Kathmandu:

They are a bunch of people from a number of places — United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Jamaica, Australia, and the US. And they are here in Kathmandu for a couple of days as part of a good will rally.

And the best part of their rally is the 20 vintage cars that they are travelling in. From a 1925 Vauxhall, a 1930 Morris Cowley to the ever popular Rolls Royce, Mercedes, Jaguar, Mustang and Chevrolet Corvette, the rally features an exclusive collection these classic cars.

Tour leader John Brigden, from the UK, admits that being a racing car driver himself, he has always had a passion for vintage cars. “I have always been an enthusiast for the Himalayan region and this love coupled with the love for travelling and cars is what brought me and many of my friends here,” he says adding, “This is a Himalaya Rally and we have travelled all the way from Islamabad, Pakistan to India and now Nepal as part of spreading the message of peace and solidarity amongst all religions.”

The group has travelled more than 5,000 miles and hopes to spread the word of the beauty of our Himalayan country across the globe.

They drove into Nepal via Rolpa, Lumbini and Pokhara and are here in Kathmandu before heading off to Kosi Tappu. They will then be going back to India via Darjeeling culminating this adventurous journey.

“We visited Nepal once before in 2001 as a part of a small rally we had organised and it’s the beauty and warmth of this region that has brought us here again. We are having a gala time here,” he expresses.