In 1844 a group of pioneers left the usual route west to follow the Truckee River into the mountains. The Stephens-Townsend-Murphy Party became the first overland settlers to use what later became known as the Donner Pass. It took them roughly four months to cross the Sierra Nevada by this route.
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What is a good word? Is it a word that has a positive impact, which I’m sure was Herbert’s definition of the phrase? Or is it simply a word we like, one that is pleasing for its meaning, its sound or both?
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Why do people choose to settle in some places and leave others almost deserted? The reasons are many, but natural resources play a big part, and so does climate of course.
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High in the hills above Pokhara the inhabitants of small villages live much as they have always done. Theirs is a life of hard work, farming a land of steep fields and terraces. But while the work is hard, the backdrop is stunning. I wonder how often they pause to appreciate their surroundings, raising a weary head to gaze in wonder at these mountains as I did?
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We’d planned to spend our last day in Pokhara taking it easy. Swimming in the beautiful hotel pool, a walk by the lake, maybe a bit of shopping. But some things can’t be missed, and surely sunrise over the Himalayas is one of those things?!
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I can never resist the opportunity to ride in a cable car. So when our tour company suggested that we break the long drive from Chitwan to Bandipur with a ride up to the temple at Manakamana, I agreed immediately. It would be a chance to see a different side of Nepal, I thought. And it was, but not quite in the way I had imagined.
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A statue of Shiva, the second largest in Nepal, was unveiled near Pokhara last year. A lady was selling souvenirs next to the steep path up to the statue.
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We got up at 4.45 to go and watch the sunrise over the Himalayas - so worth it!
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The Annapurna Range of the Himalaya Mountains can be seen from Bandipur, an ancient hill town in Nepal
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Straddling the border between North Korea and China is a still-active volcano, Mount Paektu. Its last eruption was in 1903 and scientists consider that another one could be imminent, based on a trend of eruptions roughly 100 years apart. The crater lake, Lake Chon (‘Heaven Lake’) was formed in the 946 AD eruption.
