Kaan jaane ho? is the polite greeting when you meet someone on the trail in the Himalayas in Nepal. On the Pacific Crest Trail in the Russian Wilderness in California going south (Google it, if you don't know where that is) you say, "'you going through?" Then you might get a smile, and a quick answer before they streak off northward. "Don't forget to enjoy the view!"
Kaan jaane ho? Where are you going? It's an invitation to tell where you're going, where you came from, what in the world a white person like you is doing here in the mountains. It's a chance to find out what village they're from, and why they're going to another one, or why they're going to the city. When I was growing up we were often not on the trekking thoroughfares. We didn't carry big packs. We didn't have coolies and mules. Often we were going to visit Aunty Mary in Paime, or Dr Hale in Amp Pipal, or Ganesh Bahadur in Lamjung.
There is always a view. The PCT had some amazing ones. What I missed on the PCT was not having a tea shop and a chautara to rest under, and not being able to look forward to an evening meal shared with the local... cowherd and his family, mayor, midwife, merchant, school teacher, and other travelers sharing the same stop.
It was a great trek, though.
The mountains in Ecuador are impressive in another way. Maybe that's why Ecuador feels natural to me. Last month we drove through: no trekking. This is my favorite.
Kaan jaane ho? Where are you going? It's an invitation to tell where you're going, where you came from, what in the world a white person like you is doing here in the mountains. It's a chance to find out what village they're from, and why they're going to another one, or why they're going to the city. When I was growing up we were often not on the trekking thoroughfares. We didn't carry big packs. We didn't have coolies and mules. Often we were going to visit Aunty Mary in Paime, or Dr Hale in Amp Pipal, or Ganesh Bahadur in Lamjung.
There is always a view. The PCT had some amazing ones. What I missed on the PCT was not having a tea shop and a chautara to rest under, and not being able to look forward to an evening meal shared with the local... cowherd and his family, mayor, midwife, merchant, school teacher, and other travelers sharing the same stop.
It was a great trek, though.
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| Russian Wilderness July 2016 |
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| Antisana |
