2018 Yartung Festival - Lo Manthang

Riding Through Lo Manthang On Evening of the First Day

The main reason, besides sharing a previous wonderful experience with my wife, for our tour of Upper Mustang in August was to witness the Yartung ( Tibetan "Summers End") Festival.

The Yartung Festival in Lo Manthang is held at the end of the monsoon season; marking the end of the growing season and the start of the harvest season.  This year the festival was held from August 15th to August 17th.  The festival is typically held in August or early September.  There are other Yartung Festivals held in Upper Mustang, the Former Kingdom of Lo.  During our tour of the region, we learned of upcoming festivals in Kegbeni as well as Muktinath.

Riders and Their Horses Assemble For the Afternoon Procession

As I always do prior to committing to a journey, I had researched the Yartung Festival.  Through Google searches I obtained some basic information regarding the celebration and I soon realized that there is a great deal of plagiarism on the Internet.  Various sites were using information "word for word" from a common source.

The festival is held over three days.  The first day is focused or dedicated to "men".  The second day is for "women" with the last day being focused or dedicated to "Monks".

From YOUTUBE, I watched several film clips of the actual festival in Lo Manthang as well as a couple other locales.  For me the highights of the films was the riders of horses demonstrating their bravery, skill, and strength by leaning over on their racing stead to pick up a khata from the ground as they raced by.  Khatas are long silk scarves associated with Tibetan Buddhism that are given at special occasions to people to show love and respect by the people who offer them.  They come in different colors.  White is the most common and symbolizes the pure heart of the giver as well as "peace".  Yellow symbolizes "happiness'.  After seeing the films of the racing and picking up of the khatas, I was very excited about our upcoming tour.

"There is the way that thing are supposed to be and then there is the way that they actually are" - "Allen's World", Allen A Hale


"2. Everything Changes" - the second of Buddhism's Three Universal Truths

 

Riding Fast and Hard In the Evening

We attended and even participated in all days and events of this year's Yartung Festival.  There was no actual horse racing per say during the festival.  In the afternoon of each day there was a mounted procession through the town on the way to the festival grounds to the west of town. In the evening just before the sun went down riders would ride up and down one of the main east/west streets in town.  Although the horses were traveling rapidly along the street, it was not a competition.  The groups of riders reminded me of many evenings that I spent as a child riding bicycles up and down the neighborhood street with my friends - riding for the companionship and the joy of it all - no winners and no losers, just happiness.

For the start of the first day of the festival, the day focused on men, we waited for the start of the afternoon procession at Lo Manthang's main square, just outside of the City Gate.  The main square is not very large but is strategically located close to the King's Palace.  We were informed that the festival would start around 1:00 PM so we arrived at Noon to ensure that we would not miss anything.  We then found out that the procession would start at 2:00 PM.  No matter - we wandered about the small town and enjoyed watching the local people along with their horses preparing for the festival.

Spectators At The City Gate

Based upon my previous walks about the town and anticipating the route of the procession, my wife and I walked down the street and set up to observe the procession in front of the monastery where the procession would have to make a right hand turn.  We were fortunate and had the location all to ourselves.

The 2:00 PM start was actually a 2:45 PM start.  After a vanguard of a small group of fast riders passed, a slow procession of the King and Crown Prince rode by.  The monarchy was abolished by the Nepal government in 2008.  The last official King died in 2016 however the people of Lo Manthang still consider the late King's son to be King.  The Royal Family is highly revered to this day.

The Royal Pocession

After riding through the town, the procession stopped at the intersection of the north main town street and the road leading past the Royal Mustang Resort (recently opened by the Royal Family) eventually going to the fields northwest of town.  A short ceremony was held at the intersection.  Offerings to the King and members of the Royal Procession were given by a small group of women.  The women presented khatas, flowers, food and sang some traditional songs.  At the conclusion of the ceremony, everyone rode or walked up to the festival grounds.

Offering Ceremony on Day 1

At the festival grounds there were three large tents.  The first one that we encountered was surrounded by schoolchildren.  Adults were busy serving lunch to the children.  After eating their meal, the students washed their metal food trays, think metal military plates, in the mountain stream a short distance down and behind the large tent.  The children enjoyed the afternoon socializing and listening to music on a portable PA system.

Horses Resting at Festival Grounds

The next tent was the Royal Tent.  The King, Crown Prince, and other dignitaries were seated inside.  Lesser dignitaries sat outside of the tent on horse blankets and mats.  People entered the tent to pay their respects to the King.  It was all very low key and very relaxed.  You could sit down next to the King and Crown Prince and be photographed - an opportunity that Duang took full advantage of after I had introduced her to the Crown Prince whom I had met last October.  Whether you were photographed or not, everyone was offered hot tea and snacks - cookies and local fried dough treats.
It was a very nice experience.

The last tent was where local officials were relaxing.  We were invited in and served hot tea along with some more snacks.  The people were extremely gracious and friendly.

Preparing Tea and Sncks

After our visits to the tents we headed back to town in order to rest in preparrtion for the scheduled evening ride.

Around 5:00 PM, people walked back into town to witness the riders returning from the festival field and riding along the north main east/west street of the town.  I situated myself on the south side of the street where I could photograph the riders with the local spectators in the background.  I had selected my location well as it turned out.  There was a small alcove in the mud brick/stone wall that ran alongside the street behind me.  There was a pile of dirt and stones to my left.  Several times during the evening rides

It was quite a sight and very exciting watching the horses and riders flying past me left to right followed by right to left.  There was no racing - just the joy and happiness of people celebrating the freedom as well as mobility that the horse had brought to them.  Lo Manthang is a remote destination.  Only recently has there men an auto route from Jomsom to Lo Manthang.  The road requires 4WD vehicles to navigate its curves, water crossings, hills, and mountain passses.  Most of the time we traveled at 10 KPH (6 mph).  Our maximum speed was 22 KPH ( 13 mph).  Due to monsoon conditions, we had to walk part of the way and change vehicles three times to get there.  Prior to the road, people walked or road horses to access Upper Mustang.  Lo Manthang  is on the salt route from Tibet to Kathmandu.  Traders transported salt from Tibet to Nepal and Nepalese goods to Tibet in horse caravans until the combination of low cost salt from India and the Chinese takeover of Tibet eliminated the trade.

The Yartung Festivals celebrate the role and freedom that the horse provides the people of Upper Mustang.  I was not disappointed that there was no competitive racing.  Watching the joy of the local Loba people participating in their festival.  I write "their" festival in the sense that the people were doing it all for their own joy and relaxation rather than putting on a show for the outside world.

Announcing Arrival of King and Queen on Day 2

The second day of the festival was focused on "women" and followed roughly the same schedule as the previous day.  For the start of the afternoon procession, we set up and remained at the main square just outside of the City Gate.  Because the second day is dedicated or focused on women, the Queen participated in the procession.

King and Queen Exit City Gate Into Main Square

After the procession had exited the Main Square, Duang and I walked, more like power walked, a short distance to the main street near our guest house.

The Royal Procession On Day 2

Day 2 Procession

 
Just as on the first day festivities, there was a short ceremony at the intersection of the streets leading up to the festival field.  Offerings were made to the Queen along with others prior to proceeding up to the tents.

Offering Ceremony On Day 2

We followed the procession up to the festival field.  Our first stop was at the Royal Tent where we enjoyed hot tea and more snacks.  Unlike the previous day, there was not a bottle of "Royal Treasure Whiskey" placed in front of the King.  I joked with the King about the missing whiskey and then I told the Queen about the bottle that day before but that the King had not drank any of it.  We all enjoyed a good laugh.  The King ended up having the last laugh ... on me, the next day.

Serving Refreshments At Royal Tent

As Duang and I walked by the large tent in which the Monks (lamas) were relaxing and having refreshments, we were invited to join them.   We entered the tent and paid our respects to the lamas - kneeling on the ground with our hands in front of our chests in the praying position, we then started bend at our waists while our hands spread out to touch the ground  remaing there until our forehead touched the top of them, we then reversed the process so that we were once again in the vertical kneeling position with our hands on our chest in the praying position.  We did this three times.  We then took a seat on the horse blankets placed upon the ground.  We were welcomed by the High Lama and he asked us where we were from and other topics.  We were given Tibetan butter tea in a bowl and some snacks - Tibetan fried dough - sort of like donuts.  They then offered us Coca Cola.

We sat there enjoying our snacks, talking with the holy men and listening to some laymen who broke out into song.  I thought that the song sounded sad and was about loosing their homeland in Tibet.  The High Lama told me that the song was a traditional Tibetan song about wishing people good luck and happiness.  He also told me that when people are singing and you like the way that they are singing , you yell out "Shay Shay" to indicate your appreciation.  Duang was too shy but I let out a couple "Shay Shay"s when the men sang their songs.  After a while, the High Lama said "Now it is your turn.  Time for you to sing"  I thought for a while.  I was taken aback a bit for I had never considered let alone prepared to be singing on the Tibetan Plateau in Upper Mustang for a group of lamas.  I collected my thoughts and sang the 1970s Eagles song "Take It Easy"  There were several shouts of "Shay, Shay" while I was singing.  It was now Duang's turn to sing but she was way too shy to sing.  We were then offered a local alcohol drink - very similar to Ara in Bhutan.  It was even served from a container just like the ones used in Bhutan.  Ara is a distilled liquid made from most likely barley.  It is also similar to a drink here in NE Thailand and Lao - "Lao Lao".  Ara, Chang, or Lao Lao start off as a wine made from rice, corn, millet, or wheat.  It is then distilled in a homemade still over a wood fire.

I accepted the chang which was poured from a wood container that reminded me of a beer stein but without a flip lid on it.  The beverage was poured out of a small spout located at the top of the closed container.  The container had four small lumps of yak butter placed 90 degrees apart along the rim.  The drink was poured into my empty Tibetan Tea bowl.  The man also placed a small lump of the yak butter on the rim of my bowl.  The High Lama then instructed me the proper etiquette to consume the drink. Before drinking, I had to lightly dip my third finger into the bowl, and upon withdrawing my finger from the bowl, I had to flip the liquid on my finger into the air. I had to do this three times as a symbol of making a sacrifice to the sky, the earth and my ancestors.Duang does not drink so she did not participate.  However there was a small shrine in the center of the tent between our seating area and where the lamas were seated.  Duang is a devout Buddhist so she took the opportunity to worship at the shrine.  The shrine obscured our visions of each other.  I broke out into an Ian Tyson song which the lamas seemed to appreciate.  A man came over to refill my bowl with some more Chang.  I looked over to where Duang was worshiping to see if she was watching.  I pantomimed to keep it a secret and not to let her know I was going to have some more.  The Lamas started laughing.  Hearing the laughing, and knowing me all to well, Duang poked her head from behind the shrine to see what I was up to.  I was caught red handed and red faced.  She and I joined the lamas in laughing.

Traditional Dancing At Festival Field

That evening, the combination of so much activity and the 12,000 foot elevation caught up with Duang.  She chose to rest at our guesthouse while I went out to witness the evening rides.  I went back to the same location that I had chosen the evening before.  Everything was going fine.  After a while, all the old ladies across the street started yelling at me and motioning to me to come over to their side of the street.  I ignored them at first but when they did not relent, I crossed over to the other side.  Once on the other side I looked one way and then the other way.  I did not particularly care for the photography angles and background.  I then went back to my original location.  I had no sooner got back to my spot when an out of control horse came galloping down the street headed directly for .... the old ladies!  They all had to scramble and scatter to avoid the horse which the rider did get under control before hitting anyone.  After things had calmed back down, I looked at the reassembled group of old ladies.  I gave them a "WTF?" look, pointed to my head with my right index finger and tapped my right temple three times while moving my head up and down in a knowingly manner.  I then motioned rather strongly for them to come across the street and join me!  They laughed like crazy along with the other people on that side of the street - talk about a special memory!

Day 3 of the festival, the last day, followed the same routine and schedule as the previous two days.  However there one big difference, the monks were riding the horses.  The afternoon procession was a particularly unique photography opportunity - the khenpos were wearing their pandita hats. Khenpos are outstanding religious scholars who are also outstanding teachers as well as exhibiting exemplary conduct and a devotion to helping others.  Pandita hats are the Tibetan Buddhist pointy hats in which the color identifies the sect and stripes, if present, indicate the areas of scholarly expertise.

Lama Afternoon Procession - Day 3

Every day of the festival, we ended up meeting and speaking with young monks.  They spoke English very well.  I am certain that they welcomed the opportunity to learn something about our life in the outside world just as we appreciated and cherished the chance to learn more of theirs'.

When I returned to Thailand and commenced to edit and post-process the thousands of photographs from our tour, I found this special photograph.  It was one of the monks that I had spoken to several times.  I posted the photo on Facebook and the story got even better - he is a Facebook friend!

The last day of the festival was dedicated or focused on the Monks.  I spent quite a bit of time in the Monk tent at the festival field.  There were many student Monks at the festival.  The highlight of the afternoon, for me, was the "athletic competition" that was held in front of the students' Guru.

Paying Respect to Lamas Upon Entering Tent

The student Monks split two teams.  The goal of the competition was to pass a soccer ball between the legs to the person behind you in a sort of a relay race.  Once you passed the pall behind you, you ran to the back of the line.  The winner of the competition was the first team to have their first student return to the front of the line.

There was a competition to see which student could get his monk clothing on the fastest.

Another competition was to see who could dissolve a tootsie roll lollipop the fastest in their mouth.

There was a contest where boys had a balloon tied to their leg.  They then hopped on their one leg attempting to pop the balloon on the leg of the other competitors.  The boy remaining with an inflated balloon was the winner.

The Gurus Watching the Student Competition

There were no prizes or rewards.  The competition was to honor their teachers.  The reward for the competitors was the joy of participation and the fun of competing.

As the afternoon grew late the monks headed back into town.  Many of the students rode down the hill into town in a farm wagon.

Lamas Assembling For Evening Rides Through Town

The Monks riding down from the festival field assembled in a small corral area next to where the afternoon offering ceremony had been held.

For the evening rides, I changed my vantage point.  My guide encouraged me to climb the stairway to the finished second floor of a building that was under construction.  This was a special viewing place for the monks.  Each evening, couches had been placed up there for the Monks to sit and enjoy the rides.  The building was at the end of the street upon which the riders "raced".  It provided a great viewing location and a different perspective for photography.

I made sure that out of respect for the Lamas that I stayed behind them or off to the side.  I enjoyed the location and was enjoying my time up there.

After a while, the King arrived and joined the Lamas.  I took a break from photographing the Monks riding the horses along the street and looked in the direction of the King.  He was looking at me and laughing as the High Lama was also laughing while looking at me while pointing at me.  I suspect they were discussing my singing the day before.  No matter, I smiled and gave them a wave which they returned. 

The Yartung Festival was not what it was supposed to be according to all my research.  However what the festival was actually a wonderful opportunity to see a unique cultural event.  We were able to see and to a certain extent, participate, in a unique cultural event.  We had three days to better understand the life of the Loba people.  Our tour also helped us to begin to understand Tibetan Buddhism.

I did not get all that I wanted but I got more than what I needed.  It was a great trip and an even better life experience.

Another day, Another Gallery

A gallery of 33 selected photos from the three day Yartung Festival in Lo Manthang, Upper Mustang is now available for viewing at the following link.

https://www.hale-worldphotography.com/2018-Yartung-Festival


The purpose of our trip to Upper Mustang, The Former Kingdom of Lo, in August during the monsoon season was to attend the three day festival.  Getting there was difficult as well as complicated due to weather as well as road conditions.  However, it was well worth the time and effort.

Once in Lo Manthang, we were able to unite with friends and to witness a unique cultural event.

First Gallery of 2018 August Trip Is Available

The first gallery of photographs, "Faces of Nepal", is now available for viewing on my photography website.

https://www.hale-worldphotography.com/2018-Faces-of-Nepal

This gallery contains 39 selected portraits of some of the amazing people that we encountered during our 15 day tour to Nepal, specifically Upper Mustang for the Yartung Festival.

Nepal is an extraordinary place with some amazing people.  It is one of the most beautiful places that I have ever been to with some of the most kind people that I have met during all my travels.

Sadhhus Re-Visited

I have always been interested in religious rituals.  Living in Southeast Asia gives me opportunities as well as easy access to rituals and celebrations that I would never have within the United States.

Here in Northeastern Thailand, I am able to travel easily and economically to places where Buddhist, Hindu, Animist rituals are still performed as part of the local people's life.  My quest to observe and photograph unique religious practices has me to Malaysia and taken my wife along with me to Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Bhutan, Nepal as well as of course all across Thailand.

I am impressed with people who truly practice their faith.  They demonstrate their faith not through their words but by their actions and example.  It is this type of commitment that I wish to see and to try to understand.

It seems to me that there is a trait that we all share in this world no matter who we are or where we live.  There seems to me a premoral need for all people to have answers and to understand this world.  Since the earliest days of mankind the answers and understanding came from religion.  In more modern times, for many people, the answers as well as understanding have come from science.  Perhaps science is but another belief system like another religion that fills the need of mankind.

Last November, I encountered some Sadhhus - Hindu holy men.  I observed and photographed them at Pashupatinath, a Hindu holy site just outside of Kathmandu, Nepal.

 https://hale-worldphotography.blogspot.com/2018/06/sadhhus.html

 As I prepare for every trip that we take, I had developed a list of goals and expectations for my return trip to Upper Mustang with my wife.  Although the ostensive purpose of our journey was to attend the Yartung Festival in Lo Manthang, I had goals that were related to visiting Kathmandu and the Hindu holy site of Muktinath.

For our August trip, one of my goals was to photograph some Sadhhus other than the resident Sadhhus of Pashupatinath Temple.  I was hoping to photograph some, in my opinion,"real",  Sadhhus.

Sadhhus Arriving at Muktinath

After attending the Yartung Festival, we stopped by at Muktinath on our way to Jomsom.  On my previous journey in November, we had stopped at Muktinath but manged to get only one-half way up to the temple - one of the difficulties that you can encounter when traveling in a group, no matter its' size.  This time with just my wife, our guide and myself along with the cooler temperatures of monsoon season (along with the mud) we made it all the way up to the temple.

After visiting the courtyard for a while, I noticed some people entering from the stairway - Sadhhus!

From our guide, we learned that the band of four Sadhhus had walked over from India - quite a journey!

Sadhus are Hindu Holy Men - ascetics - men who abstain from pleasure, comfort and self-indulgence as a form of spiritual discipline. They can be of any caste. They have renounced material possessions, the comforts of life and family ties to concentrate on discipline, self control, and religious study.  They rely upon the generosity of others for their food.  They are considered by Hindus to be representatives of the gods.

Like other Hindu as well as Buddhist pilgrims to Muktinath, the Sadhhus came to receive blessings.

In the courtyard of the temple there are two walls  up against the mountainside that form a 90 degree corner.  From the face of the walls, there are 108 waterspouts in the form of bull heads.  Fresh mountain water flows from each of the heads. The spouts are known as "Dhara" (water spouts) and this part of the temple is called "Muktidhara" (Liberation Water-spouts).  Pilgrims gain blessings by walking or showering in the free flowing holy water.  Some pilgrims capture some of the water in their palm and then toss the water over their head in a purification ritual.  Some pilgrims collect the holy water in containers including plastic recycled water bottles to take the holy water home for people unable to make the pilgrimage.

 

A Sadhhu Taking A Shower at Muktidhara

The water that flows down the mountainside feeding the 108 water-spouts, a very significant number in Hinduism as well as Buddhism, feeds the Kali Gangaki a very holy river in Nepal since it forms the left tributary of the Ganges River in India.  For Hindus water is very significant in their rituals and beliefs.  There are 7 holy rivers in India with the Ganges being one of the most important.

A Sadhhu Pilgrim Bathes at Muktidhara

A Sadhhu - a wandering ascetic from India

Two of the Sadhhus that we encountered at Muktinath, showered at the 108 water-spouts.  The other Sadhhus waded in the 2 nearby Kunda (water ponds).  The two ponds are actually man made pools at the entrance to the courtyard and are named for Goddess Laxmi and Goddess Saraswati.  The kunda contain holy water from the mountain springs.  It is believed that a dip in their water can wash away negative karma.  I saw one layperson actually immerse himself in the pond.  From the speed and reaction to the water, it was very apparent that the water was very cold.  Later, I tested it with my hand it seemed to be around 10C (52F).

The Sadhhus did not immerse themselves in the ponds.  A Policeman or security guard came by and seemed to prevent them from taking a complete plunge like the layman had done before his arrival.  He allowed them to stand along the edge or to climb down one step into the pond to access water with their hands.  They took some water and rubbed it on their legs, their neck, their face and their head.

Sadhhus Leaving Muktinath temple.

On our way out of the temple, we stopped at the Jwalamai Temple (Goddess of Fire). My wife and our guide enter and spent some time while I explored the area outside.  After a while the four Sadhhus appeared and enter the shrine while we were leaving.

We headed back down the trail and steps leading back to the village of Ranipauwa.  Shortly, I realized that the band of Saddhus were trailing us.  I told my wife to pull off to the side and to allow them to pass.  As they passed I informed them in English and through pantomime that I was too old, and that my ankles and knees were not all that good.  The Sadhhus stopped and individually chanted while rubbing my ankles, legs and knees!  After giving me their blessings, they proceeded on their way down the mountain.  We continued on our way behind them - me with renewed vigor, less distress and greater confidence in my joints.

We later passed them and bid our final goodbyes to them as they were shopping for shaligrams at a street side stand in the village of  Ranipauwa.

Sadhhus Shopping for Shaligrams

Our encounters with Sadhhus on this journey was not over.

Upon our return to Kathmandu, we spent a couple days to tour the city and environs.  This included a return to Pashupatinath temple near the international airport.  I wanted to return to the temple for several reasons.  I wanted to witness  the Arati Ceremony in the early evening, witness open air cremations alongside the Bagmati River, and deliver some photographs to the Sadhhus that I had encountered last November.

Old friends?

We arrived at the temple complex around 4:45 PM.  We walked through the entrance and after a very short walk, we encountered several Sadhhus relaxing on a stone bench  alongside the Bagmati River.  I recognized a couple of them from my previous visit.  I approached them to give them their photographs.  As I approached they broke out into large smiles and quite animated - they had recognized me.  I introduced Duang to them and they graciously posed with her so that I could take "her" photograph(s).  These were the Sadhhus that I did not fully "appreciate" on my last visit.  I had written about that encounter ...

"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""

The circumstances of the previous encounter were quite different from this encounter.  In November, they were located on the hillside among the shrines to Shiva overlooking the ghats.  It was very hot morning and they were surrounded by hordes of tourists.  For this encounter it was early evening with no tourists and quite temperate climate.  The Sadhhus were very relaxed and it came into my mind that they were kind of like guys relaxing at the end of their shift at some manufacturing facility.

  
The above Sadhhu spoke fairly good English.  He pulled out a full sized newspaper page and showed it to us.  He was telling us that he was famous all around the world.  The two page newspaper article had two photos of him  and was about him.  I looked at the newspaper article and saw that it was in a language that I had never seen before.  I then asked him if the newspaper was from Bosnia?  He was shocked and asked how did I know?  I could not explain for this was not the first time in my life that I have said things that ended up being true for which I had no rationale or explanation.  I looked at him and then gave him a knowing look as I raised my hands and touched my temples with my fingertips while gently closing my eyes. He seemed to appreciate and understand.

I learned from a Sadhhu, that one of the Sadhhus that I had a print for had returned to India.  I gave him the photograph and told him that I was giving him the print as a memory of his friend who had returned to India.

We spent a very enjoyable time speaking with the help of our guide who translated as necessary with the "off-the-clock" Sadhhus.  It was a very special time and I was very pleased for Duang to share in this experience.

We left the Sadhhus to continue our exploring of the area.  We ended up on the hillside near the Shiva shrines.  There we encountered several more Sadhhus, some familiar, congregating near a fairly large building.  Sadhhus used to live in many of the Shiva shrines.  From our guide we learned that the temple authorities now have the Sadhhus bed down in this centralized location rather than inside the individual shrines scattered about the hill side.

A Familiar Face

It was a completely different and definitely more enjoyable experience meeting the Sadhhus of Pashupatinath during this trip than the previous trip last November.

I have a little different opinion of these Sadhhus and definitely a greater understanding of them now.  This seems only logical since I have written a few times why I often go to certain locales more than once. - " You go the first time to learn and only on subsequent visits do you start to understand".

My goal to photograph some Sadhhus, "real" Sadhhus  at that, had been realized, realized beyond my expectations.  There had been some memorable experiences that gave me and my wife a little more understanding of some remarkable people that we share this world and life with. 

2018 Bhutan Gallery

Cham Dancer at Domkhar Festival

A gallery of 77 selected photographs from our tour to Bhutan  in April/May is completed and available for viewing on my photography website.

https://www.hale-worldphotography.com/2018-Bhutan

Bhutan is a beautiful place that we have visited twice.  It is another a "place less visited".  However the widening and paving of the road across the country is making it more accessible for tourism and will undoubtedly impact the unique culture of this Buddhist kingdom.

I am happy to have captured some images, before the mass influx of 60 passenger tourist buses, of the culture before progress changes it all to something we are more comfortable as well as familiar with.

Upper Mustang, Nepal Gallery Is Available

Chhusang, Upper Mustang

Finally, after almost one year, the gallery of selected photographs from my tour there in October/November is completed and available for viewing on my photography website.

https://www.hale-worldphotography.com/2017-Nepal-and-Upper-Mustang

Upper Mustang is the most beautiful place that I have ever visited.  It is definitely a "place less visited".  In many places there is no road to get there ... you just follow tire tracks across the the rock strewn floor of the Kali Gandaki River Gorge.  There is truly "Freedom of the Road".

I am returning to Upper Mustang for the Yartung Festival in the capital of Lo Manthang.  This time I will be traveling only with my wife.  Returning falls in line with my philosophy of traveling to special places to start to understand them after the initial visit to learn of them.

This trip during the monsoon season as well as for a horse festival will over some different photography opportunities.

Places Less Visited

Roadside travelers - Dhaulagiri Zone, Upper Mustang, Nepal

"My ambition and goal is to show extraordinary people doing ordinary things.  In so doing, I wish to show how different people can appear, to provide a glimpse of other cultures, to celebrate the diversity of mankind, and to demonstrate that despite our appearances we are so much alike." - Artist's Statement, Allen A Hale

Seven years ago as part of the submittal process for a gallery exposition, I had thought about my photography to develop the above artist statement.  Since that time, my photography efforts have followed the statement whether intentionally or by happenstance.

My journeys to experience and photograph the "extraordinary people doing ordinary things" have taken me to Nepal, Upper Mustang, Bhutan,Vietnam, Cambodia, and Thailand.

Thinggar, Upper Mustang, Nepal

The journeys often involved travel along dirt roads to access the isolated locations where the extraordinary people were located.  In the case of Upper Mustang the travel involved travel where roads did not exist in many locations.  The way was often just following tire tracks across the dirt and rock strewn landscape.  Travel in Upper Mustang also included several determining your own crossing points across rivers.

Lo Manthang social gathering with political graffiti, Lo Manthang, Upper Mustang, Nepal

These experiences have lead me to appreciate and treasure traveling unimproved roads, dirt roads and even the lack of roads to access 'places less visited".  My travels have included traveling along paved roads to access many well-known as well as popular tourist destinations including Angkor Wat, Bangkok, Vientiane, Hanoi, Chiang Mai, and Kathmandu.  However the ease of access from the outside world to those places has made them popular which results in the dilution of their unique culture and homogenization of them.  International hotel chains, fast food outlets, and bus loads of Chinese, South Korean, and European tour groups can easily be found in these locations.  Great efforts are made to accommodate, appeal, and placate these masses often at the expense of local custom, style, and culture.

Making Coal Briquettes - Quan Lan Island, Vietnam

I have found that the extraordinary people are most likely to be found in the places less visited along with the places that are more difficult to get to.

Bhutan's West- East Main Highway, Trongsa, Bhutan

Some of the places to find extraordinary people do not even have roads.  One of my favorite places to visit is Tonle Sap in Cambodia.  Tonle Sap is a huge fresh water lake, the largest in Southeast Asia, near Angkor Wat.  It is more than just a "Great Lake".  Tonle Sap is a way of life and a unique culture to be experienced. It is one of my favorite places.  While Angkor Wat is overwhelmed (you have been warned) with hundreds of busloads of tourists a day, Tonle Sap gets much fewer visitors - mainly to Chong Kneas (you have been warned) by some of those busloads from Angkor Wat as part of their package tour.  However Tonle Sap is  large lake and there are unique places that get very few visitors where you can observe the unique culture.  Kampong Khleang can be accessed by land during the dry season.
 
There is floating fishing village called Moat Khla (also shown as Meat Khla) on Google Maps.  Moat Khla is 24 Km south of Kampong Khleang and accessible only by boat.  It is located 24 km south of Kampong Khleang - a 2 hour boat ride.  The entire village of fishermen and their families live on floating house boats. The school is also a floating structure.  The Buddhist temple is also  floating Wat.  There are also some floating gardens - small barges with dirt beds on top of them to supplement the inhabitant's diet with greens and vegetables.

Preparing dinner in Moat Khla, floating village, on Tonle Sap, Cambodia

Moat Khla, Tonle Sap, Cambodia

 
In May, Duang and I returned from our second trip within a year to the Himalayan nation of Bhutan.

It was amazing at how much change in one year that we observed .  The change is driven by the widening and paving of the West to East road across the nation.  I was carrying some photographs to give to people that I had photographed last Spring.  I found just about everyone, a benefit of traveling to remote and sparsely populated locations.  However I missed one little boy and his father whom we had visited before.  I missed them because their home is now much closer to where we had spent the night before.  No, they had not moved, but the improvement of the main road has cut hours from the journey between the two locations.  I started looking for the four house village long after we had passed it this year.  Fortunately our drivers and guides were going to pass the place on their drive back at the end of our eastern leg of the tour.  They agreed to give the photos and clothing gifts to the family on their return.

Rice Planting - Sapa, Vietnam

The Buddhist philosophy is that life is change.  Most people have the attitude that most change is progress and progress is considered to be good.  I sometimes feel somewhat guilty when I reflect upon progress being a threat and disruptive to people.  Improving highways and other means to ease the access of people to the outside world benefits people through opening up markets for their goods as well as giving them greater access to conveniences and ideas not readily available to them.  This can be destructive for unique cultures, and lifestyle.  Access to the outside world often leads to the erosion of unique people's culture in that they make compromises for the sensitivities and comforts of their visitors.

I hope that the peoples of those places less visited make decisions regarding "progress" that fully take into consideration the value of their traditions and culture rather than acquiescing to the false siren of becoming "modern" and emulating the dominant "advanced" cultures.

It is not for me to say what is best for others.  I can not stop "progress" no more than I can control the changes in my own life.  I do not have to like or approve the changes in this world.  I need only to recognize and adapt to all the changes in this world.

Until that day when changes will no longer happen in my life, a day that I am certain will arrive long before all the roads are paved, I will strive to seek out those places less visited. 

I will cherish those places less visited. 

I will enjoy those places less visited.

I will share with others those special places less visited through my photographs and writing so that they too may know of what is and may not long be - places less visited.