The Arid Landscape on the Way to Manang
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The Arid Landscape on the Way to Manang |
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The Airport of Manang which I had just walked past here is in fact located at least an hour's walk from Manang in a little place called Hongde on the southern shore of Marshyangdi Khola. I could imagine that holiday makers arriving at the airport would be greeted not by a taxi but rather a few donkeys to take their luggages.
Annapurna III (7755m) and Annapurna IV (7525m) are to the left on this dirt road. Beyond its shadow which has a moderating effect on this harsh environment, the landscape becomes more arid and desolate.
Tilicho peak is that fan-like snowy peak in the distance right in front - at its foot lies one of the highest lake on earth at 4949m.
The valley opens up before manang into a vast golden field. The small hamlet of Bhraka nested into t...
The trail beyond Gangapurna view point follows naturally on the ledge of a much eroded cliff top befo...
The almost obligatory acclimatization stop at the village of Manang(3519m) for most trekkers on the A...
The small village of Pisang is divided into an upper and a lower part by the Marshyangdi Khola. For a...
Upper Pisang has a monastry right at the top of the village that has a marvellous view of the Annapur...
After the main village of Chame on the Annapurna Circuit, the trail runs in a narrow forested valley ...
The climb towards Thorung La Pass (5416m) is gradual and is marked along the way by metal poles. The ...
At long last - here's the pass that everyone on the trek dread - despite its sitting at 5416m, the cl...
After the lodgings at Deorali, the trail opens up and follows along the course of the fast-flowing ri...
The sun soon rises behind Gangapurna (7454m) and Annapurna III (7755m) to cast a golden hue on everyt...
Nepal lies between India and China and it contains Mt. Everest, the tallest mountain in the world. The Himalayas here are pretty rugged terrain.
The first civilizations here date to 600 BC in the Kathmandu valley, where the capital is now located. According to Buddhist tenets, the Buddha was born here in 563 BC, incarnating as Prince Siddhartha Gautama and leading the world to enlightenment through liberation from suffering. Many small temples and shrines like this one exist for Buddhists to stop and offer prayers.
Early support of Buddhism gradually gave way to Hinduism and today Nepal is the world's only Hindu monarchy. The kingdom of Nepal was united in 1768 by King Prithvi Narayan Shah, who fled the Moghul invasions of India. Soon after that there was a period of conflict with the British East India Company leading to a treaty recognizing the independence of Nepal -- in 1923!
After WWII Nepal was ruled by monarchy but it arrived at the 1990's split by an official ban on political parties. Intense protest by the pro-democracy movement and the Maoist guerrilla Communist movement led to free elections in 1991, only to be followed by violence between the Nepalese government and Maoist guerillas.
Since the turn of the millennium there have been several important steps taken in the peace process, including a new Constitution for Nepal and a cease fire agreement with the rebels. A compromise government was achieved whereby a Maoist was elected prime minister without his taking control of the armed forces of the country.
At the time of this writing it has been one week since the compromise government has collapsed. We offer our hopes that the citizens and government of this beautiful country will come to a peaceful agreement soon.
Text by Steve Smith.
