So to sum it up, Mustang and the other areas that are part of this high-altitude desert are special because they are dry, barren (barely any vegetation) and very cold!
So far it seems that there are very few things that would help people live in Mustang. Thankfully, there is a river that flows through Mustang, the Kali Gandaki. The source of the river is a glacier (huge body of ice) in neighboring Tibet. Since there is little rain in Mustang, the river and its streams are the major source for water to grow crops. There are also certain trees, such as apples, apricots and walnuts, that grow best in a cold environment. These trees need many “chilling hours” in the cold during the fall and winter so that the flowers will bud in the spring and summer and bear fruit. Marpha, a town in Mustang, is famous for its delicious apples! People sell the apples and walnuts they grow in Pokhara and Kathmandu (the major cities of Nepal).
Mustang experiences very cold weather, especially in the winter months from December to March. There is no modern heating in homes, which are made from stone and mud. When the sun goes down, there is very little protection from the cold, only. Also, only crops can only grow in one percent of the area of this high-altitude desert. There is very little pastureland for cows, sheep goats and yaks. In addition, water from streams and rivers is very cold because it comes from ice and snow melt from the mountains. Imagine taking a shower or washing dishes in ice cold water!
