this week the skies over nepal have been great.. blue blue blue. with recent winter rains, the snowline in the himals (himalaya) had come down quite a bit, making the mountains larger than they normally look. on monday and wednesday we travelled to two different places mainly for himal-watching - one near namo buddha in kabhrepalanchok and one near godavari in lalitpur. by wednesday kathmandu valley had gathered bit of haze, and the view wasn't as crisp as from kabhre. however, we got to see the himals from slightly different perspectives.
(the wide angle shots are from a samsung galaxy s8 phone, and the rest from my nikon coolpixp600)
the view enroute to namobuddha area. the himalayan vista with fresh snow covering their foothills even. in the picture are himals from gangchhenpo to the himals in khumbu
the same view of the mountains from another bend in the road, with a clearer view of panchkhal valley below
from the destination, phulbari, the view extends to langtang and ganesh himal too
a closer view through the lens of gangchhempo and the hump of the shishapangma in tibet
dorje lakpa, lenpo gang and phurbi ghyachu
lesser peaks of jugal himal range
and the cuddly couple of gauri shankar in the distance
chhoba bhamare in the backdrop of the brick kilns smoke stacks of panauti valley...
...and a wider shot showing the terraced fields hugging the hills
langtang and the rocky mountains (usually bereft of snow) in front of it
gangchhempo and eagles catching the up draft
eagles again with shishapangma, dome blanc and dorje lakpa
phurbi ghyachu with her mantle of snow draping her knees too
close-up of the jagged chhoba bhamare
eagle on the updraft in front of the himals stretching from shishapangma to phurbi ghyachu
.. from gangchhempo onwards in the backdrop of a village home...
.. and mustard field
shishapangma, an 8K peak
langtang by herself
gangchhempo up close
dome blanc
and the trio of dome blanc and dorje lakpa
phurbi ghyachu up close.. showing the teeth-like outcrops at the summit
see....
himals behind ripe lapsi (hog plum) in phulbari
clouds start flirting with Langtang
and now the pics taken from kot danda in lalitpur with the himals hidden behind clouds .. with the sprawling kathmandu valley in front (initial pictures from the phone and then the rest from my camera)
by afternoon the wind kicked up and chased away the clouds.. and the raven seems to be enjoying the view atop a lapsi-less tree
still hazy.. but more of the mountains showing in the golden light.. valley floor being overtaken by buildings
the trees in the foreground begin to reflect the sunrays going from golden to orange
.. the himals take a hint and start showing their orange garb too
turning darker..
.. and darker.. and the kathmandu valley has already said goodbye to the sun
blue sky and a mid-winter not-so-green kathmandu valley. clouds not yet swept away by the brisk breeze
once the clouds start giving way the peaks peep.. langtang here
.. still playing peekaboo with clouds...
this is the rocky mountain range in from of langtang
as the sunset nears langtang starts getting a golden hue
the raven again.. in close up.. almost seems to be pondering about life and its impermanence...
gangchhempo with a bit of shishapangma showing behind it
clouds blowing off dorje lakpa
this fluted peak to the east of gangchhempo
dome blanc with its thick layer of frosting...
its like a mountain showing its white tongue to the world...
tip of langtang rises about the orangish clouds
gangchhempo reflects the light of the setting sun
the himalayan panorama behind kathmandu valley bidding goodbye to the sun...
the mountains get ruddier.. gangchhempo...
dome blanc and dorje lakpa
close up of a blushing gangchhempo...
.. and dome blanc
.. and dorje...
.. and langtang . .having shooed the clouds away...
.. form a distance...
.. now turned pink.. and about to say 'night night'
so that's himal nai himal! (for now! ;) )
