The people in this part of Nepal are Tamang, a people that crossed the Himalayas
from Tibet before recorded
history. The Tamang religion is a kind of Tibetan Buddhism, which includes a belief
in earth spirits and evil forces. In my photographs of Nepal, you will see many
vertical white
streamers, which are Buddhist prayer flags. There are also many Buddhist
prayer walls that stretch often for a hundred or more meters. These are made
from flat stones with painstakingly engraved Buddhist prayers.
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This is Uday and his kitchen, one of the
more modern ones I had seen in the Himalayan villages. Made of clay, this one
piped running water through as a source of hot water. They say necessity is
the mother of invention...the Nepalese were clever this way, diverting water
from high Himalayan waterfalls to flow down past their villages.
Uday,
was 24 years old with a 10 year old son in his home village.
In
Langtang, Nepal as in every village at that time of year, people would begin
gathering in the common room of the teahouse in late afternoon, to share
the warmth of a pot-bellied stove. I arrived early my first day while Uday
started the fire, throwing Yak dung in as fuel. Little did I know that
he would also be the cook and server. Hygiene here is unknown, I think.
I hope you enjoy my photos of Langtang in the Himalayas of Nepal.
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Women Returning to Langtang with Fuel
Although we take electricity, gas,
and oil for granted, a major focus of life in the Himalayas is the collection
of fuel for
cooking and heating. Each day, the village women go out to collect wood and
yak dung. |
My Guide Chudamani
Chudamani was my guide and friend for the
duration of my hike. I relied upon him to find the best teahouses, to serve
as interpreter, and to assure that food was safely prepared. He and I still
occasionally email each other to say hello and pass on the news in our lives.
Chudamani is a guide for First Environmental Trekking in Kathmandu.
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Clouds moving in on Shindum, high in the Himalayas
Late
in the afternoon, it was
common for clouds to roll in around the mountains here. By nightfall, the
clouds were gone and a beautiful sea of stars washed across the sky. |
A pleasant view of the Langtang Valley North of Kathmandu
Although the trail is never far from the
Langtang River, from this vantage point we could see it far below as it
snakes its way through the Langtang Valley. I wondered how long it took the
water to leave my side and reach that place many days walk away.
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