Nepal: A Trek through Gorka

In 1982 my parents set out on a trek to the village of Gyamapasal in the Gorkha district of Nepal.  This was not an area favored by tourists. Their destination had been determined by my mother’s old friend Preb Stritter, a Wellesley graduate (1945) who had eschewed the wonders of modern civilization in exchange for a Peace Corps job teaching the village’s children. My mother,  Peg, said that Preb had indicated in her correspondence that she was hungry, and she asked them to bring extra food. They were happy to comply.

Below is a selection of photographs from the trip, beginning with the village itself.

1) The school in Gyampasal, with Preb’s house below

2) Preb with her students

The trek there, a journey of several days, had its own unique rewards.

3) Nepali girl-watching. A universal human pastime, I would say

4) Peg enjoying some impromptu music en route

5) Another village

6) Always in the background, the Himalayas

7) On the road with Preb

8) Friendly locals

9) Details of old house

10) Planing wood the old-fashioned way

11)A nice farm with terraces

I’m not sure if conditions have improved over the years in Gorka; it’s a region we never seem to hear much about.  Undoubtedly Preb left memories in Gyampasal about how kind Americans can be.   That’s as much as we can hope for.

12) On the edge of the world