TIBET: KAMA CHU AND KHARTA VALLEY TREK AND FRIENDSHIP HIGHWAY TIBET Qomolangma National park May, 2019 PART 5 by WILLIAM D BOEHM MT Everest from near Tingri on the way to Rongbuk, Below Tsibri Mountqins, schists like ribs before Tingri DAY22-23 DAY 8,9 May 29 Somale Yuna village in the Kharta Valley to Rongbuk and North Face of Mt Everest back to Tingri on the Friendship Highway. From Somale we drove back to the village of Phadhruchi then back to Old Tingri also known as Zhaxizongxiang at the road junction. We turned west this time and drove southwest into the Rongphu Valley for several hours to ascend into the North Face of Mt Everest and the Rongbuk Glacier to stay at a small lodge at the Rongbuk Monastery. Transferred our gear to an electric bus to overnight near the Rongphu Monastery situated 15 km below the Base Camp. Access to Everest Base Camp used by the famous interwar British expeditions is currently restricted to mountaineers with the necessary permits. Saw a beautiful evening sunset on the north face of North Face of Mt Everest from Ronbuk of Everest. At Rongphu we stayed in the square lodge at5176 m (16,981 ft). Bathroom pretty bad, three concrete holes per male and female side, no doors, open for anyone to see you squat, awful odor. Hi winds swept down the mountain and was very cold that evening filming the mountain. Didn’t sleep that night trying to catch every third breath, long night at this high altitude. Early morning with the window open, a yak stuck its head in to check us out. Funny. We left late morning in the electric bus back to the parking lot, then drove back north over Gawula Pass (Pang La) to the Friendship Highway junction, then stayed at Tingri (Shegar), once called Ganggar located about 190kms (114 mi) east of the Nepal border. Ganggar is a small town along the Friendship Highway located on the Pum Qu or Phung Chu, the source of the Arun River across the Nepal border. It is now undergoing new construction with new buildings, but was once an atmospheric village which includes about 100 mud-brick houses crowded together below the hillside, very old Tibet in style. There were some real Tibetan characters passing us on the street in their horse-carts or prayer-flag festooned tractors. The wild west of central Tibet! Though it isn't the most comfortable place to stay along the route from Lhasa to Nepal, the excellent views of the Himalaya's make it a worthwhile stop. The view looking south of the town Left: Tingri horseman at festival (2007 H Jans) offers a sweeping view of the Himalaya's including Everest, Cho Oyu, the 6th highest mountain in the world, and Nangpa Ly. Tingri (Shegar) used to be an important trading post where Sherpas from Nepal exchanged rice, grain, and iron for Tibetan wool, livestock and salt. Tingri in Tibetan defines the broad upland basin more than 4,500 m high known as the Tingri Plain. Surrounded by shallow, fast-flowing rivers of melted snow water and an abundance of grass meadowland once supported an abundance of gazelles, blue sheep, antelopes and kiang or wild asses. Today these grasslands are replaced by livestock. DAY24 May 30, Thursday Tingri beautiful drive through Qoomonga National park to Kyirung in the green Tibetan valley. Shishaipangma on the Tibetan Plateau seen from the Friendship Highway Qomolangma National park Beautiful clear morning and we left along the Friendship Highway for Tsamda, on the snaking river with old style chortens and flock of sheep. We followed the Phung Chu northwest passing the ruins of several large forts which guarded the trade route to Nepal and were destroyed in 18th century wars. The highway G3i8 turned west across the foothills of the Tibetan plateau before reaching xiamude where we had a brief view of Everest and Cho Oyu. G318 then turns south driving past the southern turnoff to Nyalam Nepal, now closed because of the earthquake damage until the road is repaired, and the turnoff for Shishapangma Base Camp. Jamin York, my friend in Tacoma who was raised in Tibet had mentioned this area still has wild gazelles, kiang and wolves. Above white capped water start Tibetan ass or Kiang Qomolangma National park We followed the alternate route along X214 towards Pelku Tso (Peiku Tso on many maps) lake, passing only a few small traditional Tibetan villages, with kiang (wild ass) and blue sheep often roaming the nearby plateau. the colors of the hillsides varying shades of yellow amber with Tibetan gazelle; belowL Black-lipped pika, Tibetan wolf Qomolangma National park white glaciated summits of glaciated peaks rising dramatically above the steppe. And we saw several small herds of Kiang. Following the 2015 earthquake the former friendship highway was badly damaged resulting in its continued closure. This new route was opened initially to ensure Gang Benchhen 7299 m 23946 ft near Paiku Co lake Paiku Co lake Tibet above and below that trade between Nepal and China could continue. In 2017 the border post was opened to tourists allowing for travel along this legendary overland route to recommence. The highway slowly descended towards the lake, all the time with incredible views of Shishapangma (8013 m (26,335 ft), the world’s 14th highest peak, directly to the south (left) and Gang Benchen 7299 m (23946 ft). The highway took us at the SW corner of this beautiful lake, a deep aquamarine blue and we stopped to explore in a stiff cold, wind coming down from the mountains. There is always this strong wind, except in the early morning. Ascending from Pelku Tso to a small hill, we had spectacular views down to the lake, and drove through a narrow canyon for several kilometers passing over a ridge marked with prayer flags at about 4900 meters, and then descending and ascending to the Tsalung La (5280m). The road then steeply descended through switchbacks over 1000 meters! It was a beautiful drive through southern Tibet to the Langtang (Rasuwa) region of Nepal, following the Kyirong Chu river, which becomes the Trishuli River in Nepal, passing through canyons and ending up in green, forested countryside. Continuing to descent, the landscape changes dramatically, the clouds increase and the scenery is more and more like Nepal, and less like the high plateaus of Tibet. Continued over a pass to the west of the lake, crossing in snow and seeing many individual kiangs along the way. Amazing views of peaks into Nepal, and we descended steep switchbacks into the Tibetan town of Giyrong (Kyirung) in the valley, heading along a south flowing river in steep walled mountains and canyons. After several hours descending towards Nepal and the village of Chigasi, we encountered forests of fir, pine and spruce with glaciated peaks surrounding us. The road was new, but cut through difficult sections of canyon where there was a huge washout where we waited 4 hours for construction before they let any traffic pass. Finally descended through beautiful forested ridges Gyirong Town, also referred to as Kyirong 2,700 m (8,856 ft) elevation. The town is situated on the east bank of Gyirong River, a tributary of the Trishuli River and has an elevation about meters Kyirong was once a major trading post in Jilonghen town and Yangra peak 7422 m 24350 ft Tibet, where we stayed in a hotel for the night with a beautiful view of the surrounding mountains. DAY24 May 30, Friday Kyirung in green Tibetan valley to Nepal border and Kathmandu. We left early from the border town of Kyirung (Jilong) on a beautiful clear morning with a view of Kyirong ans Jilonghen town and Yangra peak 7422 m 24350 ft the massive glaciated peak Yangra 7422 m (24350 ft) to the west and the steep glaciated tooth Langbo Kandri 6648 m (21811 ft) to the north. Such a scenic area but the city isn’t accommodating this scenic area as a tourist spot, but becoming commercial with a contrast of new Chinese shop buildings. Descended the steep mountain switchbacks in green temperate forests with cliffs of waterfalls. We descended through green forests and pastures and followed the Kyirong Chu south, which becomes the Trishuli River in Kathmandu, passing several prominent chortens en route and descending over 1000 meters until we reached the modern Chinese Tibetan checkpoint below Kyring on the Nepal border. Photograph taken on Nepal side Chinese immigration building. Rasuwa Ghadi, Nepal is a newly opened border in 2017 for foreigners, previously used for trade between Nepal and Tibet before the earthquake. Passed through several checkpoints until we reached the border of Nepal at Rasuwa Ghadi or Rasuwa Fort, built in the 1800’s. We processed through Chinese immigration in a new building, then passed across an old bridge of a river helped by Nepalese porters to load up two jeeps that could navigate the 11 hours of awful roads. Could immediately see the poverty of Nepal, with passing through three checkpoints until our visas were stamped. We had 10-12 hours of tough driving on very bad dirt roads in the mountains before we would enter a paved highway to Pokhara just outside of Kathmandu. We began the difficult descent through a narrow canyon on a rough dirt road hacked out of the side slope above the river. Squeezed past 2 kilometers of trucks with brightly painted cabs parked waiting for up to a week to get through the immigration process into Tibet. Nepalese checkpoint and loading up vehicles for 10 hour exposed dirt road to Kathmandu We bounced along the deep rocky and rutted mountain road above the steep gorge of the Trishuli River for 6 hours before we finally reached the foothills, with one section blocked, and we were able to drive through a couple fields to circumvent the caved in section, whew.