So I'm in the Himalaya..

[The_Next_Generation]

Sitting in a cafe in Lukla after some hard hiking this past week, waiting for a flight tomorrow AM, and thought I'd share some of the things Ive seen while walking around.

The Nepali Army guys carry the FAL without exception. There are outposts scattered around - seeing the rifle carried at high altitude in view of Mt. Everest said more about it's ruggedness than any person ever could.

The Lukla "airport" (more like a widened suicidal sidewalk that ends in rock wall and is perched on a cliff..look up some YouTube videos) is gaurded by two or three officials (not army, maybe national police or something but I dunno) carrying VERY well-loved enfields. Not sure on cal, but by the looks alone I wouldnt be surprised if they were still 303.

The president's home in Kathmandu, the capital city, is gaurded by some police-looking dudes with FALs. Some guy was carrying a smaller subgun, but I couldnt recognize it. It didn't look functional. I like to think I can recognize almost any firearm made after the 1940s or so, but this one was new to me. Maybe if people post pictures of obscure foreign subguns Ill be able to ID.

Anyway, the trip has been great so far. Everest and the surrounding mountains/valleys must be seen to be believed..I highly recommend that everyone sees the place at least once in their lifetime. Its unlike anything in North America.

Cheers,
TNG

 

[AZAndy]

Lumbini is on my list of places I'd like to visit someday. I'm envious of your trip.

 

[Ks5shooter]

Cool trip. Yes the airport is insane.

 

[The_Next_Generation]

Lumbini is on my list of places I'd like to visit someday. I'm envious of your trip.

My advice: just hop on a plane and go if yiu can get the time off. Life is too short to put this sort of stuff of. I planned my entire visit on the connecting flight to China from Vancouver, BC (13.5hrs, a guidebook and lots of sticky notes). The rest will sort itself out.

 

[AZAndy]

My advice: just hop on a plane and go if yiu can get the time off. Life is too short to put this sort of stuff of. I planned my entire visit on the connecting flight to China from Vancouver, BC (13.5hrs, a guidebook and lots of sticky notes). The rest will sort itself out.

I agree with the sentiment, but I'd have to get a passport first. ;-) I'm waiting for retirement for that sort of stuff, which grows ever nearer!

 

[.308 Norma]

My advice: just hop on a plane and go if yiu can get the time off. Life is too short to put this sort of stuff of. I planned my entire visit on the connecting flight to China from Vancouver, BC (13.5hrs, a guidebook and lots of sticky notes). The rest will sort itself out.

Good advice. I'm not complaining, I've had/have a great life, but a Himalayan trek was one of my dreams that I never fulfilled. Now I'm like what Kevin Costner said about his dog in the movie "Open Range" - "still has the heart, not the legs."

 

[equin]

Sounds interesting. Any pics? Are the Nepalese soldiers you saw the same as the famous, fearless Gurkhas? Or are the Gurkhas a separate, elite unit within the Nepalese Army? Did you get a chance to check out any Kukri knives?

 

[everydefense]

The Lukla "airport"... is guarded by two or three officials... carrying VERY well-loved enfields. Not sure on cal, but by the looks alone I wouldnt be surprised if they were still 303.

.303 is certainly the obvious choice, but it's possible they could also be Ishapore 2A's in .308:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ishapore_2A1_rifle

Those rifles have an interesting history- I used to own one. Note that as the link above points out, "The Ishapore 2A and 2A1 rifles are often incorrectly described as ".308 conversions." In fact, the 2A/2A1 rifles are not conversions of .303 calibre SMLE Mk III* rifles: they were designed and built right from the outset to fire 7.62mm NATO ammunition."

 

[redbone]

Very cool. I had an opportunity in 2011 to visit Skardu, Pakistan in the middle Himalaya, near K2. Was accompanied by a Pak general and a slew of national police, all carrying AKs. What a trip! Several of my colleagues tried to talk me out of it, but I knew it was my only chance to fulfill a lifetime dream of seeing the big mountains. The Skardu airport was interesting also, dropped in like we were landing at Baghdad Intl. You only get a few chances like that in life! And mine was all expenses paid...

 

[Robert]

We are a gun forum folks, not travel. Let's stick to the firearms please.

 

[Browning]

Pretty interesting place to read about as I doubt I'll ever make it there.

In terms of conflict these guys (Nepalese Army and Police) were fighting ....

.... these guys (Maoist Guerrillas) from 1996 to 2006.

Since the civil war has ended an assortment of arms are apparently floating around the country. Amazingly enough some of the Maoist guerrillas have been integrated into the army.

Given the history of the place which places that country smack in the middle of Asia it's been a cross road of sorts there are plenty of guns around the country with few of them being registered. Their army and police seem to make do with a huge cross section of arms, many are not so new.

On a different front an amazing cache of antique arms was found there about the point in time that the civil war was wrapping up and many were imported into the US by IMA.

http://www.nramuseum.org/media/363885/Aug 04 Treasures From Nepal.pdf

http://www.guns.com/2012/01/31/the-...-greatest-discovery-of-antique-firearms-ever/



*************************************

Arms of the Nepalese Civil War.

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia/2008/04/2008615165932572216.html

http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/fileadmin/docs/G-Issue-briefs/NAVA-IB2-Legacies-of-War.pdf

 

[everydefense]

Magazines of the Enfields above definitely appear to be .303 rather than .308.

 

[The_Next_Generation]

Browning, that is some interesting information! Thank you for sharing.

Equin, I am not sure which military groups I saw. Would have to google to find out which ones are stationed near Namche Bazaar. I tried taking some pictures, but didnt want to upset anybody so they were from far away and you cant make out any weaponry.

When I get back to Kathmandu next week (just got to Pokhara for some Annapurna-region trekking) I will try to snag a photo of the weird old subgun - the gaurdhouse isnt far from where I am staying.

Redbone, that sounds like a great story. Im curious about the details, but it sounds like something that can be neither confirmed nor denied!