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What physical condition is needed for trekking in the Himalayas? And how do I prepare for the five month trip? In fact, I haven’t done much preparation so far. Well, more precisely, I did not do anything beyond the usual gymnastics. A bit of stretching in the morning, jogging two to three times a week, a little exercise with weights for your chest and back.

There is a new video of the interview Why do I go to the mountains for six months on the channel of the project My Great Himalayan Trail . Together with Daria Andrianova, we discuss the itinerary, preparation for the trip and many other issues. Subscribe to the channel, soon there will be many interesting videos on it.

On any mountain route in Nepal, you can find the so-called mani walls . These are small (or large) free-standing walls made of stones, on which numerous mantras, prayers and symbols are carved. The most common mantra on the mani wall is Om mani padme hum. Perhaps because of this, such walls are called mani . Prayer drums can also be built into the walls of the mani, which are rotated by travelers passing by.

Apparently, in stories about the Himalayas, I will have to bypass one of the most frequently used symbols in Nepal and Tibet. Swastika. Swastika-like symbols have been and are used in many cultures since ancient times. The most ancient objects decorated with a swastika were found in the territory of modern Iran. These are earthen vessels, created five thousand years before our era. There were similar symbols among the ancient Slavs, the ancient Greeks, the Celts and the Romans. The swastika mark is found in the tombs of the Egyptian pharaohs, was used by the American Indians long bef

When the mighty Shiva drank the poison, he felt a little bit badly. His body turned blue and he was tormented by a terrible thirst. To get water, Shiva struck the ground with his trident, and Gosaykunda lakes with the purest water appeared at the place. These lakes are located in Nepal, in the Langtang region.

In the Langtang region, at an altitude of about 4200 meters above sea level, there is one of the highest mountain lake-bog systems: Panch Pokhari. Actually, the very name of the place, translated from Nepali, means "Five Lakes". Here, in a small plato, like on a balcony, above a deep gorge, there are five lakes, from which the Indravati River begins. Like many other Nepalese rivers, Indravati is part of the watershed of the sacred Ganges.

Lapchi Valley is another one hidden valley sacred to Buddhists. But not just one of them, but one of the most important and famous. It is considered to be one of the 24 most important Tantric sacred sites. The great Tibetan yogi Jetsun Milarepa spent the rest of his life here. The valley is considered one of the best places for spiritual practice, and Lapchi Snow Mountain is often compared to Mount Kailash in Tibet.

Kali Gandaki is another tributary of the sacred Ganges, originating in the Himalayas in Nepal. One of the attractions of the river valley is formally the deepest gorge in the world between Dhaulagiri and Annapurna.

According to legend, in the 8th century AD, it was decided to build the first Buddhist monastery in Tibet in Samye. However, the construction of the monastery stalled at the very beginning: everything that was built by the builders during the day was taken away by local demons at night.

The main working instrument of the shaman is, of course, the drum. During the fight with demons, the shaman controls the situation with the help of rhythmic drumming. If he is going to do something with his hands during rituals, he passes this instrument to his assistant so that the rhythm of the beats is not interrupted for a moment..