From Syabrubesi, the trail is a narrow sketchy climb that angles steeply uphill. I exhale a deep breath looking at the straight up hill I am to climb. I try to distract myself with immediate views. Flunked. Counting steps, panting, sweating, stopping for a sip, breathing… and before I know it, the sun warms my back and I am high above the valley on a new terrain – a viewpoint at 2300m. Ganesh Himal range, Kerung range in Tibet, Langtang Himal range and Gosaikunda range – all come to view, and my eyes’ attempt to merge them fails miserably. Read First Part: Gatlang – A traveler’s epitome With the view, comes all too familiar torrent of emotions that precede any Himalaya trekker. Inertia comes into play. Balancing fear, energy, urge, temptation, intuition, and action is all too exhausting sometimes, when our bodies can only afford to give so much energy. I am stoked with contradictions – motionless, restless, mindless, and yet I am pretty certain I am present at the moment, facing the mighty ones on my face. My intention to continue the trek is filled with friction – it is peaceful and turbulent at the very instant, and I am denying the unhappy truth that nothing is permanent. Few clicks and I am on a descent. It’s a flat walk from the viewpoint to Gatlang. I am psyched. I have no impression, no expectation – what’s its like? About 150 years ago, Nepal fought with Tibet over salt, and some of the regions were in Langtang. The trails were used by Tibetan traders for bartering salt with food items from Nepal. Now, we trek in those trails. Gatlang is inhabited by Tamang people, who are believed to be the descendents of Tibetans from Kerung and Tamangs from Helambu region
From Syabrubesi, the trail is a narrow sketchy climb that angles steeply uphill. I exhale a deep breath looking at the straight up
Not so far away from Kathmandu, on an aerial distance of merely 30 km to the north, lies a series of valleys that hold secrets to our hiccups and hitches of the modern civilization. The secrets that we have turned our backs on – in a constant struggle to enliven the firths of our lives in the city – may just remind us to reconsider widths and lengths of our lives. We try to achieve more, wish more, demand more… living less, caring less, being less. What for? Answers, I do not know. I never promised I knew. But there are experiences, places, and events that sign us towards them. One of those places is Gatlang – an ordinary Tamang village in Langtang. This journey is a spontaneous sprint to get away from the programmed life of the city. A mere 130 km bus drive from Kathmandu to Syabrubesi is a time wrap. You get on a bus surrounded by amenities of a modern life, and an hour later, you are surrounded by high hills, rivers, trails, deep gorges, and monasteries. There are no signs of mindless beings, no pollution, no crammed crowd. It is plain magic! After a day bus drive through nature’s wonders, I am set at Syabrubesi, and honestly, it does not fail to surprise me. The roaring of Bhote Kosi River, smoke escaping the crafted walls of the monastery, the soaring mountains, and countless stars in a clear sky – all ensure that I am safely home. It is a choice I made, and I regret none, not a bit. In a moment, under a moon lit night, I am flooded with emotions unwarranted - excitement, fear, sheer joy, appreciation, reverence, and confusion. Bliss! I try to subside myself. It is 6:00 am in the morning
Not so far away from Kathmandu, on an aerial distance of merely 30 km to the north, lies a series of valleys that
