All of the photos in this album were taken by Senior Trekking Guide (and Company Director) Ramesh Dhamala, Ecological Treks & Tours (P) Ltd., Kathmandu, Nepal, and have been used with permission. The Upper Mustang region is a fascinating part of Nepal. It is located north of the Annapurna Range of the Himalaya and is very similar to the Tibet in culture and environment. Originally part of Tibet, the ruler of the Upper Mustang area voluntarily agreed to sign a Treaty with the King of Nepal - more than 200 years ago. In return, Nepal agreed to protect the culture and traditions of the Loba people of the Upper Mustang region by restricting access to their territory. The region was opened to a limited number of foreign visitors in 1991 and remains a controlled area requiring a special permit to enter that costs US$700 per person for 10 days - more if you wish to stay for 13 or 16 days! The present King, a direct descendant of Ami Pal, the original monarch, will be the last of his line by terms of the treaty. At his death the area will become simply another District of Nepal. The annual Tiji Festival celebrates is a colourful celebration of the triumph of Good over Evil.

Among the 25 Million people of Nepal (give or take a few depending on which source your figures come from) there are two main ethnic divisions...Indo Aryan whose forefathers are believed to have immigrated from northwestern India and the Tibeto-Burmese people of the Himalaya. It's fairly easy to distinquish between these two major groups, but there are a myriad of sub-groups many having their own distinctive languages and cultural traditions. The many faces of Nepal are a fascinating study for anyone's camera.

In April, 2007, in partnership with the Nepali NGO, Ecological Protection Forum and under the sponsorship of Medical Mercy Canada, we launched a new program in a test area of Dhading District. Focus Groups and Health Awareness workshops were scheduled with participants that included Community Health Workers, Health Teachers, Community Health Volunteers, Municipal Leaders from all political parties and Representatives from Village Mother's Groups. The 178 attendees discussed Health and Environmental challenges in their region and shared ways and means to address the problems they faced. Workshop presentations included "Preventing the Spread of Communicable Disease", "What is a Balanced Diet?", "Improving our Environment", "Personal Hygiene and Sanitation" and other subjects critical to gaining and maintaining a healthy family and community. The workshops were preparatory to mobilizing Community Health Teams. Each team's objective will be the development and implementation of educational programs and community activities to increase knowledge of the preventative measures that can be taken to improve individual, family and community health standards. Each will address problems specific to their community. The overall message to be conveyed is that "I am responsible for my own health and well-being, then the health of my family members and finally the general health of my community by helping to maintain a healthy environment. The responsibilityof others begins when I have done all that I can to help myself." Team Leaders are now conducting a house-to house survey with an objective of visiting 85% of the 5000 families in the test area over the next four months - teaching basic health/environment concepts, observing and assessing specific needs where community action may ultimately be required to assist families.

This album contains two videos. The first is an introduction to the village schools, and people of the Tipling region, a remote valley at the foot of Nepal's Ganesh Himal Range of the Himalaya. The second video tells the story of a medical/dental camp held in Pachighari Village in October, 2005