Nepal is where the majesty of the Himalayas merges into the heat and dust of the Indian plains. Journeys into this magnificent country will invariably start in the capital, Kathmandu.
Even the name of this famous old city conjures up pictures of squares crowded with temples, chaotic bazaars and holy men, although recent images of the city have been less likely to appeal to tourists.
Kathmandu has a large Tibetan community in exile whose protests against the ascent of the Olympic torch to the summit of Mount Everest were curtailed by Nepali security. Bloodied monks inside police vans conjured up a powerful image, and yet the presence of Tibetans in Kathmandu provides a vibrant social mix.
The centre of the Tibetan world in Nepal is 6km outside Kathmandu in the village of Boudhanath. It houses one of the world's largest stupas surrounded by gleaming monastery roofs and hundreds of Tibetan and foreign monks. In this place Tibetan culture feels alive and unfettered. This is most true in the late afternoon when tour groups depart and the place becomes a Tibetan village - albeit in Nepal.
Locals close their shops and leave for prayer services in surrounding gompas and, as the sun sets, the whole community turns out to circumambulate the stupa.
Nepal's political problems haven't just involved Olympic protests. Internal strife reached an apogee in 2001 when Crown Prince Dipendra allegedly massacred most of the royal family, including King Birendra and Queen Aishwarya, in a drug-induced fit of rage.