Villers Abbey

Villers Abbey (abbaye de Villers) is an ancient Cistercian abbey located in the town of Villers-la-Ville, in the Walloon Brabant province of Wallonia (Belgium), one piece of the Wallonia's Major Heritage. Founded in 1146, the abbey was abandoned in 1796. Most of the site has since fallen into ruins. In 1146, 12 Cistercian monks and three lay brothers from Clairvaux came to Villers in order to establish the abbey on land granted them by Gauthier de Marbais. After establishing several preliminary sites (Villers I and Villers II), work was finally undertaken in the 13th century to build the current site. The choir was constructed by 1217, the crypt by 1240, and the refectory by 1267. The church itself took 70 years to build and was completed by the end of the century. Decline set in during the 16th century, tied to the larger troubles of the Low Countries. Spanish tercios, during the campaign of 1544, did considerable damage to the church and cloister, both of which were partially restored in 1587.

During this period, the abbey reached the height of its fame and importance. Contemporary accounts suggest that roughly 100 monks and 300 lay brothers resided within its walls, although this is possibly an exaggeration. The lands attached to the abbey also expanded considerably, reaching some 100 km² of woods, fields, and pasturage.

 

Villers Abbey 1607, anonymous engraving

Baglung, Nepal

 

It has many rivers and streams and so many suspension bridges. Baglung is also known as the "District of suspension bridges" because this district has large number of bridges. It is a hilly district, most of the population settled in the sides of the rivers. Fertile plains situated in the either sides of the rivers are used for farming. Highest temperature at the lowest elevation of baglung rises up to about 37.5 degrees Celsius in summer and the lowest temperature at Dhorpatan falls up to about −15 degrees Celsius in winter. The elevation of Baglung varies from about 650 meters at Kharbang to about 4,300 meters in Dhorpatan.

The view from Dhampus, near the Pokhara-Baglung highway

Date: 1968 Location: Baglung, Women cross a crude suspension bridge

A woman with her baggage crossing Kali river in Baglung,Nepal

Yumthang Valley

The Yumthang Valley is a grazing pasture surrounded by the Himalayanmountains in theNorth Sikkimdistrict of Sikkim,India. It is at an elevation of 3,564 metres (11,693 ft) above msl at a distance of 150 kilometres (93 mi) from the state capital. It is popularly known as 'Valley of Flowers' and is home to the Shingba Rhododendron Sanctuary, which has over twenty-four species of therhododendron, the state flower. A tributary of theriver Teesta flows past the valley and the town ofLachung, the nearest inhabited centre. Yumthang is closed between December and March due to heavy snowfall.

A forest rest house is the only permanent residence in the valley. During the spring months, the area blooms with rhododendrons, primulas, poppies, iris and other flora. During the summer months, villagers take their cattle to these heights to graze (a practice known as yaylagpastoralism). In view of increasing number of tourists, there is possibility of environmental degradation in near future. Skiing is conducted in the valley.

Pokhara

Pokhara (Nepali: पोखरा) is a metropolitan and the second largest city of Nepal as well as the headquarters of Kaski District, Gandaki Zone and the Western Development Region which is a new metropolitan city of Nepal. It is located 200 kilometres (120 miles) west of the capitalKathmandu. Despite being a comparatively smaller valley than Kathmandu, its geography varies dramatically within just few kilometres from north to south. The altitude varies from 827 metres (2,713 feet) in the southern part to 1,740 metres (5,710 feet) in the north. Additionally, the Annapurna Range with three out of the ten highest mountains in the world — Dhaulagiri, Annapurna I and Manaslu — are within approximately 15 – 35 miles of the valley. 

 

Due to its proximity to the Annapurna mountain range, the city is also a base for trekkers undertaking the Annapurna Circuit through the ACAP region of the Annapurnaranges in the Himalayas. Pokhara is home to many Gurkha soldiers. It is the most expensive city in the country, with a cost-of-living index of 150, and the most expensive place in Nepal after Namche Bazaar. Source: Wikipedia

  

 

  

Upper Mustang

Mustang (from theTibetan möntang(Wylie: smon-thang), Nepali:मुस्तांग "fertile plain"), formerly Kingdom of Lo, is a remote and isolated region of the Nepalese Himalayas. TheUpper Mustang was a restricted demilitarized area until 1992 which makes it one of the most preserved regions in the world, with a majority of the population still speaking traditionalTibetic languages.Tibetan culture has been preserved by the relative isolation of the region from the outside world.

  

The Upper Mustang comprise the northern two-thirds of Mustang District of Dhawalagiri Zone, Nepal. The southern third of the district is called Thak and is the homeland of the Thakali, who speak the Thakali language, and whose culture combines Tibetan andNepalese elements. Life in Mustang revolves around tourism, animal husbandry and trade. Mustang's status as a kingdom ended in 2008 when its suzerain Kingdom of Nepal became a republic. The influence of the outside world, especially China, is growing and contributing to rapid change in the lives of Mustang's people. Source: Wikipedia 

Sky caves on the river bank in Mustang valley

 

Rigsum Gönpo and Buddhist prayer flags at the entrance of Samar

Gyakar village across the gorge

Tangbe village from above

Lower Mustang Valley, Nepal

Kali Gandaki riverbed in Nepal's Upper Mustang. View from Thsele
down to the Kali Gandaki river and the fields of Chusang village,
with Nilgiri's steep north face.