Before leaving :
L'Effet Libellule, it is the meeting of the children of the world, by questioning the link with the nature, in the habits, the traditions and the beliefs. It is also immersed in varied environments, ranging from the Gabonese rainforest to the Sri Lankan jungle, through the New Caledonian lagoon and the mangroves of the Philippines. In the autumn of 2019, it was in the Langtang Valley, close to the Tibetan border, in the Himalayan range, that we walked 6 days, taking the path that crosses the rain forest, along the river blue, which passes over the scree, which crosses the ancient village of Langtang stricken from the map by the earthquake and ends at the foot of the Tserko Ri, a "hill" which rises to 4984 m high.
Day 1
To get to Syabru Besi, the village where the trek starts, it takes a day of bus from Kathmandu. And better not to trust the promises of free wifi, air conditioning and individual seats displayed on the back of the bus under the title "Deluxe bus", otherwise it is disappointment guaranteed! Instead, you'll be treated to Indian music sizzling through the speakers, a sweet smell escaping from the chicken coops, new passengers getting on the bus that seems already jam-packed and breaks. techniques for repairing shock absorbers.
But after this endless journey and a good night in Syabru Besi, we go down to the river accompanied by Sonam our guide and his uncle Tsingy who carries the bulk of our business. These two Tamang come from a village 2 hours walk from here. The blue river is beautiful. We will follow it for the duration of the trek. It is powerful and dotted with huge rocks. The numerous waterfalls feed this flow whose color brings to the landscape of sweetness. This river we cross several times, passing on narrow iron bridges decorated with many prayer flags. This first part of the trail is dotted with many tea houses, accommodations or restaurants that offer tea at any time. It will be the drink of the trek, at the rate of 5 cups a day! So we test Massala tea, Ginger Honey and Hot Lemon. There is only Tibetan tea, a buttered tea, that we will not have tasted. It is sunny and we think again of Charles - our friend from Reunion, double-finisher of the diagonal crazy - who likes to advise "walk fast, run slowly". We appropriate its adage by descending a notch the difficulty: "walk fast, slowly climb"!
At 11am, Sonam announces that it is "Dhal Bath Time". We stop at the tea house where his mother and cousin work. We enjoy the dish consisting of rice, vegetable curry, lentil soup and spicy sauce. We are more than 1 hour from our first accommodation. It's a first, easy day to get on your legs.
Day 2
After a departure at 8am, we take tea break at the "River Side" at 2769m altitude. That's it, we see the snow-capped peaks! It is colder than yesterday, the sun is shy, gloves and hats are appreciated. The guest-house begins to be spaced. Despite good hydration and supplies of hot tea, a small headache settles.
The landscape is colorful: the blue of the river that we started to admire yesterday now contrast with the young and red leaves on the trees. The white summits is more and more present and echoes the small flowers that line the trail (besides, given the number of petals, good luck to know if it's love to madness or not at all! ). On the floor, other touches of color: the packaging of cereal bars, chips or sweets line the way. According to Sonam, this waste is left on the ground by Nepali. Indeed, we meet hikers who sow behind them the packaging of their snacks and in guesthouses, children throw polythene in the direction of the river.
The time of walking is also the time to reflect, to exchange and to enrich one's thoughts. And one wonders about all these plastic waste thrown into the nature, if it is a gesture that can be explained by ignorance or indifference. Thinking back to the children encountered during the Effet Libellule workshops, we opt for the answer of ignorance. And if for us, the sight of a landscape colored by plastic bottles, candy papers or aluminum cans hairs the hair, it is because we have been taught and rehashed that it is dirty, it's ugly and it's bad. Understand that behind these wastes, they are rivers and polluted soils, it came in a second time. To bring a discussion about the environment with children who do not share our culture, have not received the same teaching, do not have the same notions of good and evil and aesthetics, that was our goal with this project.
Today still, it was a day of walking since at 13h, we already arrive at the Buddha Guesthouse. The time to put the bags and a few drops fall. At 32000m altitude and without internet connection, it's time to read and listen to podcast downloaded "down"! The night comes early, the dinner too, the opportunity to make a good and long night before continuing the climb!
