| the himalayan adventure continued for the second time in 2006. off i went again as a general strike crippled the world's only hindu monarchy that is nepal.
the people were on the warpath, along the chakrapath - the 27 kilometre road that skirted kathmandu city and where king gyanendra huddled in his narayanhity palace. the stench of teargas, the sting of rubber bullets and the smash of rocks against shields were my companions as the authorities tried to impose some sort of curfew to snuff the protests. in between the protests that rocked the nation, pun quite intended, managed to tour some of the squares with ancient architecture of pagoda temples dominating the skyline. the people are nice, the maze of alleys bustling with life despite the troubles and full of signboards and sights that raised more than a chuckle. all too soon it was time to leave but the good folks at the nepal tourism board threw in a helicopter ride to the everest region for the hardworking hacks that we were. and so on the last day of my latest stint, i was part of the crazy cohort that dashed our way to the himalayas, touching down under the mount everest base camp to land at tengboche, where a monastery dominated the immediate foreground as the mountains majestically provided the backdrop with the sunny sky. however, mount everest was shrouded in some clouds but the yaks came out. and after that, as the nepalese would say, from himalaya to malaya, i made the long crazy journey home, with memories, mementoes and a mission to one day trek my way back to the mountains. |
pagoda temples at pathan square Buy Print |
more pagoda temples at pathan square Buy Print |
nepal man waits outside ornate temple door at pathan square Buy Print |
towers with statues Buy Print |
people thronging temples at pathan square Buy Print |
rooftop cafes are plenty in kathmandu Buy Print |
worshippers wrap strings around a holy tree in kathmandu Buy Print |
the army hospital with a memorial to fallen nepalese soldiers Buy Print |
traders at vegetable market in kathmandu Buy Print |
residents watch out from window balcony Buy Print |
the shop repairs people Buy Print |
16th century pagoda temples at durbar square Buy Print |
