Photo of the Week: Ama Dablam (Nepal)

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At just under 7000 metres, the towering peak of Ama Dablam silently oversees trekkers for a few days as they slowly walk towards the base camp for Mt Everest and the Gokyo Lakes. With the riotous crimson of a barberry bush and a cobalt blue sky, its reassuring presence makes for a photogenic visual feast. Though taken over a decade ago, it remains a favourite memory walking among the Everest amphitheatre of the world's highest mountains.

Photo of the Week: Colourful Lion Guard (Kathmandu, Nepal)

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In a scanned photo from a trip some years ago, I love the colours of this mythical lion guarding one of the numerous temples in Durbar Square in the heart of Kathmandu. Durbar Square is a full assault on the senses - saffron-robed Sadu priests, a living goddess, occasional monkeys and people all in a square awash with historic pagoda-style Hindu temples, some with quite startling erotic carvings.

Extremely well dressed students battle with hawkers selling all kinds of accoutrements and paraphernalia, men coaxing tunes from enchanting singing bowls and pious older folks trying to simply pray in the Kathmandu mayhem. Somewhat voyeuristic, I'd suggest finding a cafe a few floors up and enjoy a cup of steaming masala tea and some quiet contemplative moments and watch the fascinating scenes of Kathmandu life unfold before you.

Kathmandu Vacations

Photography in the Himalayas (Nepal / India)

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Two close friends of mine have recently departed for a trip to the Indian Himalayas for a multi-week trek. Before leaving, we had a long discussion about SLR photography needs based on my prior travels to Nepal and India. This article summarises some of our thoughts on photography for such a region. Many of the ideas apply equally to African safaris and other long treks and hikes in more remote parts of the world. While the list is hardly exhaustive, hopefully it will prompt some thoughts before embarking on travel to this mountain wonderland.

Batteries are a significant challenge in Nepal and India. The cold saps the life of batteries and recharging batteries can be difficult. Take a number of camera batteries and charge them in the teahouses wherever a source of power (typically solar or generator) can be found. Most importantly, keep your batteries warm by wrapping them in a beanie or jacket and keep them in the bottom of your sleeping bag at night. Keep spare batteries warm in your pack during the day. Remove the active battery from your camera before going to bed. Save considerable battery life by limiting the use of the on-board flash and limiting the viewing of images on the LCD display.

By contrast, keep the camera cool. On the day of the main pass of the trek I undertook, the temperature before dawn (when we set off) was -25°C (-13°F). If the camera is taken from the warmth of a sleep bag then it will instantly mist up due to the sharp contrast in temperatures. Leave the camera settle into the ambient temperature before setting out.

Bring lots of memory cards (or an external storage device). The Himalayas are photogenic attracting many more photos can you’ll plan on taking so pack those extra cards. Change cards regularly to avoid risking all your photos to a single card.

Plan out exactly what gear you want to walk with each day. Lens, cameras and accessories weigh a fair amount that may be regretted in the rarefied air of higher altitudes.

Dust is difficult to manage in these regions. Every time that you swap lens, dust sneaks into your camera. Keep your gear as clean as possible (a job for each evening) and keep lens swapping to a minimum. It is disappointing and hugely time-consuming to remove dust spots off thousands of photos at the end of a journey (and they show up badly against blue skies and snow-capped mountains). An ounce of prevention...

As in most locations, the early morning and dusk provide wonderful photos. The mountains are painted in a golden yellow, the morning skies are often at their clearest and the small mountain villages are a buzz of activity.

Panoramas help capture the amphitheatre of towering snow-capped mountains that consistently surrounds your trekking in the Himalayas. Become practised in taking panorama sequences of photos before you leave to capture the stunning mountain vistas that accompany your trek. I strongly recommend Autostitch (see Autostitch guide) for joining the photos together later and start and finish each sequence with a meaningless photo to help easily identify the groupings after download. Overlay each photo generously (I suggest 20 to 30 percent) and keep the camera settings the same for the full sequence.

Keep a notebook detailing the names of the mountains and villages. With a bundle of photos and a fading memory, it is difficult to identify the mountains photographed when sorting through them back in the comfort of your own home. If it is important to you, only noting names as you go avoids confusing your shots of Thamserku from your photos of Gyachung Kang.

Most treks pass several Buddhist monasteries (gompa), a location of spiritual succour to most of the local population. Note that the sherpas and porters treat these locations with reverence. Ask permission before photographing inside the monastery and before photographing any people. Note that the monasteries are dark so consider cranking up the ISO or find a place to rest the camera. In my experience, the porters and sherpas are familiar with travellers’ photography habits and are happy to be photographed while many other local people are very uncomfortable. If you promise to send photos back, then follow your commitment through.

Take lots of photographs and include many incidental events and sights along the path each day. The steep roughly hewn stone stairs, the yaks, the campsite or teahouses, the rickety bridges, the prayer flags, village life and the landscape all add to the overall trekking experience.

Most importantly, spend considerable time without your camera. The Himalayas are a spectacular natural travel wonder of the world that heightens the senses. Stop and enjoy the exceptional vistas of the world’s highest mountains, the freshness of the mountain air, the rage of the mountain streams, the colour and sounds of the monasteries, the buzz of village life and the refines culture of the Buddhist people.

On Top of the World (Mt Everest, Nepal)

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This article is dedicated to Sue Fear, the first Australian-born woman to climb Mt Everest and who tragically lost her life descending after an ascent of her fifth 8000 metre giant. She loved the mountains and was a fine and inspiring leader of our small Himalayan trekking group.

It was bitterly cold and teeth chattered as I sat among a handful of brave souls perched on a rock upon a mountain top. Ice-encrusted prayer flags stood unmoved by the chilling breeze. We were waiting for the first rays of sunlight to awaken the world’s giant – the travel wonder of Mt Everest – the tallest mountain on our planet.

As each day took hold and the sun’s beams reflected on the whiteness of the snowy peaks, the extraordinary Himalayan amphitheatre rises in all its splendour. The world’s tallest peaks stand in concert as part of a 360 degree mountain panorama. In this same range with Everest stands the world’s 4th, 5th and 6th highest peaks and the world’s third highest mountain (Kanchenjunga) can be viewed on the horizon. Even from the dizzying and oxygen-deprived heights of Gokyo Ri (at 5360 metres), it is a further three vertical kilometres to the top of these largest world peaks.

A couple of hours earlier, these same folks escaped the toasty warm comfort of a sleeping bag, struggled with boots and headlamps while trying not to remove the precious gloves and egged on by the chance to lay eyes on the world’s greatest peaks. Leaving the tiny hamlet of Gokyo, the strong moonlight silhouetted the handful of rugged stone houses along with the craggy heights of Gokyo Ri, a peak that stood a further 600 metres above us.

The panting and tiredness in the legs, the rest stops after every few steps, the struggle to spot the path among the dusting of snow and the biting Nepalese cold of an hour ago is all forgotten, swept away by a mesmerising mountain vista. Azure blue glacial lakes glisten while the brooding greyness of the Everest glacier continues it unrelenting journey through the towering giants sweeping all before it.

A Nepalese guide indicates the path taken by climbers attempting to climb Mt Everest. Stories of the challenges of climbing Everest – the Hillary Step, the Western Cwm and more – incredible challenges for the early climbers at heights above 8000 metres in such difficult and unpredictable weather. With only one-third of the oxygen available at sea level, it is barely within the range of human endeavour to climb these towering peaks. For me, I am truly contented to enjoy the view warmed by the strengthening sun and a small block of chocolate religiously carried for weeks for this moment.

Among its neighbours, Mt Everest is somewhat different. An elegant pyramid, it is almost devoid of snow and ice, the harsh winds keeping the blackened face relative clear of ice. A stream of snow is jettisoned from its peak, the stillness of the morning in sharp contrast to the conditions typically found at the peak of Everest.

The previous day, the group had snuck a view of Mt Everest. On a rarely used track walking towards Tibet from Gokyo, past further glistening lakes a flattish path finds a junction between the intervening peaks where Everest stands tall. The view is arrogantly described as Scoundrel’s View (photo shows the view on a clear day), no peak having being climbed to see Mt Everest in all its glory – the vista being somehow unearned. The remarkable Ngozumpa Glacier creaks and groans audibly from this vantage point. Disappointingly, a small cloud sat on the Everest peak hiding its upper reaches but adding to the anticipation of viewing this travel wonder the following morning.

Even trekking among the Himalayan mountains for a couple of weeks, nothing can prepare you for the exhilaration of viewing the world’s tallest mountains – elegant moody rock giants. The rickety bridges, the cold and physical exertion becomes a fading memory in such august company.

Other Nepal Posts
Sexual Surprise in Nepal's Heart (Kathmandu)
Monkeying Around (Kathmandu)

Photo of the Week: Gauri Shankar (Nepal)

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As our group sat in our tents, a warming cup of tea trying to fend the biting cold wind, the last vestiges of yellowish sunlight glistens against the giant 7000 metre Gauri Shankar. Small chortens of stones pay respect to this elegant giant that stood guard over our small trekking group for the evening. As the light changed, Guari Shankar changed mood, the dark rock walls and vivid white snow being replaced by a subtle yellow in the evening moon light.

Photo of the Week: The Rickety Bridge (Nepal)

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Trekking in Nepal, is takes some time to become accustomed to crossing the rickety wooden bridges that cross the raging streams and rivers below. Yet, the sure-footed porters wearing worn gym boots and lugging heavy loads spring across them like as if it were a flat pavement. The bridge in the photo was my favourite of them all, looking like a failed boy scout project, yet providing a crossing for this glacial stream.

Monkeying Around in Kathmandu (Nepal)

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One of the travel wonders of Kathmandu’s overwhelming images is that of Swayambhunath perched high on a hilltop overlooking the Nepalese capital. As the humidity leaches energy from every pore as you clamber up the 365 step stairs to the revered and historic Buddhist Temple, its nickname of Monkey Temple becomes patently clear. Primates slink around the staircase, perch on the railings and joyously leap on unsuspecting travellers. Young monkeys cling to mother’s chests soaking in the lessons preparing them for a lifetime of leaping around this spiritual hill.

As the legs grow tireder, the large whitewashed dome of the temple looms into view. The colourful Buddha eyes stare forth, the hooked nose being the Nepalese number one symbolising unity and the third tiny piercing eye symbolising Buddha’s divine insight.

The mythological story behind the giant Buddhist temple (or stupa) is fascinating. The story goes that the entire Kathmandu valley was once a primordial lake (geologists support this claim). A lotus growing from the lake attracted an enlightened Buddhist who drained the lake and built Swayambhunath where the lotus sprung.

The temple area is awash with statues, religious icons and small shrines, along with makeshift vendors flogging postcards and pointless plastic trinkets. Somehow they seem so incongruous to the location but happily spread their blankets between the centuries-old sculptured figures eking out their living. Other Buddha statues are mixed with animal statues and symbols for the earthly elements such as water, air and fire.

Interestingly, in a world of increasing religious intolerance, the Hindus who represent the major religion in Kathmandu also revere Monkey Temple. Having also adopted the temple, the Hindus have built their own shrines and temples on the same mountain in harmony with the Buddhist Monkey Temple. In a healthy lesson, the two religions happily share this deeply spiritual location, statues and shrines intertwined across the hilltop.

Walking around the stupa (always in a clockwise direction), prayer flags flutter overhead while devotees spin the prayer wheel, the inscribed prayers and mantras sailing heaven-ward on the breezes. Many locals mark a daily pilgrimage circumnavigating the stupa several times after climbing the huge staircase, providing an inbuilt exercise program and calves like Olympic cyclists. The leathery grizzled faces of many of the pilgrims show glimpses of the hardened resilience of a tough life in Nepal, their strength of spirit showing through in each shuffled step as their wrinkled hands spin the prayer wheels in their daily ritual.

Worthy of a breathless climb up a sweeping historic staircase, Swayambhunath is one of the travel wonders of Kathmandu offering startling vistas over the city and highlighting the strange mix of travellers and pilgrims, souvenir-sellers and the faithful, all under the all-seeing eyes of Buddha.

Other Nepal Posts
Sexual Surprise in Nepal's Heart (Kathmandu)
Photo of the Week - Manual Ferris Wheel (Kathmandu)

Photo of the Week - Manual Ferris Wheel (Kathmandu, Nepal)

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Tripping through the streets of historic Kathmandu, I ventured into a ferris wheel by the river and a break from the temples and incessant hassling to purchase souvenirs. Nothing first struck me as unusual about the ferris wheel - shrieks of joy from younger children on the ride, contented parents enjoying the afternoon views along the river and jostling in the queue as new passengers were loaded.

But then the surprise - the ferris wheel had no electric power. It was powered by two young guys swinging nimbly on crossbeams across the inner part of the ride. With all the poise and balance of an Olympic gymnast, one would leap to a high crossbeam and use his body weight to accelerate the wheel before settling his feet on another beam. The second guy would similarly grab a beam near the top of its flight and further accelerate the ferris wheel repeating the ritual until the ride reached a fair speed for several revolutions before slowing to offload the delighted passengers.

Sexual Surprise in Nepal’s Heart (Kathmandu, Nepal)

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Once the central shrine to the hippie and flower-power children of the sixties, Durbar Square in the Nepalese capital of Kathmandu remains an evocative travel wonder. With an astonishing collection of over fifty immaculately carved, quasi-Oriental wooden buildings strung across three loosely connected squares, Durbar Square throngs with worshippers, workers and tourists.

Durbar Square is a place for soaking up time, watching people, chilling out and absorbing the sights, sounds and smells of this area which once fronted the royal palace.

Women sell vegetables, fabrics and supplies neatly presented on old sheets spread on the ground in front of five hundred year old temples. Old men with leathery creased faces focus on a card game in the shade of another ancient temple. Rattly rickshaws rumble across the neighbouring streets while hawkers accost tourists with their varied collection of curios and handicrafts. The sweet aroma of spices and incense waft through the narrow alleys. Travellers, probably in preparation of a trek into the towering Himalaya, snap photos and wander aimlessly among the historic structures. A sprinkling of sadhus with their painted faces and brightly coloured robes present a strange mixture of religious spirituality and fund-raising enterprise encouraging photography for a heavily bartered fee.

The triple-roofed Maju Deval temple is a popular meeting point and sits across from the Kumari Bahal, which houses the Royal Kumari. This young girl is a living goddess and stays in her house except when she is paraded a couple of times per year on religious or ceremonial occasions to bless the people. She remains in this role until the onset of puberty with her first period which marks her return as a normal human and a new candidate is ritualistically selected.

The carvings on the various temples are extraordinarily ornate. Firstly they appear to be in a neat pattern but closer inspection shows each tiny face is carved with their own unique expression and character.

More striking is seeing the carvings on the pillars for the multi-layered roofs. Explicit carvings of sexual activities decorate the roofline. More startling is the intermix of men, women and animals in just about all imaginable (and several unimagined) combinations and sexual positions that adorn these historic buildings in all their technicolour glory. While clearly espousing tantric principles, a number of these depictions challenge any balanced thinking and are probably illegal. It seems bizarre that such extreme erotic imagery decorates these religious buildings in a region of such conservative sexual values.

Meander the streets and alleyways around the main square, enjoy the intricate carved wooden temples and palaces and take your time to let life unveil in all its Nepalese glory in this timeless history-rich travel wonder.

Kathmandu Vacations