They make up the highest mountain range in the world, with the highest mountain — Everest. They extend into Pakistan and India and China, and into more obscure places, but when we think of the Himalayas, we think of Nepal and Tibet, the latter existing in consciousness if not sovereignty. North America’s highest mountain, McKinley, rises 20,320 feet; among the Himalayas, it would rank 76th. Everest, at 29,028 feet, is more than twice as high as Mt. Rainier. We are drawn to the Himalayas, and cultures worship them, because they challenge comprehension. But we climb them, and sometimes die trying to climb them, not merely because they are there. We do it because they try to tell us we can’t.
ASIA: SEVEN MORE WONDERS
FLAMING CLIFFS. Mongolia.
Near Bayan Zag in the Gobi Desert, red sandstone cliffs and fabulous dinosaur fossils.
GUILIN. China.
Limestone karsts create a dreamy setting that has challenged artists through the dynasties (above).
KAMCHATKA. Russia.
Active volcanoes and geysers, plus bears, on a peninsula just off the Aleutians.
MT. FUJI. Japan.
In its perfection of line — and in its fog-assisted elusiveness — a manifestation of its host.
TUBBATAHA REEFS. Philippines.
Largest coral reef in the Sulu Sea, it challenges the Great Barrier as a diving nirvana.
WADI RUM. Jordan.
Unforgettable desert scenery that captured both T.E. Lawrence and David Lean.
YANGTZE RIVER. China.
Length: At 3,964 miles, the world’s third longest. Impact: Immeasurable.
