Roads We have Travelled
Have I mentioned the roads? It was 37 kilometers to the Langtang National Park, where red pandas and snow leopards hang out. It only took three hours over the most rough roads around, and that is saying something. There were three landslides to navigate on the narrowest of paths with boulders and trucks looming. We (16 people) were crammed into two four-wheel drives. Ray and I were lucky to be in the very back with two other people. I only hit my head six times, Ray- too many to count.
We climbed up about 500 meters to 2000 meters, before we descended about the same amount to the valley floor. National parks here are not quite the same as in Australia. There are villages in the park. We stayed overnight at Syaphrubesi (can be spelt 6 different ways) which is like a Nepalese version of Bampf (or so I'm told by a Canadian friend on the team). Who would have thought that sleeping in a national park included hearing Nepalese music blaring out with Australian hoons whistling and clapping and dancing in the street along side the Nepalese? I discovered the next morning that it was our group of Autralians doing that. Hmmm.
We had the option of traveling by car to the Tibet/Chinese border, a mere 11 kms away, or going for a walk along the river. It says something about the roads when only two of our group opted for the ride. It took more than 90 minutes for the return trip. Many Tibetans moved over the border when the Chinese invaded. The Nepalese have accepted them graciously and most of them are now Nepalese citizens. Lessons could be learned.
On the return journey, we got caught up in a Tibetan festival, which they were celebrating in the street, which just happens to be the only road from China to Kathmandu. Everything came to a standstill until an onlooker took control and directed the festival goers off the road for the traffic to flow. We arrived back in our village in time for lunch and a hot shower to wash the dust away.
Before going to Langtang National Park we took part in a "Brothers and Sisters celebration as part of the wider Nepali Festival. Ratna had traditional garb made for all of us. Apparently I look very much like the President of Nepal. We have a green tinge because we are under a green fibreglass roof.
The main ceremony of Brothers and Sisters day involves the brothers (and cousins and the like) sitting in a circle whilst the sisters go around the group sprinkling water and flowers and maybe other stuff. This gets the proceedings started.
The sisters then go around and place some brightly coloured paste (about 6 colours as in a rainbow) on the forehead of all the brothers. They then distribute gifts to all the brothers. The brothers then dig into their pockets and provide cash back to the sisters. Even accounting for the fact that there are over 80 rupees to every aussie dollar, it appears that a substantial amount of money changed hands.
Me, Ratna and Mick, one of the volunteers about the same age as Alex, along with one of the extended family, pose out the front of Ratna's older brother's house.
The volunteer group in all their Nepalese finery
As soon as the festivities finished, we were in the 4wd's to take us to Saphrabesi in the national park. Along the way we came across this waterfall in which Brenda threatened to swim. It may have been too cold for even her as we were up at almost 2000mts at this stage.
The Nepalese Prime Minister and his charming wife stop for a photo op.
High and steep mountains and very deep valleys.
This is one of the relatively smooth sections of the main highway just as we reached the capital of the Rasuwa district, one of 18 in Nepal. This is the main road that comes from China to Kathmandu.
In the district capital (yeah, I forget the name) whilst the vehicles are assessed at a police/military checkpoint. For some reason, there is another checkpoint just like it on the other side of town. Fortunately, our driver convinced the guards at the other checkpoint that we didn't need an inspection.
One of the more professional looking outfits using a portable readymix plant. Just about all of the new housing use concrete pier and beam construction, although because of absolutely no apparent building standards, I would not trust most houses in an earthquake as the concrete quality is poor and much of the reinforcement is placed right against the boxing where it will soon break free at the first sign of tremors.
Chillies drying on the top of a wall at our hotel.
There are a number of suspension bridges like these crossing the valley floor above a fast flowing river. Going down steep tracks, crossing the river, then back back up again to the villages is part of everyday life for Nepalese.
I am starting to get used to the vertiginous slopes and dodgy bridges, although this one seemed ok.
The track back up to the main village and hotel where we stayed in Suphrabesi along with a glimpse of the river.
Our guide and Ratnas brother, Suresh, scaring the life out of a scary statue which is outside one of the Tibetan houses which is on the opposite side of the river to the main town.
A very ornate house, apparently just completed, in the Tibetan village. They haven't quite finished the job of clearing the rubbish and rubble from out the front. Not sure they ever will.
A dancing celebration taking place on the main highway. We were held up for 5 minutes before it cleared amid the cachonphony of horms of the various vehicles and trucks wanting to get through.
That strip on the side of the mountain is the road we had just come along.
Our driver has just finished getting our bags off the hood for inspection at another checkpoint when entering and exiting the National Park.
One of the hundreds of trucks that ply the China to Katthmandu route on a daily basis.
On this occasion, these are mustard terraces (you couldn't call them fields). Note the landslides in the foreground and background.
Rice and/or millet terraces seen from the road not long before we got back to Kalikasthan. We were supposed to go on that road to get to a village later in the trip, but it was too rough according to the local driver. One can only imagine.