these are images that i took while we were driving from surkhet towards mangalsen… it starts from the point where i spotted karnali and goes up to when we drove away from the river after heading northwards from kuchi vdc in achham.
karnali the longest river in the country (and one of ganga's largest tributaries)… humla karnali originating from beyond the himalaya, in tibet, and mugu karnali with its source north of lake rara. they mix up with seti and bheri before crossing the border to meet the ganga… the thought of the great journey of the river, the emerald green karnali, especially as it winds its way around southern achham, is awe-inspiring…
got darshan of karnali on the tip of the 'appendix' of achham (where the river flows south-eastwards, south and then north westwards of accham's appendage).. karnali's bank visible way below in the shadow of the mountain…
… the karnali highway (h12) itself is quite narrow carved out on rocky hillsides... this bit not as steep and treacherous as some bits still undergoing upgrading work up north, i gather...
… the bit where karnali is flowing south… before it takes a sharp turn westwards… one can gauge the height of the highway… it is truly a 'high' way
… the skies were clear enough to spot little bits of snow-capped mountains… high hills that had caught the recent snowfalls…
… the pointed peaks in achham on the other side of the karnali…
… the river again .. way below… as the mountains fold and unfold themselves northwards…
... meanwhile overhead a plane on its way to surkhet perhaps, flying in from jumla or mugu or dolpa??
… trees stripped of leaves to feed livestock...
… the highway in the distance… that was the spot from where we first got darshan of karnali…
… parts of the highway have been destroyed by landslides…
… and thus very dusty…
… tractors, the backbone of karnali transport system…
… and the river floweth on…
…the point where the river turns… at dugeshwar, where lohore khola surrenders itself to karnali…
… nearly all homes we passed in the area seem to have solar panels for lighting…
… trying to make a connection…a man with his mobile phone…
… in many areas farmers have taken to improved agricultural practices…
... this woman is working at a site repairing portions of the road that caved in following heavy rains last year... she was telling me that she lives in the top of the hill, has five children.. and does not know the whereabouts of her drunkard husband … when I took this picture she said, 'lau haansi po chhu'…
… so I agreed to take another picture in her preferred 'formal -without-smile' pose… and she was happy!
… daredevil or precision driving at its best / worst… the tractor driver coolly backed up until the wheels of trailer (that had delivered rocks for the gabion retaining wall) were off the side of the road and then thundered ahead!
… winter rains have been good for these mountain villages.. terraces of wheat and green peas…
… rough roads ahead…
… it was interesting to see how rivulets fanned out and spilled rocks and debris from landslides into the river…
… an s turn…
… heartening to note so many new constructions along the highway… new opportunity opening up for those who want to cash in…
... another vulnerable bagar…
… and a closeup of the beautiful houses with long verandas...
... we were told this is the site for where the proposed tunnel for a hydroelectric project… upper karnali???
... sal trees beginning to change colour…
… a rafter's delight.. rapids…
… another landslide fan…
... as we near tunibagar.. the river widens and turns more sober…
… still enough to reflect the mountains as if in a lake…
... we stopped to have lunch at sagar 'stap' hotel… the eatery named after the owner's baby son.. and the hotel owner recently switching business.. from a cosmetic shop near the suspension bridge that connects to achham on the other side, to the eatery. 'it's good for making connections' he told us…
… sita, sagar's mother, who cooked yummy machha jhol bhaat for us… the couple want just one child.. and give him a good education. if sagar had been a girl, they would probably have tried for just one more child, they said!
… i thought these were pocket-sized mineral water bottles… boy was i mistaken.. turned out to be fire water!
… the jholungey pool that connects achham and dailekh…
looking westwards from the bridge…
… and tunibagar from across the karnali…
... locals bringing a pipe across for drinking water from across the river…
... a strange and encouraging sight to see a man washing clothes…
… but a sad sight to see plastic rubbish piling up on the banks of the river…
… all decked up in gold finery, a shop owner in tunibagar…
… finally sight of the river crossing point in the distance…
... getting closer…
... the ferry point at rakam… kuchi vdc of achham on the other side.. with the mid-hills road expansion visible on the mountain in the distance…
… the highway continues on heading northwards towards manma in kalikot.. just some of it blacktopped beyond this point… but we left the highway and headed west towards mangalsen…
... a dugout canoe by the ferry crossing…
… we wait for the ferry to come across…
... looking northwards from the ferry…
… parts of a bridge that will soon span the karnali near the ferry crossing… as part of the expansion work of the mid-hills east to west highway…
… what once was a food for work track road, is now being expanded and promoted to 'highway' standard…
… a single excavator is carving out the hillside to widen the roads.. throwing vehicle sized rocks down the various layers of winding road below… karnali now snaking in the valley below…
… looking eastwards to the road we'd taken earlier…
... after a three hour wait for the excavator to clear the road we climbed further up and saw the karnali again… with the highway hugging the mountain flanks…
... and the final parting shot.. of the karnali.. with manma of kalikot below the clouds and snowy peaks in the distance…
karnali the longest river in the country (and one of ganga's largest tributaries)… humla karnali originating from beyond the himalaya, in tibet, and mugu karnali with its source north of lake rara. they mix up with seti and bheri before crossing the border to meet the ganga… the thought of the great journey of the river, the emerald green karnali, especially as it winds its way around southern achham, is awe-inspiring…
got darshan of karnali on the tip of the 'appendix' of achham (where the river flows south-eastwards, south and then north westwards of accham's appendage).. karnali's bank visible way below in the shadow of the mountain…
… the karnali highway (h12) itself is quite narrow carved out on rocky hillsides... this bit not as steep and treacherous as some bits still undergoing upgrading work up north, i gather...
… the bit where karnali is flowing south… before it takes a sharp turn westwards… one can gauge the height of the highway… it is truly a 'high' way
… the skies were clear enough to spot little bits of snow-capped mountains… high hills that had caught the recent snowfalls…
… the pointed peaks in achham on the other side of the karnali…
… the river again .. way below… as the mountains fold and unfold themselves northwards…
... meanwhile overhead a plane on its way to surkhet perhaps, flying in from jumla or mugu or dolpa??
… trees stripped of leaves to feed livestock...
… the highway in the distance… that was the spot from where we first got darshan of karnali…
… parts of the highway have been destroyed by landslides…
… and thus very dusty…
… tractors, the backbone of karnali transport system…
… and the river floweth on…
…the point where the river turns… at dugeshwar, where lohore khola surrenders itself to karnali…
… nearly all homes we passed in the area seem to have solar panels for lighting…
… trying to make a connection…a man with his mobile phone…
… in many areas farmers have taken to improved agricultural practices…
... this woman is working at a site repairing portions of the road that caved in following heavy rains last year... she was telling me that she lives in the top of the hill, has five children.. and does not know the whereabouts of her drunkard husband … when I took this picture she said, 'lau haansi po chhu'…
… so I agreed to take another picture in her preferred 'formal -without-smile' pose… and she was happy!
… daredevil or precision driving at its best / worst… the tractor driver coolly backed up until the wheels of trailer (that had delivered rocks for the gabion retaining wall) were off the side of the road and then thundered ahead!
… winter rains have been good for these mountain villages.. terraces of wheat and green peas…
… rough roads ahead…
… it was interesting to see how rivulets fanned out and spilled rocks and debris from landslides into the river…
… an s turn…
… heartening to note so many new constructions along the highway… new opportunity opening up for those who want to cash in…
... another vulnerable bagar…
… and a closeup of the beautiful houses with long verandas...
... we were told this is the site for where the proposed tunnel for a hydroelectric project… upper karnali???
... sal trees beginning to change colour…
… a rafter's delight.. rapids…
… another landslide fan…
... as we near tunibagar.. the river widens and turns more sober…
… still enough to reflect the mountains as if in a lake…
... we stopped to have lunch at sagar 'stap' hotel… the eatery named after the owner's baby son.. and the hotel owner recently switching business.. from a cosmetic shop near the suspension bridge that connects to achham on the other side, to the eatery. 'it's good for making connections' he told us…
… sita, sagar's mother, who cooked yummy machha jhol bhaat for us… the couple want just one child.. and give him a good education. if sagar had been a girl, they would probably have tried for just one more child, they said!
… i thought these were pocket-sized mineral water bottles… boy was i mistaken.. turned out to be fire water!
… the jholungey pool that connects achham and dailekh…
looking westwards from the bridge…
… and tunibagar from across the karnali…
... locals bringing a pipe across for drinking water from across the river…
... a strange and encouraging sight to see a man washing clothes…
… but a sad sight to see plastic rubbish piling up on the banks of the river…
… all decked up in gold finery, a shop owner in tunibagar…
… finally sight of the river crossing point in the distance…
... getting closer…
... the ferry point at rakam… kuchi vdc of achham on the other side.. with the mid-hills road expansion visible on the mountain in the distance…
… the highway continues on heading northwards towards manma in kalikot.. just some of it blacktopped beyond this point… but we left the highway and headed west towards mangalsen…
... a dugout canoe by the ferry crossing…
… we wait for the ferry to come across…
... looking northwards from the ferry…
… parts of a bridge that will soon span the karnali near the ferry crossing… as part of the expansion work of the mid-hills east to west highway…
… what once was a food for work track road, is now being expanded and promoted to 'highway' standard…
… a single excavator is carving out the hillside to widen the roads.. throwing vehicle sized rocks down the various layers of winding road below… karnali now snaking in the valley below…
… looking eastwards to the road we'd taken earlier…
... after a three hour wait for the excavator to clear the road we climbed further up and saw the karnali again… with the highway hugging the mountain flanks…
... and the final parting shot.. of the karnali.. with manma of kalikot below the clouds and snowy peaks in the distance…
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