'A NEPALESE JOURNEY:
ON FOOT AROUND THE ANNAPURNAS'
by ANDREW STEVENSON
This stunningly presented 190-page book is actually the pictorial companion to the author's intoxicating 'Annapurna Circuit' travelogue. The graceful prose of such a travelogue were indeed missing just one thing, and that was photos of the places that Andrew so beautifully described.
While many of the photos included in this book weren't actually taken at the time Andrew trekked around the Annapurna Circuit in Nepal making copious notes for his written book, all these photos (which have been taken on various trips back to the area) are well organised into sections, with collections of breathtaking snaps from Upper Mustang to soul-stirring photos from the very heart of the Annapurna Sanctuary all on show.
But what exactly is The Annapurna Circuit? You may wonder...
Andrew, in his introduction, sets the record straight by revealing that 'This classic 200-km/ 125-mile long-distance trekking route ascends the lush, sub-tropical foothills of Nepal along an ancient trading route through the Annapurna Himal, crosses the frozen, windswept Thoring Pass into the desert landscape of the hidden Kingdom of Mustang, and descends the deepest gorge in the world (the Kali Gandaki� although I always thought the Grand Canyon was the world's deepest - Ed.), with 8,000 m/ 5-mile high mountain peaks looming on either side.'
Sounds bliss, doesn't it?
Having spent a month in the Langtang region of Nepal myself back in the year 2000, I have to admit that to this day I'm haunted by the beauty of the country in general - and the hardy people who live there. The people of the land-locked country, in general terms (and bearing in mind it's one of the poorest countries in the world), have so little� and yet have so much to give.
Andrew the author here, too, recognises such an admirably generous and kind-hearted streak in most of the people he has met over the years in Nepal and around the Annapurna Circuit in particular. As well as being a remarkable writer, he's also an amazing photographer. His lofty, mountain-obsessed pictures are so evocative that they genuinely do do the talking and the quality of them remind of the photos that feature in Michael Palin's adventure books taken by Basil Pao.
There's no way in the world that you can look at and appreciate Andrew's photos without wanting to visit the places in them for yourself. As Andrew freely admits, 'If the most arduous of holidays are those best remembered, then the Annapurna Circuit is an experience that will undoubtedly remain indelibly etched in one's psyche.'
I couldn't agree more.
Also, unlike with Basil Pao's collection of 'Full Circle' photos (that accompanied the Palin journey of the same name), Andrew has gone out of his way to include highly detailed maps and accompanying text which ensures this book is entirely self-sufficient on its own highly involving terms. If you're a serious walker, hiker or trekker yourself you will immediately relate to Andrew and his engaging writing, especially when he observes that 'Silently struggling under a backpack for weeks is a form of meditation, a chance to catch up to yourself, rediscovering an inner peace, perhaps even a more intimate awareness of who you are. In these mountains, life slows down, allowing the luxury of time and harmony of mind to nurture that essence of being, the nether land between understanding and unconsciousness, the soul.'
Hell, even if you have no interest whatsoever in the art of trekking around mountain ranges, this book still heaves with a must-see collection of photos taken in one of the most beautiful and truly awe-inspiring areas of the world. Trust me - you've never seen anything like them. They really are WONDERFUL.
(Steve Rudd)
ISBN 1-84119-334-8 (CONSTABLE & ROBINSON; first published in 2002)
www.constablerobinson.com