Village life was clearly different on the north side of Nepal. The south side had more rain, more schools and clinics, and more proximity to roads to Kathmandu. The children chasing me from village to village looked heathy and happy, if materially less than prosperous.

The north side was dramatically less endowed by nature with rain and crops, and less endowed by Kathmandu with amenities. Land of the forgotten Nepalese, it seemed to me. Goiters were common—fist-size lumps on peoples necks caused simply by lack of iodine in the diet. Villagers often brought to us trekkers' attention an infected wound, with the implication that as long as we're in town, they sure could use our first-aid kit.

And sometimes, the villagers just had a kind of suspicious look on their faces.

All images ©2002-2003 by Dietrich Neuman