Mustang Diary

“Let’s plan for Mustang”, said Santosh. Though I was unsure that the plan would work out, I was determined to go on this trip at any cost. Our talks on “Mission Mustang” started and we were pretty much thrilled about it. It may have taken us near about 2 months or so to arrange a mutual favorable date for all of us to make our dream come true. Must say, all of us were excited about Mustang and that could be seen when Suraz came for this trip directly from Delhi and Ujjawal was ready to give a break to his busy bee business days for some days.

Finally, August 8 was the day when we left for Beni. The restless week prior to the final day left me with sleepless nights and I am sure all 8 of us must have gone through the same feeling at some point.

For the next 5 days, travelling 9 districts from Kathmandu to Mustang (Kathmandu, Dhading, Gorkha, Chitwan, Tanahun, Kaski, Parbat, Myagdi and finally Mustang), we had one of the finest moments of our life where we cherished our old golden school days embracing the beauty of the nature.

The moment we got off the bus at 5.30 in the morning and stepped Beni, the first word was “WOW” from me. Beni, which stood with beautiful green hills with Kaligandaki flowing alongside, took our heart away. And that was only the teaser of the panoramic view that we were going to witness during our journey.

Beautiful green hill seen from Bus stop of Beni

Reaching Rupse Chahara was our next destination where we were supposed to change our vehicle. From Modi’s Nepal visit to our own, from India- Nepal friendship to our own- we discussed everything in that journey.

Well, all those talks certainly made our journey less scary because the road was at its worst. Kaligandaki river looked so furious as if it was ready to engulf us in its high tide. At times, some stupid doubts of returning home alive also crossed my mind (I don’t know about others) but thankfully we had a superb trip (and I am still alive ;)).  P.S: No need to worry if you have any plans of taking that road any other time because this is monsoon and not a good time to travel the hills of Nepal.

The amazing view seen during our way to Rupse

The fierce flowing Kaligandaki in fury!!

When we reached Rupse Chahara, literally we were stunned by its breathtaking view. The spring (Chahara) looked beautiful as if it was a portrait of nature,filled with all those colors that can captivate your attention for a moment. Historically, it is believed that if one drinks water of that spring they have “Roopwan” (attractive) descendents and may be that is how it got its name. Not to forget, this place also has the deepest gorge of the world, which is worth watching. Despite we had a heavy luggage at our back and a steepy slope to climb, the cool breeze that sprinkled the water of Rupse made it lot easy for us to carry on our journey.

Deepest gorge of the world welcomes us with drizzle!!

After ascending and descending the hills for about half an hour, our next destination was Ghasa (2200m) and we took a public transport for that. What made me more nervous during this journey was the first seat in the bus, the gigantic Kaligandaki on my right, narrow unpitched slippery road and rocky granite mountains on my left, my seatmate Ujjwal in his deep sleep and the continuous drizzle that worsened the road. The only thing I was doing at that moment was appreciating the driver because the lives of about 30 passengers in that bus was in his hand and Kudos to him who took us to our destination safely and alive (again!!).

Without wasting a second, we took tickets in rain and boarded our bus for Jomsom (2720m) which is the “Gateway to Muktinath”. The adventurous roller coaster ride started again where we got another chance to witness the exceptionally beautiful place called Chaptang; where we had a tea- break for 30 minutes and we fully utilized it with our photo shoots. The green alluring hills blanketed with fog was covered with small yellow flowers and the springs and rivers flowing added wonders to its beauty. The fierce Kaligandaki was flowing swiftly along Chaptang on its right which made it no less than the paradise I used to imagine of.

Foggy Chaptang

Fierce Kaligandaki flows gently alongside Chaptang

Rare group photo in Chaptang. 
(From left: Ujjawal, Chandan,Santosh,Prashant,Suraz,Praveen bhai,Rumi and me)

Our journey to Jomsom continued with fun inside the bus and breathtaking Coniferous dhupi and pine hills outside. On the way was Lete (2418m) which was another beautiful settlement and tourist destination. The houses built with stones were mostly hotels and lodges with 24 hours hot showers and many other varieties of options for you that you cannot have imagined in a place like that.

After Lete was beautiful Marpha, which is famous for its Apple Orchards. I did not see a single house without apple tree in its yard and that lured me more. I just wondered how great it would be plucking apple from tree and having it instantly for a girl like me from Terai.

Then we reached Jomsom which is also known as the Cold Desert of Nepal. It must have been 4 in the evening when we reached this dry land and it welcomed us with dry air. Finally!! We reached the first point of our destination and the feeling was Legen…wait for it…dary!!

After our hotel hunt, we spent our night in Grand Paradise hotel in the paradise called Jomsom.

Early in the morning of Janai Purnima, our destination was Muktinath Temple through the steepy roads; actually they weren’t roads. They were just the trails full of pebbles and granites alongside Annapurna Himalayan range and Kaligandaki. Rocky mountains on one side and some traces of plant life in the eroded hills and the roller coaster ride. The ride was painful in the bumpy road yet it was adventurous and no one can obviously ignore the bewitching picturesque that we were exploring on our way. Sometimes words are not enough to describe the feeling and describing Mustang with mere alphabets is the same. Mustang is beyond just beautiful- it’s Majestic and it’s Mustang.

Our highway to Muktinath.

Traces of greenary on the way.

Trip to Muktinath (3710m) was again another mesmerizing adventure. Ascending the stairs for an hour with bag pack, the smell of incense stick, the sound of the bells ringing and the cottons flying around arouses the spiritual religious feelings in you. Simply touching our fingers in those 108 cold tap water was difficult but the guys got themselves into those taps. Hats off boys!! And Prashant even changed his sacred thread (Janai) in the premise of Muktinath in Janai Purnima.

Way to Muktinath.

I was amazed to see Buddhist monks as the main priest worshipping God Vishnu. May be this is called religious tolerance. Rumi and I lighted the Shanti deep (Peace Candle) in the name of peace.

After meeting with God, it was time to descend to Ranipauwa. And lucky us, we got a chance to be a part of Yarthung festival- Horse riding being the highlight of it.

What was most amazing about this festival was that people celebrated it with so much of enthusiasm, spirit and charm. Every single person was out of their house or in their terraces and waited eagerly for the race to start. The riders showed their skill gradually with courage, confidence, accuracy and speed. There was laughter too, when the horses moved off the track or some riders failed their stunts and fell off the horse.

Riders getting ready for the Horse-race.

Mustang trip also brought us close to the culture of the Thakalis along with the closeness to nature.

How many of you have heard of Kagbeni? Our next destination was Kagbeni. I was fascinated by this place since I’d seen the movie of the same name and had been an eager beaver to reach the place. From Ranipauwa to Kagbeni via Jharkot was merely 13 kms walk and our walk started through this arid desert. The open vast clear blue sky, numbers of cool water flowing streams, the ringing bells tied in neck of horses and ass on the way and the magnificent view of hills on the back score were placed as if like there was an art exhibition in nature's gallery. 

Long way to go!!! But one photo before that... :D

The walk of around 5-6 hours (and not to forget 6 of us lost our way once because of our photo sessions) was tiresome then but a memory now.  Luckily, Chandan and Praveen bhai found the rest of us and we all were together again.

This is where we lost our way.. But who in this earth wouldn't want to lose their way in such beautiful place?

Now, can we describe the beauty?? We can only feel it...

I don't believe I was walking through this place 3 weeks ago!!

Khinga was the next stop for us to have tea where there was a beautiful baini serving tea for us. And “Boys will always be boys” who even got a chance to flirt with her on our 20 minutes stay.

Another good part of Mustang was its people who were ready to help others. Mr. Ram Bahadur Dhungana was one of such man who helped me carrying my heavy bag and holding my hands to descend the slope.

Kagbeni was like an oasis in desert because in the midst of barren land, Kagbeni was green with Kaag river flowing along.

Kagbeni-an oasis in desert

Early in the morning it was a treat for our eyes to see the Midas touch of the sun rays that shined upon the mountains and the view made me realize the worth of our splendid trip.

Our next destination was LoManthang (3730m), the old capital of the secret kingdom- The Upper Mustang via Chhusang (2920) through the trodden trail and grand canyons. Our journey from Kagbeni to Chhusang was another memorable one. Through the narrow gorge and rocky mountains and heart attacking roads (again), it looked like the mission of Need For Speed (NFS) game. Again, an applause to the drivers who drove our jeep that plunged into river again and again and we successfully came out of it every time. Previously, my heart leaped when we came across any such subways but by then I was just used to it and had no fear anymore.

Chhusang was a transit for 4 hours for us where we visited Chhusang Health-post (thanks to our Ram Narayan Uncle, Santosh’s mausa jee and also HP in-charge who arranged such wonderful trip for us), the only English Medium primary school and apple gardens of course. After having lunch we headed to Lo Manthang which is considered as the Last Living Museum of Tibetian culture.

At Chhusang stop and our luggage

Group Photo again!! at Chhusang..

With a very interesting starter of crossing the Kaligandaki river (or it would be better to say riding Suraz’s back like most of us did and ofcourse, Chandan who crossed the river himself) we had to walk for an hour to reach our vehicle and again we had another wonderful time in that scorching heat of noon.

Walking alongside the eroded rocky mountains and the reminiscence of ancient caves that were used by the Tibetians to hide in Nepal really made our journey grand.

The rocky mountain trail from chhusang to LoManthang.

The ancient cave alongside Mustang gate.

First we reached a place called Chaile (3150m) where we had to register our vehicle because of the prevailing syndicate system. We could not explore the place but it seemed to be interesting one. And on the way were places like Samer(3290m) and then Ghiling(3510m) which were again pleasant places to be in. Amidst the heat, the cool breeze and the greenery of this place harmoniously proportioned the greatness of nature. 

Beautiful Ghiling valley.

The landslide had eroded the road so we walked for another 3 hours and got into a new vehicle at Bhena.

There is not an easy way every time.

After the ride, our next station was Syangboche (3800m) which was also the refilling station of our vehicle as well as ours with Uwao (Local Booze).

Music, friends, fun, local uwao and gags inside the vehicle and the striking jaw dropping landscape outside gave us Halka ramailo (delighted) and left us spell bound. After having Uwao, our Hulk friend Chandan (who got this name in the trip) started to sing and shout and of course uncle who was complaining that Rumi and me remained silent in trip were a surprise package for him. ;) And obviously I must have entertained you guys with my ENGLISH!! :D

Do I need to say anything for this?

We have come across that hill..

With a rough driving to our destination, we finally reached Lo Manthang (3730m) at around 7.30 in the dark. 

Evening ride at Ghemi on the way to LoManthang.

After throwing our bags in our room, it was time to celebrate Santosh’s birthday where we had music, dance, food and fluid to drive away our whole day exhaustion.

The next morning, we were early birds to go and meet our king and queen from Mustang. Walking around this maze like kingdom, its richness and flourishing history could be seen through its magnificent monasteries, palaces and reminiscence of rambling forts. 

These undisturbed forts and buildings has preserved the culture of Mustang

With all those instructions of being polite and the basic etiquettes we were supposed to follow gave me the divine feeling as if I was to meet the living God themselves in this beautiful kingdom. Interacting with the 82 years old king; Jigme Parbal Bista who was the 25^th king of their dynasty in the 5 storied 700 years old palace proved my instinct correct.

The 700 years old Palace of LoManthang.

"While rest of the world moved forward with time, we felt LoManthang stood still caught in the momentum of time. Despite the remoteness from the pleasures of modern life; people were happy, content and satisfied to be on their own in their culture". And to our amazement, we found everything in Lo Manthang; from Cappuccino to Latte; from American to Italian; from Pizza to Momo; from Black label to Local Uwao; from anything to everything and that too in a normal price. Our guys took a very good advantage of the reasonable prices of the commodities imported from China and not to overlook every one of them bought a dragger for themselves. :D The only thing that was expensive in LoManthang was the phone calls where we had to pay Rs.10 for a minute (that is quite expensive).

Meeting king at Lo Manthang was our ultimate mission where we evidenced the kingdom within the wall. Though there was Chosar cave where we should have been to, we were forbidden by our time constraint for the visit and I regret it now.

A group photo with Mustang ko raja.

Descending from Lo Manthang was heart breaking and sad moment for us because that was the end of our trip. Returning through the same route was not as merry as we previously had but of course we had a good time of togetherness. Adventurous trip from Lo Manthang to Chhusang is what makes me nostalgic now. The night trek (that too everyone in a high spirit), yelling and singing aloud in the dark along the cool breeze blowing through Kaligandaki is a classic memory now.

Our ride like us was Bindaas tour

A night in Chhusang ended with the early morning search of Shaligrams in Kaligandaki river. With some beautiful stones found by Prashant, Ujjawal, Santosh and Suraj we were ready to bade a good bye to Mustang.

Descended to Jomsom and caught bus at noon for Beni the same day following the same route we had been there. We were hoping to reach Beni earlier but the continuous rainfall and degraded road made it impossible. The boys even found some time to plunge themselves in Taatopaani (Hot water pool) on the way. While returning back to Beni, we almost met an accident in the slippery road but all thanks to God we survived and you are reading this. ;)

After reaching Beni at 8 in the evening, we headed to Pokhara ASAP and reached there at in the midnight. Our good time continued in Pokhara too, where we visited some beautiful places to add some spark to our trip. Finally our week long adventurous trip ended in Pokhara leaving us with terrific memories of the beautiful place.

A bit of fun at Pokhara too...

It had exactly been 10 years since our school days and we came together for this wonderful trip. Though we were constantly in touch through social media, I’d met Suraz after 10 long years. Busy in own stuffs for other days, it was a great time for 7 of us celebrating our companionship walking, climbing, trekking and driving the roads of Mustang.

From a week long expedition to Mustang, what we realized was though Mustang is the secret kingdom but it’s been a mystery only for we Nepali. We love to travel but we haven’t been able to travel our own country despite we have such exceptionally wonderful places in our own country. We saw lots of foreigners trekking to Upper Mustang but very few Nepalese trekkers. There are so many places in our own country and no one can deny the fact that Nepal is a beautiful place to be in and Mustang of course is a must visit place once in your life. But ONCE IS NOT ENOUGH!!!

Finally not to forget, I even plucked apples from apple orchard!! :)

(Photo Courtesy: Suraj n Ujjawal)