I'm not sure I want to tell you about the Hidden Valley of Happiness. You might decide to go there. Buddhist prayers carved into stone tablets line the trails of Tsum Valley, while snow-capped 6000m peaks appear beyond and between the vertiginous brown "hillsides"....
Lukla airport is the gateway to the Everest region. Considered one of the most dangerous airstrips in the world, it is situated at about 9,200ft (2800m) and is accessible only to twin otters using visual flight rules (not radar). As many as 50 flights per day arrive...
Everything I’m reading about spiritual growth seems to be reflected in my immediate experience, just as the still lake reflects the ridgeline down into a watery mirror. All I have to do is be still…and the world becomes clear. Crossing a 16,000 foot pass, the rain...
Our days take us past neon yellow larch forests, plus rhododendron, silver fir, and birch, until we are above the tree line in an alpine valley. Mornings, the earth vibrates with horsehoofs as our pack animals near the tents and await their breakfast. We arrive at the...
We set off from the ruins of a 17th century monastery at 9,000 ft and begin to follow the Paro river up into the Bhutanese Himalaya for a 10-day trek. Six clients, a Bhutanese guide, a cook, four assistants, two horsemen, fifteen horses, and me. Past farmhouses and...
What happens to your body when you die? If you're a high lama, they wait at least three days for your consciousness to completely leave your body, and then they cremate you. If your practice and your mind have been very pure, precious relics will form in the fire. I...
Tsum Valley is one of Himalayan Buddhism's sacred valleys. Rooted in esoteric Tantric teachings from the 8th century, these valleys (called beyuls) are where Buddhists will seek refuge when massive strife comes to the world. It is believed that all life on earth will...
Sometimes being an Everest Base Camp guide is like this: Happy and excited trekkers listening to me weave stories of Nepali history and culture as we walk through our days---yoga and stretching in the sunshine of an alpine valley with only the sound of wind and...
We all relish the comforts of civilization, but everyone does R&R in their own way. A final day in Kathmandu...for shopping the dazzling array of wares in absurdly small stores packed with all they can hold...for gazing up at 17th century pagoda temples stretching...
On the final night we have a big Nepali dinner all together: rice, lentils, vegetables, chicken curry. Our Nepali staff sing traditional songs, feed us local moonshine, and then send us out on an early morning flight to Kathmandu. Both Nepalis and clients are moved as...