Holiday Issue 393

Kathmandu is not just a place. It is also a word that encapsulates a legend and an era. Holiday magazine has followed up on its Paris issue by delving into this iconic destination. Sharif Gemie recounts the travels of the hippie-trail idealists, Samrat Upadhyay describes their arrival from a Nepali perspective, the novelist François-Henri Désérable shares his witty impressions after a unusual trip to the country’s heights, Valérie Steele deciphers the aesthetic influence of the region on Western fashion, Willy Van Rooy recalls a trip she took there in 1964, Ed Douglas asks several Sherpas for their view of the history of Himalayan mountaineering, Chanira Bajracharya talks about her life as a living goddess, and Sonia Awale gives us a few tips on the best treks to take to reach Kathmandu on foot. In other words, it is the destination to which all the pieces in this issue lead.

The photographers Olivier Kervern, Derek Henderson, Pamela Dimitrov and Deo Suveera plunge into the immemorial bustle and colors of Kathmandu and bring back their visions, while Mikael Jansson captures the surreal grace of both the valley and the model Rianne Van Rompaey. Their images are augmented by the work of local artist Sagar Chhetri and the Nepali reveries from afar of Ana Roque, Felipe Romero Beltrán, Dougal MacArthur, Milena Villalón and Alessandro Furchino Capria.

Welcome to The Land of Truth.