I was coming to the end of my journey to Nepal and my boots were bearing the marks of over 300 kms of rugged mountain paths, of the exposure to snow and ice and of getting drenched during downpours and river crossings in the Manaslu and Annapurna regions. They had been caked in mudd and …
Author Archives: The Blue Vet
Sun rise at Boudhanath
It was surprisingly easy, finding a cab at 5 AM in Thamel and with the exception of the discomfort of riding in a car with a completely worn suspension, my short jouney to the magnificent stupa at Boudhanath went very smoothly. Nepal is predominantly a Hindu country, but especially in the mountainous North, there is …
What makes a wildlife hospital a wildlife hospital ?……
Despite the best preparations for your travels, it is unavoidable that you sometimes come across something completely unexpected…. This is what happened to me, when I was standing in front of the impressive gates of the eye catching wildlife hospital at the head quarters of Chitwan National Park in Sauraha. I had never heard of …
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The watch tower
When the sun sets at Chitwan National Park in the low lands of Nepal, it is strictly forbidden and also certainly not advisable to set foot in a jungle where well over 100 tigers, a similar number of leopards, some wild elephants and over 20% of the world’s population of Asian rhinos are roaming free. …
Meeting the magical Dr Joshi
The year had just turn to 2081 and the New Year celebrations were still ongoing, when I travelled to Baktapur in the Kathmandu valley. Nepal is in so many ways different from the rest of the world, and this includes the Bikram Sambat calendar, which is roughly 57 years ahead of the Gregorian calendar…. Baktapur …
Dogs of the mountains
It just wouldn’t be right to talk about hiking through the Himalaya as a veterinarian and not to dedicated a few lines to the canine inhabitants of this region. The dogs of this harsh environment differ somewhat from the ones I came across in Kathmandu. In the city, clearly size matters. Not too small, to …
Crossing Larke Pass
When I woke at two thirty in the morning, I noticed that more snow had fallen and the water bottle I had forgotten outside, had frozen solid over night. After adding another layer of clothing, I staggered out of the cave of damp and mouldy matresses, which I had shared with Ryan and Jeremy, my …
Arrival in Lho
What awaited us in Lho, was a truly medieval scene: On the unpaved road we walked in a mixture of drenched soil and mule dung. Chickens, cattle, dzos and an ownerless horse were blocking our progress, as the rain was just starting to fall in heavy drops like lead from a grey sky. The eyes …
Old is Gold
“Old is Gold” was printed in fat letters on the windscreen of the vehicle that was standing in front of our hotel in Kathmandu the next morning. While feeling slightly mocked by this statement, this slogan wasn’t helping to instill more confidence in me about travelling in Nepal. There is the common misconception, that hiking …
At the dentist in Kathmandu
Sitting in a street cafe over my copy of the The Himalayan Times, I am treating myself to the customary milky tea and a deep fried doughnut. My breakfast is not likely to cost more than 50 cent, a mere fortune compared to the 5 rupees ( 4 cent) I had paid for the newspaper…. …
The Blue Vet Diary 