Kathmandu and the Central Valley, NEPAL

I now have been all over the Central Valley and visited several towns and villages, saw human bodies being cremated (see picture) on stacks of burning wood next to river (when down to ashes, it's swept with a grass broom into the holy river and human scavengers then sift through the murky waters looking for jewelry). I saw animals being sacrificed in Hindu Temples, I saw a living Hindu god (little girl kept for about 10 years inside the temple and never allowed to touch ground), I ran away from Indian Rhinos in the Chitwan National Park, I had close encounters with the Himalayas...and I saw lots and lots of desperately poor people. I'm now almost one month here in Nepal and frankly, my heart is tired of going out for these poor people. It will be a relief to leave Nepal tomorrow, though the next two weeks won't bring much comfort as I will be traveling through Bangladesh -- probably the poorest country in the region.

What I'll remember the longest about Nepal, is not the many quaint villages, friendly people, good food, ancient temples and stupas, but the mountains. The two trekking trips I did (Everest Base Camp and Annapurna range) in the mighty Himalayas are experiences I could never forget. That 14 day hiking to Mount Everest Base Camp via Gokyo - climbing the dreaded Chula Pass in the snow, and being chased by a Yak in Gorak Shep - the daily sights of these majestically towering peaks of the Himalayas - an everlasting memory!

Namaste Nepal! Here I come Bangladesh (note that I won't have much access to the Internet in Bangladesh. First I'll do the Chittagong Hill Tracts (Hill Tribes near the India/Myanmar border) and then the Sundarbans (world biggest swamps). Then Barisal villages in the south. Will update my blog when possible.