Travellive 5 - 2018

It is at this moment that I begin to understand why the Tibetans of
the BӦn religion believe the mountains, trees, and rivers all carry
souls. The world around me appears as primitive yet lively.
Upstream of the Tsarap River, the
road sits narrowly between slender
canyons. On one side is a high
mountain, on the other rests a deep
river. In the early morning, the river
is translucent and elegant. From a
distance, smoke arises from small
houses, glittering in the early sun
while sparrows fly over harvested
fields. All as in a poem.
In reality, we are moving along on
a rocky road. The road tightens,
winds, the car is thumping against
the rocks, wheels sliding along the
rock-strewn slope. The very look
of the road is enough to strike fear
in us. Finally we have reached the
small village of Amnu. Phuktal is
just a 12km walk away.
When 9 am rolls around we depart
from Amnu. The first trek appears
easy, it's not too steep nor too deep.
My strength is average, but at the
altitude of 4,000 m above sea
level, I realize that I am weaker
than I thought.
After a two and a half hour hike from
Anmu, we arrive at Cha village where
we rest for lunch. From Cha village
to Phuktal is another 7 km and there
are few households here. All of the
white houses here are very simple
but idyllic. Out of Cha village, a steep
slope was waiting for us just as the
sun was on the top of our heads. We
move a few steps to stop and try to
encourage each other to continue.
After the ramp, the trail gently
descends. A few hundred meters
below us the Tsarap River is flowing
to Padum. Purney village and Cha
village are the two rarer inhabited
places on the way to Phuktal.
From here, the landscape becomes
surreal, the dreamlike landscape
opens up to us and each turn
provokes scenery more dazzling than
the last. From the top, I gaze upon
the Tsarap River flowing between two
straight canyons. How can that river
be so crystalline, and the mountains
so breathtakingly vast? The sunset,
dipping into the mountain peak,
melts into rays and bathes the rocks
in rose, sending the water below into
a serene shimmer.
It is at this moment that I begin to
understand why the Tibetans of the
Bӧn religion believe the mountains,
trees, and rivers all carry souls.
TRAVELLIVE
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