Near the Top of Asia, the Kingdom of Lo (Part 6, Nyiphu Monastery)

 

Waypoints from a Garmin Geko GPS receiver. Mystique is the guesthouse in Lo-Manthang. Maps made with ESRI ArcGIS software

North of Lo-Manthang, the terrain looks dry, wild, and forbidding. But humans have inhabited this area for at least 2500 years, indicating there was sufficient water for agriculture and animal husbandry. The cliffs around the valley are riddled with caves, some of which were used for human occupation hundreds of years ago. Many were tombs and contain religious relics dating back to the origins of Tibetan Buddhism.

 

Chhoser is a small town in the valley north of Lo-Manthang. I think this is where we bought tickets to visit the monastery. In the photograph above, note the rock walls made of rounded river rock. I assume this is one way that the villagers cleared the land to make it suitable for some agriculture (barley?) or grazing. You see similar rock walls in New England, where settlers in the 1600s and 1700s cleared rocks from the land and used walls as a disposal method.

The  Nyiphug Namdrol Norbuling Monastery is north of the town of Chhoser and is partly built into the mountain. We rented horses for the 8 km. trip north out of Lo-Manthang. Our Sherpa guides walked, but we wimpy lowlanders opted for the bumpy luxury transportation.

Ancient books wrapped in silk

Modern notebooks at a study table

Buddha backed by a modern commercial decorative cloth (or tablecloth?)

The rooms built into the rock are decorated like many gompas, with colorful fabrics, a sitting Buddha, candles, some electric lights, and a variety of offerings donated by pilgrims. Fascinating.

 

Monks occupied some of these caves in solitary meditation, sometimes spending months or years alone. Other caves shielded families in the past during warfare. I am not sure how they handled water supply. Some caves contained tombs dating back thousands of years. A 2017 Public Broadcast System (PBS) NOVA program described an expedition to investigate Secrets of the Sky Tombs. We were able to climb up to some of the caves, which have passageways and platforms that are semi-safe for tourists.

 

View from a cave above Nyiphug Gompa

This is a very special place. And the remoteness and culture will be profoundly changed when the road is complete down the Kali Gandaki. Already, the road to China means Chinese trade goods come in from the north. What happens when mass market tourism comes via bus? As David Ways wrote in 2019:

For trekkers the dreaded road from Pokhara to Lo Manthang to Tibet is not yet as bad as some people make out (it only exists in small sections and is completely off-road). However, once it is finished and the trading route to China is fully open there’s little doubt the Kingdom of Lo will disappear into folklore and package tours much like the Annapurna Circuit of 10 years ago.

Returning to Lo-Manthang

As of 2011, Lo was still a magical place, a time capsule of tradition and a way of life little changed over the decades. I am glad I visited this remote part of the world. When the COVID crisis is finally under control, consider a trip to the Kingdom of Lo. 

These are digital images from a Panasonic G1 digital camera. This was Panasonic's first micro four thirds (µ4/3) camera and was very refined for a version 1 product.

Near the Top of Asia: the Kingdom of Lo (Part 4, Approach to Lo Manthang)

Walking to the horizon, view from Mui La (4170m or 13,700 ft)

The northern part of Mustang is bleak and dry - a high altitude desert. The winter cold must be brutal. 

We left the guesthouse in Ghami and headed north on the high trail (bypassing the town of Tsarang, where we would stop on our way south). We passed the longest Mani wall in Mustang. 

Dhakmar (3820 m elev.)

Dhakmar Khola

A river roars through Dhakmar. From there, it was up to the Mui La at 4170m, then on to Ghar Gompa.

Ghar Gompa (monastery)

Ghar Gompa is a famous monastery, part of which dates back to the 8th century. How did the monks survive here? How could they grow enough crops? The Little Ice Age from the 16th to the 19th centuries must have been very difficult.

Finally, Lo Manthang in the distance. This had been a long and tiring day, some 8 hours on the trail at 3800 - 4000+ m elevation. From our approach from the southwest, Lo Manthang appeared to be situated in a desolate dry terrain with no vegetation. But in reality, it is on a flat plain between two rivers, and the alluvial valley has been sufficient for agriculture for centuries.

Next: the "big city" of Lo Manthang.

These are digital files from a Panasonic µ4/3 digital camera. 

Near the Top of Asia: the Kingdom of Lo (Part 3; Mustang Trek North)

For most of us westerners, the Kingdom of Lo, now known as Upper Mustang, is about as far off the tourist path as you can go (although this is changing rapidly with road construction). Mustang is a district in northern Nepal, bordering Tibet. As of 2011, you needed to secure special permits to enter the area. The government of Nepal was trying to prevent uncontrolled over-tourism, especially considering that the infrastructure was primitive for tourists and food supplies were already limited for the local Nepalis, let alone for tourists, who eat vastly more. 

This is Part 3 of a 6-part series covering of my 2011 trek into the heart of Mustang. I hiked with a group of Americans plus two Austrians. Vidya Hirachan of Mustang Trails, Trekking & Expeditions (in Kathmandu) organized the logistics and transportation for the group.

1. A short 2011 article shows waypoints along the route.
2. I wrote about the town of Kagbeni in 2017. Kagbeni is the gateway to Mustang, where foreigners need to show permits before they can continue north into Upper Mustang. 

In this article, I will show scenery and towns along the route north. You can follow the towns on an excellent map posted by MagicalNepal. Part 4 will cover the approach to Lo Manthang, the capital of Mustang. Part 5 will cover Lo Manthang, where we had a short audience with the King (no, not Elvis).

Chele (3060 m)

Kali Gandaki (river) near Chele, Mustang, Nepal

From Jomson to Chele, the main trail follows the alluvial valley of the Kali Gandaki. The Himalaya are young mountains and still rising as a result of plate tectonics. Therefore, streams and rivers carry a tremendous sediment load of gravel, cobble, and sand. The trail usually follows the east bank of the river bed but drops down onto the gravel bed in some places. I am not sure how people traverse the route when the water is high.

Just below the town of Chele, the trail crossed the river on a modern steel bridge. In the past, a temporary bridge was probably washed out every spring. International aide organizations have been building bridges like this all through Nepal, and now villagers can cross dangerous rivers even in winter. These bridges are strong enough for motorbikes and yaks.

Chele is the third town north of Kagbeni. I do not remember the other two towns or if they offered tourist accommodations. 

The neat rows of dry sticks along the roof edges are a traditional demonstration of prosperity. I do not know if the wood is ever burned; I recall someone telling me it is left for display.

The local youngsters practice cricket. They run around with ease, unlike us tourists, who were puffing in the thin air.

We spent a comfortable night bundled up in our sleeping bags. We brought our own coffee, so we were fortified in the morning.

Samar (3660 m)

The trail ascended steeply out of Chele. The horses are amazingly sure-footed, more-so than us!

Samar from below town

Hotel Annapurna Restaurant & Bar - comfortable and clean

We spent a comfortable night in the Annapurna Restaurant & Bar. On this trip, we did not have our own cook staff or food supplies, so we ate what was available in the guest houses. On the first few days of the trip, the temperature was so high, Dr. Don (our cultural coordinator) reluctantly let us wear shorts. Times are changing, and none of the local folks seemed to care or be upset.

Bhena La (pass, 3835 m)

Carina protected from the sun and wind, Bhena La, 3835 m elevation.

From the town of Samar up to the Bhena La was a stiff uphill walk. Compared to the days along the the Kali Gandaki river bed, it was windy and cold here at 3800m. Every pass has prayer flags strung from the spires of the chörten or gompa.

Syangbochen (3800 m)

The porters and horse men spent long evenings gambling

Saddling and loading in the morning.

Syangbochen was another small town (5 houses?) and a teahouse, where we spent an overnight. It was cold at night but we had our down sleeping bags. Dinner was the typical and very good Dal Bhat (lentils, rice, and vegetables). The horse tenders were up early to prepare the loads. Two horses were on reserve with saddles in case someone in our group was tired and needed a ride. But only a couple of my fellow travelers ever needed the ride.

Chhunggar (3889 m)

All the main mountain passes are protected with a chörten. Chörten (Tibetan) or Stupa (Nepali) means heap, but in reality, they are carefully crafted stone towers made by skilled stone masons. The two circles are Buddha's eyes, and he faces all four directions. You are supposed to pass to the left side of the structure, meaning clockwise looking down. 

Jhaite (3817 m)

Jhaite (or Zhaite), 3817 m

Jhaite was a nice little town with some stands of trees and a well-decorated chorten at the town entrance. We had bypassed the town of Geling, which has a 15th century monastery.

Ghami (3520 m)

Village of Ghami

After a long day, we were very glad to see Ghami. 

The villagers were preparing for winter. The winter is cold and brutal here, and drinking water may be a problem. Some villagers stay all winter, but many walk south to take temporary jobs in the Kathmandu valley or in India. I do not know if the children go south to lower-elevation towns to attend school. 

Cattle or livestock feed for the winter

Chörten in Ghami

Ghami was quite a maze of passages, tunnels, and narrow alleys among ancient buildings. Like some of the other Mustang towns, Ghami had been an important stopover during the salt trade. The salt trade largely shut down during the middle of the 20th century when factories began to manufacture salt containing iodine. 

We stayed in another comfortable guesthouse, but I have forgotten the name. I remember the night was cold. 

This ends this phase of the trek northward into Mustang. To be continued.

These are all digital files from as Panasonic G-1 micro four thirds (µ4/3) camera.