The journey had been a dream of Ken Vaughn's for more than a decade.

The retired physician, 69, trained and traveled to Nepal with his longtime friend Dave Kryger, 67, a retired attorney, earlier this month.

The pair each lost 10 pounds during their 11-day trek.

From their base camp at 14,000 feet, Kryger just about fell over when he saw the top of the mountain.

"It was one of the most gorgeous things I had ever seen," he said of the view of 22,943-foot Machhapuchhre, the snow-dusted Nepalese mountain peak whose crest resembles the fin of a fish.

"It really is the top of the world," added Vaughn.

The Albany residents soaked in the culture of the largely Hindi people, traveling with 17 sherpas and a handful of fellow trekkers, including their friend, retired Albany-area dentist Larry Turner.

Their trip started Nov. 15 and concluded Dec. 5. They celebrated both Thanksgiving and Kryger's birthday while on the trek.

For Vaughn and Kryger, their recent visit to Nepal was like stepping back in time 200 years.

While in the South Asian nation, which borders the People's Republic of China (Tibet) to the north and India to the south, east and west, they witnessed a funeral pyre, ancient dance celebrations, as well as more familiar sights, like children playing and women washing clothes. They watched a woman break down boulders into gravel as a profession and a Tibetan refugee weave.

Their pictures tell the story of their 11-day trek through some of the most scenic jungles and mountains in South Asia.