A Glimpse of Eternal Snows (Bradt Travel Guides

by Jane Wilson-Howarth

"Even doctors--or perhaps especially doctors--need to be touched by something personally to understand the suffering of others."
When Jane Wilson-Howarth's son, David, is diagnosed with serious neurological disorders, his family faces a major decision. They can stay in England, where David has access to the best in Western medical care, or return to their current home in remote Rajapur Island, Nepal, where he has the chance of living his life to the fullest. There, he would be freed from invasive medical testing, and treated as a person rather than an "interesting case."
This poignant memoir tells of the family's time in Rajapur and Kathmandu, conjuring in vivid detail the events of David's short--but cherished--life, the sounds, sights and smells of the exotic bazaars, the warmth and complexity of the people, and the stunning natural beauty of Nepal.
Readers will be moved and inspired by this true story of courage, love and a family's determination to give their child the best life possible.

Genres: Travel, Memoir, Nonfiction, Asia

410 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

As a child Jane dreamed of intrepid adventures and encounters with exotic wildlife but it wasn’t until she was 22 and with a zoology degree to her credit that she started travelling: she organised a six-month expedition to catalogue the creatures living in Himalayan caves. To cut a very long story short, this trip lead to a parasitology then medical qualification, a husband and many more exotic trips. She experienced leeches, malaria mosquitoes, ticks and scorpions first hand and, realising how good information contributes to enjoyable travel, wrote her first travel health guide, "Bugs Bites & Bowels", which launched in a sixth edition in December 2023 as "Staying Healthy When You Travel". Her first book was a travel narrative, "Lemurs of the Lost World". So far, 10 of her books have been books published.

Dr Jane has lived in various very remote corners of the globe and has spent about 15 years in South Asia. Jane’s third son made his first big trip – to Nepal – at the age of three weeks. Experiences of living in rural Nepal proved a rich resource for Jane's writing as her travel biography, her first novel and her adventure stories for children bear witness.

She practised as a general practitioner / family physician for 15 years in Cambridgeshire and boasts more letters after her name than in it; she teaches extensively on travel health including an annual commitment to a workshop on diarrhoea at the University of Cambridge medical school. She has written more than 200 health features for Wanderlust magazine and her words have been published in national newspapers and the academic press. She is proud to have a tale in two of Bradt's travel anthologies, and also several in "Fifty Camels and She's Yours.".

In September 2017 she moved back to Nepal and is dividing her time between Kathmandu and Cambridge. Her Nepal photos are on Instagram @longdropdoc and she tweets (occasionally) also as @longdropdoc. Her blogs are on her author website www.wilson-howarth.com where there are photogalleries relating to her books.

Reviews

[Tara · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolutely beautiful and sympathetic book about loving a child and the experience of working in international aid in South Asia. Dr Wilson-Howarth is a fantastic writer who captures the insider/outsider experience well, creating an emotional picture of her family's life which is touching without ever becoming maudlin.

[Deborah Pickstone · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was not so easy finding a book set in Nepal for the Geocaching challenge: this was what I finally settled on. It is a memoir of a time spent in Nepal but also a time spent with a very sick, unable to survive baby and how this was made more survivable for the family by being in accepting Nepal than it could have been surrounded by modern medical detachment. It's readable and I learned a bit about Nepal and I do sympathise with the family's experience, having spent a lifetime dealing with the detachment of modern medicine.

[Nora · Rating 5 out of 5]

A memoir of the authors time in Nepal. Beautifully written and gorgeous in the detail, I couldn't let it end but also couldn't put it down. I originally bought it because my dear friend Jan Salter is in the book, she is described perfectly, just as Nepal was. I found my self laughing along and crying along, knowing all too well about being an ex-pat in Nepal and how beautiful, tragic and powerful that country is. I loved this book, anyone who wants to be transported to Nepal should pick it up.

[Sean · Rating 5 out of 5]

Travelers' Tales was originally approached to publish this wonderful book but due to budgetary constraints we were unable to do so. We did publish Jane's other book, the enchanting and hilarious: How to Shit Around the World.

A Glimpse of Eternal Snows is a truly captivating read with deep insights into a world most of us will never become familiar with.

[Claire Bennett · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is difficult to capture the magic of Nepal between the pages of a book, but Jane Wilson-Howarth does so effortlessly. A story of both insurmountable love and unbearable anguish; a gripping testimony to human experience.

[Jill Dobbe · Rating 2 out of 5]

A memoir about the author and her family relocating to Nepal. Despite having a child with medical issues, the author, who had some medical training, and her husband, an engineer, believed that their family would thrive amongst the Nepalese.

The author recounted with honesty the ups and downs of life there. Her descriptions of Nepal, the markets, the land, and the people, a country I haven't visited, yet, are interesting and thoughtful. She is a lover of nature and that showed fully in her descriptions of the rich plants that abounded.
As a traveler and expat living in a country different from my own, I related with the author on many things. A Glimpse of Eternal Snows is a compelling read about a family that lived life on their own terms.

[Amelia · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful book full of love – love for a baby, a newfound country, people – with acute observations of behaviour in the modern western world juxtaposed with the good things left from an ancient one. It is naturally Buddhist in sensibility, minus the religion, as the author intuitively explores Nepal, which becomes part of her and integral to the transcending of her own deep sorrow and loss.

[Sarah Christie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Glimpse of Eternal Snows- By Jane Wilson- Howarth.
Following Jane’s problematic birth of her son David, we dive into a maze of hospital visits, tests and injections with no conclusive results. Until she just decides to leave it all, and move to Nepal with her family, where she can care for her son herself (don’t stress, she is a doctor).
I was excited to dive into this memoir, as I had never read anything set in Nepal and was intrigued to life there. Jane paints a picture of tranquil scenery, charming people and all the goodness that comes with a foreign country. However, she doesn’t skimp on telling us the harsh realities and underlying issues of Nepal. From poverty everywhere she goes, over prescribed medicines and corruption in both police and Hindu priests. I also found it really interesting learning about the caste system.
4/5 Stars ✨

[Zarina Trapman · Rating 5 out of 5]

A captivating story of Dr.Jane's family life in their host country Nepal. Where her husband supported building steady bridges for monsoon season and where she not only raised her boys, but also supported the locals.
Her description of the gorgeous Himalayas, flora and fauna add life to her book! Her challenges as a mother, wife and medical worker in remote rural area are wonderfully reflected. I highly recommend this book whether you live in Nepal or not!

[Sebastian Howarth · Rating 5 out of 5]

An emotional rollercoaster. Couldn't recommend this book more. If you have spent any time in Nepal, it will bring back fond memories. And if you haven't spent time in Nepal, the book has so so much more to offer around a number of important topics.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book doubly appealing as having travelled to Nepal I could relate to a lot of the places and things that Jane saw and wrote about.
Aside from that, the story of David's life was beautiful, how he flourished in the simple life of living in Nepal, how the choices his parents made were done in his best interests although perhaps not in the eyes of the medical system. Ultimately the choice of the quality of life a sick child has is up to the parents and seeing the child in the medical system as an 'interesting case' or human pin cushion could not be easy.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed her descriptions of their life and the the people who were part of it; her insights; her honesty in regard to her feelings of inadequacy and doubt about the wisdom of isolating David from advanced medical care; and her willingness to share her journey of integration into the culture of Nepal, and her journey with grief, and her ability to laugh and embrace the beauty of it all.

[Jean Nicholson · Rating 4 out of 5]

My daughter brought it up among other books when I was in hospital. I loved reading about Nepal & its various parts, the treks and drives. I became involved with the family and their little son David and how the different people treated him in both Nepal and London. I would recommend to anyone wanting to learn aboutNepal as not much has been written about it.

[Kasturi Dadhe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading the story of Jane enroute to work transported me from the metro into the hills and people of snowy Nepal. Filled with tragedy yet a vivid optimism the book can sometimes be a tedious read but allows some amount of therapy and purgation for the reader.

[Marion Roux · Rating 4 out of 5]

An honest, heartfelt memoir of the family's time spent in Nepal (beautiful place, but not for wimps), with a disabled, handicapped baby. It is a testimony to their incredible patience, love and understanding for little David and they did good by him as an individual.

[Shruti Joshi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beyond inspiring.

[Mari Law · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautifully written true story, skilfully read by the author which made it all the more poignant. It’s an amazing heart-breaking account of a baby born with major health issues. Yet David was able to enjoy remote Nepali life and the people around him, the sounds of nature and his loving family members. Jane—the tale is from her point of view—is a super-woman coping with a never-ending string of challenges from her baby’s health care in the UK and living abroad. Even trekking for days at a time with her entire family high in the Nepali mountains where oxygen levels were low.

The tale is rich with description of the vegetation, wildlife and locals’ everyday life—as well as Jane’s—with plenty of fascinating anecdotes. Her older son provides much entertainment with his observations and questions. The book is scattered with humour from either Jane or Alex throughout. Her husband’s job as a water engineer and Jane’s attempts at introducing health education give insight to the patriarchal mindset and complex cultural differences of a people resistant to change. I cannot recommend the book highly enough. It was so gripping it only took me three days to listen to it—all 15 hours.

[Barbara Heggie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautiful story, beautifully written. Wilson-Howarth’s style, at once both rich and spare, had me at the first paragraph. It’s one of those rare books that make you want to slow down to enjoy and ponder every sentence — but also speed up to find out what happens next. There is so much to relate to in this story “of love and loss,” and if you’ve never been to Nepal, so much to learn, too. Wilson-Howarth takes us on a journey of the heart, all while showing us the grand and minute details of a place most of us will never be able to see.

[Richard Marney · Rating 5 out of 5]

A delightful and absorbing journey of personal discovery in a land of wonders and breathtaking beauty.

[Raquel Brandao · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm completely in love with this book, have read it twice but never in a sit down read it all because it's very rich in details, it can be tiring as much as beautiful you know? It's a slow read but Jane's story is so inspiring and the delicate way she describes her in Nepal and the way she talks about the Nepalis is so enchanting and sensible and makes me fly there every time to see it for myself.

[Divya U · Rating 2 out of 5]

"Technology hasn't got all the answers, and that sometimes - just sometimes - what is needed is spirituality, time and some good mountain air."
This story was not very captivating in terms of content but it taught me a lot about Nepali way of life and hardships of parents raising a child who is different.