A Guest Blog from a Trip to Nepal
Here at my Bedford, New York farm, whenever a member of my team returns from vacation, I always encourage them to share some of their photos.
Recently, Dolma Sherpa, who helps me care for my horses, returned from a trip to her 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. Dolma hasn't been back to Nepal since before the pandemic and was so excited to return and spend time with her parents and sisters.
Enjoy this selection of her photos.
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- Last month, Dolma traveled from New York City’s JFK International Airport to Kathmandu, Nepal’s capital set in a valley surrounded by the Himalayan mountains.
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- Once Dolma arrived home, she was greeted right away by her dog, Kali. Dolma says Kali is very affectionate and was so happy to see her.
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- One of the first things Dolma did was eat some of her favorite foods. This is a plate of traditional Nepali foods. It is called Thakali and often includes rice, vegetables, buckwheat finger chips, and served with pickles and curry sauce.
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- During the first week of Dolma’s trip home, she traveled with her family to several temples in Bhairahawa.
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- This is a Chinese temple, also in Bhairahawa. This area is home to several temples – visitors travel from all over the Nepal and India to see them. Unfortunately, this day was quite rainy.
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- Nearby, Dolma captured this photo of a kamal flower, or lotus flower. Native to Asia, Lotus is the national flower of India. It is an emblem of beauty, grace, purity, and is considered a very auspicious flower in Hinduism and Buddhism.
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- This is a view of the tiny village Gandaki on the banks of the holy river Gandaki. Dolma and her family passed through it on the way to Mustang, one of 11-districts of Gandaki Province and one of 77-districts of Nepal.
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- This Kali River gorge runs below Dhaulagiri massif, a mountain mass in west-central Nepal.
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- Here is a family photo including Dolma, her sisters, and her parents Nima and Phuti. They are in Kagbeni, a village in the Baragubg Muktikshetra rural municipality of Mustang.
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- Dolma stopped to get this image of a great Buddha statue overlooking Muktinath Valley in Mustang. It looks like the skies are clearing.
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- Dolma found this very interesting – water being boiled by the sun in a giant solar dish. The water was used for tea and other warm drinks.
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- Here is another beautiful mountain view of Muktinath Valley to the west of Thorong La mountain pass in Mustang.
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- Dolma and her family took a short break in Kagbeni Village, which has a population of less than a thousand. At this juncture, they were greeted by one of many cows – they were all friendly and quite curious.
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- This is the suspension bungee jump bridge over the Kaligandaki River – the second highest bungee jump in the world. Dolma is an avid mountain climber and wanted to do the jump, but her parents were not excited about the idea, so instead they just took photos from afar.
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- Here, Dolma, her sisters, and her parents stand in front of the Lord Shiva Statue Pumdikot – one of the major attractions in Pokhara. This is Nepal’s tallest Lord Shiva Statue and was built in Mathura, India and then brought to Nepal.
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- This is a section of Patale Chango, which means “Underworld’s Waterfall”. This is one of the most visited places in Nepal. It has also been called “David Falls” after stories of a Swiss tourist named David fell from the waterfall and disappeared. Through a natural tunnel, the waterfall falls from about 500 feet above to 100 feet below ground level.
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- Back home, Dolma took photos of this rug, which she and her four sisters made when they were all little. They would work on it after school, day after day until it was completed. It still hangs in the family’s home.
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- In the farmhouse kitchen, they cooked corn on the cob for Dolma – another of her favorite foods, often enjoyed with yogurt or milk.
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- Here is Dolma with her cousins. On the right is Pemba, who is also the youngest brother of my outdoor grounds crew foreman, Chhiring.
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- This is what Dolma’s family calls the “shrine room” and is used as a living room for family gatherings. It is filled with antique statues given to Dolma’s parents by her grandparents.
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- And here is the table filled with Dolma’s favorite roasted corn, boiled corn on the cob, and noodle soup.
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- When Dolma returned to work after three weeks in Nepal, she gifted me with this antique copper tea strainer. It is so beautiful and so special. Thank you, Dolma – so glad you enjoyed your trip home.
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