INDIA AND NEPAL ¿ TRUTH IS STRANGER THAN FICTION

This book describes the author's first journey to India and Nepal in 1984. He was a third-year geography student when he decided to make his dream come true, and to travel to India, Nepal, and Himalaya with his friends. Kathmandu, the capital of Kingdom of Nepal, and the highest mountains of the world like Mount Everest, Annapurna, Dhaulagiri, Makalu and Kangchenjunga, were familiar to him only from maps or literature. The mountains were hidden behind the clouds and it rained for days. The breathtaking mountain scenery was visible only momentarily. The trip took place in May and June during the hot and rainy monsoon season. Unlike the peak tourist seasons in spring and fall, the monsoon caused much pain and suffering from rains and muddy trails, landslides, leeches, snakes, bad food, and severe diarrhea. After returning to Finland, the author had lost 20 pounds of his weight, and looked like a skinny Indian holy man. This did not, however, prevent the author from returning to Nepal again and again. A hardback version of the book is also available.