care of each other and ensuring the entire team makes it through .
“ We want everyone to make it ,” says Vishu . “ We don ’ t have daily requirements of reaching a target , so we go at the pace everyone is comfortable with ”.
Vishu ’ s comments are highlighted by daily distances of less 50 kilometres , that ’ s often still six hours of riding . There ’ s plenty of breaks and opportunities to explore .
Lo Manthang marks the end of the road , not entirely , it does go on to the border with the Tibetan Autonomous Region of China , an opportunity to visit cave dwellings where ancient scripts have been discovered often written in silver and gold , where artifacts predate Christianity . The landscape , dotted with stupas from time immemorial , represents a people who believed all travellers have a right to be protected through spirituality .
Founded in 1380 , Lo Manthang was , and to many , still is , the walled capital of the Kingdom of Lo . Many of the original structures still stand and are being used by the residents of the city . As recently as 2008 the Kingdom was in place until Nepal itself was made a republic as the royal rule was declared void . Today the ‘ city ’ accounts for less than 1,000 inhabitants .
Visiting Lo Manthang is restricted heavily , traveller numbers are increasingly monitored however , are being increased annually . Recent estimates suggest that around
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