My first and lasting joy of the trek is experiencing the utter authenticity of life in Mustang. Each of the hundreds of miles of stone walls was built by hand over the centuries. Some Mani Walls are a thousand year old, each stone making up the wall was hand carved with inscriptions and prayers to be sent to the heavens by the winds through time. Every home and monastery is hand built with rock, adobe, and wood. They are being built today the same way. I never saw or heard a television or radio. Electricity came from solar panels in a few houses and guest houses. It was used sparingly, usually with no lights allowed until 6:45 or 7:00 pm, and then only one ten watt light per room. People mostly cooked with dried dung or very limited local firewood. We were above 12,500 ft where few trees grow. Continue reading The Kingdom of Mustang: Authenticity Reigns