Tukche, Nepal

Tukche, Nepal

A cobblestone street in Tukche, Nepal -- a Thakali village in the upper Kali Gandaki valley, north of Pokhara, with Annapurna Himal on one side and Dhaulagiri Himal on the other.

Tukche is the cultural center of the region. The Tukche dialect is spoken in Tukche and all the villages south to Ghasa, as well as in Jomsom, north of Tukche. Thakalis are an ethnic group of Nepalese people. The Thakalis were once heavily involved in the salt trade that thrived along mountain routes through Nepal and Tibet. Since the decline of the traditional salt trade, the Thakalis have become famous for selling food along various paths all over the country.