Mustang Trek — Local Culture

All pho­tos by Deana Zabaldo

The cul­ture of Mus­tang revealed itself not only in monas­ter­ies and spir­i­tu­al places, but also in women weav­ing, in men gal­lop­ing hors­es across the plateau, in friend­ly faces peek­ing out door­ways and win­dows, in chil­dren say­ing ​“Namaste!” on their way home from school.

One of the best evenings on the trek was when we arranged to use a local fam­i­ly home for din­ner. Not only did we get to sit in the kitchen and talk with the old cou­ple who lived there, but also six local women turned out in wel­come to sing and dance for us.

As their chil­dren dozed off near­by, they told us they only get tourist groups once or twice a year, and they were excit­ed to be able to meet us, sing for us, and talk to us. We all shared a lit­tle about our lives and went to sleep a lit­tle rich­er for it.

~ MM Guide Deana Zabaldo