Together with our guides and the porters, we, four Nepal enthusiasts, set off from Jomsom on the trekking trails of Mustang, or what remains of them. Since road construction in Mustang is currently being pushed ahead, we had to change the route and at times also switch to adventurous jeep rides. Even so, the whole thing was a successful trip, different from planned, but filled with enormous impressions.
A report by the Italian Tibet researcher Tucci about Mustang had fascinated me so much that I absolutely wanted to visit the kingdom, which was hidden until the 1990s. The king no longer lives and meanwhile the opening up of this region is visibly progressing (road construction). Nevertheless, we experienced a great deal! Thanks to our tireless guides, we were not only able to marvel at the wonderful mountains of the Himalayas, but also to conquer valleys, gorges and passes with all our hiking enthusiasm. We were rewarded with magnificent views of the wonderful mountains, we explored romantic villages with old monasteries, chörten and mani stones. We met people who keep their cultural heritage alive in everyday life. Rooted in their traditions, daily life and work are a daily challenge. We visited monasteries and saw impressive works of art from times past.
Happy and grateful for all the impressions, we have returned from a trip into another time. Deep within me remains the admiration for the country and its people. A heartfelt thank you goes to our guides and porters, without them and the daily portion of Dal Bhat, we would not have come this far.
A big thank you also to Gülüstan Kolay, who, together with her team on site, organised all of this, had an ear for individual wishes and showed us her very personal Kathmandu.
Vera M.
