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Nepal

Welcome to Nepal and Kathamandu. Our hotel is the tranquil Gokarna Forest Resort

Kathmandu is a city of over 1.003 million with Nepal the country having a population of 27.8 million inhabitants. The major GDP is tourism. .

Kathmandu is named after Kasthamandip temple that stood in Durbar Square for centures until it collapsed in the 2015 earthquake.

I think I found the problem with your phone line.

The conjestion and traffic in Kathmandu reminds you so much of India.

Entrance to the countries holiest temple, the Boudhanath Stupa.

Walking around the Stupa

The ancient Stupa is one of the largest in the world. The April 2015 earthquake badly damaged Boudhanath Stupa, severely cracking the spire. As a result the whole structure above the dome had to be removed and rebuilt. We were in Nepal just shortly after the first anniversary of the massive 2015 earthquake.

Inside the Bhuddhist temple across from the Stupa

Like Mecca for Muslims the main pilgrimage site for Tibetan Buddhists is Boudhanath Stupa. It stands 118 feet high. Tens of thousands of pilgrims make the journey each year. The temples hemispherical dome represents the emptiness from which everything begins; rising above the dome, the harmika shines the Buddha's eyes in four directions that symbolize his total awareness.

Repairs continue to repair the Stupa

Candles are an age old traditional part of Buddhist rituals. They are placed as a mark of respect. They are often accompanied by offerings of food and drink. The light of the burning candle flame represents the light of Buddha's teachings. The flame can evoke the state of impermanence and change. The light from the candle can also be said to symbolize the enlightenment of the Buddha.

The square around the Stupa.

View from the Stupa to the main entrance at the street.

A public toilet

Young boys sitting in front of a money changing business.

Entrance to the tent city set up for victims of the earthquake in 2015.

Much aid has been donated to the victims from the devastating earthquake the money has yet to be given to those who need it the most. See the tent city set up. This is a year after the massive earthquake.

Funds have been donated from around the world yet seems to be hung up in buracratic problems within Nepal from what I have been told by those that live in Nepal.

Polution within the city of Kathmandu is very bad. This is evident from the amount of face masks you see on the street with locals.

Traffic is very conjested

Rotary is present in Nepal

Public wells have pots lines up waiting to recieve the water for the residentes

Buildings have supports on them after the earthquake

Walking through the narrow streets of Patan

Map of Lalipur where areas in red are dangerous to live and work

This green water is water for this residencial neighborhood. Notice the Buddhist temple next to the building, under reconstruction, with the top roof of the temple slanting towards the reservoir.

A building has collapsed into the water reservoir

This alter is at the temple with the top slanting roof. Notice the large rat at the alter.

Local neighborhood

Life goes on within the city. Everyone works.

Many parts of the city they are trying to rebuild from the earthquake a year earlier

Another well with pots lined up waiting to take water home

We had lunch at The Inn within the city. Marie is sitting next to the railing Our group had just finished lunch on the seond floor balcony.

Entrance to The Inn where we ate lunch in the area of Patan

On the street just outside the restaurant entrance

One way to transport steel rods in the narrow streets for the reconstruction

Entrance to the Golden Temple

Entrance to the Golden Temple in Patan

Worshipping the life of a Kumari Devi or Virgin Goddess. The young girl whose feet never touch ground a living goddess. She is treated like royalty and is carried around on chariots or in her caretakers arms at all times.

She does not attend school, does not learn to walk until she reaches puberty. Once she begins to menstruate, she goes through a 12 day ritual, marking the end of her life as a little goddess. Worshiped by the Hindus as well as the Buddhists. I have never seen someone so bored as this young girl.

The traffic is almost unbearable. It does not move at times.

Different modes of transportation

A pharmacy located across the street from the main hospital in Kathmandu

To the left in the photo is the Main hospital in Kathmandu

Another pharmacy

Another street view of the Main hospital

My question is how do all these businesses survive in this environment?

Check out the overhead telephone and electric lines

Check out the manequins in the air to the left.

I guess you just roll out a mat and set up business

Old market in Kathmandu

To the left in the photo is our guide in Nepal Binoy Rai negotiating for Rickshaw rides for our group of 9 .

Has anyone heard the word "wireless" in Nepal?

We could use this sign in the United States today

Every direction you look is a camera shot. I love going to all the markets around the world.

You can buy almost anything here in the Old Market

Karl and Eugenia are ready to rock and roll in a rickshaw

The driver is called a rickshaw puller.

Kathmandu is a crowded and polluted city. Rickshaw is a great way to get around and enjoy the city and its sights, sounds and smells

More rickshaws for rent

Even richshaw pullers have trouble with traffic jams in the narrow streets

I was in the lead richshaw looking back at our group or richshaw riders

Anything can be transported on a bike

Binoy is happy. He has not lost any of us on the first day yet in these crowds

Happy tourists in Thamel

Shelley and Ann

This woman is working very hard in construction

At dawn this morning several us elected to take the Mount Everests flight on Yeti Airlines. It is an hour flight along the Himalayan Mountain Range. We had to wait 3 hours for the air to clear to just take off fom Kathmandu International Airport.

It was worth the $215 to see Mt Everest from several positions along the Himilayan Mountains. Even if it was a little overcast it was worth it for sure. The peak is behind the front range in this photo..

Inside the cabin with the crew everyone had a window seat to see Mt Everest and the rest of the Himilayan Mountains as we flew up and down the range followed by a glass of champagne prior to landing to celebrate this day.

Known in Tibet as Sagarmatha or "Goddess of the Sky" avid climbers around the world call this mountain "the ultimate climb" or K2 with its astounding summit height of 29,029 feet above sea level. Mount Everest earns the tital of the tallest peak on Earth.

Rising majestically out of the Himalayan Range, its snowy peak and intricate geoegraphy offered us breaktaking views from the air. Checked another one off the Bucket List.

The Himalayan Range is majestic to vew from any angle

Mt Makalu looks like someone just scooped off the top at the heavens edge

Looking from the wing you can see Mt Everest our last look for the morning behind the front range. What an adventure this has been.

Landing in Kathmandu with the city below

Bhaktapur - A Living Heritage

Women lined up early in the morning to get their water from the local well

Life is not easy in a city that dates back to the 1300 AD

Bhaktapur, "The City of Devotees," is a UNESCO World Heritage Site spanning four square miles. The city was the crown jewel of the Malla Empire 700 years ago, and today features its historic Durbar Square, ancient courtyards, holy temples and twisting streets where artisans still practice age old tradition.

As you can see Bhaktapur was hit hard with the 2015 Nepal earthquake. The buildings had little reinforcement for the strong earthquakes and suffered heavy damage throughout the area.

Rebuilding is slow as funding is still tied up with government red tape I was told.

Everyone works

Look straight ahead at the building with the white doors and the blocks stacked partially below where a window will go one day.

A woman is already working again with her sewing machine. Life is returning little by little

Busy catching up on the latest news of the neighborhood

He is selling fuel to the ladies for cooking

Photos of the damage locally

Temporary housing is rising again

A vendor selling brooms in the neighborhood

How long do you think the housing building to the left will last in the next earthquake? It is already leaning.

Rolling up yarn.

Local supervisors

Abandoned home

Checking everything out

Everyone has an opinion

Every where you look you still see a lot of rubble

Have to tie the chickens down one way or another. They will run away

There are people living in these homes. No electricity, no water, no nothing!

Selling food out of the house to make money

Small business inside the neighborhood

Two stroke tractors used to haul items in and out of the narrow streets

Survivors from the earthquake make quansat huts to live in until they can rebuild.

When a member of a family dies immediate male members shave their heads in respect for the person that has passed away and during the morning period.

How would you like to drink this water? It is the community water from a well underground.

Taking a break to clean his feet with some clean water.

A year later damage is still everywhere

Life goes on amid the destruction

This temple in the middle of destruction survived

Nepalese work horse the two stoke tractor

Pulling a container from the well full of water

Pulling a container from the well full of water

This item was inside the wall at the temple

Items for sale made by hand

What is left of former homes

What is left of former homes

Life in the Old City

Fruits, vegetables sold from a local vendor

Fresh fish in the hot sun. Check out all the flies

Fish anyone.. yummy!

Latest styles in dresses

Life in Kathmandu's Durbar Square. Ancient courtyards, Buildings being helped with steel poles and beams for support. People are working in these leaning and crumbling buildings today. Old temples and twisting streets where artisans will practice age old traditions. It was Kathmandu's Old City.

Stone Elephant Statue at Fasidega Temple

Praying at an alter in the square

Maju Dega destroyed

Vatsala Durga Temple being rebuilt after total destruction

Rebuilding in Durbar Square

Before the earthquake

Entrance to the Royal Palace in Durbar Square

Royal Baths... I think I will pass.

View from upstairs from the New Cafe' Nuatapala

Another view of the square from the restaurant

Pasupatmath Temple - Sacred Hindu Temple located on the banks of the Bagmati River. Erected in the 15th century and the oldest Hindu Temple in Khatmandu. When a person from the Hindu faith dies they try to cremate the body before sundown the same day.

Cement slab is used for cremations of bodies of the Hindu Religion

Once the bodies are cremated the ashes are placed into the running river which is totally dry now. Eventually the ashes are to flow into the Ganges River in India

Pasupatinath Temple - with slabs along the river for cremations

Bathing where ever they can

There can be several cremations occurring on the same day at the same time

I have seen tattoos all over the world but nothing like this one. Totally tattooed all over the face and head

This morning we flew to Pokhara and the Nayapul trail head near the Modi River Valley. Our journey begins with a trek amidst terraced farmlands and wooded hillsides. Walking downhill as we follow the lower foothills of the Annapurna Mountain, beautiful view of the Pokhara Valley surrounds us. We walk to the Sanctuary Lodge with its beautiful gardens and peaceful atmosphere offering views of Macchapuchare or Fishtail Mountain, a sacred peak that has never been summitted. It is 21,000 feet and known for its incredible beauty.

Our light daypacks were carried by ladies of a local village to earn extra money. I am glad we did not have to carry them.

View of Lodge buildings

The far right in this building of 2 units is my home for the next 2 nights.

These are the ladies from a nearby village that carried our Day packs.

Dinner at the lodge with our group. We had the entire facility to ourselves.

View from the front door of my home.

Homes scattered on the hill across the valley from the river and the lodge.

We trek the next day to the village of Birenthanti passing through hamlets and forests. The houses seem to naturally rise out of the hillsides with the terraces of rice fields.

We visit inside the house which is actually part museum and part home.

Not too soft looking a bed to sleep on. No elecctricity in the house.

2 local ladies that live in this village

Closest thing to an apartment building. There is no electricity or running water high up on the hill.

View across the valley of nearby homes

Baby chickens outside the basket

A visiting Doctor at the clenic nearby

Her husband waiting outside patiently

Working on a roof nearby. Notice they are working on the roof in sandals..

women too

Visiting doctor and another patient

He will spend a month here

Looking out from the front porch in the evening just before a storm came in. The Annapurna Mountains , part of the incredible Himalayan Mountain Range

It is magical just looking out at these beautiful mountains.

I had taken the book The Ascent of Everest by Sir Edmund Hillary to read on the trip. I finished reading the final chapters sitting outside, wrapped in a blanket, on the font porch looking at these majestic mountains on the second afternoon when a cold storm set in with rain and cold winds blowing. I felt like I was with Sir Edmund Hillary as I finished reading his book as he described the ascent to the Highest Mountain Peak, Mt. Everest, in the world.

Fishtail Mountain or Machapuchare Mountain the highest ascent any one or team came to climbing to the Summit was in 1957 when a British Expedition Team came within 492 feet from the summit via the north ridge to an altitude of 22,793 feet. They did not complete the ascent, as they had promised not to set foot on the actual summit. Since then the mountain has been declared sacred and is now closed to climbers.

Annapurna's highest peak is 26,200. The mountain has the greatest fatality rate of all the 14 Himalayan Mountains as of 2012. There have been 52 deaths during ascents, 191 successful ascents and 9 deaths upon decent. Which means for every 3 thrill seekers that make it up and down safely 1 dies trying. Not good odds.

Witih our two local guides and the ladies of the nearby village ready to pack us out carrying our day packs in their baskets back to civilization for a few hours we begin our trek back down the hill.

One last goodbye to the General Manager to the left and the Chef. Two of the most important people I met at the lodge. I enjoyed our conversation time about life in the area. The kitchen is very simple as you see but the food was awesome.

Two more new friends from the trip. It was interesting learning what it is like to manage a lodging facility with limited electricity during the day almost none and none late at night. They depend on solar for their late night exterior lighting. Water can be a problem. Also getting supplies into and out of the camp. Life is very simple here. Mother Nature makes up for any challenges. The night sky so beautiful after a storm passes. The stars so bright you think you can reach out and touch them.

Packing our day packs to carry out.

Marilynn thought she would test one out to carry.

Walking up numerous stairs to just leave the lodge; then walking up several hills to just get to the main trail head and trekking back to the main road several miles with this on their backs.

Mother and daughter. The daughter walked along with us

Our fearless Trekker

One last goodbye before setting out on another days adventure

The road you see to the left is where we were trekking to the distance out of range of the photo

Locals we ran into leaving camp

We all arrive back to the main road the ladies carrying our day packs

Children at the nearby village curious about the strangers in their midst

The ladies received their money for carrying our day packs and one last goodbye.

We return to civilization to Pokhara. Pokhara marks an important stop along an age old trade route. The mountains around this serene tropical valley shoot up starkly toward the sky, leaping upwards of 26,000 feet and disappearing into the misty shroud that drapes about their shoulders.

Bindhyabasini Temple one of the oldest Hindu temples in the Pokhara Valley has an immense cultural value.

Pokhara is the second largest city in Nepal after Kathmandu and is 120 miles west of Kathmandu.

More views of the city

The Hindu Temple is dedicated to Goddess Bhagauti, a popular deity, in many states in India.

A family brings offerings

A rooster to be sacrificed

Cute little one

We have the chance to go canoeing on Phewa Lake, the second largest lake in Nepal. It is a fresh water lake and is famous for its reflections of the surrounding mountains. .

3 of the 10 highest mountains in the world are within 30 miles of Pokhara. The city is a base for trekkers undertaking the Annapurna Circuit. Annapurna is in the background of the photo.

Tal Baraki Temple is located in the center of Phewa Lake. It is the most important religious monument of Pokhara.

Couple after receiving a blessing at the Tal Baraki Temple

Tal Baraki Temple is believe dedicated to the Hindu God Vishnu.

Group of school boys collecting for a local charity on the island

Hang gliding above Lake Phewa with Fishtail Mountain in the background

Pokhara lies on an important old trading route between China and India. Many local hills have med-evil ruins from the 17th Century Dynasty. It is also the most expensive city in Nepal to live.

Photos of 9 of the Himalayan Mountains and names

View of Mount Fishtail which I climbed.. the fake one anyway

Rotary emblem in Pokhara

Downtown Pokhara - note the wires on the telephone pole

Obviously there are no sign ordinances

Downtown Pokhara

Hang gliders coming in for landing by the lake

Great place to have lunch on Lake Phewa and spend the night.

This is the home of the Para Hawking Project. There are 5 Guesthouses and a restaurant. You can have the experience of parahawking and having an Egyptian Vulture literally fly alongside of you and your trained paragliding expert flying tandem. You learn basic fundamental training of these birds of prey.

Once you take to the skies accompanied by a feathered friend trained to fly alongside the tandum glider you and your pilot will be led by the Vulture to the best thermal drafts. Look up Para-hawking. Very interesting.

When finished you land in front of the lodge alongside of Lake Phewa.

Breaking open an egg with the birds beak.

The adventure keeps on going. Today we set out for our rafting journey along the Seti river. We drive to our rafting launch site after breakfast and receive information and instruction from our river guides. We have 3 rafts. with 3 and 4 in each raft with a guide.

The river is lower than usual due to lack of rain but still has some fun rapids along the trip. We stop during the trip and have lunch along the river. There is no road accesss to this area. The views of plant and wildlife are truly untouched and thrilling. Along the banks we see women wash clothes, men fish with sticks and cloth nets and children swim and play. There are a few class II rapids with waves up to three and four feet.

After landing on the banks of the Seti River to settle into our safari style camp surrounded by beautiful trees. Home sweet home. The name of the camp is Seti River Camp. No electricity or very little. Everything is basic and I love it.

Guides deflating our rafts so no one will come along and try and take them. During the rainy season the river will be bank to bank and moving very fast. The weather will be much colder then too.

Mother nature in the evening put on a couple of incredible lightning displays during the night.

Inside. You use a flash light in the evening. You must keep the mesh curtains closed at all times to keep out the nats, flies and the red ants.

The delux outdoor bathroom. Make sure you lift the lid if you need to sit on the toilet as those sucker red ants move fast as they circle the toilet in the mornings. You chase them out of the shower too. All and all I enjoyed staying there.

Binoy our local guide standing in front of the dining room. The food was excellent. Great soups.

The Seti River Camp

View of the Seti River early morning

Looking at the camp from riverside. Hard to imagine this is all under water in a a few months in the rainy season.

Our rafts deflated so no one will take them in the night.

Local homes close by with fields of rice

Our river rafting guide breaking the stem of a leaf and blowing across the broken stem getting bubbles from it. .

Red ants nests made of leaves in jungle canopy.

Our local guide climbs up a bush tree to show us a sticky fruit

A sour sticky to the touch inside fruit

Seti River lazily winding through the canyons of the valley

Seti River with a walking bridge across it

Beautiful rice fields with someone working in the crop

A Muscovy duck. The ugliest duck I have ever seen.

Trekking through a local village

Children walk for 2 hours each way daily to go to school through mud, across rivers on pull ropes.

He is delivering bread

They are so glad to be able to go to school. In this case when we located the school it had been damaged by the earthquake and they were outside learning.

Bread anyone?

Beautiful countryside

Local farm house

Everyone works or you do not eat. There is no such thing as Welfare.

Children waiting for the school to open. This is a different school than the older children we saw walking for hours.

I like his tie.

The school is locked up. The teacher has not arrived yet.

She is making what we refer to as "Moonshine"

Children we saw walking for 2 hours crossing the bridge over the Seti river to school finally.

Looking at the Seti River from the village

Young girl with her mother

I had just shown to the mother a photo of herself in the camera that I had previously taken of her. She looked longly at herself and began to cry. With the help of our guide I told her she was beautiful. I tried to find a way to get a copy of the photo to her but there was no mail or way to do it.

Plowing crops the card way

Life is hard ini Nepal in the countryside especially

Working in the fields

We thought carrying the day packs were difficult try this all day.

Some of this was our laundry at the camp

We departed the Seti River camp and rafted the entire morning. We bid farewell to our river guides amd drove for several hours arriving at the Chitwan National Preserve. Upon arrival we were welcomed by two elephants at the entrance of the Hotel Kasara Chitwan Resort.

Gathering firewood to cook in the homes.

Late afternoon we leave the grounds of the hotel and travel close by to the Chitwan National Park, the oldest National Park in Nepal.

Formerly, the Chitwan Valley was well known for big game hunting and until 1950 was exclusively managed as a hunting preserve for the Prime Ministers and their guests. In 1963 the area south of the Rapti River was demarcated as a rhinoceros sanctuary. In 1970 the Royal Chitwan National Park was created in principle by the late King Mahendra. Here you see Shelley, Ann and elephant handler riding a top an elephant.

The park was designated as a World Heritage Site in 1984, the park covers a pristine area with a unique ecosystem of significant value to the world. It contains the Churiya hills, ox-bow lakes and flood plains of Rapti, Reu and Narayani rivers.

A rare Black Stork

A large rhinoceros

Side view of the rhinoceros. Magnificent animal

Almost looks like the elephant had 4 flat tires submerged in the watery preserve.

Binoy our guide enjoying the scenery

A perch on the back of an elephant affords a perfect vantage point to view all that this area has to offer.

This is a once in a life time thrill perched atop these magnificent animals looking over the preserve at sunset.

A cobra snake is spotted in the preserve. The elephant stopped and alarmed us of the snake.

There are more than 43 species of mammals, more that 450 species of birds, and more than 45 species of amphibians and reptiles in the park.

A big thank you to my buddy for the ride this evening

Any minute it feels like it is going to rain on us

Early morning our day begins with a canoe ride and walk through the jungle

Up early and working

Jungle Villa Resort on the lagoons edge

We are keeping an eye out for hungry crocodiles looking for breakfast

Walking through forest and jungle areas over a rickety bridge

A lot of belts, boots and shoes.. Ok just kidding

Morning exercise for the elephent. Each elephant has the same handler for years.

Quiet moment on the river in a dugout canoe

Work never stops no matter what time of day

I wonder if they think this hotel is close to Iceland?

No matter what the house looks like they have a satellite dish and TV

That is an expensive fishing pole. Really are there fish in there?

Name of the resort we are staying

Reflecting pool in the lobby area of the hotel

Outdoor entrance to the room

Open air entrance to my room. Bedroom to the right. Bathroom to the left.

Bedroom

Outdoor bathroom

Outdoor shower. I liked that the shower was and outdoor shower as long as the weather is warm.

Tropical Bird of Paradise flower

Explanation of the handler and the elephant. Our local hotel guide was with us on the canoe and jungle walk as well as the elephant washing. One evening he spent an hour explaining the ecology and enviromental protection of the Chitwan Park and the animals. Very interesting.

The easy way to step up onto an elephant.

We had a fun morning today to take part in washing elephants in the river. What a hoot.

So you think it is easy to climb up on an elephant in a river?

Lets see now how do you get an elephant to reverse?

Then it was the elephants turn to wash each of us on top of the elephants.

I challenge your elephant to my elephant in a race.

The elephants answer... no way... over and over again the elephants let us have it. Pay back time for the long ride the night before in the Chitwan Park

You think you can do it again?

Perfect aim every time.

OK you win! I am out of here.. ha

Never in my life did I think I would get to wash an elephant and have it respond back so much.

This elephant loves to tell a joke

Did you hear the story about????

Binoy our guide in Nepal and friend enjoying time with an elephant. What a great talent he has to share the love of his country with all of us. We learned so much during the time he was with us in Nepal.

Magnificent animals and their handlers.

I took this photo of our guide driving, looking into the side mirror, from a rear seat.

Ox cart ride to Tharu Village

I like the riders on top.. coming home from school and work

Air conditioned on top

Ox cart ride through the village.

Older sister looking out after her younger brother

Kids doing the laundry by hand

Ringing out a pair of pants by hands. Kids in the US are you seeing this?

He is determined to make it go forward

He did.. he just lifted the front up and walked with it. What ingenuity.

The youngest one says it all... Peace!

Waiting in line for Binoy to give each of them a piece of candy

Binoy and the kids making sure each of them gets a piece of candy.

This little guy followed me all over the area. He had the biggest smile minus a tooth.

Every local bus is air conditioned.. on top.

Evening entertainment at the hotel

They played for us traditional Nepali music.

Flight from Chitwan to Kathmandu in a small twin engine plane. No one bothers to close the cockpit door. There is none.

The last evening in Nepal we all dressed for dinner in local formal attire, Binoy had arranged for each of us to have a formal attire. Right to left Binoy, Shelley and myself

When I saw this photo it reminded me of the Pillsbury Dough Boy.. a little tight..ha

The ladies looked beautiful Left to right.. Ann, Shelley, Marilynn, Marie and Eugenia

Our Statesman Binoy

Left to right Karl, Binoy and Jim

Left to right Jim, Dick and Karl with the greeting ... Namaste..

A reminder for us that Nepal has just gone through a terrible earthquake a year earlier that devastated the country. We traveled the countryside from rivers and lakes to mountains. We trekked over trails, river rafted and canoed in rivers. We walked in jungles and witnessed majestic sunsets. We stayed in a camp by a river and enjoyed ourselves in luxurious hotels. We rode on the backs of elephants and washed elephants. We zipped through streets and alleyways in rickshaws all the while seeing the local sights. We sampled and ate the traditional foods, eating with families in their homes, and learned many new things during our travels. We visited temples and holy places. The Nepali people could not have been any nicer to our group as we traveled the country. We leave with wonderful memories of an incredible trip. Namaste ..... Dhanyabad... Thank you

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© 2025 Jim Schroder