# Nepal - trek to Rara Lake



## emydura (Jan 15, 2010)

Warning - if you have a slow connection speed you might want to give this thread a miss as there are a few photos.

Not sure if anyone is interested ( I think Jean is) but here are a few photos from my recent 3 week trek in Western Nepal. I took lots of photos so it was hard limiting it down to a few. This was just 1/3 of the trek, so I have many other photos that are as nice as these (as well as quite different) so I can post those as well if anyone is keen. 

Western Nepal is extremely remote and rugged and sees few tourists, especially when compared to other more famous Nepalese trekking regions such as Everest and Annapurna. It is also an extremely poor area, hence facilities are limited and sparse. Most people who trek in this region go with organised groups, sleeping in tents away from the villages. However, I went with a few Nepalese friends and we stayed in the villages itself. This meant it was a lot cheaper plus we got to interact much more closely with the local people which was very rewarding.

The trek was tough with many high passes. As the villages were often few and far between, most of the days were long and many times we were walking in the dark. As a result I was often frustrated with the photographic opportunities as we were always in a rush. Anyway some of these are still quite nice. I hope you enjoy them. 

David














We don't have decidous forests in Australia so I was just awestruck by these oak forests. 









































Typical 5 star accomodation.


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## emydura (Jan 15, 2010)

We had been climbing for 5 or 6 hours by this stage. That last bit just killed me.






Rara Lake






The trekking party






Heading down to the lake.






Rara Lake - sunset and sunrise


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## JeanLux (Jan 15, 2010)

Thanks David!!!!! This was a real wow-moment!!!! Extreme landscapes, beautiful pics!!!! Jean

I suppose it's you on the left side of the group!

( before seeing the following pics, I was struck by n.5!!!! the rushing water to the left and the peaceful quiet cottage on the right!!)


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## Clark (Jan 15, 2010)

Spectacular!
What was your maximum elevation?


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## emydura (Jan 15, 2010)

JeanLux said:


> I suppose it's you on the left side of the group!



Yes, squinting into the sun and looking rather weather beatened. I normally don't have my hair so short but went for the low maintenance look for the trek. 



Clark said:


> Spectacular!
> What was your maximum elevation?



Only 4000 m so it wasn't too bad. Nothing like the everest trek I went on previously which reached 5700 m and was above 5000 m for a week. But then I was 5 years younger as well.

David


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## NYEric (Jan 15, 2010)

Excellent, thanx for sharing.


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## Choodles (Jan 15, 2010)

AWESOME!!! Thanks for the pics- it's 30F here and not a damn thing looks alive outside.


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## Yoyo_Jo (Jan 15, 2010)

Wow! Your photos are like something out of National Geographic David! Just fabulous :clap: Thank you for posting. I hope you show us more of them.


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## Ernie (Jan 15, 2010)

Wow! Thanks for posting these! 

-Ernie


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## toddybear (Jan 15, 2010)

OMG! What FANTASTIC photography! Absolutely stunning! I can only imagine how many alpines (my other love) would be there if you visited in June-July.


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## etex (Jan 15, 2010)

OMG!! These are excellent photos!! They would look great in a book!! Awesome views you shared with us!! Thank you so much for posting these amazing pictures!!


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## Shadow (Jan 15, 2010)

I'm speechless after viewing your thread! Stunning photography! One of the best ones I've seen. Thanks for sharing. What camera have you used?


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## luvsorchids (Jan 15, 2010)

Wow, what an amazing experience-and great photos too :clap::clap::clap:.

Susan


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## Hera (Jan 15, 2010)

Thank you for posting the amazing pictures. It seems that you had a memorable trip and I love to share vicariously. Thanks again and anytime you want to post more I'll be looking......


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## jblanford (Jan 15, 2010)

WOW!! What a great tour of places I'll never see, thanks... Jim.


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## Lanmark (Jan 15, 2010)

*faints*

yep I'm keen... Hope to see more!


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## Leo Schordje (Jan 15, 2010)

I know I can't breath above 12,000 ft, so the part of the trip above 3500 meters would have been really hard on me. Wow. I am also struck by the lack of roads, even in the photo of the hillside settlement, none of those houses had car drivable roads, and those looked like fairly large, middle class houses (not a poor village). Looks like everything in Nepal is moved around by foot and pack animals once you get out of the lowlands near Kathmandu.


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## biothanasis (Jan 15, 2010)

You wake up the adventurer inside me!!! WOW!!! SPectacular pictures of impressive scenery!!! Thank you very much!!!!


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## Kavanaru (Jan 15, 2010)

WOW!! WOW!! WOW!! Thanks for posting those great pictures.. fantastic... really enjoyed them...


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## slippertalker (Jan 15, 2010)

I had no idea you were a goat in your prior lifetime! Those are some steep hills, the mountains must be quite the sight.....It looks like a great workout..


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## emydura (Jan 15, 2010)

Thanks for the kind comments. I'll post more when I have sorted them out.



Shadow said:


> I'm speechless after viewing your thread! Stunning photography! One of the best ones I've seen. Thanks for sharing. What camera have you used?



I used the Nikon SLR D200. Nice camera which has now been upgraded to the D300. 



slippertalker said:


> I had no idea you were a goat in your prior lifetime! Those are some steep hills, the mountains must be quite the sight.....It looks like a great workout..



I was a lot fitter at the end then when I started. 

David


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## nikv (Jan 15, 2010)

Incredible photos! Thank you for sharing them with us!


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## emydura (Jan 15, 2010)

Leo Schordje said:


> I know I can't breath above 12,000 ft, so the part of the trip above 3500 meters would have been really hard on me. Wow. I am also struck by the lack of roads, even in the photo of the hillside settlement, none of those houses had car drivable roads, and those looked like fairly large, middle class houses (not a poor village). Looks like everything in Nepal is moved around by foot and pack animals once you get out of the lowlands near Kathmandu.



It is tough on anyone. It is not just the high altitude but also the relentless climbing for hours at a time, much of it very steep. I struggled for a lot of it. Your body certainly gets pushed to the limits. I lost quite a bit of weight. It wasn't helped by the food which I found pretty bland. You basically live on dahl baht (rice and lentils). Just not enough flavour for me. While I ate quite a bit of it, probably not enough given the demands. 

Yes, there are no roads anywhere here. We actually flew into Jumla (start of the trek) which would have saved another 4 or 5 days walking. There are only walking tracks in this region. Everything has to be carried in and out. The tracks haven't been built for trekkers. They are just for locals. Tracks go everywhere. You could spend months just following them all. It helps to have a guide as you could so easily get lost. Our guide was a friend of the group and we only had to cover his costs. We could have walked to the lake numerous ways. He took us up the rarely used high trail which gave us those amazing views. Tough climb though.

They are pretty poor here Leo. Nepal is one of the worlds poorest nations and western Nepal is the poorest area of Nepal. I'll post some photos of the people and houses in another thread but here is a typical house. The bottom level here is used to house there animals while the top level stores there crops.

David


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## Scooby5757 (Jan 15, 2010)

Awesome! Thanks for sharing! ugh, just stunned...


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## Lanmark (Jan 15, 2010)

Wow! It is spectacular! Mind you, this is not my dream home :rollhappy: but it sure is an amazing sight! I can't imagine living like that, but I'd like to think the people who are living there are happy with their lives. Awesome shots!


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## KyushuCalanthe (Jan 15, 2010)

David, no words to offer for your photography other than THANK YOU. Looks like an amazing place, just the kind I fantasize about with no roads or cars. As far as walking goes, if God didn't want us to walk he wouldn't have given us legs. I've never crawled above 3,300 meters elevation and I was breathing hard up there to be sure...

If you can give us more, that would be awesome!


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## nikv (Jan 15, 2010)

I'm guessing they don't have internet there? I'd be doomed! :wink:


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## smartie2000 (Jan 15, 2010)

Amazing, your photography is awesome. How do you make the water fall and river look like clouds? (or maybe it is just really misty!)


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## emydura (Jan 15, 2010)

smartie2000 said:


> Amazing, your photography is awesome. How do you make the water fall and river look like clouds? (or maybe it is just really misty!)



If you want to get that soft, blurry look you need to use a very slow shutter speed. So you need a camera where you can adjust the aperature and shutter speed (generally an SLR). So I choose a small aperature (say F18 or above) which means the exposures will take longer. So for that first waterfall, the exposure took 18 seconds to complete. Because the exposure is so long and the water is moving the whole time the photograph is being taken, it gives it that blurry look which signifies movement. As the exposures are so long you can't take these photos without a tripod. You can't hold a camera still for 1/18 a second let alone 18 seconds. Without a tripod your photos would be very blurry.

To get the best effect, you need to try and photograph when the light is dull which will lengthen the shutter speed. If you try this in the blazing sunlight you will find that the shutter speed will be too fast and hence you won't get the same effect. If you find the light is too bright and hence the shutter speed is too fast, you can add a neutral density filter which will block light to the camera and hence lengthen the shutter speed. I didn't use it on this occasion but I do use them regularly. You don't need shutter speeds as slow as 18 seconds. Even shutter speeds of 1 or 2 seconds will give a pleasing effect. 

It is great fun photographing moving water. Give it a try. You can do the same with the ocean. Here is one I took last weekend down the coast. I was really happy with this photo. Note the misty look around the rocks. The whole ocean looks pretty surreal. Some people don't like it, but I'm not one of them. The shutter speed on this photo was 20 seconds. Waves crashing over rocks and then the water running back into the ocean can make great photos, especially when combined with a nice sunrise or sunset.

David


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## Lanmark (Jan 15, 2010)

David your work is amazing!


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## kentuckiense (Jan 15, 2010)

Words can't describe my jealousy. Amazing photos, please post more!

Did you see any orchids?


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## Leo Schordje (Jan 15, 2010)

Wow, gorgeous photos, and good tips on photo taking. Someday I will upgrade to a SLR. Sorry about the middle class comment, from the distance in the first shots of the hillside settlement they looked 'pleasant'. I have seen the shanty town outside Kuala Lumpur, and by comparison, these do not look as desparately impoverished, but calling them middle class was insensitive on my part. Your photography is beautiful, and very revealing. Did your guide show you any of the native orchids? Or did you see likely native orchid habitat? I have heard in the mountains they have several Cyp species, especially Cyp tibeticum. Thanks again for sharing the photos.


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## emydura (Jan 15, 2010)

kentuckiense said:


> Words can't describe my jealousy. Amazing photos, please post more!
> 
> Did you see any orchids?





Leo Schordje said:


> Did your guide show you any of the native orchids? Or did you see likely native orchid habitat? I have heard in the mountains they have several Cyp species, especially Cyp tibeticum.



Actually our guide is a professional botanist who works for the Nepalese government. He worked in the region for 2 and half years on various botany projects - a lot relating to the growing and commercialisation of native plants. He was constantly photographing and documenting unusual plant species he came across on our trek. He did show me the tubers of an extremely rare terrestrial orchid - one of the rarest in fact. 

But western Nepal is generally quite dry and not suited to most orchids. A lot of the beautiful cool growing Himalayan orchids (Cymbidiums, Coelogynes, Paphs etc) are found in eastern Nepal where it is much wetter and the forests are much denser. I plan to trek in this region next time so hopefully I will get some orchid photos. It was probably a bit low for Cyp tibeticum where we were. You can see it on the Everest and Langtang treks but it wasn't in flower when I was there.



Leo Schordje said:


> I have seen the shanty town outside Kuala Lumpur, and by comparison, these do not look as desparately impoverished, but calling them middle class was insensitive on my part.



No, it looked pretty good. It was the end of the wet season, so it was pretty green and lush and they were harvesting there crops. There seem to be plenty of food. At other times of the year it may not look as good. The people looked happy enough. I always got big smiles and a warm welcoming whereever I went. 

David


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## Eric Muehlbauer (Jan 15, 2010)

I cannot believe how amazing those photos are.....unbelievable!


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## SlipperFan (Jan 15, 2010)

The scenery is spectacular, and that says everything about the photographer who was able to capture it so beautifully.

Thanks, David. You really should think about getting these published somewhere.


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## Bobc (Jan 15, 2010)

thank you for sharing. great photos.


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## JeanLux (Jan 16, 2010)

the effects for the ocean scenery are really spectacular!!!! Jean


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## orcoholic (Jan 16, 2010)

Spectacular photos and scenery.

Is the sky that blue or did you use a filter of some sort?


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## emydura (Jan 16, 2010)

orcoholic said:


> Spectacular photos and scenery.
> 
> Is the sky that blue or did you use a filter of some sort?



I did use a polariser filter from time to time. But the skies were also the bluest I have ever seen as well. There were times they were so blue they looked really fake.

David


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## smartie2000 (Jan 16, 2010)

oh i understand. Thanks for your misty water explanation, I love your work


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## Jorch (Jan 16, 2010)

Gorgeous pictures! More motivation for me to seriously plan my trip Nepal next year


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## Jimsox (Jan 16, 2010)

WOW, I am so impressed by the moving water photos. Thank you for your guide on how to get that effect. I am going to begin trying to hone my photo skills. Your pictures brought about a serenity in me. Thank you for that. I also thank you for including the photos of those homes. I was having a few issues, mostly ego based, and the thought of what I really have instead of what I want to have just became a bit clearer once again. God just always seems to put things in my path to keep me humble and your photos are that sign again. I don't like to look at others misfortunes as motivation for what I do have, but sometimes these little signs are wonderful reminders of how people can live and be happy in these areas. I bet life there, albeit rough, is much more serene. Thank you for sharing, you have touched me this evening.


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## goldenrose (Jan 17, 2010)

jblanford said:


> WOW!! What a great tour of places I'll never see, thanks... Jim.


Me neither! Thanks David - AWESOME!:clap::clap::clap:



emydura said:


> ......Some people don't like it, but I'm not one of them.... Waves crashing over rocks and then the water running back into the ocean can make great photos, especially when combined with a nice sunrise or sunset. David
> 
> 
> > I'm not one of them either! GORGEOUS! :drool::drool:


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## KyushuCalanthe (Jan 17, 2010)

I too like playing with movement in a shot. Waterfalls end up looking like pouring sugar...

Your photos are lovely and should be published. It takes years of practice to develop an eye like that and extend the senses beyond "what is real". Kudos to you!


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## Ruth (Jan 18, 2010)

Beautiful Beautiful Photo's!!!!
I love the velvet water!!
The one with the tree against the waterfall is just fantastic!


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## emydura (Jan 18, 2010)

Thanks for everyones kind comments. Much appreciated. 




Jimsox said:


> WOW, I am so impressed by the moving water photos. Thank you for your guide on how to get that effect. I am going to begin trying to hone my photo skills. Your pictures brought about a serenity in me. Thank you for that. I also thank you for including the photos of those homes. I was having a few issues, mostly ego based, and the thought of what I really have instead of what I want to have just became a bit clearer once again. God just always seems to put things in my path to keep me humble and your photos are that sign again. I don't like to look at others misfortunes as motivation for what I do have, but sometimes these little signs are wonderful reminders of how people can live and be happy in these areas. I bet life there, albeit rough, is much more serene. Thank you for sharing, you have touched me this evening.




Thanks for so openly sharing your experience when looking at the photos. It is always nice to hear your photos have such an effect. It is hard not to reflect on your own life when walking through such an environment. The sights you see, the stories you here. There are a 100 stories I could tell you which would describe the plight of the local people. But this one sticks in my mind the most. On the flight back from the trek a mother lost her 5 day old baby on the plane. I believe the baby was sick and the parents were taking her to the Kathmandu hospital for treatment. I can still see the distraught mother in my head holding her dead baby. On top of that she was forced to suffer such a horrendous experience so publicly. It was a sombre way to end the trek. I couldn’t help but think this would never have happened in Australia. It puts all our trivial problems in perspective. 

I have some nice photos of local people and there villages which I will post shortly. My computer at home has died so it will have to wait until it is replaced (hopefully this weekend).

David


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## cnycharles (Jan 18, 2010)

amazing. thank you for sharing your tour and the images with us


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## Jimsox (Jan 18, 2010)

David, Thanks for sharing that with me. To see how hard people really do have it does put things in perspective. That poor woman....that put a lump in my throat and again has me looking at the positives in my life. I was wondering if there was a way I could purchase any of these photos from you? I would love to have some in my meditation area and keep this prominent in my life. I am a recovering alcoholic and have had my own share of struggles. I accept them as my own today and constantly strive to better myself as much as possible. My Orchids are my new passion...well, 2 years new now. I have them as a serenity I can not find elsewhere, I felt something looking at your photos and I can't put a finger on the feeling, but I liked it. It motivated me, not just the ones of the homes, the waterfall and ocean photos moved me. Thank you again for sharing and I appreciate this connection we have made. God bless....


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## musiclovertony (Jan 19, 2010)

Amazing photographs! I feel as though I'm there next to you seeing the scenery! I think my favorite is the shot of the coniferous forest...all very beautiful, though


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## Heather (Jan 19, 2010)

Thank you, David. 
What an inspiring discussion, in many ways. So much for wondering if we'd be interested!  

My favorites are also the ones with water. Your ocean sunset is mind-blowing!


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