Photo/Travel Blog by Tom Dempsey – What's New

For a more complete set of images, please see Nepal page 3: Everest / Gokyo Ri area and Show gallery of 180 pictures on Photoseek.com. Here some highlights taken from those pages:

Left: Mount Everest (center left; 29,035 feet / 8850 meters from 1999 GPS measurement), the highest mountain on Earth above sea level.
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Below: View from Gokyo Ri, of Mount Everest, Nepal.


Left: Porters walk with a yak pack train beneath the mountain of Lhotse (27,940 feet), the world’s fourth highest peak, in Sagarmatha National Park, Nepal. The tremendous south face of Lhotse rises 2 vertical miles in a steep slope averaging a 55 degree angle.
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Below: This is the north side of Ama Dablam, a beautiful mountain in the Himalaya range of eastern Nepal, in the Khumbu District, photographed between Dingboche and Chhukhung, in the Imja Khola river valley. Ama Dablam was first climbed in 1961. The main peak is 22,349 feet (or 6,812 meters) tall, and the lower western peak is 18,251 feet (or 5,563 meters).


Above: By day hiking up 2000 feet from Gokyo village to the peak of Gokyo Ri (17,575 feet / 5357 meters elevation), I acquired this spectacular panorama of mountains (including Mount Everest), glaciers and lakes, in Sagarmatha National Park, in the Khumbu region of Nepal. At the base of Gokyo Ri is the Ngozumpa Glacier, the largest in Nepal, plus several Gokyo Lakes.
Mount Everest (center left; 29,035 feet / 8850 meters from 1999 GPS measurement), the highest mountain on Earth above sea level, has the older name of Chomolungma or Qomolangma (”Goddess Mother of the Earth” in Tibetan) or Sagarmatha (in Nepali). To the right are Lhotse and Makalu (both higher than 8000 meters). These colorful Tibetan Buddhist prayer flags invoke compassion.
In 1865, Andrew Waugh, the British surveyor-general of India named the mountain for his chief and predecessor, Colonel Sir George Everest. In the 1960s, the Government of Nepal named the mountain Sagarmatha, meaning “Goddess of the Sky”. The mountain, which is part of the Himalaya range in High Asia, is located on the border between Nepal and Tibet, China. (Panorama stitched from 5 images. On smaller monitors, scroll right to see the whole image, 1600 pixels wide.)

Left: A porter carries a huge load of empty bottles over the Larja Bridge, a narrow metal swing bridge, strung with Tibetan Buddhist prayer flags, over the Dudh Koshi (or Kosi, river) below the town of Namche Bazaar, in Sagarmatha National Park, Nepal.
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Summary of our Gokyo trek: We flew from Kathmandu to Lukla airport, and hiked for 14 days, walking up and down a total of 26,000 feet. We walked 2 days to Namche Bazaar, where we acclimatized for 2 nights. We next hiked to Tengboche Monastery. We proceeded to Dingboche, our base for a spectacular day hike to Chhukhung (15,520 feet), on the north side of beautiful Ama Dablam mountain. From there we trekked back through Pangboche then up a different trail, to Phortse then on to Gokyo. The highlight was ascending to 17,580 feet elevation atop Gokyo Ri, for a breathtaking 360 degreee mountain panorama, which included four of the world’s highest peaks (Mount Everest, Lhotse, Makalu, Cho Oyu), plus the largest glacier in Nepal and the attractive blue-green lakes of Gokyo.
Click here to read my 1981 account of trekking to the closer Everest view at Kala Patthar (alternatively spelled Kala Pattar or Patar), which is within 6 miles/10kilometers of the world’s highest peak, in the Khumbu Glacier Valley, near Everest Base Camp.
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Below: Yak bells for sale at Namche Bazaar, in Sagarmatha National Park, Nepal.

Left: The peak of Thamserku (21,680 feet / 6608 meters elevation above sea level) rises 13,000 vertical feet above the Dudh Khoshi (Imja Khola) river, near Benkar (8629 ft / 2630 m), in the Khumbu District of Nepal.
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Below: Along Dudh Khoshi (Imja Khola) river, in the Everest Area of Nepal: Mani stones are stone plates, rocks and/or pebbles inscribed, usually with mantra or ashtamangala, as a form of prayer in Tibetan Buddhism. Out of respect, people should walk to the left or clockwise around Mani Walls. Mani stones are placed in mounds or cairns along roadsides and rivers as an offering to spirits of place (or genius loci).


Left: I photographed this Danfe (or Danphe) Pheasant, Nepal’s National Bird, north of Namche Bazaar, in Sagarmatha National Park, in the Khumbu District of Nepal.
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Below: Partridges: These birds are at 13,000 feet in the Dudh Khoshi river valley in the Himalaya mountains of Nepal. Partridges are a gamebird in the pheasant family Phasianidae of the order Galliformes, gallinaceous birds.

Below: In this panorama from Gokyo Ri (17,575 feet / 5357 meters elevation), you can see Mount Everest (center left), Lhotse, and Makalu. Look on the lateral moraine of the huge Ngozumpa Glacier and to the left of Third Gokyo Lake, and you will see the village of Gokyo (15,583 feet / 4750 meters), a small cluster of teahouses for trekkers and climbers. (Panorama stitched from 5 images. On smaller monitors, scroll right to see the whole image, 1600 pixels wide.)


Left: The Himalayan tahr is an even-toed ungulate, a near-true goat, commonly seen here at about 13,000 feet elevation between Phortse and Pangboche in Sagarmatha National Park, in the Khumbu district of Nepal.
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Below: Young Himalayan tahr follow their mother up a cliff.


Left: From the peak of Gokyo Ri (17,580 feet), you can see prayer flags and Mount Everest.
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Below: Trekkers descend from Gokyo Ri to Third Gokyo Lake (Dudh Pokhari, 15,584 feet / 4750 meters), in Sagarmatha National Park, Nepal. The lateral moraine of the huge Ngozumpa Glacier dams these Gokyo lakes.


Above: In this 360 degree panorama from Gokyo Ri (17,575 feet / 5357 meters elevation), you can see four of the world’s six highest peaks – Mount Everest, Lhotse, Makalu, Cho Oyu (on far right, and shown again wrapping around on far left behind the cairn), all over 8,000 meters elevation. At center right, the nearby Pharilapche Peak (4 kilometers away) dominates the skyline above Gokyo Lakes. Strings of Tibetan Buddhist Prayer flags line the summit ridge of Gokyo Ri. Below are several Gokyo Lakes, and the rock-covered Ngozumpa Glacier, the largest glacier in Nepal. (Panorama stitched from 15 images. On smaller monitors, scroll right to see the whole image, 1600 pixels wide.)

Left: Porters carry heavy loads above Second Gokyo Lake (or Taboche Tsho 15,551 feet / 4740 meters), beneath the the peaks of Arakam Tse (far left; 21,000 feet) and Cholatse (middle left), in Sagarmatha National Park, in the Himalaya of eastern Nepal, on the trail down from Gokyo village.
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Below: Trekkers hike beneath the icy peak of Arakam Tse (21,000 feet), a Himalayan Mountain near Gokyo, Nepal

Click here for more Gokyo/Everest blog page, including maps: (more…)

For a more complete set of images, please see Nepal Page 1: 2007 Kathmandu ( history , Durbar Square , shopping , Patan , Monkey Temple – Swayambhunath , Kathesimbhu ) and Show gallery of 83 images on Photoseek.com. Here some highlights taken from those pages:

Left: Behind the Lion Gate rises Taleju Temple. The three-roofed Taleju Temple was established in 1564, in a typical Newari architectural style and is elevated on platforms that form a pyramid-like structure. In the foreground, Hindu people line up to visit certain Durbar Square palace buildings which are only opened during Dasain Festival (or Durga Puja), which is Nepal’s biggest annual festival, a 15-day family affair in Kathmandu Valley. Durga Puja celebrates the victory of the bloodthirsty goddess Durga over the forces of evil personified in the buffalo demon Mahisasura. Blue water bottles are lined up to serve thirsty festival crowds.
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Hindu holy men (sadhus), in Kathmandu, Nepal.


Left: A woman in a red dress studies old wooden pagoda buildings in Kathmandu’s Durbar Square (or Palace Square; officially called Hanuman Dhoka).
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Below: A child looks out his home window, which is framed with ancient carved wood, with a modern Teddy bear attached.


Left: The big golden mask of Seto Bhairab (or White Demon) dates from 1794 in the time of Rana Bahadur Shah, the third king of the Shah Dynasty, in Durbar Square, Kathmandu, Nepal.

Nepal Airlines uses this mask in their winged symbol (shown at right). By the way, “Royal Nepal Airlines” dropped the “Royal” word in 2006, to be consistent with Nepal’s interim parliament rejecting the Monarchy, ending the Shah Dynasty of Hindu kings.
In Newar Hindu mythology, Seto Bhairab showed disrespect towards the important goddess Mahakali, tempting her terrible retribution. When Seto Bhairab later offered a cock as an offering of respect, Mahakali first refused the rooster, then suddenly bit the head off as a bloody warning to Seto Bhairab: “Don’t upset the hierarchy of the gods”.

For ten days once a year during the Indra Jatra festival (and the coinciding festival of the Living Goddess) in September, this Seto Bhairab mask is uncaged, and devotees shower him with rice and flower petals, while rice beer is poured through his fearsomely fanged mouth. Men struggle with each other to drink from the sacred brew, which is blessed by the rain god Indra, the ancient Vedic god who came with the Aryan forefathers from Persia to India, many centuries before Christ. The rest of the year, terrifying Seto Bhairab is kept safely caged behind a wooden grille, on the Deotali Mandir royal temple.

Below: This massive stone winged Garuda statue kneels in front of Trailokya Mohan Narayan Temple (left), which is dedicated to Vishnu or Narayan, in Durbar Square (Palace Square, or officially called Hanuman Dhoka), Kathmandu, Nepal.

Left: A vender sells fruit from a bicycle in Kathmandu, Nepal..

Below: A bicycle driven rickshaw carries passengers through Thamel, the bustling tourist center of Kathmandu.>

Left: Stone beasts guard the Golden Temple (Hiranya Varna, or Suwarna Mahavihara), which is a Buddhist Monastery existing since 1409 or earlier, located just north of Durbar Square in Patan, Nepal.
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Below: Two rhesus macaque monkeys groom each other, at Buddhist Swayambhunath, the “Monkey Temple”, founded about 500 AD, one of the oldest and holiest Buddhist sites in the Kathmandu Valley. Swayambhunathsits on a hill in the west of Kathmandu overlooking the city, in Nepal.


Left: A woman walks clockwise around Buddhist Swayambhunath, the “Monkey Temple”, which was founded about 500 AD, and is one of the oldest and holiest Buddhist sites in the Kathmandu Valley. …

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Below: Buddha Eyes gaze from one side of Swayambhunath, the “Monkey Temple”. On most every stupa (Buddhist shrine) in Nepal, giant Buddha Eyes (or Wisdom Eyes) stare from four sides of the upper cube. These four directions symbolize the omniscience (all-seeing) of a Buddha. The third eye (above and between the other two eyes) also symbolizes the all-seeing wisdom of the Buddha. The curled symbol (shaped like a question mark) in place of a nose is the Nepali character for the number 1, which symbolizes unity of all things.


Left: Kathesimbhu means “Kathmandu Swayambhu”. This 17th century stupa (bell-shaped Buddhist monument) in Kathmandu, Nepal, is a smaller version of the more famous “Monkey Temple” at Swayambhu (above). A walk around the Kathesimbhu stupa promises the old and lame the same blessings as a pilgrimage to Swayambhunath’s hill.
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Below: A woman looks out a window through a thicket of wires, from a building posted with a Pepsi billboard, in Kathmandu, Nepal.


Left: Asian women in yellow and red saris and sandals, Durbar Square, Patan, Nepal.
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Below: Visitors stroll in Patan’s Durbar Square (Palace Square), in Kathmandu Valley. Patan was probably founded by King Veer Deva in 299 AD from a much older settlement. Patan, the oldest city in the Kathmandu Valley, is official called Lalitpur, now a sub-metropolitan city separated from Kathmandu and Bhaktapur by rivers. Patan (population 190,000 in 2006) is the fourth largest city of Nepal, after Kathmandu, Biratnagar and Pokhara. The Newar people, the earliest known natives of the Kathmandu Valley, call Patan by the name “Yala” (from King Yalamber) in their Nepal Bhasa language. UNESCO included Patan’s Durbar Square (Palace Square) as one of the seven monument zones of Kathmandu Valley on their World Heritage List in 1979. All sites are protected under Nepal’s Monuments Preservation Act of 1956. The pagoda architectural style was invented in Patan, and later carried throughout Asia, to China and Japan. Newar architect Arniko introduced the pagoda to China in the 13th century.

Nepal Maps:

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Left: Men sell colorful scarves at an old temple surrounded by modern buildings in Kathmandu.

Image above Right: Kathesimbhu means “Kathmandu Swayambhu”. This 17th century stupa (bell-shaped Buddhist monument) in Kathmandu, Nepal, is a smaller version of the more famous “Monkey Temple” at Swayambhu. A walk around the Kathesimbhu stupa promises the old and lame the same blessings as a pilgrimage to Swayambhunath’s hill. Buddha Eyes gaze from one side of Swayambhunath, the “Monkey Temple”. On most every stupa (Buddhist shrine) in Nepal, giant Buddha Eyes (or Wisdom Eyes) stare from four sides of the upper cube. These four directions symbolize the omniscience (all-seeing) of a Buddha. The third eye (above and between the other two eyes) also symbolizes the all-seeing wisdom of the Buddha. The curled symbol (shaped like a question mark) in place of a nose is the Nepali character for the number 1, which symbolizes unity of all things. The upper part of the spire has 13 gilded disks representing the 13 steps to Buddhist enlightenment, and enlightenment is represented by an upper umbrella.

For a more complete set of images, please see Nepal Page 1: 2007 Kathmandu ( history , Durbar Square , shopping , Patan , Monkey Temple – Swayambhunath , Kathesimbhu ) and Show gallery of 83 images on Photoseek.com. The above images are highlights taken from those pages.

Copyright 2007 by Tom Dempsey. Photographs or text may not be copied without permission.

For a more complete set of images, please see Nepal page 2: Annapurna Sanctuary & Pokhara and Show gallery of 185 pictures on Photoseek.com. On my blog below I show some highlights taken from those pages:

Left image: Machhapuchhre (or Machhapuchhare), the Fish Tail Mountain (22,943 feet / 6997 meters elevation) is a sacred peak, illegal to climb, in the Annapurna mountains (part of the Himalaya range), in Nepal. Tibetan Buddhist prayer flags fly from a monument at Annapurna South Base Camp (ABC, at 13,550 feet elevation) in the Annapurna Sanctuary.
 

Below: A farmer contemplates rice terraces near Kimche, along the trail to Annapurna Sanctuary in Nepal.


Above: Prayer flags express compassion at this monument to fallen climbers, at Annapurna South Base Camp (ABC, at 13,550 feet elevation) in the Annapurna Range of Nepal. Annapurna I (center right; 26,545 feet elevation) is the world’s 10th highest peak. On the left, Annapurna South (also known as Annapurna Dakshin, or Moditse; 23,684 feet / 7219 meters) misleadingly appears higher due to proximity. Annapurna South was first climbed in 1964 by a Japanese expedition, via the North Ridge. (Panorama stitched from 2 images.)
Above: Moonlight strikes Annapurna I (on the right, 26,545 feet), the world’s 10th highest peak, as seen from Hotel Paradise Garden & Restaurant, at Annapurna South Base Camp (ABC, at 13,550 feet elevation) in the Annapurna Range of Nepal. On the left is Annapurna South, which appears higher in this perspective because it is closer. Stars streak the sky, and the headlamps of motel residents make wavy lines of light as they pass by, in the 3+minute time exposure. (Panorama stitched from 2 images; at 6:50pm October 27, 2007)

Trekking Annapurna Sanctuary October 22-31, 2007: Our group of seven trekkers hiked 10 days from Phedi to the Annapurna Sanctuary returning via Naya Pul, walking up and down a total of 21,000 feet. Throughout the trek, we slept in comfortable teahouses with private double (or triple bed) rooms. We ate good quality hot meals usually prepared with good sanitation. I recommend hiring a guide and/or porters (like we did) to help carry your sleeping bag and extra clothing, and to run ahead and reserve rooms early in the day, since in high season (October-November), lodging on this trail can fill up in the evenings. A minor health problem for us was the common cold virus, plus excessive coughing due to dry high altitude air and dusty trails (which become a more serious problem on the higher altitude Everest/Gokyo area trek). At altitudes above 10,000 feet, I recommend wearing a scarf or neckerchief over your mouth to hydrate the air and keep out dust. I recommend washing hands frequently using soap and water, or waterless hand sterilizer.

Left: Beneath steep glacier carved cliffs, trekkers admire the valley of the Modi Khola river (on the trail to the Annapurna Sanctuary and Machhapuchhare Base Camp, MBC), looking back towards Deurali, in Nepal.

Below: Water buffalo at Phewa Lake (or Fewa Tal), in Pokhara, Nepal.


Left: The south face of Annapurna South (23,684 feet / 7219 meters), seen at sunrise from Tolka, in the Himalaya mountains of Nepal. Annapurna South (also known as Annapurna Dakshin, or Moditse) was first climbed in 1964 by a Japanese expedition, via the North Ridge. Annapurna is Sanskrit for “Goddess of the Harvests.” In Hinduism, Annapurna is a goddess of fertility and agriculture and an avatar of Durga.

Below: Rice, wheat, maize, millet, potatoes and other crops grow on these steep terraces near Tolka, Nepal.


Left: We met these children near Samrung & New Bridge, between Tolka and Chomrong, a Gurung tribal area in the Annapurna Range of Nepal Himalaya mountains, on the trail to the Annapurna Sanctuary.

Below: Winding trail near Dhampus in the Annapurna Range of Nepal.


Above: The moon sets behind Annapurna South (also known as Annapurna Dakshin, or Moditse; 23,684 feet / 7219 meters) at sunrise, as seen from Annapurna South Base Camp (ABC, at 13,550 feet elevation), in the Himalaya of Nepal …
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