Unit 19 Travel and Tourism
Now read the following travelogue by the Philippine freelance writer, Megan
Leung about her five-week adventurous experiences of visiting western Nepal.
What do you do when you get lost along your travels?
Along my five-week walk in the western Himalayas of Nepal, a colourful rooster heavy
on pink feathers fluffed its roseate plumes at me as though to say, ‘Yes, bideshi, it’s all
real’. The flightless bird and I stared at each other for a brief moment/(momentum) and
I could have sworn it winked at me. By this point, my sanity had already gone hazy,
unlike the clear blue skies above the high passes of Dolpa.
Further along the trail, patches of pink grass and purple flora sprinkled the ground. Sundried
shrubs filled the crisp Himalayan air with the familiar sweetness of chamomile.
Stone houses held themselves together under a rock, above a river, looking too crumbly
to live in, but the inhabitants didn’t seem to mind. I wondered how much more oddity
hides and flourishes in West Nepal. I wasn’t supposed to be in this region. But, as
with any good story, a happy accident would see me walking through the country’s
unknown trails.
Having been living on the road as a traveller for four years now and visiting Nepal for
the third time, I wanted to push the envelope and experience places where few tourists
go. I chose the Dhaulagiri Circuit. The day I started my walk I asked bus drivers in
Beni to point me towards the direction of Tatopani. As it were, there are two Tatopani
English: Grade 11 173
— one on the east along the Annapurna Circuit, one on the west along the Dhaulagiri
Circuit. I would end up in the east and I would learn too late that I was on the other side
of where I wanted to be. My options would be to turn back or to swim in the pickle I
was in. I took my map out and decided to walk up to Mukhtinath.
In a guest house in Lower Mustang I met an Englishman walking the Great Himalayan
Trail. We exchanged stories over cups of hot raksi to warm our cold selves and after
looking at his map I decided to make a pilgrimage to Rara Lake.
In Darbang I stopped to resupply food and walked towards a village named
Sibang, 15 kilometres further as the crow flies but we are talking about the largest
mountains of this planet. It was a long day. From one lush green hill to another, I
went mathi and tala, mathi and tala, through warm temperate forests, under giant
spider webs, over rapids, beside glassy waterholes too tempting to swim in, if not for
their stinging coldness.
In a scenic village named Lamsung, a young couple welcomed me in their home where
I stayed the night. In the morning, someone offered to give me a ride on his horse (for
a fee) but I decided to keep using my own legs.
In Bhujekhung I washed my clothes and myself by the river. The didi who hosted me
for the night called ‘sutne’ (bedtime; literally, to sleep) at seven in the evening. There
was no electricity but there was a hole in the ceiling and the bright stars lit the cold
dark room up so beautifully that I didn’t mind.
The next day, a 10-hour walk to Dorpatan had me marching until past sunset. I had to
take my shoes off to make a river crossing. I knew that the slippery rocks and angry
glacial water were going to be a painful adventure. A bahini crossed the river and
took my pack, made me wear her flipflops, held me by the hand, instructed me where
exactly to place my feet, and got me across. Her girl friends were all cheering, I said
my tourist classic Namaste, hugged them all, and moved on.
When finally, I found a base for the night, I was soon joined by local politicians from
Kathmandu who were on an official trip. The evening stretched as we all danced in the
dining room, Nepali music on full blast.
A village named Thankur had only two houses. On the way there, I had a mild heart
attack as three large birds suddenly took flight from a tree next to the footpath. It was
an arid region with not much life visible in the periphery but these birds were large,
shiny, and rainbow-coloured. They were the national bird of Nepal, the Himalayan
174 English: Grade 11
monal. That wasn’t the last surprise for the day — the stars in Thankur that evening
were blinding, the most brilliant I have ever seen this side of the globe.
In Pelma, I met a Welshman who has been to Nepal nine times. I met him again in
Dule and we walked towards the Jang La pass and to Dunai. The distance between the
two villages was so long that we decided to camp halfway through the trail. I squeezed
into the Welshman’s tiny summer tent and attempted to sleep on 4,500-metre altitude.
We laughed at the fact that no one else was insane enough to be on that mountain on a
cold November night.
Further west into remoter regions, school children led me to a village that sounded like
‘Orta’, just after Sarmi. The village is built on brown rocks, houses stacked together
with open, free-fall decks. A family fed
me, sheltered me, and walked with me
the day after to show me a shortcut — a
snowy pass towards Jumla. I walked for
five hours in the snow and a further three
hours in cold winds, through ancient alpine
forests and exposed mountain ridges.
By the time I reached Jumla, I was ill with
an unknown virus and a bad tummy. An
American I met at a hotel gave me medicine. The pani puri at a local eatery also helped
in my recovery.
Once I felt well enough to carry on, I started walking towards Rara, through Khali
Lagna and then Bulbule. In Khali Lagna I was welcomed by a didi who was picking
the brains out of a sheep skull. She said if I wanted to wash myself there is a bucket of
water in the outhouse. I checked it out and the water surface on the bucket was frozen.
Cracking it felt strangely satisfying and the pani underneath was surprisingly lukewarm.
“One more day,” I whispered to myself. I was excited for the last push, thinking it
would be an easy final walk. Of course it wasn’t.
To get to Rara Lake I decided to take a shortcut and cross another pass. On the map,
the trail to this pass was barely visible. The suggested route is a 25-kilometre walk. My
chosen route was less than half of that. Oh boy.
I walked through foot-deep snow for hours, my shoes and feet became wet but the sky
was blue and the sun was bright and the views were otherworldly, giving me enough
Jang La pass
English: Grade 11 175
to be cheerful about. Once I had
reached the pass I was in for a
shock: the skinny cliff path was
snowed-in. There was a steep drop
of 300 metres and I was on top of a
4,000-metre mountain. There was
nothing to hold on to but loose
metamorphic rocks; grabbing the
wrong one could be fatal. But
turning back meant walking more
hours, and in the dark.
Without tent and food, that option
was only slightly more dangerous than crossing an icy cliff edge without ice axe and
crampons.
I dug my heels and hands in the snow, one frozen movement at a time, until I was on
the other side. It was cold but my adrenaline ran so high that I was sweating from the
suspense. Imagine my relief once I’ve made it across all four cliff crossings!
And so I arrived at Rara Lake alive and well. The biggest freshwater lake in Nepal.
Himalaya was there, glistening in its dark blue glory, waiting for my arrival. The
magnificent sky-scraping pine trees decorated the ground with giant pine cones. Coots
glided over the crystal clear water, occasionally diving under to disappear and resurface
again. White peaks said hello from a distance. There were only two hotels in the national
park, at least on the lake side. It’s strange to think that Fewa Lake in Pokhara was once
this quiet.
Through a five-week long walk, I have covered a distance that totals up to 25 percent
of the Nepal Himalaya via the lower Great Himalayan Trail, along with some funky
detours. If I ever thought I knew Nepal and its cultures, the west shook that knowing.
By and large, I would describe what I witnessed and experienced as medieval and raw.
The wild western region is a step or two back in time, when we knew how to survive
with our primal instincts, human intuition, and oneness with nature.
Megan Leung
Rara Tal from a snowed-in pass
176 English: Grade 11
Ways with words
Ways with words
A. Meaning of the words
a. became fuller and softer by shaking - fluffed
b. sound mental health- sanity
c. consisting of or easily breaking into small pieces- crumbly
d. neither very hot nor very cold- temperate
e. land that does not have enough water to support the growth of plants- arid region
f. only slightly warm- lukewarm
B. Find the meanings of the following words in an English dictionary,
write their word classes and use them in your own sentences.
hazy frontier lush flipflops altitude fatal magnificent
C. Make a list of the Nepali words used in the text and write their English
equivalents. For example: didi (Nepali) – elder sister (English).
D. Practise saying these words with consonant clusters /sk/, /sp/ and /st/
aloud with your friends.
skin scare spot speak star stone
school scarf speed space stupid step
skill skull sport spend steal stand
scale skip spark special stock stain
skirt ski speech spoon staff study
Comprehension
Answer these questions.
a. How did the author feel when she saw a colourful rooster in the western
Himalayas?
She felt amused when she saw a colourful rooster in the western Himalaya
b. How does she describe the houses on the trails of western Nepal?
There were stoned houses under a rock over a river. They looked too crumble to live in but people were comfortable with them.
c. What does she mean when she says "I walked towards a village15
kilometres further as the crow flies?"
When she says "I walked towards a village 15 kilometres further as the crow flies she means the distance she had to cover was measured between two places that is 15 kilometer.
d. Describe the village Thankur in brief.
Thankur had only two houses. She saw three lophophorouses there. The evening suprised her as the stars were twinkling brilliantly.
e. What happened when she reached Jumla and how was she relieved?
When she reached Jumla she was ill with an unknown virus and a bad tummy. She was relieved after meeting an American and having medicine and pani puri.
f. How does the author describe the bucket water in Khali Lagna?
The water surface on the bucket was frozen. When she cracked it, she felt satisfied as the water underneath was surprisingly lukewarm.
g. How was Rara Lake on the day she reached there?
The water in Rara Lake was glistening in its dark blue glory when she reached there.
Grammar
Voice
B. Complete these sentences using the verbs given in the brackets.
C. Change the following sentences into passive.
The problem wasn't fixed by me.
The town is protected by police.
He was raised in a small town by John’s mother.
The building was built last year.
Penicillin was discovered in 1928 by Alexander Fleming.
Grammar is studied on the internet by some students.
The window had been broken by 3: p.m.
We were being watched by a strange man
The Olympics will be held in 2020 by Tokyo.
The report is being worked in right now by us.
He has been told to arrive earlier by my manage.
The mistake could not have been made by them.
I hope I am going to be hired soon by them.
I don't like being statered at.
She likes being waved at.
By whom were you told the story ?
Is the bicycle being repaired by him?
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