Pictures from Nepal

Departing from Pokhara

Ghandruk

The first lodge we stayed in. The lodges were simple but comfortable.	Machhapuchhare, the "fish tail" mountain, is a sacred mountain that has never been climbed. It is now not permitted to climb it.	A house or lodge nestled in the mountains

Tadapani

Ghorepani

Wendi, Arjun (our guide), Sanoj (one of our porters), and Dom (a friend from work) at the dinner table in Ghorepani. Sanoj was feeling pretty happy that night.	A mountain poking through the clouds.	Terraced rice fields were everywhere.

The whole crew on Poon Hill (minus Sanoj who was a bit hungover): Ramji (the other porter), Wendi, Dom, Steve, Jason, and Arjun.	Prayer flags strung against the beautfiul views from Poon Hill.	Dom, at a rest stop on the way back to Kathmandu, talking to a woman he'd met on Poon Hill.

Kali Gandaki Gorge

Tatopani

Ghasa to Kalopani

Kalopani to Marpha

The area near the Dhaulagiri Icefall (pictured in the middle row) between Kalopani and Marpha was one of the most beautiful areas of the trek. We even saw and heard an avalanche on one of the peaks (top left). Mule trains like the one in the bottom right were everywhere on the trek, and the mules were often colorfully adorned.

Marpha

A beautiful view from Marpha	Om Mani Peme Hung: A Buddhist mantra that is written on the prayer wheels found all over Nepal. Spinning the prayer wheel is said to bring the same benefit as saying the mantra.

Kagbeni

The landscape began to change and started to look much drier and more barren.

Muktinath - the northern-most point in our trek

A man (and animals) plowing the fields.	Trinkets such as these were on sale everywhere - prayers flags, Gurkha knives, hand-held prayer wheels.	A woman weaving scarves

The Hindu Temple at Muktinath. Hindus believe that if you visit this temple once in your life, you will escape the cycle of rebirth.	Inside the temple are 108 spouts in the shape of cows' heads pouring forth sacred water.	A closeup of a prayer flag	Sanoj, Ramji, and Arjun after they finished praying

We hiked up above Muktinath on our rest day for some fantastic views.

One of the peaks we could see from above Muktinath	Dom made it the highest (we were all somewhere around 5000 m).	Dom, Arjun, Jason, Ramji, Sanoj, and Steve above Muktinath
Some yaks along the path on the way back to Jomson

Jomsom

The local people were holding a protest at the airport demanding that the airlines set aside more seats for locals (who pay less but can't make reservations).	Some women listening to the protest speeches.	We were supposed to fly back to Pokhara, but the protest was leading to a strike which was going to shut the airport down for several days. If we walked back there was a chance we'd miss our flight to India, so we all decided to charter a helicopter.
Dom (right) enjoying the wild helicopter ride

The Kathmandu Valley

Thamel (the touristy part of Kathmandu) at night	Snake charmers performing on the streets	We visited Raju Lama (who helped us arrange our trek) and his family at their home for dinner.	Rickshaws were a fun, easy, and cheap way to get around.

An angry Shiva with a necklace of human skulls standing on a human body. Accused criminals would be brought here, and if they lied, they would vomit blood.	Lots of marionettes for sale	A flute seller displaying his wares	A view of the street from the Hippie Temple - so named because the likes of John Lennon and Jimi Hendrix would hang out on the steps to escape the crowds of the Western world. The Nepalese just thought they were strange.

A view of the Kumari's palace from the Hippie Temple. The Kumari is chosen as a child and is worshipped as a goddess until she reaches puberty. She only emerges from the palace once a year when she is carried around the streets. We were able to see her as she will show herself through a window to the faithful and to tourists (for a donation).	A monkey eating an orange at the Monkey Temple in Kathmandu.	The Monkey Temple	Our meal at a fancy Nepalese restaurant