Rough terrains of the Himalayas

When I look at some parts of the world in pictures I often wonder what life must be in these regions. During my trek I got the opportunity of experiencing it in bits and pieces. As a traveler when you go with a guide everything is well arranged for you. The stay, food, services, you will get according to what you are willing to pay. For me I wanted to experience the life of the minimalist during these 10 days of the trek, so I had gone with 3 pairs of clothes, one home footwear and bare minimum toiletries, keeping my total baggage weight under 10 kgs. During the planning phase I was wondering how I will be able to manage all my 10 days stay requirements in 10 kgs, but then when my final bag was packed it was not very difficult. Initially when I gathered all the stuff for packing it was a little above 13 kgs, so then I started identifying what things I could do without and then kept removing those and I realized I could do without many things which I normally carry unnecessary.

My guide had told me that I would not be able to get anything as we go higher so I should be self sufficient. The last few days there was barely any internet service, the food variety available at the tea houses got lesser, facilities in the stay area were basics and still I was very comfortable with everything that was available. In those days wherever I stayed I had interactions with the local people to understand their lifestyle. And for a city girl like me it looked extremely tough. The roads are not motorable so they have to travel from one village to another either by foot or on a horse, and majority of them travelled on foot. They are so accustomed with it that what distance I would cover in one hour they would do it in half an hour. Basic things would be available in their local market but for bigger things they had to go to the town area which were also some miles away.

In this picture you can see one village on the foothills of the Himalayas. Nothing grows here and nothing is made here so every single thing has to be brought here, again no motorable roads so animals are used to carry the required necessities. There are helicopter services but they normally cater to the tourist supplies to the tea houses. The charges are exorbitant for that so the local people cannot afford to use the helicopter services very frequently. After being for 10 days in this region, I wanted to get back home soon. I realized that even though I love to experience these things I am not made for it. Born and brought up in city life it is difficult to get accustomed to the mountain life or in that case any type of environment which is not easy going.

These are the paths they have all through out.

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