The fourth day on the trek leads us to higher altitudes. We are now at about 1800 meters altitude. At this point the dominant religion changes from Hinduism to Buddhism. You cannot miss this change due to many Mani stones that are built along the path.
As we get higher the valley opens up slightly more and therefore there is a little more agriculture. We walk along rice fields and see even a mill that is run by the water of a nearby creek. It looks functional and abandoned at the same time.
There was still mist in the air and it looked like the weather will change soon. The forecast, however, was still good for the coming days.
Some Mani stones contain writing, some illustrations. All of them are artfully made, really old and treated well.
Speaking of abandoned mills. Occasionally we see abandoned villages. Sometimes, like in this case, only ruins are left. We are not sure why those villages were abandoned. Maybe because of a fire that burned down many houses or because of an earthquake? Maybe the inhabitants just searched for a better life near Kathmandu?
99.9% of the Manaslu Circuit had pretty good paths. Which makes sense as there is only this one path up the valley. Everyone has to take it. However at some places the Monsun took its toll.
If you hike in Nepal you will sometimes see really long benches and maybe wonder what they are for. Usually they are not intended to sit on. They are used the by porters to put the luggage down when they take a rest. If they want to continue, they don't have to lift it all the way from the bottom.
Childhood in a rural part of Nepal is definitely different than in central Europe. I have a nine month year old son and couldn't image him laying on a carpet in the dirt with chickens around him. Growing up like this has many benefits but also many drawbacks when they get older. Maybe a mix would be good. Spending the first (maybe 6) years in a rural part away from modern life and then switching slowly into a more modern setting to allow for a good future? What do you think?
Next: Seeing Manaslu!
