Upper Mustang - What Photraphy Gear To Bring

ISO 800, 200 mm, f5.6, 1/3200 sec

Often when browsing websites related to photography or to travel, I will read questions along the line of "I am going to ... what lens should I bring?" or "I am going to ... should I bring my ...?"

My initial reaction typically is "It depends ...".

It depends upon the types of photographs that you typically take or want to take on this trip.

It depends upon the style of photographs that you typically take or the style of photographs that you want to try on your trip.

It depends upon, to a certain extent, the equipment that you already own.

It depends upon how much you can carry or how much you are willing to carry.

It depends upon your travel arrangements and restrictions.

ISO 400, 200 mm, f6.3, 1/250 sec

In late October of last year, I toured Upper Mustang for 15 days.  It was a fabulous journey which I can best summarize as " I was extremely impressed with the raw beauty and magnificence of the scenery and the people. Definitely a destination for photographers or connoisseurs of the exotic."

The following is a list of the gear that I brought, some explanation of why I brought it, and a revised list of what I will be bringing for a return trip..

ITEM	QUANTITY	PACKED
DSLR Full Frame Camera	1	Wear
28-70mm F/2.8 Lens & Hood	1	Wear
85mm F/1.8 Lens & Hood	1	Wear
80-200mm F/2.8 Lens & Hood	1	Wear
Batteries for DSLRs  – 1 camera, 3 loose	4	Wear
CF Cards – 704 GB, 1 in, 6 loose	7	Wear
SD Cards – 928 GB, 1 in, 7 loose	8	Wear
AA Rechargeable Battery	4	Wear
Cell Phone & Charger	1	Travel Vest
GPS Device	1	Travel Vest
Digital Voice Recorder	1	Travel Vest
Tripod and Ball Head (Aluminum)	1	Camera Bag
Filter Pouch/Assort Filters	1	Camera Bag
DSLR Remote Cable Release	1	Camera Bag
DSLR Camera Battery Charger	1	Camera Bag
Headband Flashlight	1	Camera Bag
20mm F/1.8 Lens & Hood	1	Camera Bag
AA/AAA Battery Charger	1	Duffel  Bag
Lens Cleaning Kit	1	Duffel Bag
Power Strip	1	Duffel  Bag
Power Plug Adapters	1	Duffel  Bag

Luggage +  Carry-On is limited to 15Kg, what is in your pockets, on your belt or around your neck does not count.

There are luggage restrictions on the flights to Upper Mustang.  The weight restriction for Thai Airways international flights to Kathmandu for economy class is 30 KG checked baggage.  Flights from Kathmandu to Phohkara are 20 KG for checked baggage for the Yeti Airlines BAE Jetstream 41 aircraft.  The big issue and a definite consideration for your packing is the restriction on the the flights to/from Jomsom (elev. 9,000 ft.).  There is a 15 KG total baggage restriction for those flights - checked baggage plus carry-on can not exceed 15 KG.  What you carry around your neck, in your pockets or strapped on your belt does not count against the allowance.

If you exceed the allowance you will have to pay excess baggage fees.  If you are traveling with others as part of a group, the allowance is distributed against the entire group - if one person is 5 KG over but another member of the group is 5 KG under the allowance, there is not extra baggage fees.  However it is not simply a matter of paying or not paying extra baggage fees.  The aircraft are small, Viking DHC-6-400 Twin Otter of Tara Air, and the due to the elevation of the Jomsom airport, aircraft carrying capacity is a critical consideration.   I do not know, nor would I want to find out, what would happen if  you were at the end of the check-in line and too many people ahead of you had excess baggage checked in.  Flights are limited and often subject to weather delays or even cancellations so catching the next flight is not a simple alternative.

To be honest, our carry-on bags were not measured or weighed.  However, I prefer to follow the rules ahead of time rather than risk "complications" or "issues" while traveling.  I try to eliminate all the stress factors, that I have control over, for traveling.  Each piece of checked baggage was weighed and recorded.

ISO 100, 20 mm, f10, 1/40 sec, tripod

There were many locations where fill flash would have been nice.  However the locations or situations were not conducive to the use of artificial light.  Photographs of people in darkened rooms, people worshiping, people in private moments for this culture are best photographed with available light - using higher ISO settings and/or faster lens.  

ISO 800, 70 mm, f3.2, 1/50 sec

There were many opportunities and situations when I made use of or should have made use of my f1.8 lens.  These were photographs inside of homes, schools, and in museums.

ISO 800, 85 mm, f1.8, 1/200 sec

ISO 800, 85 mm, f1.8, 1/60 sec

Typically my go-to lens in my work is the 28-70mm f2.8 lens.  Analysis of my Upper Mustang/Nepal photographs confirmed the versatility of this lens.  The breakdown for lens usage on this trip was as follows:

                               28-70mm f2.8 ................65 %
                               80-200mm f2.8...............20%
                               85mm f1.8.......................03%
                               20mm f1.8.......................12%

HDR Photograph - ISO 100, 28 mm, f11, 1/320 sec

A great concern on going off on a "trip of a lifetime" is how much recording media to bring along especially to locations where photography supplies are very difficult if not impossible to find.  Again the answer is "It depends ..."

It depends on what size the files are that you shoot.  If you shoot uncompressed RAW files, you will be taking less, much less, the number of photographs on a media card than if you shoot jpeg files.

ISO 400, 70 mm, f2.8, 1/1000 sec

It also depends on your planned shooting techniques.  If you plan on shooting HDR or bracketed photographs each completed photograph will require 2, 3, 5 or perhaps even 7 separate exposures.  If you are attending an event such as a festival with high energy dancing, you may choose to shoot in burst mode to freeze specific action moments.  These techniques more rapidly fill up media cards.

Based upon my recent experiences in photographing other unique locations such as Angkor Wat, Tonle Sap, Bhutan, and Sapa, I estimated that I would shoot around 1,000 exposures a day.  This was anticipating shooting a combination of HDR, bracket shooting, and normal shooting.  I brought along sufficient media capacity for approximately 15,000 exposures - 15 days @ 1,000 per day.  As it turned out, I actually took 3,618 total exposures - a low of 47 on one day and a high of 561 on one day in Kathmandu.  The bottom line was that with knowledge of my shooting style and goals I was able to estimate my media needs.  There was no stress in having to be concerned during the tour of running out of media capacity or having to ration my shots towards the end to avoid a shortage.

ISO 400, 80 mm, f7.1, 1/1250 sec

Your needs will depend upon your style, and goals.  You will need to go through a similar analysis especially if you are going to a location where additional media is not readily available or you do not intend to bring resources to download and store exposures as your media fills up.

Perhaps I should touch on the subject of backing up your photos as you travel.  There are many recommendations available on the Internet.  Again ... it depends.  I do not.  I do not for a couple of reasons.  The first reason is I choose not to travel with a computer.  I prefer to use my luggage and carry on weight allocations for photography gear.  Secondly. after a full day of intense shooting, I usually am tired and do not want to spend the time and energy to download media cards.  Even using a USB 3.0 card reader, it takes around 30 minutes to download a full card.  Thirdly, I once downloaded some media cards to thumb drives as well as DVDs and it became too confusing.  I very nearly lost some photographs in the ensuing confusion.  I prefer to fill my cards and wait to download the photographs after I return home.

ISO 100, 70 mm, f6.3, 1/320 sec

My camera has a CF card as well as SD card slot.  Based upon my experience last Fall in Nepal and Upper Mustang I will use the SD card in the camera to make an automatic back up copy of each photo that I take on the CF card. The filled SD cards will be stored in my wife's luggage to provide some additional security for my photographs.

ISO 100, 28 mm, f7.1, 1/1000 sec

A rather unusual item that I brought along was a 220v power strip that had 4 outlets.  It was extremely useful.  It had been recommended by the tour operator.  The concern was that at some of the hotel rooms there might not be sufficient free electrical outlets to plug in camera battery chargers, cell phone chargers, computers, AAA/AA battery charger, ...  I found the additional benefit of the power strip, even where there were sufficient outlets, was that it centralized the location for items that needed to be packed each morning.  On tours it is best to simplify your logistics - having only one location to find and retrieve your rechargeable electronics is convenient as well as efficient.

My research indicated that there were three possible types of electrical plugs utilized in Nepal.  I brought along all three types and ended up using two of them.  Another advantage of bringing along a power strip that you know handles all the plugs of your electrical equipment is that you only need one adapter plug to the hotel outlet rather than one for each of your devices or having to complete charging one device before you can charge the next because you have only one adapter plug.

ISO 100, 28 mm, f10, 1/50 sec

Another item that I always take on travels is a journal.  My journal is a Moleskine 3.5"x5.5" hardcover lined paper book.  In my journal I have written specific as well as general information along with cut/paste inserts.

The journal includes specific information for the tour such as tour company contact information, list and email addresses of fellow travelers, tour itinerary, flight information, hotel information, departure baggage and carry-on actual weights, list of medications that I am carrying, sunrise/sunset data for each day and location of the tour, moon rise/moon 45degree/moon set data for each day and location of the tour, list of photography goals for the tour, GPS locations for locations where I will spend the night, and a list of items in my first aid kit (if carrying one).

ISO 800, 80 mm, f7.1, 1/250 sec

My journal which is used for more than one tour also contains general useful information such as list along with serial numbers of my photography gear as well as electronic gear, tips for shooting fireworks, a list of shot capacity for my media cards for each of my DSLRs along with total capacity and calculated daily average capacity. calculated exposure times when using ND or combination of ND filters, instructions for Waypoints, Routes, and Tracks for GPS Unit, instructions on how to use GPS Unit for daily tracks without it drawing a straight line, "Key Settings for Sunset", "Reflection Photography Tips", "Shooting the Moon Tips", "Hyperfocal Focusing", "Travel Photo Tips", "Camera Custom Settings, and "Clear Crowds with Long Exposure".

My purpose in having the journal is to have a convenient and centralized location for important information.  This reduces the time and stress of searching for specific information throughout the tour.  If it is not in my journal, I don't have it and most likely do not need it.

ISO 800, 80 mm, f7.1, 1/1000 sec

Previously I used to maintain a diary for each day of the journey in my journal.  I have now found that it is much too difficult to maintain a written diary.  On my next journey in October, I will maintain an oral journal for each day using a very small solid state voice recorder - much quicker than writing neatly in my journal.



My camera does not geo-tag my photographs.  Prior to last year, I would go on Google Maps through Lightroom and manually tag each photo.  It was cumbersome and very time consuming.  Out of 80,000 photographs I was unable to locate 2,000.  Now with the GPS Unit geo-tagging is much more efficient, much quicker, and more accurate as well elevation is now available.  I find the GPS/map data extremely useful for identifying locations such as place names, identifying road names, and names of sites.  Using GPS in conjunction with Lightroom, means that I no longer have the burden as well as distraction of noting and recording, or trying to, in the journal locations where photographs are being taken. 

ISO 800, 20 mm, f1.8, 1/10 sec, tripod

For our return to Upper Mustang/Nepal, I will be taking the following gear based upon my perceived needs and lessons learned from my Fall 2017 tour.  What should you bring?  It depends ...

The following photographic equipment that I will bring on my return to Upper Mustang.

ITEM	QUANTITY
DSLR Camera	1
28-70mm F/2.8 Lens & Hood	1
85mm F/1.8 Lens & Hood	1
80-200mm F/2.8 Lens & Hood	1
Batteries DSLR – 1 camera, 3 loose	4
CF Cards – 704 GB, 1 in, 6 loose	7
SD Cards – 928 GB, 1 in, 7 loose	8
AA Rechargeable Battery	4
Cell Phone & Charger	1
GPS Device	1
Digital Voice Recorder	1
Tripod and Ball Head (new - carbon fiber, travel style)	1
Filter Pouch/Assort Filters	1
DSLR Remote Cable Release	1
DSLR Camera Battery Charger	1
Headband Flashlight	1
20mm F/1.8 Lens & Hood	1
AA/AAA Battery Charger	1
Lens Cleaning Kit	1
Power Strip	1
Power Plug Adapters	1

Yes, it is the same as I brought on my last journey to Upper Mustang with a couple of refinements.  I will bring a lightweight carbon fiber and ball head travel combo on my return and my cell phone is now a smartphone.

My new carbon fiber tripod/ball head combo is one half the weight of my old combo and perhaps just as importantly folds up to only 17 inches (44  cm) - definitely more convenient for touring.

I now have a smartphone.  Internet access is available in Upper Mustang.  WiFi access was available in just about all the hotels (tea houses) that we stayed at as well as restaurants.  My observations were that the Internet access was at times spotty and more often - slow.  The big issue was "electrical power".  Many of the places that we visited were off the "grid".  Electrical power came from private or "municipal" solar cells which charged batteries.  Inverters convert the battery DC power to AC 220v power.  Power is required to run the  routers which provide the WiFi access. Power would be available around 6:00 PM and the batteries would be discharged around 10:00 PM or perhaps 11:00 PM.  I am not sure when the power went out since I was in bed by no later than 9:00PM.  Whenever I got up to go to the bathroom (many times due to effects of high altitude medicine - Diamox) I would find that the lights and my battery charger were no longer working.

For my upcoming trip, Internet and being "connected" is not an issue for me.  However the smartphone has applications which will help me.  I have a Geotag app which works as a good back up to my GPS device.  My smartphone also has an app called, Photopills, which is extremely helpful for planning shots with Sun, Moon, Milky Way, etc - info specific to your location or planned location.

Kathmandu Funerals

A Corpse, Prepared for Cremation, Is Carried Along the Banks of the Bagmati River

Pashupatinath located on the outskirts of Kathmandu along the banks of the sacred Bagmati River and close to the international airport is Nepal's most important Hindu temple. It is also one of the most important pilgrimage sites in the Hindu world.  The temple is dedicated to Shiva, specifically his incarnation as the Lord of the Beasts, Pashupati.  Pashupati is considered to be the national deity of Nepal.  Ninety-five percent of the people who die in Kathmandu are cremated at Pashupatinath.

Being a Non-Hindu, I was not allowed to enter the main temple.  However, I had visited Pashupatinath specifically to observe and document the open air cremations conducted along the banks of the Bagmati River and the Sadhhus.  Non-Hindus, after paying an entrance fee, are allowed to access the areas of the cremations, Shiva shrines, and hillside.

Living in Thailand and being exposed to the Buddhist rituals and attitudes towards death, I have become interested in the ways and traditions in which people deal with the final days of loved ones.

Since I started living in Thailand ten years ago, I have attended more funerals than in all my previous 58 years.  Visiting Pashupatinath was my first opportunity to witness and experience the Hindu funeral ritual.

Son and Priest Perform Ritual for Dead Parent

After a short walk from the entrance to the site, I came upon the east ghats along side of the Bagmati River - a short stone throw from the ghats on the other side of the river where cremations were being performed.  Ghats are the stairs that lead down to the river.  Often the term, ghat, is used to describe the stone platforms built on and among the stairs upon which the funeral pyres are constructed.

Typically the body being cremated is a person who died at home only a few hours earlier.  When a Hindu dies it is a common practice to cremate the body either before the sunset or sunrise following the death.  Cremation is held as soon as possible after all family members have the opportunity to view the body.  Customarily the body is brought to holy grounds for cremation.  Hindus believe that the soul quickly leaves the body upon death.  To help facilitate the soul on its journey, the cremation is performed as promptly as possible to ensure there is no temptation for the soul to linger on this side of the world. 

One of the first raised stone platforms that I encountered on the east side of the river was the site of a special ritual.  Cremation are held as soon as possible after all family members have the opportunity to view the body. In past times this was easy to comply with since families remained largely intact - tied to the land or village.  However today families, of all castes, are often separated by miles, kilometers, mountains, national borders, rivers, lakes, and even oceans.  There are thousands Nepalese Hindus living and working in countries such as Bhutan, the Middle East, and further afar.  Often they are not able to promptly return upon the death of a family member.  In such circumstances, the cremation is conducted, and the family member returns when they can to perform a special offering to honor the departed person.

I stopped and witnessed such a special offering ritual.  According to my guide, the man's father or mother had died and had been cremated.  The son had been unable to attend the cremation, he had returned now and with the assistance of a Hindu priest was making a special offering.

The man had shaved all of his hair from his head except for a small tuft at the upper backside of his skull.  He had also modestly removed his shoes, socks, pants, undergarments, and shirt and placed a loose white garment around his waist.  White is the color of mourning for Hindus rather than black.

The ritual was quite involved with many bowls, and containers.  Marigolds, water, rice, incense, plant leaves, and paper money were involved.  The marigold petals, rice, and water were at various points during the ritual sprinkled onto the head of the mourning man and flicked into the air.

It was a very moving and interesting ritual - a ritual that I did not understand, but a ritual that I will learn more about when I return to Nepal someday, someday soon.

Corpse is carried by males to the cremation site.  Rice is sprinkled on the pyre.

The caste system no longer exists in Nepal.  It was made illegal in 1962.  That is the way things are supposed to be and then there is the reality of the way things actually are.  Although the caste system was legislated away in 1962, there are clear and strongly defined economic stratification as well as class distinctions in Nepal society today.  These distinctions and stratification can be witnessed even in the cremation of bodies at Pashupatinath.

The Bagmati River is crossed by two pedestrian bridges.  South of the bridges, is where the common people are cremated.  North of the bridges, where the royals were cremated, is where the rich are cremated.

The body on a bamboo litter is carried around the pyre three times

Bodies to be cremated are carried by men on stretchers or handcrafted bamboo litters from the north to the south where the appropriate pyre platforms are located.  The bodies have been washed and prepared for cremation elsewhere.  They are wrapped in white except for the head.  An easily removable cloth covers the face of the deceased.  Garlands of marigolds cover the body.  Marigolds, saffron yellow, are considered pure whereas the corpse is considered to be impure.  The cremation, a ritual of fire, is a purification rite.  After the corpse is carried three times clockwise around the funeral pyre, the garlands are removed and used to decorate the funeral pyre.  The body is placed on the funeral pyre with the head pointed north - north, the direction of the dead.

Female relative pays respect

The cremation ritual is lead by by the eldest son.  If the eldest son is not available, the next oldest son will perform the duties.  If the deceased person did not have any sons, the responsibility will pass over to the eldest male relative on the patriarchal side of the family.  Daughters or any other females do not perform the ritual.

Eldest male relative, most likely son, supervises the ritual

As part of the cremation ritual, the eldest male places a rice ball, pinda, is placed in the mouth of the deceased to provide nourishment to the spirit for the journey from this this world.

Offerings and fire are carried around the funeral pyre

As part of the ritual, family members circle the body and place offerings of sandalwood kindling on the body.  Holy water from the Bagmati River, just beneath the cremation platform, is sprinkled by hand over the deceased person's body.

Holy Water from the Bagmati River is sprinkled upon the body

Cremation worker builds a funeral pyre

Eldest male relative completes building the funeral pyre

The eldest male, typically the son, completes the construction of the pyre on top of the body and lights the funeral pyre at the mouth of the deceased person.  It is believed that the spirit leaves the body through the mouth.  Starting the cremation fire at the mouth ensures that the spirit is purified as it exits.  Once the fire has commenced straw dampened with water from the river is placed upon the pyre to create a cloaking smoke of the cremation.

Smoke begins to rise from a funeral pyre 

As the funeral fire starts dampened straw is added to the pyre

Pashupatinath cremation scene

Eldest male washes and dismantles the bamboo litter

Smoke from wet straw rises above funeral pyre

Cremation worker tends the pyre

Relatives sit vigil as body is cremated

Ghat located north of the two pedestrian bridges is prepared for a wealthy person DSC 3019

West ghats are cleansed with water from the sacred Bagmati River DSC 3030

Each cremation is but a part of the mosaic of life along the Bagmati River.  Next to ongoing cremation rituals, the funeral workers, members of the lowest caste, build the pyres out of logs in preparation the next cremation that will happen with certainty. For cremations, where the mourners the mourners have left other than for some male relatives maintain a vigil, other funeral workers tend to the fires with long poles to ensure that all the remains are consumed by the purifying fire.  The two pedestrian bridges are jammed and lined with people - Nepalese as well as foreigners witnessing it all and photographing it all.  Behind the pyres, in the areas accessible only to Hindus, people can be scene entering shrines and temples as part of practicing their faith. The hillside on the east side of the river is covered with tourists congregating about the Sadhhus who are to found amongst the shrines to Shiva.  Further up the hillside, families are enjoying the view of it all from an overlook while enjoying snacks and beverages from the refreshment stand.  Life continues with the players all playing their roll of the moment and often oblivious to the others.

 I will return again to Kathmandu to witness and document the Hindu funerals but more importantly, to better understand the details and nuances of the ritual.  My wife will accompany me this time and I look forward to sharing with her the source of many of the rituals that she practices in her Theravada Buddhist faith.  Although she is Buddhist, her faith includes many Animist as well as Hindu precepts and practices.

All though we are often oblivious to each other and the ways along with beliefs of others, it is through travel that we will discover and commence to understand that we are actually all connected.

Sadhhus

Sadhhus are Hindu holy men.  Hindu holy women, far fewer than the number of Sadhhus, are known as Sadvin.

Sadhhus are found all over India and Nepal.  Saddhus can be seen wandering the roads, some live in monasteries, taking temporary residence at shrines and many can be seen a religious festivals. They are associated with many Hindu orders and schools of beliefs.  They are wandering ascetics, people who live austerely - forsaking family, friends, and comforts of this life to focus on their religion and religious development. They are highly respected by Hindus as being representatives of the gods.

Today, people from any caste can become a Sadhhu.  Becoming a Sadhhu, for a Hindu, is a stage, the fourth and final stage of this life that every man is expected to go through.

They rely upon the generosity of others for their survival.  Of their few possessions, one of the most important is their begging bowl. Other typical possessions are a wooden staff, a cloth bag.

Sadhhu lives are devoted to spiritual matters - self purification, meditation, worshiping, making pilgrimages, studying religious texts as well as adhering to dress codes, diets, and requirements of their sect.  Sadhhus also preach and teach religion to others.

Life as a Sadhhu can involve some unique and fascinating rituals as well as displays.  Many Sadhhus are known for smoking marijuana and hashish.  Some Sadhhus cover their almost naked bodies with the ashes of cremated people. There are Sadhhus who perform physical feats such as keeping their left arm raised ... for years, remaining silent for years, pierce their tongues, or perform other extreme displays of yoga practice.

I have written several times on this blog site about life - specifically "There is the way that things are supposed to be and then there is the way that things are".  So it is with Sadhhus, or at least some Sadhhus that I encountered.

I am intrigued with unique religious practices, beliefs, and people's devotion.  Living in Southeast Asia, I have many opportunities to satiate my thirst and hunger to experience some of those rituals and practices.

One of my goals for my tour of Upper Mustang, the former Kingdom of Lo, was to photograph some Sadhhus.  My research prior to departure, revealed that Sadhhus can be found at the Hindu temple of Pashupatinath outside of Kathmandu, Nepal.  Actually, my research found many photographs of the same Sadhhus there.

Upon my return to Kathmandu, from Upper Mustang, I went to Pashupatinath in the morning to observe and photograph the cremations and the Sadhhus.

The Saddhus were easily found.  The first Sadhhu that I encountered was seated on some steps alongside the broad walkway from the temple entrance to the ghats lining the sacred Bagmati River.

He was extremely photogenic and it was obvious that he knew how to "work it" for the camera. My research also had informed me that it was customary, if not expected, to make an offering to the Sadhhus for photographing them.

After spending considerable time photographing the funeral rituals along the river banks, my guide and I commenced climbing the concrete steps to the higher levels of the temple.  Part way up the incline we encountered a crush of tourists - tourists busily photographing a group of Sadhhus seated in or in front of the stone shrines dotting the hillside.

These Sadhhus were familiar faces from my previous research. As I jockeyed about to take more candid photographs of the Saddhus, rather than obviously staged poses, and photographs not cluttered up with other tourists in them, I made eye contact with one of the Sadhhus.  He had been watching me and seemed concerned that I had not made an "offering".  I pantomimed to him that I would make the "offering" after first taking my photographs.  He seemed to accept that promise and went about with his "work" for the other tourists.  I like and prefer to make my offerings and payments after taking the photographs knowing full well what I got for my money.  I thought this was rather odd - wandering ascetics who have rejected all the ways, objects, and comforts of this world being concerned about not getting offerings for having his photograph taken.

 "There is the way that things are supposed to be and then there is the way that things are".

I would have liked to have engaged in some conversation with these Sadhhus - to get to know some more about them, their life, their beliefs and their philosophy but the crush of tourists (photography frenzy?) was not conducive to such an experience.  I also had developed that these "holy men" might not have any "secrets of life" to share with me or that I would value.  After all, I am an American and fully aware as well as experienced of capitalism and materialism.

Further up the hill, we encountered another group of Sadhhus located in front of another shrine.  This locale was much more peaceful - shade from trees and no other tourists.  I have learned from my travels that if you want better photographs and unique experiences, you have to make the extra effort and go a little further away from, if not far away, from the maddening crowd.

The Sadhhus were very photogenic, just as their brethren down the hill, and accustomed to being photographed.  For me the relaxed atmosphere was much more enjoyable than down the hill.  These Sadhhus also expected to receive offerings.

Were these real Sadhhus, true holy men?  Were these real Sadhhus or were they more like cosplayers or as real as a tiger is a tiger that lives in a zoo cage?  I don't know.  It is not for me to say.

Paraphrasing Paul Simon's lyrics in "The Boxer" ... "a man believes what he wants to believe and disregards the rest"

During my journey in Upper Mustang, far from anywhere where there was not even a defined road - just miles and miles of dust and rocks in the Kali Gandaki River gorge, we encountered a Sadhhu.  I suspect that he was on a pilgrimage to the Hindu holy site of Muktinath.  I remember and cherish the brief exchange with him as we rumbled by in our four wheel drive vehicle.  Our driver and guide excitedly and emotionally shouting to him and calling him "Baba" - honorific term for "father".  It was a true moment of respect and joy.