Biggest Rocks in the World

Alright folks... here's how this one's gonna work: Old school style. Seemingly random photos with captions to tell the story of my trip to Nepal. I'll skip the mundane details of city names, # of days spent where, etc... who cares, right? Also... I went to India afterwards, but was only there 3 days, got really sick the whole time, and never left New Delhi. So needless to say, I didn't have the best time there. We won't focus on that. Here's the scoop on an incredible place to go visit-- Nepal (and the Himalayan mountains)

The trip started off on a good note-- since I was dressed like the classy gentleman that I am (and the plane being full), they upgraded me to business class for free!

I started a new form of travel art called "Taxi Photography"-- basically me just taking pictures from a moving taxi with a high shutter speed to pass the time... here's some that turned out to give you a feel for what Nepalese people are like:

You'll notice the women mostly dress very traditionally colorful.

local artist I bought a painting from

although this painting on a building down an alley was probably the coolest art that I saw.

Yes, they're mostly Hindu there... and yes, they've got a thing for cows. They're everywhere.

Nepali language written

end of the evening (seemingly pickup) cricket match by the lake while I had dinner...

which was this. Explosion of flavors.

Never count on hot water in Nepal.

...or electricity for that matter. (even in the cities)

Solar panels used for power in many places.

nope... no clue why. Just thought it was cool.

Entrepeneur

the bus from the captial to the launching point for the trekking.

...which was on a road something like this.

Nepali money. (the Rupee) Interesting cultural note: You'll notice these are both 100 Rupee notes. In 1996, the royal family there was massacred and the form of government changed. So on notes made after 1996, it features Mt. Everest instead of the king.

Imagine a Mississippi boy's surprise to see a B.B. King poster at the first restaurant I went to.

Dal Baht = 24 hour power! (free refills!)


Everything is 'Everest' something or other. (no free refills)

And hence began the 'trek'. This consisted of 8 days of walking through the Annapurna region of the Himalayan mountain range on a stone path that has been there since parts of it was the Silk Road. It went through several different climates and was loaded with incredible scenery. Please make it a point to do this at some point in your life.

My guide, Bahara. Not exactly a National Geographic-type-knowledge guide, nor a completely English fluent guide, but we was nice. (and cheap)

It was really cool that e invited me to stay at his family's house the first night of the trek. These are some of his kids.

Some more 'kids'. ah thank you.

There isn't exactly a working waste management system, so they have to burn everything. Such a shame.

terraced rice paddies

rice paddies + strange tree

bree cheese rock

my guide's wife's cooking.... mmmm mmm mmm

my guide's house-- notice the metal roofing is held down by logs and stones (no nails) so the winds won't blow them away.

the scenery around my guide's house

Changstas for life

Hindu mountain temple

Freshly sheared wool out drying in the sun

line of some kind of crazy worms. don't touch them. (the one useful thing I learned from my guide)

plenty of rocks around to build stuff with apparently

bridge over the glacial runoff river

This was the only 'bridge' that really made me nervous

And then it got cold. really cold. Word to the wise-- don't leave out clothes on the line overnight when its freezing outside.

I figured there should've been an 'avalanche risk area AHEAD' sign... but whatever.

Part of the old trail that was covered up by said avalanche a little while back

My mountain

Epic

Machhapuchre

With all the beautiful scenery around, this is still the view I saw the most. Trying to to fall off a mountain, slip on ice, or step in donkey poo.

Great hot spring by the river. Perfect for some aching legs.

And then when it was all over, I got to see the actual biggest rock in the world (Everest) out the plane window.

~NK