the world, a natural wind tunnel. The wind was blowing so hard on the ridge we had to lean into it to walk.
Kagbeni was just behind us.
The peak of Nilgiri, over 7,000 meters high, dominates the landscape. As we entered town on the road at the bottom of the picture we passed a sign informing us of our transgression.
I loved the village. Most villages on the trail crowd around the main path, but Kagbeni is a maze of back alleys that were fun to explore.The most prominent building in town is the red, cube-shaped Thupten Samphel Ling gompa. This combination monastery, fort and university was built in 1429. Kasia went to check it out that afternoon. I love the cozy feel of Buddhist temples.
At sunset monks go onto the roof to play music.
The gompa is the main attraction in town, but every tourist who passes through gets a photo of this place as well.
Hilarious. Even though McDonald's is everywhere, this restaurant is so remote that apparently it's not worth it for their lawyers to shut it down. There was a constant stream of tourists taking photos but I never saw anyone inside!
We didn't eat there because we ate all our meals at our lodge. More on that in a separate post.
After Kagbeni the itineraries of my friends diverged from mine, so we enjoyed one last meal at the lodge that night. I normally don't drink on the trail, but this was a bit of an occasion, so I bought a small bottle of Mustang apple brandy, which was surprisingly palatable. When that was gone Rob broke out a his "medicine", a bottle of mint vodka. Good times.
Posts
