Nepal (signed)

I first stepped off the overnight bus from Varanasi in India onto the streets of a deserted Kathmandu on a cold and foggy October morning in 1986. Then it was just another new country in a seven-month journey; little did I know that Nepal would be at the forefront of my travel plans for the next 20 years. The signs were there from the start: leaving Kathmandu after just four days to trek the Annapurna Circuit I realised I had hardly scratched the surface of a remarkable city, let alone the valley in which it stands. After only a few days into my first trekking experience plans for the next trek were already well developed. Twenty-one days later, sitting by the lake in Pokhara, they were all but set in stone, such is the joy of trekking and the allure of the country. As the return journeys mounted over the years the feasibility of producing a book increased organically. Around 2002 the structure fell into place and every trip after that was aimed at rounding out my collection of images to capture the diversity and beauty of the Kathmandu Valley, Chitwan, Annapurna, Mustang and Everest, the five regions that always capture the imagination of visitors.

The end result is a large format, pictorial book featuring over 400 photographs that celebrate a unique, ethnically diverse culture living amid incredible natural and urban environments – a heady mix that also includes accessible wildlife, outrageously colourful festivals, an artistic heritage spanning hundreds of years, and a welcoming people who inspire so many travellers to return again and again.

Each chapter opens with introductory text and many of the images are accompanied by extended captions. The book is enhanced by a reflective foreword by Peter Hillary.