TIBET: KAMA CHU AND KHARTA VALLEY TREK AND FRIENDSHIP HIGHWAY TIBET Qomolangma National park May, 2019 PART 5 by WILLIAM D BOEHM

MT Everest from near Tingri on the way to Rongbuk, Below Tsibri Mountqins, schists like ribs before Tingri

DAY22-23 DAY 8,9 May 29 Somale Yuna village in the Kharta Valley to Rongbuk and North

Face of Mt Everest back to Tingri on the Friendship Highway. From Somale we drove back to

the village of Phadhruchi

then back to Old Tingri also

known as Zhaxizongxiang

at the road junction. We

turned west this time and

drove southwest into the

Rongphu Valley for several

hours to ascend into the

North Face of Mt Everest

and the Rongbuk Glacier

to stay at a small lodge at the Rongbuk Monastery. Transferred our gear to an electric bus to

overnight near the Rongphu Monastery situated 15 km below the Base Camp. Access to Everest

Base Camp used by the famous interwar British expeditions is currently restricted to

mountaineers with the necessary permits. Saw a beautiful evening sunset on the north face of

North Face of Mt Everest from Ronbuk

of Everest. At Rongphu we stayed in the square lodge at5176 m (16,981 ft). Bathroom pretty bad, three concrete holes per male and female side, no doors, open for anyone to see you squat, awful odor. Hi winds swept down the mountain and was very cold that evening filming the mountain. Didn’t sleep that night trying to catch every third breath, long night at this high altitude. Early morning with the window open, a yak stuck its head in to check us out. Funny.

We left late morning in the electric bus back to the

parking lot, then drove back north over Gawula Pass

(Pang La) to the Friendship Highway junction, then

stayed at Tingri (Shegar), once called Ganggar

located about 190kms (114 mi) east of the Nepal

border. Ganggar is a small town along

the Friendship Highway located on the Pum Qu or Phung

Chu, the source of the Arun River across the Nepal

border. It is now undergoing new construction with new

buildings, but was once an atmospheric village which

includes about 100 mud-brick houses crowded together

below the hillside, very old Tibet in style. There were

some real Tibetan characters passing us on the street in

their horse-carts or prayer-flag festooned tractors. The wild west of central Tibet! Though it

isn't the most comfortable place to stay along the route from Lhasa to Nepal, the excellent

views of the Himalaya's make it a worthwhile stop. The view looking south of the town Left: Tingri horseman at festival (2007 H Jans)

offers a sweeping view of the Himalaya's including Everest, Cho Oyu, the 6th highest mountain

in the world, and Nangpa Ly.

Tingri (Shegar) used to be an important trading post where Sherpas from Nepal exchanged rice, grain, and iron for Tibetan wool, livestock and salt. Tingri in Tibetan defines the broad upland

basin more than 4,500 m high known as the Tingri Plain. Surrounded by shallow, fast-flowing rivers of melted snow water and an abundance of grass meadowland once supported an abundance of gazelles, blue sheep, antelopes and kiang or wild asses. Today these grasslands are replaced by livestock. DAY24 May 30, Thursday Tingri beautiful drive

through Qoomonga National park to Kyirung in the green Tibetan valley.

Shishaipangma on the Tibetan Plateau seen from the Friendship Highway Qomolangma National park

Beautiful clear morning and we left along the Friendship Highway for Tsamda, on the snaking river with old style chortens and flock of sheep. We followed the Phung Chu northwest passing the ruins of several large forts which guarded the trade route to Nepal and were destroyed in 18th century wars. The highway G3i8 turned west across the foothills of the Tibetan plateau before reaching xiamude where we had a brief view of Everest and Cho Oyu. G318 then turns south driving past the southern turnoff to Nyalam Nepal, now closed because of the earthquake damage until the road is repaired, and the turnoff for Shishapangma Base Camp. Jamin York, my friend in Tacoma who was raised in Tibet had mentioned this area still has wild gazelles, kiang and wolves. Above white capped water start

Tibetan ass or Kiang Qomolangma National park

We followed the alternate route along X214 towards Pelku Tso (Peiku Tso on many maps) lake, passing only a few small traditional Tibetan villages, with kiang (wild ass) and blue sheep often roaming the nearby plateau. the colors of the hillsides varying shades of yellow amber with

Tibetan gazelle; belowL Black-lipped pika, Tibetan wolf Qomolangma National park

white glaciated summits of glaciated peaks rising dramatically above the steppe. And we saw

several small herds of Kiang. Following the 2015 earthquake the former friendship highway was badly damaged resulting in its continued closure. This new route was opened initially to ensure

Gang Benchhen 7299 m 23946 ft near Paiku Co lake

Paiku Co lake Tibet above and below

that trade between Nepal and China could continue. In 2017 the border post was opened to tourists allowing for travel along this legendary overland route to recommence. The highway slowly descended towards the lake, all the time with incredible views of Shishapangma (8013 m (26,335 ft), the world’s 14th highest peak, directly to the south (left)

and Gang Benchen 7299 m (23946 ft). The highway took us at the SW corner of this beautiful lake, a deep aquamarine blue and we stopped to explore in a stiff cold, wind coming down from the mountains. There is always this strong wind, except in the early morning. Ascending from Pelku Tso to a small hill, we had spectacular views down to the lake, and drove through a narrow canyon for several kilometers

passing over a ridge marked with prayer flags at about 4900 meters, and then descending and ascending to the Tsalung La (5280m). The road

then steeply descended through switchbacks over 1000 meters! It was a beautiful drive through

southern Tibet to the Langtang (Rasuwa) region of Nepal, following the Kyirong Chu river, which

becomes the Trishuli River in Nepal, passing through canyons and ending up in green, forested

countryside. Continuing to descent, the landscape changes dramatically, the clouds increase

and the scenery is more and more like Nepal, and less like the high plateaus of Tibet.

Continued over a pass to the west of the lake, crossing in snow and seeing many individual kiangs along the way. Amazing views of peaks into Nepal, and we descended steep switchbacks into the Tibetan town of Giyrong (Kyirung) in the valley, heading along a south flowing river in steep walled mountains and canyons. After several hours descending towards Nepal and the village of Chigasi, we encountered forests of fir, pine and spruce with glaciated peaks surrounding us. The road was new, but cut through difficult sections of canyon where there was a huge washout where we waited 4 hours for construction before they let any traffic pass.

Finally descended through beautiful forested ridges Gyirong Town, also referred to as Kyirong

2,700 m (8,856 ft) elevation. The town is situated on the east bank of Gyirong River, a tributary

of the Trishuli River and has an elevation about meters Kyirong was once a major trading post in

Jilonghen town and Yangra peak 7422 m 24350 ft

Tibet, where we stayed in a hotel for the night with a beautiful view of the surrounding

mountains.

DAY24 May 30, Friday Kyirung in green Tibetan valley to Nepal border and Kathmandu. We

left early from the border town of Kyirung (Jilong) on a beautiful clear morning with a view of

Kyirong ans Jilonghen town and Yangra peak 7422 m 24350 ft

the massive glaciated peak Yangra 7422 m (24350 ft) to the west and the steep glaciated tooth

Langbo Kandri 6648 m (21811 ft) to the north. Such a scenic area but the city isn’t

accommodating this scenic area as a tourist spot, but becoming commercial with a contrast of

new Chinese shop buildings. Descended the steep mountain switchbacks in green temperate

forests with cliffs of waterfalls. We descended through green forests and pastures and followed

the Kyirong Chu south, which becomes the Trishuli River in Kathmandu, passing several

prominent chortens en route and descending over 1000 meters until we reached the modern

Chinese Tibetan checkpoint below Kyring on the Nepal border. Photograph taken on Nepal side

Chinese immigration building. Rasuwa Ghadi, Nepal is a newly opened border in 2017 for

foreigners, previously used for trade between Nepal and Tibet before the earthquake.

Passed through several checkpoints until we reached the border of Nepal at Rasuwa Ghadi or

Rasuwa Fort, built in the 1800’s. We processed through Chinese immigration in a new building,

then passed across an old bridge of a river helped by Nepalese porters to load up two jeeps that

could navigate the 11 hours of awful roads. Could immediately see the poverty of Nepal, with

passing through three checkpoints until our visas were stamped. We had 10-12 hours of tough

driving on very bad dirt roads in the mountains before we would enter a paved highway to

Pokhara just outside of Kathmandu. We began the difficult descent through a narrow canyon

on a rough dirt road hacked out of the side slope above the river. Squeezed past 2 kilometers of

trucks with brightly painted cabs parked waiting for up to a week to get through the

immigration process into Tibet.

Nepalese checkpoint and loading up vehicles for 10 hour exposed dirt road to Kathmandu

We bounced along the deep rocky and rutted mountain road above the steep gorge of the

Trishuli River for 6 hours before we finally reached the foothills, with one section blocked, and

we were able to drive through a couple fields to circumvent the caved in section, whew.

Continue to drive south along the new dirt track of Pasang Lhamo, past Timure and Syabru Besi,

to Dhunche and Ramche Bazaar. We finally reached a much warmer climates in the Nuwakot

district of Nepal, continuing south until we followed a more meandering Trisuli River at

Betrawoti Bazaar. After 11 Long hours, we finally made it to the Kathmandu city outskirts and

within an hour of heavy traffic through poverty-stricken areas reached our Radisson hotel.

What an amazing refuge amidst such a smog, poverty-stricken area with a huge city. I look

forward to getting home.

Kathmandu

FOOTNOTE

I had a Kathmandu newspaper article I read at breakfast this morning where a man set. His

Wife on fire with kerosene, Hinduism is so evil in controlling the people with false gods, caste

system and accepted evil treatment of women. I the Kathmandu post June 1 the next morning

here is the details Rihana Sheikh Dhapali returned home after 40 days recovering in Bir hospital

from severe burns. Her Husband set her on fire march 17, 2014 by her Husband Farid sheikh

because his family demanded from her parents’ gifts after their wedding. The family of Farid

demanded a gold watch, motorcycle and tortured her with physical and mental abuse. Rihana’s

Father refused, so the Husband poured kerosene on her at age 18, and set her on fire. She was

7 months pregnant and the trauma killed the unborn baby. She survived and her family rescued

her, and placed her in Bheri Zonai hospital in Nepalguni for treatment, they had to sell off

almost all their possessions, 3 goats and some Jewelry to pay for her treatment. Dahpali’s

Husband and in-laws fled to India. According to the national women’s commission 81% of

women in Nepal are victims of violence by their own husbands due to a lack of laws providing

justice against domestic violence.