Photos of Nepal from Chhiring Sherpa
It's always so much fun to see photos from others taken during their vacations.
Not long ago, my outdoor grounds crew foreman, Chhiring Sherpa, returned from a trip to his native Nepal. Nepal is a landlocked nation located between India and the autonomous region of China known as Tibet. Sherpas live in the most mountainous areas of Nepal, high in the Himalayas. They are renowned in the international climbing and mountaineering community for their hardiness, expertise, and experience at very high altitudes. Chhiring and his family try to go back once a year to visit other relatives and friends, and to enjoy the many beautiful sights and delicious foods of their homeland.
Enjoy this selection of his photos.
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- Chhiring’s hometown is Solukhumbu, which is close to Mt. Everest. Solukhumbu is one of 14 districts of Province No. 1 of eastern Nepal. Chhiring says he has climbed many mountains, but not Mt. Everest – not yet, anyway.
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- Here is Chhiring standing in front of the wrathful Hindu god, the White Bhairava. Bhairava comes from the word bhīru, which means “fearsome”. Bhairava means “terribly fearsome form”. This god is known as one who destroys fear and protects his devotees from dreadful enemies, greed, lust, and anger.
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- This is an example of the ancient Nepali architecture. These 500 to 600 year old structures show handmade, hand-painted wooden windows. These were once traditional homes in Nepal, but are now maintained as museums.
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- Here is the World Peace Pagoda, also called Nipponzan Peace Pagoda – a Buddhist monument in Pokhara, Nepal. This Pagoda was designed to be a symbol to unite humanity in a desire for peace. Shanti Stupa is the first World Peace Pagoda in Nepal and the 71st pagoda built by Nipponzan-Myōhōji in the world. The pagoda is 115-feet tall and 344-feet in diameter.
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- This is Chhiring’s wife, Ang Pema, standing in front of this stunning view of the mountains. Nepal is home to Mt. Everest and to many other mountains, from the 3000-foot summits of the Churiya Hills to the giants of the Greater Himalayas and the ranges along the border with Tibet.
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- Here is a view of the beautiful rice terraces in western Nepal in the village of Landrung. Chhiring and his family did a lot of hiking during their stay to capture these beautiful sights.
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- Chhiring also visited The Old Gurung Museum, where he and his son, Mingmar, tried on custom clothing and posed with gurkha knives called khukuri, used in WWII.
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- Here is Ang Pema trying the traditional female Gurung dress and basket used for carrying goods from the market.
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- Chhiring stayed in the Gurung village of Gandrung, the biggest Gurung town in Nepal.
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- These are some of the native ferns in Nepal. Chhiring says he has never seen this type of fern in the United States.
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- Some of the local Gurung food includes this buckwheat porridge, served with vegetables and dry buffalo meat.
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- Mingmar, who also works at my Bedford, New York farm, preferred the rice to the porridge. The meals are served in traditional Nepali brass plates.
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- This is another breathtaking view of the mountains from the Poon Hill View Tower. Poon Hill is a hill station overlooking the Annapurna Massif range and Dhaulagiri mountain range, located on the border of Myagdi District and Kaski District in the Gandaki Province of Nepal. This day was a bit cloudy, but the view is still spectacular.
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- Here’s another dish of traditional Nepali buckwheat porridge with a variety of other appetizers – it is among the most popular dishes in Nepal.
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- This is a bungee jump bridge in Kusma Parvat. This city lies in the western part of Nepal about 35-miles from Pokhara. Mingmar, a United States Marine, took the leap and loved it.
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- Here’s Chhiring after walking across the same bungee jump bridge.
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- For those not ready for bungee jumping, this is called the Tick Tock Swing.
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- And here is a triple seater Tick Tock Swing.
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- Here, Chhiring visits the Chamere Gufa cave in Pokhara, Nepal. It is known for its resident Horseshoe bats that live inside the cave, over the walls and on the ceiling. The cave is made of limestone and is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Pokhara.
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- The Baglung Parbat Footbridge is claimed to be the longest suspended footbridge in the world with a span of about a third of a mile. The bridge is over the Kaligandaki River and is more than 400-feet above the water at its lowest point. It is named ‘Gandaki Golden Bridge’ in English and ‘Gandaki Sunaulo Jhula’ in Nepali.
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- Mingmar bought a prayer wheel for his grandmother. It signifies peace of mind and is a popular gift from the young to their elder relatives. These prayer wheels are on spindles made from metal, wood, stone, leather, or coarse cotton.
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- Another view of the snow-capped mountains behind the village of Solukhumbu. These mountains can be seen from almost every vantage point.
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- Here’s a photo of Chhiring’s family including his mom, Damu Sherpa, who accompanied them on many of their treks.
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- This is the Swayambhunath Stupa or Monkey Temple Buddhist Monastery in Kathmandu. The complex sits atop a hill in the Kathmandu Valley and consists of the stupa, a variety of shrines and temples, some dating back hundreds of years.
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- Channeling peace, Chhiring takes a few minutes to rest and meditate on Ghorepani Hill. Reaching this summit one can see the panoramic views of the famous Annapurna region including Annapurna South, Annapurna I, Annapurna II, III, and IV, Dhaulagiri, Lamjung Himal, Gangapurna, Machhapuchhare and Manaslu. What a wonderful trip Chhiring – thanks for sharing these photos with us!
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