Video of Tibetan Dancers doing a Christmas Festival dance:
It was hard to choose a trek in Nepal with such an array. We picked a little known trek called, The Tamang Heritage Trail, which is near Langtang National Park.
Trekking the Tamang Trail
This trail was developed on a community-based tourism model which ensures that the local people of the region share the income that is generated by tourists. The trek started with a long jeep ride from Kathmandu taking us into the lower foothills of the Langtang region. First we went north, to just below the Tibet border.
We trekked for five days and climbed to an altitude of 10,000 feet. H got quite sore, having relied a little too much on experience. W did wonderfully, and only felt pain a little bit in the knees. We liked our guide and 21 year old, high school educated porter very much. We didn't see any tourists or meet any Maoists on the trek. We stayed with Tamang families and got a taste of Tibetan culture without the Chinese occupiers.
Gossiping at a Reststop
The Tamang people are descended from Tibetan salt traders and are a little known ethnic group of Nepal that inhabits the region north of Kathmandu and close to the Langtang range.
Our guide, Dundu, was from one side of the mountain range, and our porter, Anil from the other. Dundu was of Tibetan descent and Anil Tamang. In this photo Anil is chatting with locals. He spoke their dialect whereas Dundu spoke another one.
Black Village
We started from Syabrubeshi and traveled right into the heart of Rasuwa district. From there we trekked a long circular route around the mountains. Along the way we witnessed Tamang rituals, Tibetan culture, religious festivals, traditional architecture, and the warmth and hospitality of the people, as well as the stunning mountain views of Langtang and Ganesh Himal.
We stayed in community lodges or “homestays.” Staying in local homes gave us a peek into the lifestyle of the people and also provided us an opportunity to get immersed in the local way of life. We spent a few hours every day in people's kitchens, where we were served roasted potatoes right from the fire. There are still few chimneys as in people's homes.
The Black village was Anil's home village.
Village Homes
Village homes are very simple. The first level serves as a barn, to keep the goats and, if the family is fairly well off, a water buffalo. The second level is where people sleep and cook. The attic is for storing the crops. There is always work to be done in village life. The day we came was washing day.
School Boys
These boys were all dressed up for school. They are buddhist. It surprises people to learn that fewer than 10% of the population of Nepal is Buddhist. Nepal is better known for its Tibetan-Buddhist culture because that's the culture that inhabits the famous Himalayan treks which tourists frequent.
Dishing It Out
The village tap is the focal point for women at least one point in the day. It's where one bathes, washes dishes, and clothes. And the water is not hot. Washing outdoors in cold weather is what gives the people their chapped faces. For the likes of us, the homestays and lodges had erected some solar panels to heat the water, and there were porcelain latrines in many of the villages!
Triple Trouble
Mountain Gods
Buddha Boy
More Mountain Midgets
Mountain Mirror
Three Miles Up
Mountain Beauty
Mountain Munchkins
The first thing kids are taught is how to bring their hands together and say "Namaste" to every passing stranger.
Mountain Party
Rice Paddies
Namaste
After our 5-day trek, it was time to go back to Kdu. We just didn't feel right about completing the experience without a 10-hour chicken bus ride. H managed to survive without getting totally bus sick. Sadly, we passed a bad bus accident – a bus just like ours had plunged off the cliff, killing 5 -- no foreigners (even the Nepalis ask that question).
NEPAL: KATHMANDU 
