Journey to Kathmandu

Follow herders and their goats as they make their way from farm lives in remote Himalayan villages to their sacrificial deaths in Kathmandu. Initially, the Nepali herders will congregate at the border town of Raswa Gadhi. After purchasing their goats from the Tibetan farmers, they will begin their trek though the stunning landscape of the Langtang Himalayan mountain region. Each herder will escort their fuzzy friends through remote mountainside villages, perilous high elevation passes and across makeshift bridges, high above the rumbling Trishuli River. After nearly seven days of laborious trekking the herders will load the goats onto buses and transport them to Khalimantan market, in the heart of the capital city, Kathmandu. Like millions across the country do annually, Prem Aryal and his wife and two children will select and purchase their goat and begin their own journey to their hometown. Along the way, they will meet thousands of Nepalis doing the same thing: walking with their families and their goats to their villages, where they will take part in the biggest celebration of the year, Dashain Festival! The goats will become our guides. And their journey allows us to experience the stunning scenery that is the Nepalese Himalayas, meet people in distant villages only accessible by foot, and get a first-hand account of the importance of the Dashain festival and its sacrificial practices.