Surviving Social Distancing (# 13)

Rude Awakening

One thing about virtually traveling with Google Street View and Google Image Search is comparing the images that we find with our own images and memories, especially when a significant amount of time has passed. Places change, and memories are influenced by an array of factors like the amount of sleep we might of had (or didn't have), smells, tastes, sounds, weather, lighting, etc. 

Actually physical travel, in the sense that we think of as "mass tourism" today, may have gotten its start when industrialists like George Westinghouse, who early in the 20th Century, initiated paid vacations for workers. Working and middle classes had both time and means along with education and curiosity for travel. 

After World War II millions of people, who had been exposed to new, different, and exotic places, wanted to reconnect with friends made during their wartime experiences. They wanted to visit (or revisit) places they had seen or heard about. Automobiles were becoming more affordable, as was gas. Jet aircraft became commercially viable. Credit cards with worldwide purchasing ability became popular. New worlds were opened! 

Predicted employment loss in travel & tourism
due to the coronavirus pandemic
worldwide by region (in millions)

Now, those worlds have closed down due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. Both business and leisure travel has come abruptly to a halt. Like many, we've had to cancel plans for travel in the coming months (probably for the rest of the year).

Virtual Travel

Virtual travel provides some interesting insights when "returning" to places that we have visited in the past. Comparing our photographs and memories to what we find online today can reveal some rather dramatic contrasts. Because of the the ubiquitous growth of the travel industry, a quarter century of change makes any place that we have visited into a totally new place. Except, of course, it can't. Our memories cause biases to our vision and insight. 

Climbing (Virtually) is Easy

From Dhiprung our trail heads east, crossing the grain of the land. Our first ascents and descents begin today. We cross the muddy Seti River a short distance upstream.

Climbing steadily through the terraced fields of Khajibung, the trail levels off after a short but steep staircase to give excellent mountain views.
Continuing beyond the ridge we reach a saddle before descending to the little-visited Gurung village of Chyanglung.

After a short stop at the Chyanglung settlement, we descend to the Sardi Khola valley for lunch.



Kyabrang

The afternoon’s walk is a steep climb through terraced fields to the village of Kyabrang.

Kyabrang

From here, a further climb to the top of the ridge brings us to our campsite, commanding fine panoramic views, particularly of the Annapurnas and of Machapuchare.

Another Day Begins

One of the nice things about an arduous trek such as this is waking up to the morning tea service.

Morning tea service

The next two days of the trek are spent crossing the heavily forested ridge separating the Seti and Mardi valleys. 

The first day took us through a hauntingly beautiful rhododendron, oak and bamboo forest.

The morning’s walk is short and the trails are narrow, but easy to follow.

We have lunch in one of the few clearings made by the locals as grazing areas for their water buffalo. 

Encountering water buffalo, by the way, along the trail is truly what defines the trail as "narrow". 

Where are we?

This itinerary seems so easy in our virtual travel reality. At the time, however, we had no idea where we were.

In the afternoon we continued to ascend to the high ridge (8,695 ft.), then we gradually descended to our campsite at Baradhara, a water buffalo pasture

To be continued . . .