Third catch up review.

Norwegian social anthropologist and addicted traveller Erika Fatland provides another enthralling read here (the other of her books I have read is The Border), this time focussing on the countries of the Himalaya.

We get the same mix as her previous book - principally travel, but heavy with interviews and delving into culture. While the Border had the common thread of the influence of Russia on the countries that Fatland visited, High is slightly different. She continues her theme on borders, and in this case the permeability of borders, or perhaps the lack of relevance of a border when culture crosses it. However it is a less tight theme than previously.

Published in 2020 (2022 in English) the travels Fatland describes the travels she undertook in two stages, July to September 2018 then April to July 2019

It was fitting that the telling or her journey began in China's Xinjiang province, and ended in Chinese Tibet. There was a full circle and returning to the start situation set up here, with many of the same issues in both - the human rights abuses, the importation of Han Chinese to swell the population and sway control over language and culture. The Chinese are rightly portrayed here as the oppressor and their attempts and limiting access to people and places through bureaucratic and political controls were exposed fairly easily.

Assisted by a guide/fixer in most locations, enabling her better ability with organisation of logistics and interviewing formal figures, China was one place where they were also a barrier to her freedom. Regularly Fatland was told she was unable to visit certain places and was actively steered away from certain people. This as much as people being unwilling to (openly) talk with her, knowing the consequences with the Chinese Communism Party seeing all. Clandestine meetings were plenty, and those she met would pass on names of other people to interview (names and details were disguised). In this way Fatland was able to deliver a narrative with depth across various aspects of society.

After Xinjiang, the author crosses into Pakistan and through those fascinating areas from the Khunjerab Pass through Gilgit, Hunza and Chitral. After Islamabad and Lahore where she was unable to cross at the Wagah Border with India. Her only option was a flight from Lahore to Delhi, then back to Amritsar just across the border!

India concentrated (obviously) on the Himalaya, so Fatland flew from Amritsar to Sringar, from where she made her way through Kashmir (Gulmarg) and Ladakh (Drass, Kargil, Leh, Turtuk) then to Himachal Pradesh (various places including Shimla and McLeod Ganj (Dharamsala)) with a side trip to Uttarakhand.

Fatland's writing was excellent, mixing it up well for a linear travel narrative. For me one of the impressive things was what she left out. She interviewed loads of people, and replicated only the parts of interest. She was able to edit out the repetition (but alluded to common themes) and stripped the interviews right back to the pertinent information. Some interviews consisted basically of one or two questions. Her execution of this was first rate.

Next the author made a thorough journey through Bhutan travelling the length of the country by vehicle before flying back to Thimphu. Bhutan, locked away from the world, but beginning to change with outside influences holds it own fascinations. Amongst interesting topics there was plenty of discussion about Yeti, but most of her guides and people she met focused on the need for her to visit the fertility temple in Punakha (given she is"so old" and doesn't have children)! The first leg of her journey ended with another visit to northern India - Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland.

The second leg of Fatland's journey commences in Kathmandu (Nepal) where she travels all over, to many of the interesting locations after a through look at, and various interviews with former Kumari Devi or living goddesses. This chain of child goddesses (they retain their position until puberty) stretches far back (1922 in the case of Kathmandu), and the girls retain some of their fame after their time. As well as visiting Mustang, Simikot and less well known places Surkhet, Tumarkhad and Lumbini, the author visits Pokhara and Lukla, from where she visits the Everest Base Camp and examines the climber culture of both westerners and Sherpa. Back in the capital she covers off the demise of the Nepalese Royal family, and the change from a Constitutional Monarchy to a Federal Democratic Republic. The Nepalese section is the longest, and most in depth - well deserved for this relatively small country which literally resides on the Himalaya and is such an interesting and welcoming country.

Finishing off back in China, as noted above, Fatland is immediately thrust back into a bureaucratic battle to secure the correct paperwork before being made to stick rigorously to the approved itinerary, ruling out any spur of the moment visits (except those beyond the eyes of her 'guides' (minders)). She visits Mt Kalilash, the Chinese side of Everest, and Tibet. After her time in Tibet, the very last visit the author makes is to Shangri-La, the town that China renamed to cash into the buzz around that name, formerly known by the less appealing Zhongdian, in northern Yunnan. She accessed Shangri-La via Tiger Leaping Gorge, which tied this book up nicely for me, as I visited there about 2006. When I was there a road was being formed which was opening up access to what was once a trekking-only destination, to a quaint little spot made popular in the late 1980s and 1990s. Although the road was operating when I was there is was fairly limited and subject to slips and delays and required 4WD. Just over 10 years later it was operating in force and the gorge is a confirmed tourist destination, complete with giant tiger statue for selfies!

Once again Fatland has really delivered on a fantastic book with a journey of epic proportions. I will be seeking out her first book translated into English (Sovietstan), and hoping she has another lined up soon. A shout-out also to Kari Dickson who fact-checked and translated all three of Fatland's books into English. Perhaps slightly less strong than The Border but still excellent.

5 starsbhutan china india ...more69 s11 comments Eskil317 4

Erika Fatland er en nasjonalskatt og helt.

1: hun drar til fjerne og eksotiske steder, men er kritisk til hyperkommersialisering av minoritetskulturer og marginaliserte grupper

2: hun drar helt alene, eller med én guide, til steder med veldig skadelige og farlige kvinnesyn, men bruker stemmen sin til å fremme livene til kvinnene som lider der, i stedet for å legge ut om hvor ekkelt det var å være kvinne der selv

3: hun er faktisk utdanna akademiker, og skriver utrolig nok lettleste OG lærerike bøker basert på historisk og empirisk data, og bidrar dermed til å utvide kildene lekfolk har å lære fra

4: hun anstrenger seg for å gi en stemme til alle som ikke har det i sitt eget samfunn, og stiller seg kritisk til maktanorske-forfattere sakprosa16 s Ilaria_ws889 66

"Per il viaggiatore attraversare un confine è un rito di passaggio: si lascia una realtà con la quale si è appena iniziato a prendere dimestichezza per ritrovarsi catapultati in un'altra, completamente sconosciuta."

Erika Fatland è un'antropologa e scrittrice norvegese che ha già pubblicato diversi reportage, tra cui Sovietistan, un bellissimo diario di viaggio negli stati post sovietici dell'Asia centrale. Il suo ultimo lavoro, La vita in alto, è un reportage tutto ambientato sulla catena dell'Himalaya. Divisa tra Cina, Pakistan, India, Bhutan, Nepal e Tibet, la catena montuosa più alta del pianeta stupisce anche per la varietà di popoli, culture e tradizioni che la abitano.

In un viaggio lungo all'incirca 8 mesi Erika Fatland esplora le cime vertiginose dell'Himalaya, ma sopratutto ci fa conoscere i mille volti che la abitano. Tra storia, politica, religione e geografia, il racconto del suo viaggio assume tante sfumature diverse, raccontando di luoghi ammantati di fascino e di mistero. Non si limita a raccontare di quello che già sappiamo, ma si sofferma su aspetti poco conosciuti di questi luoghi.

Con lo stile tipico del reportage la Fatland riesce a tenere sulle spine il lettore che si trova a tutti gli effetti ad accompagnarla nei passaggi tra le mille frontiere che caratterizzano questa parte del mondo. Oltre 600 pagine sono letteralmente volate via e alla fine l'unica cosa che volevo fare era partire zaino in spalla alla scoperta di questi posti che sembrano spesso usciti da una fiaba.

Quello che apprezzo particolarmente in questa autrice è il taglio che dà ai suoi reportage. Non è mai noiosa nè eccessivamente didascalica. É vero, si sofferma su tanti aspetti, racconta tanti aneddoti, ma lo fa in modo scorrevole, interessante e onesto. Particolare attenzione in questo volume viene data alla storia dei paesi che visita. Credo sia una scelta vincente, poco conosciamo della storia di questi luoghi, ancor meno sappiamo dei popoli che li abitano. L'Himalaya infatti non si limita a prendersi il primato della catena montuosa più alta del pianeta, ma si distingue anche per l'estrema varietà di culture e religioni che la popolano.

La parte più interessante del racconto è proprio l'approccio di Erika con le persone. Che si tratti di guide, di agenti di frontiera, di re e principesse, di monaci, la Fatland riporta le loro storie, permettendoci di gettare uno sguardo su tradizioni che per noi che viviamo dall'altra parte del mondo sono quasi fantascienza. Torna anche un altro tema caro all'autrice, quello dei confini, delle frontiere. Ne La vita in alto i confini sono protagonisti tanto quanto le cime dell'Himalaya. Confini, frontiere e sopratutto persone, minuscole se paragonate alle vette che li nascondono, ma con infinite storie da raccontare.9 s Kyrre Hannestad32

Dette er så deilig lesning!!! Fatland møter utrolig mange interessante mennesker og forteller mange spennende historier. Hvis du ikke r denne er du tjukk i hue, eller så har du muligens andre interesser enn meg.8 s Ellinor578 295

Erika Fatland ist eine norwegische Autorin. Hoch oben ist nach Sowjetistan und Die Grenze ihr dritter Reisebericht. Sie beschreibt daran ihre Erlebnisse während zwei Reisen durch den Himalaya. Sie startet in China und fährt von dort nach Pakistan und im Anschluss nach Indien. Weiter geht es über Bhutan und Nepal, bis sie schließlich wieder China besucht.
Hoch oben ist ein unglaublich interessantes und spannendes Buch. Ich bin immer beeindruckt davon, wenn Frauen alleine reisen, vor allem wenn es durch Länder ist, in denen dies tendenziell mit Risiken behaftet ist. Erika Fatland hatte zwar meist einen Fahrer und eine*n Übersetzer*in bei sich, doch auch diese Personen waren ihr vorher völlig fremd.
Neben kürzeren geschichtlichen, politischen oder geographischen Beschreibungen, sind es vor allem die Gespräche mit den Einheimischen, die dieses Buch zu etwas Besonderem machen. Wo auch immer die Autorin gerade ist, unterhält sie sich mit den Menschen und beschreibt deren alltägliches Leben. Die kulturelle Vielfalt im Himalaya ist unheimlich groß. Dort treffen die unterschiedlichsten Ethnien und Religionen aufeinander und vermischen sich nicht selten. So ist beispielsweise der Norden Pakistans sehr liberal, in Nepal gibt es Regionen, in denen eine Frau mit zwei Brüdern verheiratet ist, in manchen Regionen Chinas gibt es Walking Marriages, bei denen die Männer nur nachts ins Haus dürfen (und wenn sie sich nicht benehmen, wird die Tür zugesperrt) etc. Die Vielfalt der politischen Strukturen, die historischen Bezüge zwischen den Ländern sind viel zu groß, um sie hier aufzulisten.
Ein sehr wichtiges Thema sind auch Umweltschutz und Klimawandel. Ein häufig wenig beachtetes Nebenprodukt der Gletscherschmelze, die natürlich auch den Himalaya betrifft, sind versiegende oder deutlicher kleinere Flüsse, da sie oft durch Schmelzwasser von Gletschern und Schnee gespeist werden. Sind diese nicht mehr vorhanden, sind irgendwann auch die Flüsse wie Ganges oder Brahmaputra, von deren Wasser Millionen von Menschen abhängig sind, nicht mehr in ihrer jetzigen Form vorhanden.
Ich kann Hoch oben nur allerwärmstens empfehlen. Ich hätte ewig weiterlesen können. Zum Glück stehen Sowjetistan und Die Grenze schon bereit.non-fiction travel9 s Andy Weston2,631 203

I have enjoyed both of Erika Fatland’s travel books so far, and this was even better.

She begins her circumnavigation in the Xinjiang province, crosses the border into Pakistan and travels down the Karakorum highway onto Gilgit, Chitral and the Swat Valley.

I have actually done this journey myself, though quite a few years ago, in 1987. I took the train across China from east to west, to Ürümqi, then various buses to Kashgar, onto the border, and beyond, into Swat. I foreshadowed her to Lahore, but snuck into Faisalabad to watch a Test Match against New Zealand on the way.
From Lahore her journey takes her across the Punjab and into Indian Kashmir, then Leh, Manali, Dharmsala, Darjeeling and Sikkim before venturing onto Bhutan and Arunachal and Assam. After a break, on a second trip to Nepal, she treks to Everest base camp and onto Upper Mustang then crossing into Tibet, and a tightly controlled Lhasa, finishing in the legendary Shangri La in Yunnan province.

She soon discovers that “the story is the same throughout the Himalayas: the borders are closing as nation states pull back to protect themselves and plug any holes with military posts.”,
Borders are sausages. It is sometimes best not to know how they are made.
China, she slyly notes, “has spent more money on domestic security than on the military, and China’s defense budget is the second largest in the world.”
Everywhere, she is confronted by pompous officials and unnecessary red tape, but despite these obstacles, she perseveres, and even manages and appropriate dose of humour.

During some of the descriptions of her exchanges with locals her own personality comes through, and it does veer into political territory at times. She does not seem sympathetic to all the people she meets, though whether this is just a function of the translation we are left to ponder.
Regardless, this is a detailed and well-written account which confirms her as a travel writer of considerable talent.
She hears of many atrocities committed in the name of religion, to which she comments..
I cannot count the number of kitchen tables where I have sat and listened to these same words and accusations, spoken with the same endless grief and pain, only in another language, in another country..


Here’s a couple of other highlights for me..
If you are unlucky, or lucky, enough to meet a yeti, you first have to establish what sex it is. If it is a male, you have to run uphill, because male yetis have long hair and will trip on it. If it is a female, you have to run downhill, because female yetis have such big breasts that it is hard for them to run downhill without falling.

and,
No person has ever climbed Mount Kailash (Ngari, Province in Tibet). Not because it is particularly high, it reaches 6638 metres above sea level, but because it would be sacrilege to disturb the gods who live there. Instead pilgrims go round the mountain, a distance of fifty four kilometres. history mountains nature ...more6 s Katja94 3

Veldig flott skildring av Himalaya-områdene, leses som en tilgjengelig etnografi (hun er sosialantropolog av utdanning). Om du vil oppleve verden er dette et flott alternativ nå som det fortsatt ikke er så mange muligheter :)) lærer masse om avsidesliggendes steder uten å være særlig etnosentrisk! Anbefales, skal lese mer av Fatland. r egentlig best skjønnlitteratur, men denne var fornøyelig; kanskje reiseskildringer er min neste favoritt
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