• Mustang Mally
    Europe isn't the only place to find old buildings. 14C palace converted to a guest house
    1The guardians are a grandma and grandpa. Grandpa's doing pretty well (but I'd sheath that sword)Oldest prayer wheel we've seen. Also 14th C1Such a cutieOur first live Yak! Not in the wild but a real one!They are a lot smaller than we thoughtNext the hike from the town to the temple up countless stairs starting at 3800mI brought my swimmers but had second thoughts. This ain't no mountain lake.We left this one to the locals as well. It seemed a bit kitsch to do it as a non Buddhist westernerPilgrims make their way here from all over Nepal and IndiaThis was our way downThere were other options ranging from the cheap...To the Bollywood...To whatever you call thisWe took a sidetrack from the town to cross some farmlandIt was so nice to be isolated from the crowdsI'm still a bit suspicious of Nepalese engineeringOur lunch destination. We had to earn it!Dzong monastery has an arrangement with Shinta Mani to put on something special1What's not to love?Birthday cake as well!Ready to rollWith a support car in towCouldn't take the corners too aggressivelyIt's hard to describe the scale. Zoom in to the road on the right.And finally... Yak Donald's! They even had a happy meal

    Blown Away

    March 14 in Nepal ⋅ ☀️ 4 °C

    The Upper Mustang border would be our last field trip. The road from Pokhara to Jomsom continues North all the way to Tibet. The elevation increases, the landscape becomes harsher and more baron and the culture becomes more Tibetan. One of our longest hikes would take us to a mountain temple in Muktinath then across a river to Dzong Buddhist temple where we would dine alone on the rooftop overlooking a vista so vast that photos don't do it justice. The wind became crazy (40kph) so dessert was at ground level before a breakneck (ok probably 50kph) mountain bike ride on a steep, rocky roads with a crosswind. What a ride and what a way to finish!Read more