Happy birthday Nayan

Rosula Blanc
Apr 21
2 min read

Today is Nayan's twentieth birthday !

He is the oldest male yak we ever had in Switzerland!.

Nayan and Kubilai were the first yaks to arrive here at La Giette 18 years ago.

Nayan is shy, reserved, and a bit distant. He keeps to himself, observing and thinking. I will always remember the moment he discovered his reflection in the window of the house. It was right at the beginning, when he and Kubilai were still alone at La Giette and felt lost. But there was another yak inside the house! Nayan called out to it, walked around the house to look through every window, and insisted that this yak come out and join them. This preoccupied him for at least a week, during which he kept coming back to check if the yak was still in the house. Since that mysterious yak never came out, he eventually gave up. Kubilai, on the other hand, never saw that yak in the house.

On treks, too, Nayan thinks a lot; he analyzes the landscape and is the champion of shortcuts!

He has the lightest and most enduring body of all my yaks, and for many years, he was the one who carried the heaviest loads.

He has never been sick, except for a severe reaction to the first mandatory bluetongue vaccination, from which he nearly died. I decided never to vaccinate him again, which is why he has never participated in long trips outside of Switzerland (vaccination is mandatory to cross borders). But we have taken four trips together in Switzerland, each lasting about two weeks:

The Transjurassienne in 2014, with Ogotaï and Alain Perret, a 163-km hike from Lac de Joux to Bressencourt.

The trek to the OLMA, from Amsteg to Gontenbach (123 km), also in 2014.

With Lufang, Chélé, and Yarloun, Sonja Mathis, and Regina Gwerder.

The trek from Visperterminen to Oberalp (143 km) in 2015 with Julong and Sandrine Seidel.

The continuation of this journey eastward in 2016, from Lago Ritom to Savognin (134 km) with Naulekh and Sandrine Seidel.

What sets Nayan apart from other yaks is that you can ride him. He has always been gentle and careful not to hurt anyone with his horns, which is why I dared to climb onto his back. I was as happy as a little girl sitting on a yak’s back, letting Nayan lead me through the herd. I became a centaur, a yak-woman, thanks to him, and I experienced the herd differently from his back. Nayan sensed my deep emotion, and so this shy yak opened up to me, and we formed a very delicate, very special bond. The moments on Nayan’s back are among the happiest I’ve experienced with the yaks.

And in 2018, when Myriam, a friend who came trekking with us, had breathing difficulties, Nayan carried her over the mountain passes!