As his mother washes clothes in a communal spring below, a young boy of about 9 years of age stands on a track in the Himalayan foothills near the town of Gorkha. Here, the British army traditionally recruits young men for the Gurkha regiment (as they have done since 1857). The lad is wearing a yellow hooded sweatshirt and like many in this region - even is sub-zero temperatures - flip-flops. Nepal is one of the world's poorest countries. The prospects for this child may mean they will in future, if the army has no place for him, he may try to seek work in cities like Kathmandu rather than face a lifetime's struggle in local agriculture, as can be seen in the valley below. Their supplies and contact with the outside world comes up from these tracks of boulders and stone along which either men or yaks carry up food for basic survival and luxury goods.
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