Annapurna Circuit 14th - Muktinath to Kagbeni, Nepal

On the Other Side of the Pass


hamlet
The Monastery
A Stupa of Jarkhot
Portal to Jarkhot
Gompa Buildings
male kheni
Almost there
Dweller of Jarkhot
Jarkhot and the Cordillera
The Great Gompa
living in the sun
Jarkhot Buddhist-Tibetan Buildings
kagbeni à vista
Kagbeni and the Kingdom of Mustang
Bob Marley Hotel
Leaving Muktinath
Next Stop: Jarkhot
The Majestic Jarkhot
After the demanding crossing of Thorong La, we recover in the cozy village of Muktinath. The next morning we proceed back to lower altitudes. On the way to the ancient kingdom of Upper Mustang and the village of Kagbeni that serves as its gateway.

As much as we'd like to, we can't help but return to the topic of baths.

On the afternoon we completed the Crossing the Thorong La Gorge, had gone a week without showers, or anything we could even match.

At the Bob Marley Hotel in Muktinath, “One Love" was "One Love🇧🇷 We found ourselves gifted with fluid showers, very hot at first, which an excessive simultaneous use soon warmed up.

Worn out from eight hours of walking, most of it above five thousand meters in altitude, almost always very steep, we hurriedly reorganized our equipment and clothes.

Freed from that annoyance, we moved to the terrace, where we were supposed to meet the rest of the crossing group.

At Muktinath, the 5410m altitude of the gorge had risen to 3800m.

Even if incomparable with what we suffered at High Camp, the end of the afternoon brought a chill that the stone on which the hotel was built seemed to accentuate. As soon as the sun disappeared behind the mountains, the terrace became uncomfortable.

They have long been accustomed to the "game of chairs" of guest e tea houses from the Annapurnas, we hurried to the dining room and conquered the surroundings of the salamander. There we gathered to devour the dinners that our metabolism, extremely accelerated from so much walking and effort, forced us to anticipate.

We surrender to a chat as pleasant as the room. Don, our porter, plays snooker with Sara and Manel's pseudo-guide. When they are finished, the porter bursts in, drunk, as he did night after night.

We have to convince him that he could not return to Manang (at least a day and a half away), at that time.

That he had to go to sleep and that he would leave, recovered, the following morning. Despite his alcoholism and stocky stature, from what we had seen on the way there, we thought that, as long as the weather didn't get too stormy, Don would be home in just one day.

Around 21pm, fed and comforted, we felt our bodies giving way. We all went to bed. We thought that, after those three exhausting days, we would sleep until noon. Instead, at 7:30 am we were waking up, rejuvenated and once again famished.

We devoured our favorite breakfast from the menu, between 8:30 and 9:XNUMX.

Half an hour later, we take a look at the main local shrine, Mukti Kshetra (translatable as “place of liberation”), Vishnuite and sacred to Hindus but which Buddhists are used to venerating.

After the short pilgrimage up the slope, we return to the parched street with the hotels. It is between stalls full of clothes and handicrafts that we begin the route to lower lands.

With Don on his way to Manang, we had the two big backpacks on us again. The readaptation to that overweight cost us, but, with the bodies massacred from, not long after, twenty days of intense exercise, it was quickly fulfilled.

The first big difference we found along the way was in the landscape. We had already gotten used to the snow that covered the slopes and peaks since Thorong Pedi to the highest slopes of Thorong La.

There, north of mountains as imposing as Annapurna III (7555m) and Tilicho (7134m), between the rainy season and winter, rain and snowfall were rare. The ground remained rough and even dusty, the vegetation yellow from the cold and dryness.

Coming watercourses would open exuberant exceptions in this scenario. We needed to get there.

From Muktinath to Kagbeni, Almost Always Downhill

We bid farewell to Muktinath. A few hundred meters later, we realized that, unless we avoided it, the continuation of the Annapurna Circuit would be on asphalt.

In an instant, we agreed that, whenever possible, we would find shortcuts and still immaculate alternatives.

In this quest, we reached a point with an unobstructed view. In the distance, the sharp and snowy peaks of the Jakkriojagga mountain range (6402m) stood out.

Just below, an extreme settlement sprawled over an arid ridge. As soon as we spotted it, we cut to the first country trail that seemed to lead there.

The obsession with doing so assured us the Himalayan and Buddhist genuineness with which the Annapurna Circuit had trapped us, to the zenith of Thorong La.

The trail enters a stronghold of terraces that we imagined, from May to September, soaked and filled with lush rice paddies. At that time, they supported any other upland cereal that was slow to emerge.

A peasant urged two cows to pull the plow with which, among the autumn bushes, he turned the earth.

Entrance to Majestic Jarkhot

Shortly after greeting him, we come across a sign that, despite its “prohibited” form, clearly had a “Welcome to Jarkhot".

Jarkhot was thus the next settlement, about three hundred meters lower than Muktinath, closer to the great river that flowed through it, the Gandaki.

As we take the final steps, a large flock of crows takes off from where we don't know. A sudden updraft had invited the black birds to hover over the valley and over us. When we reached the entrance to the village and its long gompa, we had already lost sight of them.

After the Hindu hiatus of the also known as Shree Muktinath Temple, Jarkhot marked a full return to the Buddhist-Tibetan sphere of almost the entire Annapurna Circuit, of sanctuary-villages from which stood out brakka and the much larger Manang.

We went back to walking side by side with prayer walls and crossing the stupas that served as portals of blessing at the entrance and at the exit, reinforced by two khenis, one male, the other female, a duo of guardians molded in clay and tasked with devouring evil spirits.

Prayer flags stood out from the smooth roofs of the gompa's various buildings.

A resident next to the temple appears on the terrace of his home and throws a gift to the chickens that are scouring the alley in front of him.

Seen from the south and from its rear, Jarkhot had seemed like a thing to us.

After having passed to the north and moving away from it, we see its line of buildings being defined, all with white facades, with the exception of the primordial building, the royal palace, towering and ocher.

Gradually, the village takes on an grandeur in keeping with its past.

Jarkhot, a Past Between Royalty and Traditional Nepalese Medicine

In the XNUMXth century, Jharkot, formerly known as Dzarkot, often shortened to Dzar, grew when the kings of the Gunthang dynasty became aware of its privileged location.

Surrounded by land much more fertile than what existed in the Jhong region, from which they were quick to move.

From Jharkot, royalty continued to rule over a vast domain that today encompasses twelve baragaon, the equivalent of villages and their land.

In that era, largely thanks to the fertility and abundance of plants, the people of Jharkot specialized in natural medicine and even veterinary medicine, in its most diverse forms of healing.

That aptitude has developed to this day.

In the big gompa In Jharkot, Tibetan Buddhist monks preserve a rich collection of natural remedies that the surrounding Nepalese resort to when they are in distress.

The number of divisions and the grandiosity of the royal palace, in general, attest that the kings of Gunthang moved to the old Dzar with plans to stay there.

They appreciated the unobstructed views over the Muktinath valley, over Jhong, Putak and Khingar.

Kagbeni, the village we had established as final destination day, it remained hidden by the slope that rose to the west and above Jharkot.

On the way to Kagbeni

The trail leading out of the village descended towards a tributary of the Gandaki River. As Kagbeni was located in another direction, we were forced to take the asphalt again.

Moments later, a distance marker planted beside the road informs us that Kagbeni was five kilometers away.

Even with our backpacks pressing on our shoulders like never before, it was still a small distance compared to what we had become accustomed to.

The road winds, pointing towards the huge and sharp mountains of Jakkriojagga. We still have no view to the west. Until we reach the low point of the slope that gave way to the road.

There, we discovered a whole new valley, much flatter and greener than that of Jharkot, based on alluvial land accumulated over time by the flow of the Gandaki.

A huge, rocky riverbed preceded the town and the many smallholdings that surrounded and fed it.

A new steep, muddy slope closed off the entire scene.

Kagbeni, the Gateway to the Realm of High Mustang

To the north lay the long-forbidden domain of Upper Mustang, which inspired plans for future adventures.

Almost 12 km and four hours of contemplation after leaving Muktinath, we were at the gates of Kagbeni.

Annapurna Circuit: 13th - High camp a Thorong La to Muktinath, Nepal

At the height of the Annapurnas Circuit

At 5416m of altitude, the Thorong La Gorge is the great challenge and the main cause of anxiety on the itinerary. After having killed 2014 climbers in October 29, crossing it safely generates a relief worthy of double celebration.
Annapurna Circuit 11th: yak karkha a Thorong Phedi, Nepal

Arrival to the Foot of the Canyon

In just over 6km, we climbed from 4018m to 4450m, at the base of Thorong La canyon. Along the way, we questioned if what we felt were the first problems of Altitude Evil. It was never more than a false alarm.
Annapurna Circuit: 12th - Thorong Phedi a High camp

The Prelude to the Supreme Crossing

This section of the Annapurna Circuit is only 1km away, but in less than two hours it takes you from 4450m to 4850m and to the entrance to the great canyon. Sleeping in High Camp is a test of resistance to Mountain Evil that not everyone passes.
Annapurna Circuit: 3rd- Upper Banana, Nepal

An Unexpected Snowy Aurora

At the first glimmers of light, the sight of the white mantle that had covered the village during the night dazzles us. With one of the toughest walks on the Annapurna Circuit ahead of us, we postponed the match as much as possible. Annoyed, we left Upper Pisang towards Escort when the last snow faded.
Annapurna Circuit: 8th Manang, Nepal

Manang: the Last Acclimatization in Civilization

Six days after leaving Besisahar we finally arrived in Manang (3519m). Located at the foot of the Annapurna III and Gangapurna Mountains, Manang is the civilization that pampers and prepares hikers for the ever-dreaded crossing of Thorong La Gorge (5416 m).
Annapurna Circuit: 9th Manang to Milarepa Cave, Nepal

A Walk between Acclimatization and Pilgrimage

In full Annapurna Circuit, we finally arrived in Manang (3519m). we still need acclimatize to the higher stretches that followed, we inaugurated an equally spiritual journey to a Nepalese cave of Milarepa (4000m), the refuge of a siddha (sage) and Buddhist saint.
Annapurna Circuit: 7th - Braga - Ice Lake, Nepal

Annapurna Circuit - The Painful Acclimatization of Ice Lake

On the way up to the Ghyaru village, we had a first and unexpected show of how ecstatic the Annapurna Circuit can be tasted. Nine kilometers later, in Braga, due to the need to acclimatize, we climbed from 3.470m from Braga to 4.600m from Lake Kicho Tal. We only felt some expected tiredness and the increase in the wonder of the Annapurna Mountains.
Annapurna Circuit: 6th – Braga, Nepal

The Ancient Nepal of Braga

Four days of walking later, we slept at 3.519 meters from Braga (Braka). Upon arrival, only the name is familiar to us. Faced with the mystical charm of the town, arranged around one of the oldest and most revered Buddhist monasteries on the Annapurna circuit, we continued our journey there. acclimatization with ascent to Ice Lake (4620m).
Annapurna Circuit: 5th - Ngawal a BragaNepal

Towards the Nepalese Braga

We spent another morning of glorious weather discovering Ngawal. There is a short journey towards Manang, the main town on the way to the zenith of the Annapurna circuit. We stayed for Braga (Braka). The hamlet would soon prove to be one of its most unforgettable places.
Annapurna 10th Circuit: Manang to Yak Kharka, Nepal

On the way to the Annapurnas Even Higher Lands

After an acclimatization break in the near-urban civilization of Manang (3519 m), we made progress again in the ascent to the zenith of Thorong La (5416 m). On that day, we reached the hamlet of Yak Kharka, at 4018 m, a good starting point for the camps at the base of the great canyon.
Annapurna Circuit: 2th - Chame a Upper BananaNepal

(I) Eminent Annapurnas

We woke up in Chame, still below 3000m. There we saw, for the first time, the snowy and highest peaks of the Himalayas. From there, we set off for another walk along the Annapurna Circuit through the foothills and slopes of the great mountain range. towards Upper Banana.
Bhaktapur, Nepal

The Nepalese Masks of Life

The Newar Indigenous People of the Kathmandu Valley attach great importance to the Hindu and Buddhist religiosity that unites them with each other and with the Earth. Accordingly, he blesses their rites of passage with newar dances of men masked as deities. Even if repeated long ago from birth to reincarnation, these ancestral dances do not elude modernity and begin to see an end.
Annapurna Circuit: 1th - Pokhara a ChameNepal

Finally, on the way

After several days of preparation in Pokhara, we left towards the Himalayas. The walking route only starts in Chame, at 2670 meters of altitude, with the snowy peaks of the Annapurna mountain range already in sight. Until then, we complete a painful but necessary road preamble to its subtropical base.
Annapurna Circuit: 4th – Upper Banana to Ngawal, Nepal

From Nightmare to Dazzle

Unbeknownst to us, we are faced with an ascent that leads us to despair. We pulled our strength as far as possible and reached Ghyaru where we felt closer than ever to the Annapurnas. The rest of the way to Ngawal felt like a kind of extension of the reward.
Annapurna Circuit 15th - Kagbeni, Nepal

At the Gates of the Former Kingdom of Upper Mustang

Before the 1992th century, Kagbeni was already a crossroads of trade routes at the confluence of two rivers and two mountain ranges, where medieval kings collected taxes. Today, it is part of the famous Annapurna Circuit. When hikers arrive, they know that, higher up, there is a domain that, until XNUMX, prohibited entry to outsiders.
Annapurna Circuit 16th - Marpha, Nepal

Marpha and the Early End of the Circuit

After thirteen days of walking from the distant Chame, we arrive at Marpha. Sheltered at the foot of a hill, on the edge of the Gandaki River, Marpha is the last preserved and charming village on the route. The excessive construction work along the F042 route that would take us back to Pokhara has forced us to shorten the second part of the Annapurna Circuit.
Believers greet each other in the Bukhara region.
City
Bukhara, Uzbequistan

Among the Minarets of Old Turkestan

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Host Wezi points out something in the distance
Beach
Cobue; Nkwichi Lodge, Mozambique

The Hidden Mozambique of the Creaking Sands

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The Zambezi River, PN Mana Pools
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holy plain, Bagan, Myanmar
Architecture & Design
Bagan, Myanmar

The Plain of Pagodas, Temples and other Heavenly Redemptions

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Tibetan heights, altitude sickness, mountain prevent to treat, travel
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Moa on a beach in Rapa Nui/Easter Island
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The Take-off and Fall of the Bird-Man Cult

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Executives sleep subway seat, sleep, sleep, subway, train, Tokyo, Japan
Cities
Tokyo, Japan

Tokyo's Hypno-Passengers

Japan is served by millions of executives slaughtered with infernal work rates and sparse vacations. Every minute of respite on the way to work or home serves them for their inemuri, napping in public.
Beverage Machines, Japan
Lunch time
Japan

The Beverage Machines Empire

There are more than 5 million ultra-tech light boxes spread across the country and many more exuberant cans and bottles of appealing drinks. The Japanese have long since stopped resisting them.
khinalik, Azerbaijan Caucasus village, Khinalig
Culture
Chinalig, Azerbaijan

The Village at the Top of Azerbaijan

Set in the rugged, icy 2300 meters of the Great Caucasus, the Khinalig people are just one of several minorities in the region. It has remained isolated for millennia. Until, in 2006, a road made it accessible to the old Soviet Ladas.
Swimming, Western Australia, Aussie Style, Sun rising in the eyes
Sport
Busselton, Australia

2000 meters in Aussie Style

In 1853, Busselton was equipped with one of the longest pontoons in the world. World. When the structure collapsed, the residents decided to turn the problem around. Since 1996 they have been doing it every year. Swimming.
Sunset, Avenue of Baobabs, Madagascar
Traveling
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The Malagasy Way to Dazzle

Out of nowhere, a colony of baobab trees 30 meters high and 800 years old flanks a section of the clayey and ocher road parallel to the Mozambique Channel and the fishing coast of Morondava. The natives consider these colossal trees the mothers of their forest. Travelers venerate them as a kind of initiatory corridor.
Drums and Tattoos
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Tahiti Beyond the Cliché

Neighbors Bora Bora and Maupiti have superior scenery but Tahiti has long been known as paradise and there is more life on the largest and most populous island of French Polynesia, its ancient cultural heart.
Portfolio, Got2Globe, Best Images, Photography, Images, Cleopatra, Dioscorides, Delos, Greece
Got2Globe Photo Portfolio
Got2Globe Portfolio

The Earthly and the Celestial

Hué, Communist City, Imperial Vietnam, Imperial Communism
History
Hue, Vietnam

The Red Heritage of Imperial Vietnam

It suffered the worst hardships of the Vietnam War and was despised by the Vietcong due to the feudal past. The national-communist flags fly over its walls but Hué regains its splendor.
Kéré Island, Bijagós, Guinea Bissau, from the air
Islands
Kéré Island, Bijagos, Guinea Bissau

The Little Bijagó that hosted a Big Dream

Raised in Ivory Coast, Frenchman Laurent found, in the Bijagós archipelago, the place that enraptured him. The island he shares with his Portuguese wife Sónia accepted them and the affection they felt for Guinea Bissau. Kéré and the Bijagós have long enchanted visitors.
Era Susi towed by dog, Oulanka, Finland
Winter White
PN Oulanka, Finland

A Slightly Lonesome Wolf

Jukka “Era-Susi” Nordman has created one of the largest packs of sled dogs in the world. He became one of Finland's most iconic characters but remains faithful to his nickname: Wilderness Wolf.
Almada Negreiros, Roça Saudade, Sao Tome
Literature
Saudade, São Tomé, São Tomé and Principe

Almada Negreiros: From Saudade to Eternity

Almada Negreiros was born in April 1893, on a farm in the interior of São Tomé. Upon discovering his origins, we believe that the luxuriant exuberance in which he began to grow oxygenated his fruitful creativity.
Horses under a snow, Iceland Never Ending Snow Island Fire
Nature
Husavik a Myvatn, Iceland

Endless Snow on the Island of Fire

When, in mid-May, Iceland already enjoys some sun warmth but the cold and snow persist, the inhabitants give in to an intriguing summer anxiety.
Sheki, Autumn in the Caucasus, Azerbaijan, Autumn Homes
Autumn
Sheki, Azerbaijan

autumn in the caucasus

Lost among the snowy mountains that separate Europe from Asia, Sheki is one of Azerbaijan's most iconic towns. Its largely silky history includes periods of great harshness. When we visited it, autumn pastels added color to a peculiar post-Soviet and Muslim life.
travelers contemplate, monte fitz roy, argentina
Natural Parks
El Chalten, Argentina

The Granite Appeal of Patagonia

Two stone mountains have created a border dispute between Argentina and Chile. But these countries are not the only suitors. The Fitz Roy and Torre hills have long attracted die-hard climbers
Chichen Itza, Yucatan, Mayan History, heads of Kukulkan, El Castillo
UNESCO World Heritage
Chichen Itza, Yucatan, Mexico

On the Edge of the Cenote, at the Heart of the Mayan Civilization

Between the XNUMXth and XNUMXth centuries AD, Chichen Itza stood out as the most important city in the Yucatan Peninsula and the vast Mayan Empire. If the Spanish Conquest precipitated its decline and abandonment, modern history has consecrated its ruins a World Heritage Site and a Wonder of the World.
aggie gray, Samoa, South Pacific, Marlon Brando Fale
Characters
Apia, Western Samoa

The Host of the South Pacific

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Moorea aerial view
Beaches
Moorea, French Polynesia

The Polynesian Sister Any Island Would Like to Have

A mere 17km from Tahiti, Moorea does not have a single city and is home to a tenth of its inhabitants. Tahitians have long watched the sun go down and transform the island next door into a misty silhouette, only to return to its exuberant colors and shapes hours later. For those who visit these remote parts of the Pacific, getting to know Moorea is a double privilege.
Balinese Hinduism, Lombok, Indonesia, Batu Bolong temple, Agung volcano in background
Religion
Lombok, Indonesia

Lombok: Balinese Hinduism on an Island of Islam

The foundation of Indonesia was based on the belief in one God. This ambiguous principle has always generated controversy between nationalists and Islamists, but in Lombok, the Balinese take freedom of worship to heart
white pass yukon train, Skagway, Gold Route, Alaska, USA
On Rails
Skagway, Alaska

A Klondike's Gold Fever Variant

The last great American gold rush is long over. These days, hundreds of cruise ships each summer pour thousands of well-heeled visitors into the shop-lined streets of Skagway.
A kind of portal
Society
Little Havana, USA

Little Havana of the Nonconformists

Over the decades and until today, thousands of Cubans have crossed the Florida Straits in search of the land of freedom and opportunity. With the US a mere 145 km away, many have gone no further. His Little Havana in Miami is today the most emblematic neighborhood of the Cuban diaspora.
Fruit sellers, Swarm, Mozambique
Daily life
Enxame Mozambique

Mozambican Fashion Service Area

It is repeated at almost all stops in towns of Mozambique worthy of appearing on maps. The machimbombo (bus) stops and is surrounded by a crowd of eager "businessmen". The products offered can be universal such as water or biscuits or typical of the area. In this region, a few kilometers from Nampula, fruit sales suceeded, in each and every case, quite intense.
Fluvial coming and going
Wildlife
Iriomote, Japan

The Small Tropical Japanese Amazon of Iriomote

Impenetrable rainforests and mangroves fill Iriomote under a pressure cooker climate. Here, foreign visitors are as rare as the yamaneko, an elusive endemic lynx.
The Sounds, Fiordland National Park, New Zealand
Scenic Flights
Fiordland, New Zealand

The Fjords of the Antipodes

A geological quirk made the Fiordland region the rawest and most imposing in New Zealand. Year after year, many thousands of visitors worship the sub-domain slashed between Te Anau and Milford Sound.