INSIDE HIMALAYAS | NEPAL | TIBET | BHUTAN
INSIDE HIMALAYAS | NEPAL | TIBET | BHUTAN
Village home. Photo: Eva Bustos.
Photo: Eva Bustos.
High passes are festooned with prayer flags. Photo: Eva Bustos.
which I had read about. At Upper
Pisang, I rushed up to the gompa before
the sun set. Work started on rebuilding
the monastery in 1999 and is still going
on today. Everybody in Pisang has
made a financial contribution towards
the building work. Those who couldn’t
afford it, volunteered by giving up 54
days of their time. The views from up
there were stunning. The sun shining
on the monastery’s facade, the scent
of incense coming from the gompa
with the prayer flags fluttering in the
wind brought a pleasant sense of wellbeing that nourished all my senses. It all
came together in perfect harmony as
the sun slowly disappeared behind the
mountains.
The following day we arrived in
Manang. We had already witnessed
Ghyaru and Nawal, two exceptionally
picturesque and charming villages
whose houses were built in the old
style, giving a sense of both radiance
and genuineness. These were truly two
hidden gems of the trip. Manang is also
a picturesque village. It is at the point of
confluence between the treks going to
Thorang La and those leading to Tilicho
Lake. People heading to the Thorong
La Pass usually spend two nights here
to acclimatise. The surroundings are
stunning and one can easily while away
the time by going on a few interesting
side treks from there.
The following day, we reached Tilicho
base camp. The plan was to climb up
to Tilicho Lake – the highest lake in the
world (4,920m) the morning after. Tilicho
Lake is well known for its outstanding
beauty and after many days walking
I was so excited to be there! The way
to the base camp was a bit challenging
as we had to cross big landslides and
unstable terrain. The altitude made it a
little challenging to reach but the views
from there were phenomenal and it
was well worth the effort. It was one of
those blustery cold days, yet the light
was so bright, the mountains so mighty,
the sky spotless and the freezing wind
refreshed the exposed skin on our
faces, resounding like a sweet melody
to my ears.
After braving the cold wind, we
grudgingly retreated to warm ourselves
up in a quaint little teahouse by the side
of the lake with a mandatory hot cup of
masala chiya.
Chortens line the path all the way up. Photo: Eva Bustos.
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www.insidehimalayas.com | By Royal Mountain Travel | 2016
www.insidehimalayas.com | By Royal Mountain Travel | 2016
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