Till the middle of the last century Nepal was largely closed to foreigners and it was only in 1950 that the first foreigners were allowed to come close to its himals, as the Himalayan massifs are known. It is thus only in recent years that the outside world has come to know the ancient culture and the colourful people of this beautiful land lying between the highest mountains in the world and the plains of South Asia. While the Valley of Kathmandu carries the ...