Kathmandu:

Amir and Einat, two travel guides from Israel, love travelling and when they came to Nepal around three years ago they fell in love with Nepal and our Nepaliness.

Their love for travelling and meeting new people brought them to Dho-Tarap Valley, where their love grew stronger and they got married to each other in our Himalayan way and solemnised their wedding at a height of 4,100 metres.

Amir saw Einat for the first time 11 years ago at a disco. He had just completed his compulsory army service and was working to make money for his university studies, while Einat was making plans to travel to Africa. After their first meeting in a disco, they started talking over the phone and meeting each other.

However, after just three months Einat flew to Africa and the two lost touch for two years. But Einat’s gentleness and smile remained in Amir’s heart and mind and when he did call up Einat after years, it was “unbelievable” (according to Amir).

They picked up where they had left off.

They had not planned on getting married in Dolpa. But the generosity and kindness displayed by the people of Dho was the reason they got married there.

“Amir proposed the idea while we were looking around a local gumba (monastery). It was sudden. I was a bit hesitant because I had plans of getting married according to our Jewish tradition. Later I liked his idea,” says Einat adding, “I thought that if we got married there our love would be as unique as Dho and as pure as the Dolpo heart and as high as the snow clad local mountains.”

They invited the lama of the gumba, some local people, got dressed in Tibetan clothes and went to the gumba. The lama gave them both Tibetan rings and asked them to put the rings on each other. He put khadhas (white silken shawl) around their necks.

What followed was hours of merry-making and drinking lots of Bhote chiya (Tibetan tea).

“As long as I live, I will not forget every aspect of unique Dolpo,” says Einat.

Amir adds, “Getting married without my family in such a strange place amidst strange people, I feel like we belong to a big global family irrespective of our cultures and traditions.”