This weeks PhotoFriday theme is “Mountain.” Here is my entry.
This picture shows the Himalayas from the Nepalese side. It was taken on my brief stop in Kathmandu before heading into Tibet.
Please also vote for my entry in last weeks challenge, “Passage of Time.” I’m entry 232.
This weeks PhotoFriday theme is “Strength.” Here is my entry. A bunch of Tibetan prayer-wheels may seem like an odd choice, but they give the faithful strength in the face of adversity
Please also vote for my entry in last weeks challenge, “Silence.” I am entry number 300.
In a change to our advertised programme — mainly the Mare a Mare Nord — I decide to walk up to the Lac de Nino, as recommended by the lady running the hotel I’m staying in.
The walk starts in a pine forest a ten-minute taxi ride up hill. The path begins fairly gently but soon consists of large rocks. As I ascend the rocks get smaller and loser. Walking gives way to scrambling and a little climbing. I realise that I’m lucky to be heading upwards as the opposite direction looks to be almost impossible for people as dextrous as me.
On the way, the coloured way-marks are accompanied by piles of small stones, some in neat pyramids, others artistically balanced on or inside dead trees. These were often easier to find than the official marks, but it made you feel very guilty when you very nearly accidentally knocked them over when resting!
I pass a farm and then the level where there are trees shading me from the mid-day sun. After a couple of false “I’ll definitely be at the top after this next bit” declarations I really did reach the summit. Looking down the other side I have my first view of Lac de Nino.
As the guidebook says, it does have a somewhat eerie quality to it, although I’m not sure about looking Tibetan.
After pausing here for a bite to eat I press on. Shortly after the lake I meet with the GR20, a long distance path for hard-core walkers, and continue for a couple of hours.
At least that was the plan. I see no way-marks and no obvious signs of a path. With clouds descending on the peaks and the number of daylight hours dwindling I decide that getting lost up here would not be a good option and reluctantly start to retrace my steps.
Despite looking particularly nasty on the way up, my descent is probably my quickest and easiest so far. This could be tested further as the next couple of days are going to be heading west, largely downhill and towards the coast.
This weeks PhotoFriday theme is “Barren.” Here is my entry. This picture was taken on the Tibetan side of the Himalayas on the last day as we were about to head back into Nepal.
Please also vote for my entry in last weeks challenge, “Busy.” I’m number 278 (“–> Stephen <–“).
I couldn’t let the inaugural train journey betweeen Beijing and Lhasa, the capital of Tibet, go by without comment. It represents a huge shift for the Tibetans and, while it could bring some positive changes, it’s more likely to bring large numbers of Chinese and a quickening of the pace of the decline of their unique culture.
Wired has a nice article — “Train to the Roof of the World” — that takes a balanced view of the technology and politics. The BBC’s — “First Beijing train reaches Lhasa” — is much shorter if you’re pushed for time!
Also see the pictures from my 2002 trip to the region.
Cue Talking Heads music… we’re on the road to no-where. But actually it’s in Tibet. This was our last night in the region and the next day we’d head over the Himalayas into Nepal, which is the most spectacular overland journey I have ever been on.
This image taken on my EOS300 with 28-90mm USM lens on Fuji Reala 100 film.