worldwideglimpses

Monday, October 10, 2005

Updating a Stupa, Ghorepani.

After sunrise, we had to start back the way we came, because the Maoists told us to, basically (see long entry further below). This turned out to be a good thing because I inadvertently deleted the 100+ images I had taken already up to that point, and enabled me to retake some photos from the trail. This is a detail of a stupa being refreshed in time for the Hindu Dasain festival starting the next day. Even though the stupa is Buddhist, and Nepal is a Hindu Kingdom, it is unique because its Hinduism and Buddhism are intimately intertwined and festivals for one religion typically incorporate reasons to celebrate the other.

Before sunrise, Poon Hill, Annapurna Conservation Area, NW Central Nepal.

Pre sunrise, continued....

Pre sunrise...

Sunrise, continued...

On the fourth day of the trek, we hiked up to Poon Hill to watch the sunrise over the (finally) cloudless Annapurna range. We started out at 4:30 and somehow, amazingly, I didn't even need an alarm clock. I will post a series of sunrise shots here starting with the most revealed and working back in time.

This is the husband of the Masala grinding lady, below.

This is a lady in Ghorepani making masala. She is grinding salt, chilies, and cardamom into a fantastic supplement to any dahl baht meal. She and her husband are Tibetan refugees who left during the rampant destruction of temples by the Chinese in 1959.

...and an exterior shot of the shop. Well done, old boy!

An interior shot of Sushil's shop...