Nepal is a spectacular country, with a wide variety of terrain, people, and living conditions. At its northern border with Tibet, Nepal is home to the world's highest mountain range, the Himalayas, including the world's highest mountain, Mount Everest. Further south, a large fertile valley holds Kathmandu, one of the world's most colorful, crazy and just plain intense cities. And at the south edge of Nepal, near the border with India, lies a stretch of steamy malaria-infested jungle, home to tiger, rhinoceros, and many other animals.

Unfortunately, Nepal has been very un-safe since late 2001, due to violent clashes between the Communist Party of Nepal (CPN) and the government. Both sides have been responsible for widespread violations of human rights, including torture, execution, rape, extortion and many other tactics. As a result, over 4,000 people have been killed since November 2001; see amnesty.org for all the details.

All the pictures in this section were taken in March 1999. I'd like to go back again, but it looks like that's at least a few years off, given the current political situation in Nepal.

Click here to learn about the agenda of the Communist Party of Nepal.