High in the hills above Kathmandu is an old Nepalese village called Nagarkot, sitting atop the ridgeline and offering stunning views of the Himalayan range. The views are dependent, though, on seasonal rains and winds to clear out the choking fog, smog, smoke and general air pollution that we also experienced in India.

As with India, the beauty here lies within the people. About 80% are Hindu, 10% Buddhist, and the remainder a melting pot.

Nepal was leveled in 2015 by a 7.8 earthquake, causing 10,000 deaths and widespread structural damage.

Homes built of concrete were okay, until the concrete cracked and then the homes often times came down. Older designs, such as the one below, fared somewhat better as their walls are made from a mixture of clay, mud, and cow manure. 

Potable water came to this mountain village about 10 years ago, though many still boil and chlorinate the water for safety purposes.

With about 120 different ethnic groups living in Nepal and speaking about 85 different dialects, it’s another reminder what an artificial construct nation states are in many parts of the world. 

Drying herbs and tending to the garden was pervasive throughout this mountain village.

Just keep the chickens away, and nearly everyone has chickens!

An open air meat market, just walk up, talk to the Butcher and he weighs your purchase right there in the window. 

As we walked by this home, we could hear a baby just wailing and wailing away. Then grandma came out and started gesticulating and pointing and yelling our direction. Thinking we had done something inappropriate, we kept walking. Our guide later told us that the grandma was yelling at the grandchild: If you don’t stop crying, I’m going to give you to these white people to take you away. 

Many homes have a painting of a various God over the front door, as there is a designated time each year to pray to each God.

And then we come around the corner and find this very nicely developed Brahma Kumaris, a destination meditation center. 

Playing hide and seek with a school boy doing his homework on the front porch. Mother was not amused with either one of us!

When people come to visit at your home, the custom is to put carpets out in front where everybody sits. It is a rare exception where guests would be invited inside the home. 

And the beat goes on……