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himalaya

Himalaya

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Himalaya - Day 30 — Day 30, Amritsar, India.

In the Jallianwala Bagh. 13 framed bullet holes on the walls are said to date back to the Amritsar Massacre of 1919.

Himalaya - Day 30 — Day 30, The Golden Temple, Amritsar, India.

Ablutions in the Amrit Sarover, ‘the pool of nectar’, at the Golden Temple, Amritsar.

Himalaya - Day 30 — Day 30, The Golden Temple, Amritsar, India.

With two guardians of the temple. Their robes and spears symbolise the dual nature of the Sikhs: service and defence. In the background the Harimandir (Hari is God, Mandir is temple) has 1100lb (500 kg) of gold on its walls.

Himalaya - Day 30 — Day 30, The Golden Temple, Amritsar, India.

There is such a thing as a free lunch. At the Golden Temple refectory with my new friend, Onkar Singh.

Himalaya - Day 47 — Day 47, Lekhani, Nepal.

Lekhani village, with our campsite in left foreground and a magnificent view north to Annapurna and the Dhaulagiri ridge.

Himalaya - Day 47 — Day 47, Lekhani, Nepal.

Villager with a bamboo and rattan cone-shaped basket called a doko. They carry everything in them, and loads exceed 75 lb (35 kg).

Himalaya - Day 47 — Day 47, Lekhani, Nepal.

Himalaya - Day 47Before it all went wrong. Adrian Griffith talks to the galla, the recruiting officer, prior to addressing the village in fluent Nepali. In a concession to the glare of the mountain sun, I’ve been persuaded to wear a slightly silly hat.

Himalaya - Day 47 — Day 47, Lekhani, Nepal.

The fan club watches. There’s little more prestigious for country girls than a marriage to a Ghurkha.

Himalaya - Day 47 — Day 47, Lekhani, Nepal.

Some of the 251 would-be Gurkhas start stretching the sinews. Only 44 will get to the next stage of testing.

Himalaya - Day 52 — Day 52, Machhapuchhre Base Camp, Nepal.

Macchapuchare, ‘Fish-Tail Mountain’, is looking in much better shape than I am as Wongchu (who has twice climbed Everest) hangs patiently behind me.

Himalaya - Day 52 — Day 52, Machhapuchhre Base Camp, Nepal.

The view that makes it all worthwhile. The Annapurna Sanctuary, a 360-degree panorama with nine summits reaching 23,000 feet (7000 m).

Himalaya - Day 52 — Day 52, Machhapuchhre Base Camp, Nepal.

The worst night of the entire journey was spent here at Macchapuchare Base Camp.

Himalaya - Day 52 — Day 52, Machhapuchhre Base Camp, Nepal.

A mug of garlic soup as the afternoon mist comes down over Macchapuchare, the sacred mountain which has never been climbed.

Himalaya - Day 56 — Day 56, Kathmandu, Nepal.

Slices of life in Durbar Square, Patan. Kunder Dixit, urbane, resourceful editor of the Nepali Times.

Himalaya - Day 56 — Day 56, Kathmandu, Nepal.

A man does puja, a ritual offering to the gods at Krishna Mandir.

Himalaya - Day 56 — Day 56, Kathmandu, Nepal.

Architectural riches, almost unparalleled in the Himalaya. Hindu temples side by side with pagodas (which the Newars introduced to China).

Himalaya - Day 104 — Day 104, Gantey, Bhutan.

With Dasho Benji, wearing traditional kho, on the lookout for elusive black-necked cranes.

Himalaya - Day 104 — Day 104, Gantey, Bhutan.

Successful sighting. Rare black-necked cranes on the wing.

Himalaya - Day 104 — Day 104, Gantey, Bhutan.

Evidence of the cult of Drupka Kunley, the ‘divine madman’, on a house in Gantey village. Painted penises are believed to ward off evil spirits.

Himalaya - Day 104 — Day 104, Gantey, Bhutan.

Workmen take a teabreak at the Gantey gompa (monastery), which is being refitted. Quite slowly.

Himalaya - Day 121 — Day 121, Dhaka, Bangladesh.

A very few of the estimated 700,000 bicycle rickshaws in Dhaka, Bangladesh’s capital. Individually decorated in bright, bold patterns, they can often move faster than the city’s grid-locked motor traffic.

Himalaya - Day 121 — Day 121, Dhaka, Bangladesh.

In downtown Dhaka it’s quicker to deliver by hand, or shoulder, or head.

Himalaya - Day 121 — Day 121, Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Farewell to the hyperactive Dhaka waterfront. Sand carriers above, riverbank laundry below.

Himalaya - Day 121 — Day 121, Dhaka, Bangladesh.

With Grameen Phone’s Naila Chowdhury, we pick our way through the fields to see how a single mobile phone can change lives in the poorest of villages.

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