AROUND THE KATHMANDU VALLEY - Pashpatinath

As suggested in my guide book, I walked from Bodhnath to Pashpatinath. This is Nepal'smost important Hindu temple; although non-hindus cannot enter the main temple.

 

Temple entrance for Hindus only

Many Nepalis choose to be cremated on the banks of this holy river. I personally found the holy Bagmati and site in general extremely polluted and monkeys have definitively taken ownership of the place ;)

In Pashpatinath even the dogs worship Shiva

Holy Bagmati River

Non-hindus entrance after paying 1500 NPR allowing to wander around but not enter the main temple

AROUND THE KATHMANDU VALLEY - Bodhnath (Boudha)

After Kathmandu craziness, Bodhnath felt like a little oasis of peace and quietness. This is the place of Asia's largest stupa, beneath the watchful eyes of the Buddha. 

I sat for a few hours simply enjoying the serenity of the place. Tibetans monks with maroon robes waking by, what it seemed like billions of pigeons taking off and flying back, pilgrims spinning prayer wheels around the stupa, all chaos free.

Historically, the stupa was an important staging post on the trade route between Lhasa and Kathmandu, and Tibetan traders would pray here for a safe journey before driving their yaks on to the high passes of the Himalaya. Today's inhabitants of the village of Boudha are mainly refugees from China after 1959. If interested in learning Boudhisme, this is a great place for Western dharma students.

KATHMANDU – Durbar Square by night

Kathmandu's Durbar Square is the heart of the old Kathmandu and was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979. 

Most of the buildings date from before the 17th and 18th centuries but many were rebuilt after the 1934 earthquake. This is where the city's kings were once crowned which explain the great architectural and cultural heritage one can find by wandering around the Square.

Pokhara

Leaving Ghandruk at the end of the project, I was travelling once more through Pokhara and decided to take the time to explore Nepali's honey moon town!

Nepali's off road transportation rates

Nepali's off road vehicles :)

After Katmandu, Pokhara is more or less a little paradise. The town is surrounded by the Phewa Tal (second largest lake in Nepal), forested hills and the snow caped Himalayan peaks in the background. High above the lake and the forested hills sits the World Peace Pagoda. The pagoda was constructed by Buddhist monks from the Japanese Nipponzan Myohoji organization to promote world peace.
 

Phewa Tal & the World Peace Pagoda high above the hills

Sarangkot offers a great view point over Pokhara Lakes and valley. Better to be there at dawn or dusk, when the sun picks out the mountains and sets the sky in fire...
 

View from Sarangkot

View from Sarangkot

In contrast with this picture-postcard description, Lakeside Pokhara also offers all the souvenirs, trekking clothing and gear fund in Katmandu - Thamel's area. Same shopping opportunities minus the traffic fumes and crowds of Katmandu!
 

Pokhara Lakeside main street near 'Center Point'

Pokhara is also the starting point for some hikers heading towards Annapurna treks and other outdoors activities such as paragliding, rafting, mountain biking etc.

Paraglading at the north end of the Lake

This tourism industry is good for the local economy as long as the environment can support it. Water access is not a concern in the region and future increase in water consumption is not a problem although management of waste water and garbage might become critical as consumption continue to increase. 

My observation is that increasingly over-packed goods added to the great amount of plastic water bottles is creating important waste during tourism peak seasons. Also directly related is the booming construction of Guesthouses / Hotels whit its rather negative impact on the picturesque side of Pokhara.

View from the roof top of my guesthouse

Pokhara's back streets

My 2 cents on Nepal

Nepal is without a doubt a country of diverse and colorful cultural and natural heritages. Contrasting with this richness, poverty is everywhere perceptible and extreme natural events such as this year Typhoon Vongfong and Cyclone Hudhud only aggravates this situation. What comes next to my mind is the fact that Nepal remains an active seismic zone. If an important earthquake was to occur today, it would cause massive damage to the densely packed and precariously build infrastructures filling the Katmandu valley.

Another indisputable reality is the important and fast increasing pollution of the more densely populated cities. I was told that the main responsible cause of child mortally remains untreated respiratory infections. I haven't verified this statement but I did noticed a runny nose on every single child's face... I might be overly sensitive but I did get an eye infection and irritated throat and lungs while I was in Katmandu, and believe me, it is seriously difficult to breath while walking the streets.

I also observed a palpable pessimism among Nepali younger generation. I believe this state of mind might be a direct consequence of Nepal being cut off from the progress and social transformation observed within the neighbor countries. If the oppressive social hierarchy of the caste system is no more, the perverse impacts of the 1904 road build by the British into Tibet to Lhasa is now behind, and the number of tourist increased from 500 277 in 2008 to 800 000 in 2012, why working and migrating to India and elsewhere is still predominant?

Every single Nepali I spoke with shared the same dream of being provided with an opportunity to leave Nepal.
 

Intrigued I searched for answers and found real optimism in Sujeev Shakya's book,Unleashing Nepal, which I highly recommend reading. As stated in the foreword of the book:
“Nepal faces two starkly different but equally viable paths to the future – the way of China and the way of India”. “Democratie comes easily to us in India because India has historically 'accumulated' its diverse groups who retain their distinctiveness while identifying themselves as Indian.” Something one can easily observe while travelling India, particularly here in Goa where there seem to be no difference between Catholics and Hindus. “China, on the other hand, has 'assimilated' its people into a common, homogeneous society. China is a melting pot in which differences disappear while India and Nepal are like a salad bowl in which the constituents retain their identify”.
 

I sincerely which a prosperous future filled with attractive life opportunities for these honest and generous people. 

There is so much more for me to learn from the people and to explore from these contrasting landscapes. With the hope to come explore further in the near future ;)

Nepal volunteering project – the end

Still processing everything I experienced and learned throughout my stay in Nepal and simultaneously, realizing how time flies!

First of all, I would like to thank all the fantastic people I had the chance to cross path and exchange with while in Nepal. I always felt safe even when travelling alone and always found help when in need. Directly related to the project, I need to outline the resourcefulness and good spirit of our Project Coordinator, Raj.

Our Project Coordinator, Raj

Raj seems to be involved with pretty much every single aspect of Ghandruk. It is obvious that he cares about not only the volunteers working on the conservation project but also about Ghandruk and its communities in general. Likewise, Raj's parents and our cook where absolutely great. Thanks to our cook, I was able to learn the Nepali valuable essentials allowing me to order food and buy the basic things I needed.

 

Raj's mother

Raj's father

Always laughing and working hard at both their tasks and insuring that all was good with us. I don't recall seeing people perpetually such in a good mood and simultaneously working so hard than our hosts. Other people I meet in and around Ghandruk were as nice and I learned a lot from taking the time to talk with them. 

Last but not least, the Guesthouse location could not have been better!

View from the Guesthouse porch

In terms of the project in itself and ProjectsAbroad, sadly, I don't believe I actually did much for the conservation of the environment and the communities. This is a really sad and difficult realization of mine. There is definitively a lack of material resources on site and the volunteers, who pay a high price for their involvement in the project, could certainty be used more efficiently. If the hidden objective of ProjectsAbroad is to attract the greater number of participants in order to collect a great amount of money to be reinvested in the ACAP or directly into the Annapurna region, fair enough. Although, they should advertise a unique Nepali experience for everyone, not a conservation project for individual in search of an actual hands on environmental contribution.

I really hope that in the near future ProjectsAbroad will be able to provide volunteers with a better program that insure that their time and money is actually been use efficiently. ProjectsAbroad also need to do a better job at taking into consideration volunteer's limitations and health issues prior to accepting their application (and money).

Before jumping into the project, I clearly outlined my concerns in regards to the local crew's capability in providing me with gluten free food. To which concern the ProjectsAbroad representative's answer was that the local crew was fully aware of the problem and that there was no problem. In short, ProjectsAbroad placements are not suitable for individual suffering from celiac disease.

Agriculture in the Ghandruk region

Ghandruk latitude and elevation are the best ingredients for fragile ecosystems but nonetheless a rich biodiversity. As the species migrate in an out of the region, farmers rotate their crops up and down the terraces changing both the color and texture of the hills throughout seasons.

Endless terraces...

Rice is planted towards the end of the monsoon season (August-September) and was harvested during my stay. They have 2-3 harvests per year.

Didi harvesting the rice behind our Guest House

Separating the rice from the stem

Millet and corn follow rice harvest depending on elevation and slope aspect. Soya is also fund on the edge of the millet fields where exposed to the sun.

Millet at an early stage

Millet reaching its maturity

Soya beans

Also proving the local ingenuity, once the corn is being harvested one can see corn stems left standing serving as natural stake/support for the growing beans, not only nutrients filled but also delicious in the dal baht. 

Red kidney beans

Throughout the dryer season (October to December) corn can be seen hanging and drying under almost every single house roof.

Corn drying under the house roof

Early December is time to plant different varieties of potatoes to be harvest after the winter. Buckwheat also grows in the region but at higher altitudes between 3000 and 4000 m.

Accompanying rice and potatoes dishes, rotis (various bread types), noodles and momos are commonly found in Nepali cuisine's. Water being abundant and accessible, water mills provide the communities with rice, wheat, corn and buckwheat flour according to seasonal availability.

Water Mill

Grinding corn into flour

Humm, delicious makai (corn) and  
phapar roti (buckwheat bread)!

I love honey!

Apis Cerana at work

Bees play an important role in any environment as plant pollinators. Within the Ghandruk area (2000-3000 m) the indigenous honeybees of the Himalayas are essential for the maintenance of the region's biodiversity and natural ecosystems. These hard working little friends occupy a key role in the pollination of mountain crops and consequently, contribute to food security and livelihoods of the Ghandruk rural households.

Don't get fooled by the Syrphid, this fly is not a bee!

Regardless their fame, many threats contribute to the dissemination of the domestic honeybees around the world. Although one might think that "mountain bees" would be spared from these potential threats, a similar increase in colony mortality is already observed and now monitored within the ACA region.

Among these threats we observe a slow but steady shift towards monoculture practices. Limiting agriculture to one crop type contributes to loss of floral diversity (and Biodiversity) and is often responsible to increased use of pesticides. In addition to this major threat, increasing access to remote areas by trekkers, sadly, too often goes hand in hand with environmental degradation.

Here in Ghandruk, beekeeping is an integral part of the history of the rural development of the communities by improving food productivity and providing honey, wax and other products for home use and sale. This is particularly true for landless individuals who rely on trading and monetary exchanges to obtain basic necessities.

Ghandruk communities have been in the past and are even today relying on both honey hunting of the Himalayan wild bee's colonies to obtain honey and using log hives to produce honey by domestic or wild bees.

There are four groups of bees in Nepal:

• bumble bees
• sting-less bees
• solitary bees
• honeybees

According to Bahadur Gurung & al. (2012), five species of HONEYBEES are found in the Himalayas:

Little honeybee (Apis florea)

Giant honeybee (Apis dorsata)

Himalyan cliff bee (Apis laboriosa)

Asian / Indigenous hive bee (Apis cerana)

The Little honeybee (Apis florea) can be found in hills and plains at altitudes up to 1,200 m. These bees build single small comb nests under small tree branches or bushes. A colony can produce 1 kg of honey per year.

Their big sister, the Giant honeybee (Apis dorsata) is also fund in hills and plains but at lower altitudes up to 1,000 m. They usually build single large comb nests on the top of tall trees, buildings, or water towers. These big sisters are highly defensive and performs mass attacks. They also produce considerably more honey per year (30-50 kg per colony).

Similar to his cousin Apis dorsata, the Himalayan cliff bee (Apis laboriosa) is darker and more defensive. Not only they build larger single comb nests but also produce considerable more honey per year with an average of 60 kg per colony and prefers nesting on large steep rocky cliff faces.

One of many comb nests found within Ghandruk

The honey produced by the Himalayan cliff bee is highly prized and in Nepal, honey hunting is a vital part of the Nepali culture. However, health of these bee's populations are threatened by human disturbances and resulting habitats degradation. 

Finally, while walking around Ghandruk, one can find tree logs hanging on the side of houses. When the sun shine and temperature rises, all these little workers get down to work. Apis cerana (Asian or indigenous hive bee) is the only bee that can be kept in these hand crafted log hives.

Log hive found on the neighbour's house wall

They differentiate themselves from their cousins by building multiple parallel combs (number depends on the colony size) and by establishing themselves in plains and hills from below 300 m up to 3,400 m.These bees can produce up to 20 kg of honey per hive per year and are resistant to diseases and mites, main culprit of the European honeybee populations dissemination worldwide.

In Ghandruk, the European honeybee (Apis mellifera) was introduced for commercial beekeeping as it builds multiple parallel combs and can be keep in movable frame hives.

Bahadur Gurung, Uma Partap, Nabin CID Shrestha, Harish K Sharma, Nurul Islam, Nar Bahadur Tamang, 2012. Beekeeping Training for Farmers in the Himalaya. Resource Manual for Trainers International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development, Katmandu. 190 p.

Annapurna Sanctuary Trek

Don't miss the sign to the Annapurna Base Camp

So five motivated volunteers and myself decided to head to the Annapurna Base Camp (ABC: 4130 m) for a bit of exploration. We left Ghandruk Thursday (Oct. 23) after breakfast with the objective to reach the ABC and return by Sunday.

Five motivated volunteers, myself & the sunrise over the ABC

It took us 4h to reach Chhomrong (2170 m) from our Ghandruk Guest House (2100 m). After traversing the old Ghandruk, an endless stone staircase surrounded by rice and millet paddies took us first all the way down to the Kimrong Khola (river) where a suspension bridge allowed us to reach the opposite side.

Old Ghandruk

Suspension Bridge over the Kimrong Khola

Naturally, what goes down generally goes up again! We then climbed another staircase up to Kimrong (1800 m), Taulung (2180 m) and Chhomrong. After lunch, we made it to Bamboo (2310 m) in 3.5h. Once more, the trail drops down a set of stone steps to the Chhomrong Khola, and then climbs to Sinuwa and on through rhododendron forests although not in flowers at the time, to Kuldi (2470 m) and finally to Bamboo (2310 m) where we spent the night.

Beautiful scenery from Sinuwa looking at Ghandruk

 

Lucky we were to see some Hanuman Langur throughout the luxurious forest

Friday morning, we hiked from Bamboo (2310 m) to Deurali (3230 m) in 2 1/4h passing through Doban (2540 m) and Himalaya (2840 m).

Sure enough, no one ate meat....

Although there were no sight of snow, we passed several avalanche chutes on the way. After a quick bite, and another hour of hiking we reached the Machhapuchhare Base Camp (3700 m) just before the clouds. This mountain is sacred and therefore it is not permitted to climb it.

Machhapuchhare Base Camp 3700 m

We set the alarm clock for 4 am on the following day in order to witness the sunrise illuminating the magnificent amphitheatre of rock and ice surrounding the South Annapurna Base Camp (ABC 4130 m). It took us about an hour to reach the moraine past the ABC.

Temperatures were low and the sight of snow made feel at home for a moment ;)

 

Approaching ABC before sunrise

Sunrise on the Annapurna Base Camp

Once the day took over the sunrise, we headed back to our MBC Hotel ate breakfast and started our descent to Ghandruk. We took 3h to reach Bamboo and 1h to reach Chhomrong where we spent the night. Sunday morning we hiked the last 3 1/4h to Ghandruk early enough to be on time for our 11h lunch at our Guest House.

 

This (minus the crowds), I like!