NEPAL

As a boy i would drift off to sleep with visions of Nepal in my mind, thanks to a favourite book about a boy and his family living near Fish Tail mountain and the Annapurna range (stunning photos included), and thanks also to my own first photo as a baby surrounded by Nepalese, and my dad’s admiring tales of its cheerful and redoubtable people.

Nepal is nestled between the world’s two most populous countries. Among a few prime contenders, it was most likely the birthplace of Siddhārtha Gautama, the Buddha. Although it has the world’s highest mountain Sagarmatha, and is home to a surprising variety of spectacular...