December 2023 Photo Contest Winner: Thomas Nash, San Francisco, California

Congratulations Thomas! With 35 photos to choose from, yours received the highest rating among members. You’ve not only brought honor to the Northern California chapter, but you have won a year of free dues for yourself. Thanks to everybody who submitted their wonderful “Himalayas” theme photos for the December contest. They can still be seen and commented on by visiting https://pollunit.com/en/polls/tcc-2023-december.

The theme for our March 2024 contest is “Central America.” Click for contest details »

Photo: Thomas Nash

Taken at the Jokhang Temple in Lhasa, Tibet in 2006, this photo was taken while pilgrims circumambulated the temple on the Bakhor Kora spinning prayer wheels and chanting “Om Mani Padme Hum.” Inside the prayer wheel, the chant is printed thousands of times on a long rolled up scroll. Each spin repeats the prayer many times. Our travels that year took us to remote West Tibet with more photos from this trip and 47 years of travel at http://nashpix.com.

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Dorothy Thompson, Richland Center, Wisconsin

Photo: Dorothy Thompson

Located in Kathmandu, Nepal, the Pashupatinath Temple holds the title as the largest temple complex in the world. Named a World Heritage Site in 1979, it is also one of the oldest temples. A sprawling collection of temples, ashrams, and monuments, it’s positioned in a valley surrounded by the Himalayan mountains. It is here that I encountered this sadhu who offered me a blessing.


John Belyea, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Photo: John Belyea

Yaks are the primary means of moving goods up and down the trail from Lukla up to the Nepal Everest basecamp. This view in the Himalayas is above the settlement of Pheriche.