This was my first visit and trek to Nepal. The 20 March 2016 marked the beginning of our trek in Shivalaya, with the finish date set for 9 April 2016 in Salleri. With no expectations we began our journey wide-eyed and raring to go! We endured many diverse weather conditions in a short space of time – heat, cold, hailstones, wind and clouds. We trekked up, down and around scenic mountains; viewing terraced mountainsides, vibrant vegetable gardens, raging rivers and tinkling streams. We walked across long wire bridges, passed donkey and yak trains, made way for Nepalese Cowboys and many men, women and children carrying extremely large and heavy loads.…

Every once in a while, I dream of waking up someday to find that I’ve got wings all of a sudden and I can fly. Even if I couldn’t fly all over the world, I wish to see all the places in Nepal. In the past five years, my dream and the reality were like day and night that never overlapped. With every morning, my dream fades away along with my sleep but my enthusiasm never dies, hope remains and my wandering zeal prevails. Who needs the wings to wander? A Leopard doesn’t need wings to run like a wind and elephants walk gracefully without wings. This is the feeling…

“Jomsomai bazaar maa 12 baje hawa sarara”, a famous song from the Pokahreli Band Nepathya, describes the main market place in Jomsom (2700m) – the district headquarters of Mustang. Jomsom indeed is a place to be in the mornings until noon. The street vendors are all out in the center of the city, selling their best products. Fruits and vegetables (among them the famous Mustangi apples), the classic Marpha (apple brandy), hand-made handicrafts and hundreds of other what-nots are carefully placed on the stalls, glittering on the gentle sun and fresh breeze, and waiting to be bought. Yak hearders are leading their furry animals through the main street and out of the…