Woody in the Himalayas
I entered the Blue I Orchid Hotel after a brief flight from Patna in India to Kathmandu in Nepal for what I hoped to be an adventure to be remembered. The city, a mixture of Hindu and Buddhist culture, contained people of Chinese and Indian descent. Old multi coloured rickshaws weaved in and out of the traffic along the narrow streets of central Kathmandu. Beggars sat on street corners asking for money and young teenage buskers played their array of strange musical instruments. An army of monkeys inhabited the temples in the city centre and caused problems for passers by with their playful antics. After several days wandering around this environment I became determined to escape into the towering Himalayas and the deeply cut valleys of the Nepalese countryside.
A varied crowd which included hippies from a bygone age inhabited the Blue Orchid Hotel. I got to know them and the owner quite well during the three days I was there and he referred me to my mountain guide Purna Lama one Sunday morning for my journey into the mountains.
After the usual welcoming courtesies, which is normal in this part of the world it was down to business as I negotiated a deal with my new Nepalese acquaintance. For the use of the guide, two sherpas, camping equipment and food for seven days I had to pay £40, a bargain for the time, if ever there was one.
The hotel owner gave permission for my baggage to be left in the hotel then I began my journey towards Everest, high above the Kathmandu valley, just two hours after striking the deal.
Although Purna Lama, a tall Chinese looking man with a weather beaten face and quiet personality could communicate in English, the two sherpas only spoke Hindi. They were very small men, barely five feet in height but very courteous and hard working. They carried equipment on their backs at least twice their own weight but never complained. In contrast to this Purna Lama had many conversations along the way in almost fluent English and seemed to enjoy my company as a foreigner. He wore a black polo neck sweater, black trousers and walking boots and guided himself with a long stick which proved particularly useful when walking uphill.
On the first day we walked from midday until about five in the afternoon then we set up camp in a location close to a mountain stream so that we had a plentiful water supply. After lighting a fire and erecting two tents food was cooked then Purna Lama and I sat and talked as darkness descended. The two sherpas squatted on the ground several feet away, eating and chatting in Hindi. I felt tired after a day of walking and taking photos but happy with the new experience.
As night arrived the stars seemed very close and meteors were much more common in the skies than in other parts of the world. One could almost stretch out an arm and touch them. The feeling of freedom coupled with the sensation of closeness of the stars was unforgettable.
As we climbed the winding tracks along the way and passed through small hamlets, the emerald green steppes glistened in the sun while the snow capped Himalayas dominated the background view. Villagers sometimes stopped to watch us pass and children greeted us with smiles on their faces.
I spent most of my time photographing the scenery as I made my way through the mountainous countryside until reaching the upper part of the Kathmandu Valley. After setting up camp there I slept deeply then awoke the following morning to find the valley engulfed in an eerie white mist while the rest of the environment bathed in sunlight. The sight remained one of beauty and silence.
Walking through the countryside of Nepal was not very exhausting but very interesting with undulating hills, mountains with steppes of rice and a backdrop of the Himalayas. Nothing of any great consequence happened during this adventure compared with my future Colombian experiences but it was relaxing and interesting to be there.
We returned to Kathmandu after seven days. I had many photos that I later included in my own one man exhibition in London entitled ‘Journey to the Himalayas.’ I thanked Purna Lama and the two sherpas for their service and continued sight seeing for several days in Kathmandu. Purna Lama periodically wrote to me over the years urging my return but eventually he stopped contact and I never saw or heard from him again.
As I prepared to leave Kathmandu one more incident took place. After about twenty minutes on the plane waiting to depart with the passengers becoming agitated, a group of policemen entered the plane with what looked like a member of the Hari Krishna group. He was thrown on to a seat by the police shouting aggressive comments at the top of his voice. As the plane took off he calmed down and informed me that he had been deported from the country because of his anti Nepalese government views. When we reached Patna 45 minutes later Indian police were awaiting him at the airport and he was reluctantly escorted away. I proceeded on another flight to Mumbai.
I enjoyed my experience in the Himalayas and still have the ambition to return and trek to Tibet from Kathmandu for an even greater adventure in the future if age doesn’t get the better of me.
