Nepal-The Land of the Yak and Yeti

My air tour of Everest began at 7AM at Kathmandu Airport. The sky was cloudless and azure. Starting from 4,423 feet we climbed steadily over the extremely rugged foothills. The left side of the aircraft faced numerous 20,000 plus foot peaks with unpronounceable names like Gosainthan, Dorje-Lakpa, Phurbi Ghyachu, etc.We passed 14 before Everest (Sagarmatha), the top of the world at 29,028 feet. The maximum altitude we reached was 25,000 feet. The altitudes here are mind-boggling. The human body can acclimatize to 20,000 feet; life is sustainable with oxygen between 20 and 25 thousand feet. Above 25,000 feet the human body deteriorates rapidly even with supplementary oxygen. This explains why it took until 1953 before Sir Edmond Hillary and Tenzing Norgay conquered Everest.

The top of the world, 29,028 feet, prayer wheels.

Kathmandu-a kaleidoscope of sari-draped matrons and grimacing gods.

E-mail, CNN and exhaust fumes are mixed with 16th century architecture in many parts of Kathmandu. The downtown area is clean and traffic is not as crazy as in many Asian cities; i.e. vehicles stay on the proper side of the road and busy intersections have police directing traffic.Exploring the narrow streets of Bhaktapur, outside Kathmandu, is like taking a real time history lesson to 600 years ago. Life has not changed for centuries. The beauty and history are maintained by building codes requiring new structures to conform to the old look. Hinduism is the religion of 85% of the population. Funeral pyres are common and implemented shortly after death. Family, friends and neighbors gather to watch the process. The ashes are then dumped into a local river, which is a tributary of the Ganges.

Durbar Square, drying recently harvested rice in the streets