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Himalaya: The Great Walk
Nov 22, 2004 00: 20 EST
November 17th 2004 Lhasa:
"My first hours in the city weren't the most auspicious I could have had: First of all I see, in broad daylight and in a not crowded main street, a guy attempting to open a girl's bag as she walked by.
Then, as I check into my guesthouse I am shown a paper stamped by the chief of police, which read: "Professional thieves may have come to the city..."
At dinner time we went with Guy to a restaurant and witnessed a fight between two huge rats hanging from electric wires, another one ran on the wall past our table, and one more waiting for me in the toilet as I walked in. These were no cute mice; they were huge rats!"
The Great Cyber Walker
The Himalayan mountaineering season is over for now, but there are trekkers around, and one such is Diego Azubel. Diego is a great walker. In 2000/2001 he traversed China on foot along the Great Wall. The trip took 15 months and covered 4000 km.
This time around, Diego arrived Kathmandu, Nepal October 24. His aim was to walk to Mount Kailash, in Tibet, to retrace the steps of Nain Singh. He would walk to Lhasa, then follow a river to the mountain. At least that was the plan, until the police got involved.
Diego is among the first world travelers using Contact technology. Check his pics, positions, and altitudes as he strolls his way across the passes - and read his story of the Maoists impact on Himalayan trekkers. Here a few excerpts from the past month's dispatches:
Kathmandu
"Between the news I read stating that the rebels have control of the areas that are north of Ktm (exactly where my route takes me) and those who tell me I won't be allowed to cross the border without a tour, all my initial excitement to be finally beginning my walk have turned into anguish and frustration.
The walk begins
I left Thamel. Both police and the royal army keep a tight guard, with several checkpoints in which passengers on board of public buses must descend and cross on foot; pedestrians' bags are inspected;and foreigners are smiled at and greeted.
Amazed I am at the fact of how much everyone knows about Argentina (Diego's birthplace, ed.note). 'Oh, very good country. Maradona's country'. After about 15km I reached Jitpur; another point on Nain's map and the place I was aiming to sleep in. Two brothers, Yadab and Sanzaya Aryal spoke particularly good English as well as all that crossed their minds: 'you are fat' they said.
But the weirdest one of all, was on my first day just meters from Dharamasthali when a car driving by stopped by my side and this guy sticking his head out the window asked me: 'Are you blind?'
Of course my response was 'What!?!'
After few minutes of more 'Are you blind?' from his side and 'What!?!' from mine, this guy said that I looked blind because I had sunglasses and walking poles.
November 10, It's not over till its over
I began my advance towards the border. Everyone in Timure insisted that I would not be allowed to enter Raswagadhi as it is a 'Restricted Area' for foreigners and there is apparently an army checkpoint where I will be asked to turn around.
I traversed the small village of Timure and in minutes I ran into the first soldier (in civilian clothes) telling me that I couldn't cross the bridge. He looked at my passport although he couldn't read it, and granted me permission to walk to the next checkpoint. A large fence, covered in barbed wire ran alongside the path to Raswagadhi. On the other side of the fence, tens of military barracks made my day look not too promising.
The Chief District Officer explained that Raswagadhi was 'now' off limits to foreigners. He suggested that I turned around, and through a tour company crossed via the Friendship highway.
I tried to 'buy' a Raswagadhi permit but apparently this Chief was quite clear that Raswagadhi is a No Go zone for foreigners. Some locals told me that this is in part due to the strong presence of rebels in the area...
Back to Kathmandu to start over
Sad and beaten I began my return journey back to Katmandu via Syaphru Bensi. I arrived in KTM with my waist all bitten by bugs and itching like a dog.
It is quite an anticlimax to be back where I had started and even more so to have to get on a plane. And I know I will hate it to be back in the mainland where it all began. But I plan to do 'touch 'n go;' get in, buy a ticket, and get out.
Once more, Nain's story repeats itself. He was sent back on his first attempt (I doubt that he caught flees though) and was forced to change his approach. Now, 139 years later, I too am being forced to change my approach."
Diego Azubel is currently in Lhasa, from where he'll hitch a ride to the point where his walk last ended, but on the Chinese side of the border. From there, he'll continue his walk to Mount Kailash.
Contact 3.0 Image of holy man Baba Sadhu, courtesy of Diego.
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2004
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