Photography Gallery: Nepal

In June 2017 I headed off to Nepal, a trip that included 23 hours on planes to get there, and 21 hours on planes to return home. Just getting there and back was an adventure. Beyond the flights and airports though the trip was an amazing 10-day whirlwind of cities, villages, traffic and mountains. Nepal is an amazing place full of energy and warmth. There are more words and photos in the post 10 Days in Nepal.

Many of the stone buildings in Bhaktapur (City of Devotees) suffered damage from the 2015 earthquake and are being rebuilt. The wooden buildings fared much better due to their ability to move with the tremors. — Bhaktapur temple damage

From the Swayambhunath (Monkey Temple) you can see over a large section of western Kathmandu. The city is much larger than most people think it is. — Overlooking Kathmandu

The Monkey Temple gets its name from the monkeys who live there. They are very smart and very fat from all the sugary drinks they steal from people. — The monkeys of the Monkey Temple

After a long, dusty, bouncy drive we made it to Pokhara, much more laid-back. This is the gateway to Annapurna, where we'd be heading for a three-day hike in the mountains. It was nice to relax in town, have a beer with the group before the trek. — Phewa Lake, Pokhara

After the first day of trekking we made it to Ghandruk village, not ten minutes before the monsoon rains poured down on us. It was perfect timing! — A group photo

We spent the night in Ghandruk and because it was low-season we had the place to ourselves. After the first day of hiking uphill all day, we slept deeply and woke up to the most incredible sunrise over Annapurna. — Waking up in Ghanrduk

One of the group took a photo of me on the trail. We were nice and high at that point of the second day. — Happy hiker

After about four hours of hiking on the second day we made it to the village above the Jhinu hot springs for a dip in both the freezing cold glacier-fed river and the hot spring. Since it was low-season we had the place to ourselves. It was fantastic. — Lunch time dip

After lunch we kept trekking toward Landruk. We needed to cross a few bridges over the river, luckily they are very well made metal suspension bridges. — Suspension bridge

I felt like I climbed 10,000 stone steps but of course it wasn't anything near that. You can tell when you're getting near a village as the trail turns to stone steps into and out of town. — Stone steps

Our stop in Landruk was the Maya Guest House. Again, as it was low season we had the place to ourselves. We had a lot of fun with one of the baby goats there. — Maya Guest House

After a nice deep sleep thanks to the overnight rain we again woke up to stunning vistas. The sky was so blue and the mountaintops so white. It left our group in complete awe. This is why I came to Nepal. — Waking up at the Maya Guest House

After another terrible drive from the end of the trek at Kande, we made it to the Barauli Community Homestay where we were very warmly welcomed with song and tradition. And a home-cooked supper. — A warm welcome to Chitwan

During our safari through a part of Chitwan National Park we were lucky enough to come cross some Asian One-horned Rhinos. Again, because it was low-season we had the whole place to ourselves. Seeing these animals up close in the wild was an experience I'll never forget. — Close encounter with rhinoceras

Bodnath Stupa is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a wonderful place to visit. Pilgrims mix with tourists in a colourful swirl. — Bodnath Stupa, Kathmandu

There are thousands of prayer wheels at Bodnath Stupa, most small, some very large like this one. I loved the sound and movement of the place. — Prayer wheel, Bodnath Stupa

The Thamel Bazaar is a popular place for tourists during high-season so there are lots of shops and street sellers. During low-season there's more room to move around but the traffic is still crazy. — Intersection, Thamel Bazaar

I can't imagine how crazy this place would be during the height of tourist season. Even during low-season the cars, motorcycles, bikes, carts and people was almost too much to handle. — Shops, Thamel Bazaar