The
Annapurna Circuit is the popular name of a 300 kilometre trek in
Nepal around the Annapurna mountain range in the Himalayas. The trek
starting in Khudi and ending in Pokhara encircling the Annapurna
massif is popularly regarded as the best of Nepal’s classic mountain
treks. The trail follows Marshyangdi valley to Manang, crosses snow
covered Thorung La pass (5430 m.), passes Muktinath, an important site
of Hindu pilgrimages, and returns to Pokhara via Kali Gandaki river
gorge. Kali Gandaki gorge is considered the world's deepest river gorge,
carved by the Kali Gandaki as it slices its way between the Annapurna
and Dhaulagiri massifs.
The trek follows ancient paths used as trade routes between Nepal and
Tibet.
Tika
On the tenth day of Dasein, a red or white mixture of
rice, yoghurt and vermillion is prepared by the women. This is known
as "tika".
Elders put this on the forehead of younger relatives to bless them
with fertility and abundance in the upcoming year.
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Bhulbule
A tailor's shop in
Bhulbule
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Bahundanda
Rest stop in Bahundanda
Left: The
grandfather in a guesthouse in Ghermu. His son is a school
teacher in Ghermu, and last year he told me about the Gurung
village of Sanjapu above Ghermu.
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Sanjapu
The
school principal, his wife and children
Oct. 3. From Ghermu I walk 1 ½ - 2 hours up the mountain to
the big Gurung village of Sanjapu, which has 106 houses. It
is only a short distance off the beaten track of the Annapurna
Circuit, but here in Sanjapu they are not used to seeing tourists,
and soon about 100 children and grown-ups crowd around me. Only once
before have foreigners stayed here for the night, a Christian
missionary couple.
The
school principal and his wife
Sanjapu
Two
Christians:
The priest and the principal
Actually, my host,
Balaram Gurung,
the school principal, is a Christian along with a
few other villagers. Surprisingly, it doesn’t seem to cause too many
problems in the village that the school principal is neither Hindu
nor Buddhist.
The local children who attend secondary school have to walk down to
Ghermu and back every day. There are three teachers in Sanjapu and
they earn Rp. 5000 a month. After 20 years they can retire on Rp.
3000 a month.
To survive the principal also has a small shop which he opens when
school is over at 4 o’clock.
A grinding mill
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Bahundanda seen from Sanjapu
A mule
Syanje
In the forest between Syanje and Jagat I see
white and red monkeys
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Maoists
Maoist
checkpoint in Jagat
In Jagat, a Gurung settlement, I pass a
Maoist checkpoint. They ask for Rp. 100 a day or minimum Rp 1200.
The head of the group claims that when peace arrives, they will no
longer ask for trekking fees.
A guest house owner in Chamje, a Tamang
village, tells me that he pays a Maoist tax of Rp 25,000 a year. The
rich men in the village have to pay Rp 80,000. The school principal
in Sanjapu pays a day’s salary every month to the Maoists.
People in general seem hopeful that peace is near
and that a referendum will do away with the King. People have no
respect for him – and even less for the Crown Prince.
Tal, Karte and
Dharapani
A board game in Jagat
Tal
Palm
trees in Tal
Tal
Trail
construction between
Tal and Karte
Karte
Pulses and dried
meat in Karte
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Karte
Pulses in
Dharapani
"Train
guide" available
in Danagyu /
Danaque
Temang and Thanchok
The first harvest in Thanchok
Manaslu range seen from Temang
/ Timang
Thanchok
The narrow gorge from Koto towards Nar Phu valleys
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