A slide show on Nepal...

1. Nepal सं घ ीय लोकतािििक गणतिि
ने प ाल
Sanghiya Loktāntrik Ganatantra Nepāl
Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal

2. a landlocked country with
Nepal Tibet to the north & India to the south
Nepal is dwarfed in size and
population by its neighboring
countries, China and India.
The population is just over
thirty million people, over half
of whom live on less than two
dollars a day.

3. Landscape of Nepal
Most of Nepal’s
population lives in the
southern and central
regions.
The flat Terai to the south has a long
border with India. The Pahad, or hill
region, sits between the Terai and
the high mountain region to the
north called the Parbat, which
borders China and Tibet.
Seven of the eight highest mountains
in the world are located in Nepal,
including Mt. Everest in the Parbat.

4. The Economy of Nepal
Over three-quarters of the
people rely on agriculture
for employment.
The major crops are tea,
rice, corn and wheat. Due
to the seasonal nature of
such work, unemployment
Per capita income is $1,200
can be as high as 50%.
per year, just over $3 per
day. Over a quarter of the Tourism has fallen off due
people live on less than $1 to political disturbances
per day. Nepal is one of the within Nepal during the
world’s poorest countries. past decade and a half.

5. A Brief History of Nepal
For much of its history, Nepal was
a monarchy. From the late 14th
century until 1768, there were
actually three kingdoms of Nepal.
After unification of the monarchies
and until 2006, there was one royal
family that ruled the country.

6. A Brief History of Nepal सं घ ीय लोकतािििक गणतिि ने प ाल
While never formally colonized, Nepal was defeated by
British colonial forces in the early 1800’s. The British were
impressed by Nepalese fighting skills and a term of
surrender included the right to recruit soldiers. Thus
began the famed Gurkha military force of Nepal.
In 2001, Crown Prince Dipendra
(far left) murdered his parents and
other family members before
committing suicide.
Dipendra’s uncle, Gyendra, assumed the throne after the
massacre. A civil war started in 1996 between Maoist
forces and the monarchy, leading finally in 2006 to the
dissolution of the monarchy and the founding of the
Republic of Nepal.

7. Nepal & the capital of Kathmandu
Although a large city of 1.5
million people and the most
populous in Nepal, the capital
still has only 5% of the
country’s total population.

8. Funeral ghats in Kathmandu
Funeral Ghats
where bodies are cremated
and the ashes spread in river
waters.
Many of the poor search
through the waters for
jewelry or other valuables.

9. Religion
in
Nepal
Although Nepal is the birthplace of Buddhism, only
10% of the population is Buddhist. Over 80% of the
population is Hindu, sharing that majority faith with
India to the south. The majority of Buddhists live in
the mountainous north, close to Tibet.

10. Trekking in Nepal
My time in Nepal was spent mostly on the two most
famous & popular trekking routes, the Annapurna Circuit
and within the Khumbu region. I joined two friends for a
month-long hike of the Annapurna Circuit.
My friend Bonk gets his hair done up
while on the Anaprurna Circuit.

11. The Annapurna Circuit
This trek passes through four
regions of Nepal, Lamjung &
Myagdi at lower elevations
and Manang & Mustang at
higher elevations.
The isolation of this route will
soon be changed by a road
project nearing completion.

12. Nepal’s Annapurna Circuit

13. The Annapurna Circuit
The lower elevations are
wetter and forested, but
the trail eventually enters
some of the highest
inhabited terrain in the
world.

14. The Annapurna Circuit
terrain varies between
lower and higher elevations
but grows increasingly drier
with altitude. Closer to the
northern frontier, there are
more Buddhist monasteries,
stupas and monuments.

15. Bonk, Nicole & myself at Thorung La Pass, which at
5,416 meters (17,769 feet) is one of the highest
mountain passes in the world.

16. Mustang (once known as the Kingdom of Lo)
Over 9,000 people live here
and tourism is more strictly
regulated. Elevation is over
2,500 meters (8,000 feet)

17. The Khumbu Region –
after a month on the Annapurna Circuit in western Nepal
and a week in Kathmandu, I spent six weeks on my own
hiking in the Khumbu region of eastern Nepal, where Mt.
Everest is located. Part of this trek was a climb of a 6,000
meter peak (20,000 feet) arranged with a mountaineering
company before I left Kathmandu. I spent two weeks on
the lower hill trails, working my way upwards to the higher
regions.

18. The Pahad or hill region
of Nepal (before Khumbu)
It is possible to fly into the
higher mountain region of
the Khumbu, but I decided
to take more time and hike
through this region.

19. The Khumbu Region

20. Daybreak along the Khumbu Trail…

21. With its proximity to
Tibet, the Khumbu region
also has many signs of
Buddhist influence and
many monasteries.
The monument to the left
is for climbing guide Scott
Fischer, who is featured in
the book, “Into Thin Air.”

22. I had arranged before leaving Kathmandu to meet with a
mountaineering company to make a climb of a peak called
Lobuje East, the summit of which is 6,145 meters or
20,161 feet. From there, I went up to Everest Base Camp
before heading west to the valley of Gokyo.

23. To the left is the Khumbu
Glacier, which leads up to
the base of Mt. Everest.
Mt. Everest
8,848 meters
or 29,029 feet
Tibetan name
Chomolungma
Nepalese name
Sagarmāthā

24. In the sky, there is no
distinction of east and
west. People create
distinctions out of their
own minds and then
believe them to be true.
Buddha
My father considered a
walk among mountains
the equivalent of church.
Aldous Huxley
I have climbed my
mountain, but I must still
live my life.
Tenzing Norgay

25. Nepal
सं घ ीय लोकतािििक गणतिि ने प ाल