Nepal 2017

Friday3rdNovember

7:30 AM. 2nd day of walking. The day's objective is to reach Dharapani, located about twenty kilometers away.

For others, the program is different: 7:55 AM. 1st hour of walking. The day's objective is to reach the opposite side of the path...  It's a large rhinoceros beetle larva (Oryctes nasicornis).

Stone breakers. How many hours to make these two piles...?

Passing through the village of Chyamche, located around 1300 meters.

Pumpkins are basking in the sun after escaping the bloody Halloween party 3 days ago...  

And just like that, we cross to the other side, on the left bank of the Marsyangdi.

Man Bahadour is impeccable, he doesn't falter an inch. Subash, at least 20 years his junior, has nothing to envy him, and is always by his side.

All the suspension bridges we will use will be of the same kind. A deck made of steel gratings with a mesh railing.

Agamas (Paralaudakia himalayana) enjoy the sun-warmed rocks.

Morning snack for this other agama...

This macaque enjoys the fresh mountain air. It suits him well compared to his city cousins with their rather grim faces...

He also has his favorite rock. Narayan hesitates between meditation and outright laughter.  

Apparently, the area is teeming with rocks with living beings on them...  

These shepherds, accompanied by their Newfoundlands, came to treat their goats, if I'm to believe the syringe one of them holds in his hand.

This gentleman is 4 minutes ahead!  

A short break. Time to tell you about my Katadyn water bottle, an inexhaustible source of drinking water. Indeed, with its integrated filter, you just need to fill it with any water, and it will be immediately drinkable without risk.   The only drawback is having to suck the water to drink it because it has to pass through the various filter barriers. Thus, I was able to fill my bottle with water from these canisters without wondering if it was potable or not.  

We once again come across euphorbia pulcherrima or poinsettias, even prettier in the sunlight.

A good climb, just to remind ourselves that we still have a few thousand vertical meters to cover...

Moreover, at the top of the path, a sign with the altitudes and travel times between the villages we are going to cross is there to remind us.

Lunch break in the village of Tal (1600 meters above sea level).

Tibetan bread, my favorite  . A round donut with two slits in its center. And rather light for a fried bread!

And the classic fried spring roll with meat.

Here is a large part of the journey that awaits us. If the goal is to cross the Thorong La pass, there's also a round trip to Tilicho Lake, one of the highest in the world...

Cabbage cultivation and nettle picking are the activities around here.  

What do Nepalese cows do for their compensatory time off? They go to Marsyangdi beach.  

This mill must have faced some overly insistent prayers...

And when I said "beach", I wasn't kidding, there really is white sand by the river...

We leave the riverbed to resume the ascent.

Arrival at the last village of the day: Dharapani.

These mules transport gas bottles. We will come across them from time to time; they supply villages that are difficult for cars or trucks to access, at a lower cost.

We will spend the night at Hotel Seven.

The restaurant's "fully equipped" kitchen.  

This is followed by a few games of Dhumbal, then a classic meal of momos and stuffed dumplings...

While what we eat has rather Tibetan scents, our cheerful companions tirelessly and lovingly stick to their national dish, dal bhat. They traditionally eat it with their right hand (the left hand being reserved for impure tasks), although today Subash and Man Bahadur use spoons! Everything is lost...   Narayan, on the other hand, declares that he can only savor his favorite dish with his fingers!  

Saturday4thNovember

7 AM on the 4th day of our trek.

A check-post, a control point where Narayan must regularly report our passages. Treks are controlled for the preservation of the sites crossed.

Morning badminton game.

Always in the morning, prayer wheels you shall turn.
Always on your right side, prayer wheels you shall place.
Always with your right hand, prayer wheels you shall turn.  

Some do the same trek by mountain bike

Morning coffee break in the small village of Timang. 600 meters higher than this morning.

Early trekker or playing hooky? He never wanted to tell us... 

Lunch break at the small Royal Mountain restaurant in Tanchok. Here's the meal we shared among three. The cat didn't get its share.  

We are at an altitude of 2660 meters. Pines dominate the vegetation.

Passing through the village of Koto and its checkpoint.

3:30 PM. The day's walk already ends in the village of Chame, specifically at the Hill Town hotel and its small blue chalets (nestled against the hill, those who live there blah blah blah)  .

In front of the hotel, an alignment of prayer wheels. We already know our first activity for tomorrow morning.  

A short walk through the streets of Chame. Here, it's a volleyball match with well-filled stands.

The neighboring team is late, they will surely have penalties.  

The country is in the middle of an election period. In 22 days, Nepalis will have to choose their deputies. Explanations of the voting process are posted in the streets: no propaganda or wild demonstrations, a queue for men, another queue for women, etc.

At the exit of the village, hot springs are set up, offering residents the possibility of taking hot showers.

A "stupa-gate" and its interior paintings.

The stupa's ceiling.

Back in the common room where meals are served.

Small soup, some potato spring rolls, and a little rum for Christophe's cold!