At Home with the Sherpas

Good morning Tsum Valley! We were at the cusp of entering Tibet. Tsum Valley is tucked away, just northwest of the Nepal’s capital Kathmandu, in the Gorkha district and is very close to the border with Chinese Tibet. In fact, due to this close proximity to the border the people that live here are Tibetans.  The valley is lined with numerous snow-capped peaks and is cut by a raging river.

The trek from Chumling to Phurbe (Phule) is one of magnificent natural and cultural contrasts .

We were blessed with yet another glorious morning.  Not so glorious was the 800 metre altitude climb to Phule. Our route started gently in a heavily forested zone dotted with distinctly Tibetan villages. The trail climbed and the difference in altitude started being felt. It was very important to stay hydrated as the body battles to adjust to the new conditions.

Pathway of contrasting textures: air, snow, wood, rock, soil...

Always towered by the peaks (Courtesy of J. Chow)

The terrain got more grassy but dotted with various flowering plants. Some showed signs of winter bleaching. Tibetan prayer stone mounds became common features. The flapping of the multicolour prayer flags indicated the strength of the cool winds in the valley. The sunshine mitigated these chilly winds. It was now possible to trek with just a t-shirt. As we passed Dramba, large millet fields provided colour to the grey slate buildings.

In an uninhabited section, Amir spotted some Langur monkeys. Being wild they started to retreat uphill from the pile of boulders where they were chilling out. They are known to throw rocks at intruders so Amir suggested we quickly move on in a single file to avoid any potential monkey wrath. We negotiated a zig-zag incline after Gho, that was quite taxing. Halfway up Amir started talking to an old couple who had been harvesting green apples. He purchased a couple for us. They were delicious with a firm, crunchy texture. The enterprising old lady then started insisting on charging Jason for the photos of the transaction that he was attempting to take! There were going to be no tea stops (since surprisingly enough, there were no teahouses at this leg of the trip) until lunchtime so we had a lengthy break on top of a boulder in a tranquil opening surrounded by the great Tsum Valley peaks at all angles. A perfect place to meditate if there ever was one!

The D.B. (Dal Bhat) Power Team - Take 1 (Courtesy of J. Chow)

The D.B. Power Team - Take 2 (Courtesy of J. Chow)

The Guide, Trekker, Porter Tripartite (Courtesy of J. Chow)

More visual treats lay beyond this archway (Courtesy of J. Chow)

Until just a couple of years ago this area was not frequented by tourists. Even today you cannot get there by vehicle, only by foot, which lends to its outstanding beauty and tranquillity. It is also a Buddhist pilgrimage route. We continued passing more stone archways with Buddhist paintings on the inside. A pretty monastery skirted the trail, red, blue and yellow in prominence. Spirituality was written all over the place: on boulders, slate, archways, flags, even in the wind.

The snow capped peaks kept lining up and stable weather not letting up. It was clear, as if all of a sudden, that clouds were gathering behind us. Amir beckoned us to move faster. A very rare instruction from the master of taking things easy. The Tsum Valley got wider, with lots of villages and farms filling it. There were so many paths that Amir had to enquire with locals on the best way to our destination tonight, Phule. The village seemed to be at its busiest in the mid-afternoon. Women were sat sorting grain, others tending their yaks (yes - yaks!) and cattle... 

Chhekampar village (Courtesy of J. Chow)

''Carry On Up The Tsum Valley'' - Directed by K. Njuguna

We arrived at the Sherap's Homestay, located in Phule, a bustling village just over 3200m in altitude. It is probably meant to be called ''Sherpa’s Homestay'', but I'm not surprised with seeing multiple  romanised versions of the same Tibetan name. The layout of the home starts with an enclosed vegetable patch, which is protected from raging winds by slate walls, then you continue on a parallel path up to a gate that leads to another enclosed area, the main compound. Some livestock sheds (cattle, goats, yak, chicken) are prominent before you get into the 2 floor wooden and slate house. The living area is upstairs. This layout and the building materials are quite typical in this region to suit the extreme mountain conditions and available resources.

Playful spinach harvest (Courtesy of J. Chow)

This was the best cultural experience to-date. We were hosted by a 7 member family. Or was it 8? We met 2 young boys, one a toddler and the other very bubbly, always running around. The were 4 girls, but I'm not sure if the eldest was a sister of the man of the house. It is not unusual for the people in this region to have many children per family. Some say that the high fertility rate here is because, apart from the agricultural life, there is not much else to do but make babies!

The D.B. Power - Sherpa Collective (Courtesy of J. Chow)

More playtime and laughs with the Sherpas (Courtesy of J. Chow)

The bedrooms are traditionally carpeted, Persian style, with the beds slightly raised. The carpet is a useful insulation from the cold draughty wooden flooring and gives the place a homely feeling.  We ate and communed in one big room, adorned with Tibetan traditional pots for storage of water, nyak milk and other foods. The owner was a fantastic cook.

We had a standard ‘dal bhat’ (lentils with rice) but with some fresh, hot chili pickle, with the dhal mixed with herbs and beans. All these ingredients form the local staple dishes, affordably traded and easily grown. The remoteness of the region makes local produce the standard. The side dishes and refreshments included local millet wine, yoghurt and the famous salty nyak milk (remember, the yak is male!) tea. I did not forget the sensation of earing the best damn ‘saag’ (spinach) I've ever had, picked from the vegetable garden by the owner’s chirpy daughters. After our 2 big servings, our trekking guide and the porters had tsampa, a millet mash instead of rice, which has more carbohydrate, essential for porters that have to lift heavy loads all day.

There was plenty of time for playful photography with the family, relaxed banter (with plenty of translations between English, Nepali and Tibetan) and watching television. Yes – I said the region is remote but with a satellite dish, decoder and television, the world is suddenly at your fingertips. We saw the local news and settled to watch a long drawn Bollywood superhero, science fiction film.

''Fly Sherpa Airways - The Persian Lounge''

I could not resist the urge for some twilight relief at 5am. It was quite a mission to get out of the sleeping bag, get adequately clothed and wander into the outhouse located outside the compound. Amidst my nocturnal wander I witnessed yet another glorious starry night. 

Breakfast time. As the kids slept in the communal room, Jase and I had a delicious chapati and egg sandwich. We quietly bade our hosts goodbye.

Also check out the At Home With The Sherpas photo album here.