From Langtang to Bamboo Village
Something's wrong at six in the morning. The concert of birds and the distant voices of the kitchen staff is accompanied by a rhythmic knocking on the roof. The view from the window reveals the whole truth. It's raining like buckets. That cannot be true. Rain!
Rain in the early morning
It means thatI might finally use the equipment that I carried up here. So the gaiters, the gloves (it's cold too), the rain poncho. And if run out of luck, we will still get wet. The rising wind will blow the rain down ears and legs.
The weather god means well
But let's see. Sitaram argues that this kind of rain can last a very long time, hours or more. I, on the other hand, am convinced that it will soon brighten up. And indeed, while I am still biting with little pleasure into a tasteless chapati, the weather god seems to be in a good mood. But I don't trust peace yet.
Buddhist morning rituals
In the meantime, the landlord performs his morning rituals in front of the small altar in honor of the Buddha. First, he fills small round containers, placed in a row, with something and lights it. Probably a kind of combustible oil or something.
In any case, the room soon fills with light, barely visible smoke burning in the eyes. He mumbles and sings his prayers. Very impressive, but you would need to know more about it to understand the meaning of it. Even Sitaram can't help, he is a Hindu, his prayers belong to other deities.
Memorial for the dead
At the edge of the (newly erected) village stands a small memorial in the form of a stupa. The names of all the dead of the landslide are engraved on its side walls. Most of them are inhabitants. Many soldiers. Numerous tourists from all over the world …
You stop and read the names. So many dead ... Just disappeared. Buried in the largest cemetery in the area.
The cemetery of trees
As predicted - when leaving at eight the rain has stopped, the frosty wind and the hovering fog in the air are still not encouraging. After all, we quickly move forward and are soon back at the huge cemetery, which was once the village Langtang. In front of us and behind us, the other trekkers are panting up or down, but they, too, stop, take a minute of silent remembrance.
Downhill one can see the other devastations caused by the landslide's shock wave. The displacement of millions of tons of rock and sand and water resulted in a corresponding displacement of air. The pressure wave rushed down the valley at an unstoppable speed and crashed everything standing in its way. Thousands of fallen trees lie on the slopes of the valley, crippled trunks still defying final defeat. A terrible picture.
Once again it becomes clear how the forces of nature work. The phenomenon is easy to explain. Nepal is located in a geological High-risk zone on the border of two tectonic plates. For millions of years, the Indian plate has been moving slowly towards the north towards the much larger Eurasian plate, moving up to the Himalayas. The resulting pressure discharges in jerky earthquakes, as on April 25th.
Monkeys, birds, pandas
Of course, the probability of seeing animals is very small. The noise of the trekking columns, the permanent movement through the forest disturbs the animals.
After all, the chance to meet one of the cute Langurs is great. They have obviously got used to the strange journeymen in their fashionable and colorful clothes and the different languages. They observe, if at all, what is happening, and then decide to cross the forest and the paths in long jumps, regardless of risks.
To the delight of the tourists, of course, who can finally see one of the animal sensations of the valley.
In contrast to our latitudes, here the songs of the birds can still be heard in all variations. They sing and chirp and twitter and trifle, but to decide which voice belongs to which bird is also difficult for Sitaram.
After all, there are over 350 different species of birds in the National Park. He recognizes some of them, including the glossy pheasantthe Nepalese national bird, but also Ibis, Tragopan and others whose names and looks are completely alien to me.
In the Goseinkund region, ie the area around the corresponding holy lakes, the little red panda lives, an extremely endangered species. For its protection, the government has launched a large-scale protection program.
And of course it is spring, also the time of the young animals, partly born just recently and carried around on the arms of the farmer families. They are their future, without them no existence is conceivable.
The puzzle of the left knee
But then we move rapidly downhill. We meet our friend, the Thai Buddhist, who obviously took a room for a change. And yes, the first steps down the hill, initially causing a queasy feeling about my left knee, are reassuring. Of course, I'm careful, I try to burden the right knee at very high steps but nothing happens. The knee endures everything, even the worst steps. Three times hurray!
But there are really insane steps, causing head-shaking even downhill. How I managed to get up here is a mystery to me, but as I said - pride makes many things possible.
Female wearers
We met only a few, but all of them give the impression of extreme performance, which makes us fitness center steeled man pale. At the same time they radiate something shy. You want to shake hands with them, thank them, hug them. Oh, I don't know, there's something wrong. Like so many others things …
Lama Hotel and two acquaintances in stress
The Lama Hotel is just as and somehow hostile as on the ascent. Sitaram suggests (as we are well on schedule) to march on for another two hours to Bamboo Village. Okay, why not. Everything without this not very inviting establishment is good.
We meet our two Mexico/Slovakia-Australians again, they seem to be in a hurry for some reason. They want to make the remaining descent to Syabrubesi on that very day. A real challenge, it seems to me. It's a downhill race against time, and if I remember the steep sections ahead, cheers and good luck!
Rooms in Bamboo Village?
Somehow, the way downhill seems to give me a lot of pleasure. We have all the time in the world, Sitaram is convinced that we will find a room at Bamboo. For understandable reasons, I cannot quite share his optimism, after all, we have been relocated a few times.
My worries make him a little nervous after all. In any case, he suggests that he proceeds to make sure that his optimistic assumption is correct. So while he runs down the forest in giant steps (finally without his slower customer), I have time to look around. And finally to admire the fantastic, mystical world of living and dead trees, which remind me once more of Middle-earth, only the hobbits are missing. Frodo and his companions Sam Gamgee and Pippin and Merry sitting at a late breakfast.
And there, near by, another langur monkey. It initially hides behind a tree, but then, more courageous, it shows himself. Wonderful.
The final section, just before Bamboo, is the ultimate challenge not just for my knees, but for all the muscles and tendons. But also this section, managed slowly and carefully, stays behind me, and there - Sitaram hurries towards me. My concern about room availability does not seem to have been completely wrong. We found the very last room. Pure luck, my friend!
The Tibetan hotel
This time it is a Tibetan hotel, but as all previous hotels in a rather desolate state, but seems to be enough for the purpose of spending the night. The dining room is a bit bleak and cold, the stove is in operation, but as someone keeps the door open, it loses all its power.
In my room everything is a bit rickety, between the wall boards, the sun shines through, the lock can be closed only with great difficulty. You get used to it. Even the toilet, which is quite far from the building, is another masterpiece of Tibetan / Nepalese architecture.
And indeed - in the middle of the night, the sleepy look on the clock shows 2.30 - I grimly and with swollen eyes and the headlamp follow the call of nature and feel in unity with the world and the cosmos ...
P.S. Matching Song: Ty Segall Band - I Bought My Eyes
And here the journey continues ...
