I wanted to spend another day exploring Kagbeni and the surrounding area, but my friends wanted to move on. The morning got off to a sad start as we said goodbye. From right to left: Kasia, yours truly, Tom, Rob and Josh.
They headed south. I headed north.
I wanted to visit Tiri, the only village in the Upper Mustang region tourists are allowed to visit without a permit. You can visit the region if you want, but it will cost you. A hiking permit for the Annapurna region costs 2000 rupees, about $25. A permit for the Upper Mustang region costs $700 for 10 days and additional $70 per day after that.
The similarity of the name of that to that of the horse (and the car) is purely coincidental. The horse gets its name from the Spanish. The place name is a corruption of a Tibetan name. Upper Mustang was formerly the independent Kingdom of Lo Monthang.
In 1960 the borders of Lo Monthang were closed. Foreigners were not allowed until 1991. There are no more kings or kingdoms in Nepal, however. The Kingdom of Lo Monthang officially ceased to exit on October 7, 2008.
From Kagbeni I had to cross the Kali Gandaki river bed and head north. There was some sort of festival going on. Locals were stringing flowers across the river. Nepalese love festivals. I had been hiking for less than two weeks and I had already seen three.
I was a little surprised to note this was a Hindu festival. Nepal is a primarily Hindu country. However, in terms of culture, language and religion, Mustang is more Tibetan than Nepali, for reasons that are obvious from this map.
Upper Mustang looks like it was carved out of Tibet. The people of the region are primarily Buddhist. However, as I'd seen repeatedly throughout Nepal, the cultures and traditions of Buddhists and Hindus are closely intertwined.
This is the view of Kagbeni from the other side of the river. The red gompa is the most prominent feature. Nilgiri towers in the distance.
There were disconcerting signs of civilization, like these power lines that hung so low over the trail I had to duck to get past them.
At the bottom of this photo is the existing path, with a reminder of the Sisyphean road building looming above.
I passed all this quickly. And then I had Mustang to myself. It was one of the best day hikes I've ever done. Sometimes I thought it would have been nice if my friends had been there to see it. Other times I was happy for the solitude. Every once in a while I would see or hear a jeep in the distance. Aside from that it the silence was nearly complete. Bliss.
The landscape is evocative of the American West, as is the name Mustang. A pair of horsemen trotting up the river valley added to the similitude.
I walked through Tiri without seeing a single person. The silence was eerie. I ascended the ridge behind the village. And then I just sat there and took it all in.
That's Tiri in the foreground. Thorung La is visible in the distance. I used the camera timer to take this self portrait looking north into Upper Mustang.
I thought I was alone, but I wasn't. I was being watched. There was a single horse silhouetted against the blue sky near the top of the bump in the ridgeline.
I had been incredibly fortunate with the weather. I went days without seeing a single cloud. Some clouds appeared on this day, but they actually enhanced the view. I had never seen clouds quite like these. It looked like someone had used a sponge to blot the sky with white paint.
I could have sat there all day.
At this time of year the Kali Gandaki river isn't really a river this far north. It's a series of streams that eventually meet further downstream. I had the brilliant idea of walking across the river bed. The streams were wider and deeper than I thought...
It wasn't so bad. I had to wade through a couple nearly knee-deep streams that were nearly. It was worth getting a little wet to get some really cool pix, like this one looking north towards Tiri.
This self-portrait is looking south towards Kagbeni.
I loved the crazy cloudscapes that day.
I wanted to visit the gompa during the afternoon to take some photos, so I reluctantly headed back to the lodge to change into dry clothes. As I was wandering through the labyrinthine streets I made a new friend.
This is the exterior of the gompa.
The overhang visible on the left is part of the monks' quarters. A wall of prayer wheels goes nearly the entire way around the outside of the building. Walk down the corridor, turn the corner, and there's the valley.
Young monks were playing in the courtyard. Boys will be boys, even in a Buddhist monastery.
The monks were kind enough to let me take photos inside. Here's a wall painting of the Buddhist Wheel of Life. The amount of detail is amazing. Every tiny piece has a meaning. Please don't ask me what those meanings are. Just enjoy the pretty colors like I do.
It was an exhilarating day.
They headed south. I headed north.I wanted to visit Tiri, the only village in the Upper Mustang region tourists are allowed to visit without a permit. You can visit the region if you want, but it will cost you. A hiking permit for the Annapurna region costs 2000 rupees, about $25. A permit for the Upper Mustang region costs $700 for 10 days and additional $70 per day after that.
The similarity of the name of that to that of the horse (and the car) is purely coincidental. The horse gets its name from the Spanish. The place name is a corruption of a Tibetan name. Upper Mustang was formerly the independent Kingdom of Lo Monthang.
In 1960 the borders of Lo Monthang were closed. Foreigners were not allowed until 1991. There are no more kings or kingdoms in Nepal, however. The Kingdom of Lo Monthang officially ceased to exit on October 7, 2008.
From Kagbeni I had to cross the Kali Gandaki river bed and head north. There was some sort of festival going on. Locals were stringing flowers across the river. Nepalese love festivals. I had been hiking for less than two weeks and I had already seen three.
I was a little surprised to note this was a Hindu festival. Nepal is a primarily Hindu country. However, in terms of culture, language and religion, Mustang is more Tibetan than Nepali, for reasons that are obvious from this map.
Upper Mustang looks like it was carved out of Tibet. The people of the region are primarily Buddhist. However, as I'd seen repeatedly throughout Nepal, the cultures and traditions of Buddhists and Hindus are closely intertwined.This is the view of Kagbeni from the other side of the river. The red gompa is the most prominent feature. Nilgiri towers in the distance.
There were disconcerting signs of civilization, like these power lines that hung so low over the trail I had to duck to get past them.
At the bottom of this photo is the existing path, with a reminder of the Sisyphean road building looming above.
I passed all this quickly. And then I had Mustang to myself. It was one of the best day hikes I've ever done. Sometimes I thought it would have been nice if my friends had been there to see it. Other times I was happy for the solitude. Every once in a while I would see or hear a jeep in the distance. Aside from that it the silence was nearly complete. Bliss.The landscape is evocative of the American West, as is the name Mustang. A pair of horsemen trotting up the river valley added to the similitude.
I walked through Tiri without seeing a single person. The silence was eerie. I ascended the ridge behind the village. And then I just sat there and took it all in.
That's Tiri in the foreground. Thorung La is visible in the distance. I used the camera timer to take this self portrait looking north into Upper Mustang.
I thought I was alone, but I wasn't. I was being watched. There was a single horse silhouetted against the blue sky near the top of the bump in the ridgeline.
I had been incredibly fortunate with the weather. I went days without seeing a single cloud. Some clouds appeared on this day, but they actually enhanced the view. I had never seen clouds quite like these. It looked like someone had used a sponge to blot the sky with white paint.
I could have sat there all day.At this time of year the Kali Gandaki river isn't really a river this far north. It's a series of streams that eventually meet further downstream. I had the brilliant idea of walking across the river bed. The streams were wider and deeper than I thought...
It wasn't so bad. I had to wade through a couple nearly knee-deep streams that were nearly. It was worth getting a little wet to get some really cool pix, like this one looking north towards Tiri.
This self-portrait is looking south towards Kagbeni.
I loved the crazy cloudscapes that day.
I wanted to visit the gompa during the afternoon to take some photos, so I reluctantly headed back to the lodge to change into dry clothes. As I was wandering through the labyrinthine streets I made a new friend.
This is the exterior of the gompa.
The overhang visible on the left is part of the monks' quarters. A wall of prayer wheels goes nearly the entire way around the outside of the building. Walk down the corridor, turn the corner, and there's the valley.
Young monks were playing in the courtyard. Boys will be boys, even in a Buddhist monastery.
The monks were kind enough to let me take photos inside. Here's a wall painting of the Buddhist Wheel of Life. The amount of detail is amazing. Every tiny piece has a meaning. Please don't ask me what those meanings are. Just enjoy the pretty colors like I do.
It was an exhilarating day.
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