Old photos & Diaries

Wanda's Kanchenjunga Wild - local faces

Thanks Wanda! These are from our Kanchenjunga Wild Oct-Nov 2001 explorations, a 42 day trip.

Meet some of the people we stayed with or met along the way.

The lodge owner in Chirwa, in the centre of the small bazaar,
he casts a benevolent eye over all that goes on in the small bazaar village.

Himali Chunda is a Ghunsa lodge owner that we have stayed with many times.
He is also the conservation officer for the Kangchenjunga Conservation Area Project (KCAP)
and loaned us the binoculars that we saw the snow leopard with.

Below Sekathum is a well-known camping ground, here are our hosts drinking tungba, essentially the local beer.
It is made from fermented millet seeds that are then put in the wooden jar and boiling water is poured over them,
let it sit for a while and sip thru the straw.

At the wonderful camping spot in Gyabla we had a dance, local style, as well as more tungba.

The two younger girls of the Gyabla camp spot enjoy frisbee and reading some American magazines.
The have not seen a road yet or electric lights.

Although not materially wealthy, when the women of the middle hills dress to go to the bazaar, they are beautiful,
partly thanks to humble tailors like this.

A helper at the Taplejung market.

Yes, we also had to take this boat.

Wanda's (and my) favourite picture taken at a place where we stopped for lunch.

jdesign -- all rights reserved -- frozen in time July 2013