Nepal

traditional dress
Originally uploaded by patrickdowd.

Like the descent from Tingri to Zhangmu, the change from Tibet to Nepal was immediate and sudden. The bone structure of the people was thinner and the skin tanner. The intonation of the voices changed. Red dots were on many foreheads. Women, in particular, wear bright pastel colors.
We boarded a bus and remarkably the roads got worse. They drive British-syle on the left side of the road. The roads themselves are narrower and fall off into deep cliffs without shoulders or guard rails. It's important not to rest your elbow on an open window or the mirror of a passing truck or bus will surely take it off. The windows are open and our down jackets and fleeces have been put away. Waterfalls are in abundance. Everything is green. People use wood for fuel.