Why I love Nepal - Tukche

Tukche is a village on the Annapurna Circuit.   Once a thriving post on the salt route between Tibet and India, many beautiful old buildings are left to crumble and decay.

 
We have been passing through Tukche for years and this is the first time we saw this door open.   Of course, we went in and explored.

 
The walls had residual murals, and upstairs - which we would not attempt due to the obvious danger - there were some particularly beautiful paintings.  

 
The inner courtyard still had the remnants of a prayer flag.   We were later told by Didi Sherchan who runs the Tukche Distillery that this house had been abandoned after the widow left for Kathmandu.   Her children had moved to the big city many years before and the cost of upkeep of their family house was prohibitive.

 
Here I am outside a gate.

 
Dan and I traditionally take photos of each other outside this building.  As you can see, the mountains were out in full force that day, even though these photos were taken in the 'off-season' of mid-June.

  

The old route through Tukche is by-passed by the new road.   Notice the typical Nepali fluffy curled tail of the dog.

 
We stayed in a guest house here in town.   I have never seen a cleaner hotel.   This place was spotless, with delicious food.  I believe this was the Tukche Guest House.

 
They also had wonderful apple cider.   Here is our view from one of three windows in our room.   The price was 80 rupees for a double room and there are approximately 75 rupees to the dollar.    Quite a bargain!    Since it was not season, we had the whole hotel to ourselves.   There were 4 different dining rooms both indoor and out.   

 
There is a long mani-wall on the outskirts of town in Tukche.

Also in Tukche there is a fabulous restaurant named the High Plains Inn.  Run by a Dutch man and his Nepali wife, this is the place to go for such exotic fare as Nasi Goreng and Dewey Egbert coffee.   Their homemade spinach lasagne with a fresh tomato or pesto sauce is a particular treat.   Homemade brown bread is available.  We always make it a point to stop there for lunch while staying in Marpha, walking 2 hours each way.

 
That 2 hour walk is not a hardship when the views are like the one above.   We have found that the road from Marpha to Tukche is best done on the west side of the Kali Gandaki, thus avoiding the dusty road and motor traffic.  

 
These two cows outside of Tukche seem to be enjoying a roll in the marijuana that grows wild by the side of the road.

 
Papaver somniferun (Opium poppies) growing outside a gompa in Tukche.   These are for decorative use only.

This Nepali Dog relaxes in the shade.   He is losing his thick winter coat.   Notice how well-swept the streets are throughout this post.   

Please stay tuned for more on trekking in the Himalayas.

More tomorrow.

Comments

[Felicia Fields-Izumitani]

This is beautiful, interesting and amazing Michelle. thanks so much for sharing. Love ya, Felicia

[generic propicia]

i like this part of the post:"The inner courtyard still had the remnants of a prayer flag. We were later told by Didi Sherchan who runs the Tukche Distillery that this house had been abandoned after the widow left for Kathmandu. Her children had moved to the big city many years before and the cost of upkeep of their family house was prohibitive." is very good