On the trail

We had another day of trekking through Shivapuri park, while the last couple days took us through more small towns and villages, where we were able to get a glimpse into village life.

The weather continued to be perfect, though the mist continued to obscure our views of the high Himalayas. This area of Nepal is semi-arid, reminding me of the Sierra Mountains of California.
Outside the park, the most notable feature of this very steep terrain are the many terraces. It was not unusual to see entire mountains completely carved up with neatly stepped fields, newly planted with potatoes and corn.

This picture of our guide (Ganesh) and Char, gives an idea of just how high these terraces are, typically ranging from 5 to 8ft. in height. I was surprised that erosion did not appear to be more of a problem, seeing that they are simply dug into the hillside without any kind of retaining walls.
We had to hightail it to our next stop as a late afternoon thunderstorm caught up with us just before we reached our lodging.

In the morning we were greeted by a beautiful sunrise as the sun rose above the mountains.