“Where are you heading?”
This is probably the most asked question when travelers meet each other along the trekking trails of the Himalayas.
“Everest Basecamp”
“Ranjo La Pass”
“Island Peak”
“Climbing Ama Dablam”
The likely answers swirl through the teahouse dining room air in a mix of heavily accented English. Everyone is going some place.
But not me. And not my client.
It’s one of the aspects of a photo tour that I often forget about until we are in the midst of the world’s highest peaks. People don’t understand at first when I answer, “We’re just walking around, taking pictures.” Or, “We’re here to see the mountains and have no destination.”
Most people don’t come to the Himalayas, especially the Solukhumbu Region (known outside of Nepal as the Everest Region), to just wander. They often have planned out some type of conquest, be it high, high peak or just a peak higher than they can climb back home. Some come to see what’s all the wonder about at the basecamp to climbing the world’s highest peak. Others are on a spiritual exploration and have charted out various religious stops on a well planned tour.
And this is why it confuses people and delights me to not have a set “We are going to this place” answer. We do have an expected turn around point in Lobouche. But if we don’t make it there…..ehhh. If we find a great side trip that blows our minds, photographically speaking, we’ll stay there for how many ever days suits us. If the big peaks don’t show themselves (as is becoming normal on this trip, but we are only four days into thirteen) then we focus on other aspects of the region. Such as people, agriculture, artwork, religion, geology, patterns or just endless shots of the big, harry yaks.
The fact is, there is more here to photograph than any one life time could accomplish. And the tallest peaks, or deepest valleys, or the holiest of holy sites, are often not the best place to take a photo from.
We are here in Nepal to simply explore at our pace and photograph the wonder of life around us.
Maybe when I am asked, “Where are you heading?” I should now start to answer, “Here.”
—————–
If you are interested in taking a photo tour “Here” in Nepal, or Bhutan or India, you can find more information here.
