Trek Manybhanjang-Tonglu – The chicken is too heavy and allowed to continue living

15. April 2025

 

I quickly learnt that a lot has changed since 1995, when I did the Singalila trek alone.

 

• There is now a road up to Sandakphu, the place from where you can see Everest, Makalu, Lhotse and Kanchenjunga, i.e. 4 eight-thousanders. Someone must have thought that this would be a great business because so many Indian tourists, especially from West Bengal, love to escape their hot plains and travel to the mountains, but don’t fancy trekking and would definitely want to see even higher mountains from so high up (3,636 m) and spend their money on it when they come up by jeep. -> works!
• The trek and the road run along the border between Nepal and India. Sometimes you are on one side, sometimes on the other. Usually, Nepal has always been more concerned with making it a bit prettier – and they pay less tax. As a result, they have a more attractive offer and India didn’t like the fact that the tourist money ended up in Nepal rather than India. What to do? At least western trekkers are not allowed to stay overnight in Nepal. Though they are allowed to eat and drink tea in Nepal. -> works! However, I don’t think the numbers are that high because there aren’t that many Westerners travelling.
• To ensure that no one makes a mistake and that other people have something to do, the passport is checked every so often (5 times on the first day) and everything is written down in large books. No chance of making a mistake. -> works!
• You are only allowed to trek with a guide. I don’t know why or since when, but that’s the way it is. And so Gopal got me Asish at my side. The one good thing about Asish, which I didn’t know beforehand, is that he has actually been leading as English-speaking Guide the trips here for Diamir for several years (with a German-speaking Bhutanese at his side). And so we had quite a lot to talk about. It was quite nice to have someone with me, but I don’t really know why. Because I don’t think it’s any more dangerous here than in the Alps.

But let’s get going! First by car to Manebhanjang, where I started from in 1995.

 

 

 

Maneybhanjang lies at 1,960 metres and we wanted to climb 1,100 metres. A good start…. The weather was still OK, but there was a constant fear of rain, so Asish bought more plastic to protect us from getting too wet.

 

 

 

The road winds upwards in bends and Asish’s plan was to follow it. However, you always encountered cars and that really annoyed me. So we took shortcuts. However, they were quite steep and not really paths, which I didn’t really like. My disappointment set in early on.

 

 

In Chittray there is a monastery with new huge statue, fog and a first break.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The lodge was very cosy and full of hearing-impaired Indians from Kolkata who were shouting around. When they were gone, I took this photo. And then we went on, a few nicer shortcuts.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We stopped for lunch in a little hut. There were some young men negotiating with the landlady to buy a chicken. One was caught and weighed: 2.8kg. However, they only wanted a 2kg chicken. But that wasn’t available, or only chickens that were still laying eggs and the landlady didn’t want to sell them. So the purchase didn’t materialise and the chicken stayed alive.

 

 

 

Then we continued to Meghma and then there was also rain.

 

 

There is a special monastery in Meghma that is very rarely opened. But Asish looked for and found the key man and he unlocked it. Unfortunately no photos allowed. The monastery was built in the 1950s and contains 108 Buddha statues as well as others that were built as a pyramid and are the figures you meet after death. There are some very grim figures trampling on human bodies. I’ve never seen an ensemble like that before. The believers watch it to be better prepared for this encounter.

 

Then it just kept going steeply uphill and it was raining and unpleasant.

 

 

And then the goal was reached.

 

 

Great trek….. But the people at the lodge were nice and gave me a hot water bottle and dried my slightly wet clothes and then I slept and was curious to see what the next morning would bring.

 

Resolution in the next blog post!