Jomsom to Kagbeni
The remainder of our group arrived in Jomsom at 7:30 am. After steamy fresh bread, yak butter, wild honey, eggs, and the ever present and luscious milk tea we began the walk to Kagbeni. Since we would return through Jomsom, Emma felt that she would better serve by staying behind to pray. Bala stayed back with her. Because of the high elevation and its shortage of oxygen we would be using pack horses to carry our backpacks. Trekking on the lower side of the Annapurna Circuit I had seen numerous mule teams carrying cargo to supply the villages, but here horses were used. As we stepped outside to load up, the main street had the feel of the American wild west which again brought to me that surreal sense of amazement at being in that unique place. It was a fairly level walk along the Kali Gandaki River, whose valley acts as a wind tunnel that provided a strong tail wind which actually helped propel us up the hills. Almost immediately my much loved NY Yankees cap, which I had purchased on a trip to Brooklyn to visit Metro Ministries and brought along for protection from the sun, was blown off my head. I watched in horror shouting, “Let it go!” as a Nepali friend took off running down the bluff and along the river trying to catch up with the cap before it was gone forever. While the cap thankfully was retrieved, the sense of being much loved, which I still wear 23 years later, is a far more valuable treasure.
The Mustang area of Nepal lies in stark contrast to the lushly verdant parts I had visited to date. I am a person who thrives on shades of green, but even I had to admit that this desert was beautiful. Vegetation in that area is sparse, the predominant green was the abundant Texas tumbleweed reminiscent bushes which provided texture to the sand as well as ample privacy for the occasional squat that would be necessary along the way. The sand, a cool beige which I find more beautiful than the typical yellow beige of deserts I have seen elsewhere, clings to the sides of numerous rolling hills and its flow is only broken by impressive jutting rock formations of a more brownish hue. It was a lovely three-hour walk.
Arriving in Kagbeni we settled in and were refreshed with lunch and more Nepali milk tea. We visited the school where we offered a clinic and gifted the headmaster with supplies we had brought along for just that purpose. After giving our teaching presentation in the center of the school complex, we played with the children. Levi connected with a young teacher who was very open to our message and spent the afternoon talking with him. All in all it was a delightful visit.
Later in the afternoon we walked through the town and on up to a hilltop in Upper Mustang to look back and pray over Lower Mustang. Bordering with Tibet, Mustang is the primarily Tibetan sector of Nepal. It is divided into two sections: Lower Mustang is open to visitors, but Upper Mustang has restricted entry. Hence, our short trek up the hilltop was illegal. Later that evening Brad felt very convicted about crossing the line and felt it was important to not give the enemy a foothold, especially in light of the spiritual darkness we would face in the next few days of our trek. So after dinner he called a meeting of the American team (we were joined by some of the Nepali team) for a time of prayer and repentance. We retired early to be rested for the journey to Muktinath in the morning. In my mind was the ongoing surrealness of being in that ancient land and culture and gratefulness to God for allowing me to be there.
Coffee, Tea, and Reverie 