Nepal, Sept. 12 -- It was November 2004, and we were on a trek to then roadless Rasuwa-Kerung border. This was at the height of the Maoist insurgency, and Army checkpoints were everywhere.

On the Chinese side, there were just some stone sheds connected to Nepal by two suspension foot bridges across the Bhote Kosi. After spending the night in Kerung my colleague Sitaram Baral and me with our local guide Tashi crossed back to Nepal.

The Chinese border checkpost at Gyirong across the Bhote Kosi in 2004 (top) and earlier this year (below). More than 600 people were in the structure when it was swept away by the gigantic wall of mud on 26 August.

We were walking along the river towards Timure, admiring the strikingly beautiful landscape wh...