Kathmandu’s low-slung buildings weren’t built to withstand the jockeying of a trembling earth. Often constructed of brick and mortar while ignoring already weak building codes, the city’s structures were no match for Saturday’s 7.8-magnitude earthquake. News of the Nepali devastation … Continued
As Nepal reels under the 7.8-magnitude earthquake and its subsequent aftershocks, I couldn’t help but flashback to the days I spent exploring Kathmandu’s rutted, dusty streets. The pictures of destruction starkly contrast the images I captured of hardscrabble, but thriving … Continued
It’s bloody cold in New York City right now, maybe even colder then trekking through the Nepali Himalayas. As the Gosain Kund trek progressed and the declining altitude ushered in a wonderful oxygen-filled intoxication, spring-like warmth and greenery filled the … Continued
Goodbye snow and hello green sums up day 4 trekking from the Nepali villages of Ghopte to Kutsmsang. The world seems to blossom and breathe a thawed life, leaving the bleached snowy Himalayan heights behind. Plots of corn and other … Continued
At 14,000-plus feet the world seems cold and ominous. Sheets of snow cover frozen lakes, contrasting the soft fluffy clouds hiding the surrounding frigid, Himalayan peaks. Once in a while, bolts of sun sneak through the clouds, bathing the beauty … Continued
Drama begins on Day 3 of Nepal’s Gosain Kund trek where razor-sharp peaks drenched in snow spirit in and out of view as an ocean of cottony clouds roll by. At times it feels like you’re on a jet, soaring … Continued
After a long day of trekking to the top of the world, everything tastes better. I’ve been on week-long hikes in the Sierra Nevada Mountains where ramen noodles taste as delectable as Girl Scout Thin Mints. I’m not sure why, … Continued
Jagged peaks splinter clouds in Nepal’s Himalaya mountains. Famous for its Tower of Babel-like peaks (Everest) and trekking trails (Annapurna & Everest Base Camp), thin air and snowy vistas greet the visitor to Nepal’s heavenly Himalayas, which translates in Sanskrit … Continued
Tangles of wire crisscross the streets of Kathmandu like a canopy of Christmas-lights: wire strands, thick as basketballs or thin as a spaghetti noodles tremble in the Nepali breeze. Shops and people scurry about in this foothill town where layers … Continued
Kathmandu and Nepal assume a mythic place in popular culture; between Bob Seeger’s 70s crooning “I’m going to Kathmandu” and as a gateway city to the jagged Himalayan peaks, the city’s a confluence of cultures swirls among its dusty, rutted … Continued