Last but not least: the final article about my stay in Nepal

I thought of it. The series of articles about Nepal would have been incomplete without the story of my short hike in the majestic Himalayan mountains.

When I started writing this article last December, my idea was to find a way to transpose the silence of the mountains that enshrouded me. To recall the amazing power that mountains have to bring us back to the only place where it is good to be: in the present moment.

But another kind of silence interrupted my reverie – my computer broke down. Two months had passed since then. During that time, my heart began to feel confused by my busy “monkey mind”. A period that pushed me away from my writings and disconnected me from my inner self. It was not the time to write about the silence of the mountains that I could no longer hear or feel.

I would have like to return to the Himalayas like a hermit to meditate and contemplate the magnificent landscape while freeing my torments so I can be at peace again. This is what mountains do right, bringing a feeling of serenity?

 

 

One year anniversary of my grandmother’s death

Instead, my mountain refuge was the first anniversary of my beloved grandmother’s death. She gave me back my sense of peace, love and quietude.

 

 

I was in Sri Lanka when she passed away. I still reread the touching tribute I had written to her during a power outage. I still remember the intensity with which I had been able to write it. Since then, I speak very often of her because I deeply feel that she accompanies me. The strongest of her presence I felt it in this divine Himalayas.

I wanted to reconnect with the silence of the mountains to resume the drafting of this article. Well this highly emotional and symbolic day allowed me to find the silence in my heart again to do it. Grandma, I am so grateful for your comforting presence in my dreams and in my life. You seem to come especially in my moments of insecurity to embrace me and to tell me not to worry, that everything will go well. You are an angelic grandmother who knows everything and sees everything. Thank you for filling my heart with your faith. Stay in peace and near us.

 

 

The Himalayas
Playground of the Gods and eternal snow

The fourteen highest peaks in the world are all over 8,000 meters and are located in the Himalayas, the largest mountain range on Earth, and in the Karakoram (a massif on the border of Pakistan, India and China). Nepal is proud to have eight of these majestic mountains on its territory. (Ref.)

Hima-laya are two words in Sanskrit which, put together, mean “abode the snow”. The inhabitants of the Himalayas believe gods live there. Hindu, Buddhist and ascetic have been doing pilgrimage to these sacred mountains to meditate and find liberation and awakening. And as for us, we are also coming to empty our mind and to feel fully fulfilled.

This is the Machapuchare (6,993m), better known as the Fishtail because of the shape of its summit. This mountain of the Annapurna in the Himalayas is venerated by the Nepalese who believe that the Hindu god Shiva resides there. It is therefore forbidden to climb it.

 

 

Between heaven and earth, a refuge

The mountain is seen as a junction point between heaven and earth. A place where the divinities descend to join the mortal climbing up to meet them. A physical climb that encompasses a spiritual ascent. The higher we climb, the further we can see. Climbing is like meditating. The exercise asks us to climb to the top of our inner mountain to have a better knowledge of ourselves. To find refuge where we can find our best self so we can shine.

 

 

Three little days in the mountains

I spent my time in the mountains with my friend Gurutze and Shiva, a local guide and friend.

 

 

Gurutze, you may remember, I met her in a yoga and meditation retreat in Cambodia.

Shiva, is absolutely passionate about the mountains. His famous (and common name in Nepal) referring to an important Hindu god, father of Ganesha and the creator of yoga, is, to my eyes, a strong and inspiring person to be with.

He was born in the mountains and this is the place where he belongs. In 2006, Shiva started to work in the mountains as a porter carrying the bags for hikers tied on his back and supported by the strength of his head. He became a guide two years after.

Since then, he knows all the mountains of his country, their altitude, the best treks and he speaks about it with sparkles in his eyes! As he said to me, “Here, I think of nothing it feels so good.”

Harvest time, millet wine and fresh butter

We spent our first night in a homestay where two families were living with their chicken, goats and buffalo.

 

 

It was the harvest period for rice and millet. I learned that millet is also used to make wine, especially in the mountains. The wine is usually served in hot water.  We tried it in the evening after another hearty dal bhat, the national dish which consists of a mountain of rice with lentils and an assortment of vegetables.

 

 

The next morning, I sat down next to the mother to see how she was making butter from freshly drawn milk. A silence and a salty smell filled the kitchen along with the first morning rays. I immediately thought of my grandmother wondering if she was using the same technique as a kid.

 

 

Despite the very little interaction with the host family, it was nice to have a glimpse of their daily life surrounded by a rustic decor where there is absolutely nothing else to do but to observe, contemplate and drink tea. The kind of place where it feels good to leave room for silence without feeling uncomfortable about it.

 

 

An Arabic proverb says: “Only speak if what you say is more beautiful than silence”

 

Magnificent and intense last day

The most beautiful scenery was revealed on our third and last day of walk on our way to the village of Pothana. This place is very well known as it is the starting point for the famous trek to the Annapurna base camp (ABC Camp).

 

 

We were only at 1900m above sea level and already the view was mesmerizing. The energy there captivated me. I even asked the owner half serious if she needed staff for her guesthouse. She told me spontaneously, yes, you can stay with me!

On that last day something happened. Despite the beauty that surrounded me, the fresh air and the divine energy, a small avalanche of pebbles stuck inside of me and in the hollow of my throat emerge.

Why did I suddenly wanted to cry? At the same time, I felt the presence of my grandmother surrounding me. This mystical and magical place wanted to exert its healing power on me before I leave. In fact, this was the theme of my entire month in Nepal: mystic and healing.

 

 

• Three little days that hypnotized all my senses
• To breathe the silence
• To breathe thoroughly.
• To overeat.
• To laugh.
• To dance on Indian Bollywood music.
• To feel so good and so small at the same time.
• To cry.
• To understand why Nepalese believe that Gods live in the Himalayas.

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These landscapes have been the most beautiful ones I have seen so far with those of Morocco.

And you, what is the effect of the mountains on your energy?

Happiness and serenity,

Nathalie