Gosaikunda, 108 sacred lakes.

"A good traveler has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving.  Lao Tzu."

One day, a very long time ago, Shiva the ascetic was meditating on top of the world. As he was churning the sea, he drunk the poison of immortality, amrita, which made him very thirsty, and turned his throat blue.

Taking his trishula, he pounded the ground creating the Gosaikunda lakes. He drunk the water to quenche his thirst. The 108 lakes, a sacred number, became a holy pilgramage place for the Hindu/Buddhist community. Every year in August, they come by the thousand to take a swim in the holy water.

"No one realizes how beautiful it is to travel until he comes home and rests his head on his old, familiar pillow.  Lin Yutang."

With 6 people, 2 french men, Pierre and David, a guide, a porter, Bikas and I, we go for 8 days in the mountains of the Langtang national park. We walk up the hills, passing the valley of rododendrons, changing from pink, to white to purple.

We cross primordial forests, where only gods and yaks can live, the moss of the trees watching us pass in eternal silence.

Up and up we go. The land becomes more and more dry with each meter up. The clouds swallows us like aunts crawling up the hill. We climb to 4700 meters to finally see the Langtang hills, far away marking the chinese border. The lakes shine like jewels in melting snow. Here nothing grows, the land is dry and cold.

"The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes. Marcel Proust. "

What goes up must go down says the wise man. After going up, the only way is down. On the way, we stop by Melamchigau, a quiet village sitting in rice fields. A holy village for Buddhists, where Milarepa and Padmasambava, 2 important buddhists saints, came and meditated in caves near by.

Near by the village, there are still a handfull of retreats for lamas. After a much needed rest and a chicken meal, which is a nice change from the daily dose of dal bhat, local rice and lentils meal, we descend through the rododendrons, the mossy forest, to finally get back in the brahman emerald valley of rice fields and banana trees.

Here nothing has changed for thousands of years, except for the little radios that the local villagers listen to. As usual, the government is on the news, everyone listening to the constant debate of rotten politicians and military forces.

The newly appointed president is being replaced by another one. The new government of Nepal changes his politicians like it would change socks. From far, browsing the newspaper, I watch a country trying to implement a dreamed about democracy. Maybe one day they will get a democracy, only history will tell.

Back in dusty Kathmandu, surfing in between taxis and rickshaws, I settle once again in city life, holding in my mind the sight of sublime Mother Nature, I put one feet in front of the other. Slowly but surely, got to keep on going.

It’s another day in Kathmandu…

"I have discovered that all human evil comes from this,

man's being unable sit still in a room.
Blaise Pascal."

Text in french here: http://manue23.blogs.psychologies.com/aventures_psychedeliques/2009/06/gosaikunda-et-108-lacs-sacres.html