The Langtang National Park is one of the more popular trekking regions in Nepal, and it’s easily accessible from Kathmandu. It offers a combination of high-altitude mountain scenery, Tamang and Tibetan culture, villages, and...
One may assume that a bideshi Buhari—a foreign wife
of a Nepali man—might be given front-door access to Nepali festivals. That
there might be an expectation, even, from the family-in-law that she performs
rituals just as a...
The name ‘Tsum’ is said to originate from an old Tibetan word for ‘vivid’. This is certainly an apt way to describe the cultivated barley fields of the fertile Tsum Valley. This culturally fascinating area...
I heard him before I
saw him—Marpha’s town crier. His voice was low, booming, and it carried his
slow articulation through the streets of Marpha until they hit me where I sat
in the sunshine. Then I...
Philanthropist Melinda Gates is often
quoted as saying, “When we invest in women and girls, we are investing in the
people who invest in everyone else.” During my visit to Nepal I encountered
many women with limited...
As we are walking down the dusty path through the moon-like landscape, I feel like there is some sound in the air. I can’t really put my finger on it, but it sounds like...
I was 13 when Into Thin Air was released, Jon Krakauer’s account of the catastrophe on Everest in 1996. When my father got his hands on the book, he devoured it. From that moment...
One of the best ways to understand the cultural variety of Nepal is by staying with locals. The women-run Community Homestay network throughout Nepal allows travellers an unparalleled experience to stay in local homes...
