Jageshwar is a tiny village of about 300 people midway between the plains and the big peaks. It has some very old temples dating back as far as about 1,200 years, with the Archeological Service of India estimating some of the structures to have been started 2,500 years ago.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jageshwar
http://www.jageshwar.in
https://www.google.co.in/search?q=jageshwar&hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=6zI&tbo=u&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&tbm=isch&source=univ&sa=X&ei=A03EUP63EITSrQfo2YDADQ&ved=0CDkQsAQ&biw=1366&bih=650
I am staying at a small set of rooms on the hill above the temple complex. A small family run set of rooms with food prepared for you and the like.
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/cellomartin/diwan/
On my first afternoon I headed up into the hills to the west of town and a well worn trail up and up. It was not until i got to the top of the ridge that I realized these were not just paths the cow herds trail their herds, but actually the 'roads' to surrounding villages. It was not until I saw the two nearest villages and a porter carrying a bag of cement on his head for two ladies walking in front of him that these were not just forest trails.
This is a fork in the 'road', one goes to one set of villages and the other goes to another.
The next day I headed north of town, up 2,000' vertical to the top of the Jageshwar Ridge. I was not quite prepared for what I saw at the top. From the ridge, the snows of the big peaks stretched east and west as far as the eye could see. The enormity of these peaks is astounding. Even though the big peaks were 40 miles away as the crow flies (and 120 miles as the bike drives) they were still huge even at that distance.
After recovering a bit from the impact of the scene, I flipped open the laptop, plugged in the USB modem and connected to the internet at decent speeds for about 2hours until it was time for lunch. (no wireless internet down in the valley)
The valley to the north of the ridge is warmer ands more agricultural.
The next morning I set out again a bit earlier and saw lots of school children of various ages from about 10 to 20 heading up hill. I asked someone and they said they were going to school at the school on the ridge. The school serves communities on both side of Jageshwar Ridge from all directions. So these kids walk up 2,000' vertical to get to school and then walk back down in the afternoon. I had not noticed the school before as it was 1/2 a KM west of where I crested the ridge.
Stunningly, the kids from the other side of the ridge have 3,000' climb as the valley on the other side is quite a bit deeper.
Now that is dedication to getting an education.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jageshwar
http://www.jageshwar.in
https://www.google.co.in/search?q=jageshwar&hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=6zI&tbo=u&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&tbm=isch&source=univ&sa=X&ei=A03EUP63EITSrQfo2YDADQ&ved=0CDkQsAQ&biw=1366&bih=650
I am staying at a small set of rooms on the hill above the temple complex. A small family run set of rooms with food prepared for you and the like.
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/cellomartin/diwan/
On my first afternoon I headed up into the hills to the west of town and a well worn trail up and up. It was not until i got to the top of the ridge that I realized these were not just paths the cow herds trail their herds, but actually the 'roads' to surrounding villages. It was not until I saw the two nearest villages and a porter carrying a bag of cement on his head for two ladies walking in front of him that these were not just forest trails.
This is a fork in the 'road', one goes to one set of villages and the other goes to another.
The next day I headed north of town, up 2,000' vertical to the top of the Jageshwar Ridge. I was not quite prepared for what I saw at the top. From the ridge, the snows of the big peaks stretched east and west as far as the eye could see. The enormity of these peaks is astounding. Even though the big peaks were 40 miles away as the crow flies (and 120 miles as the bike drives) they were still huge even at that distance.
After recovering a bit from the impact of the scene, I flipped open the laptop, plugged in the USB modem and connected to the internet at decent speeds for about 2hours until it was time for lunch. (no wireless internet down in the valley)
The valley to the north of the ridge is warmer ands more agricultural.
The next morning I set out again a bit earlier and saw lots of school children of various ages from about 10 to 20 heading up hill. I asked someone and they said they were going to school at the school on the ridge. The school serves communities on both side of Jageshwar Ridge from all directions. So these kids walk up 2,000' vertical to get to school and then walk back down in the afternoon. I had not noticed the school before as it was 1/2 a KM west of where I crested the ridge.
Stunningly, the kids from the other side of the ridge have 3,000' climb as the valley on the other side is quite a bit deeper.
Now that is dedication to getting an education.
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