Bob Berky, comedian and mime artiste, did not return from his trek in Khumbu with funny lines but plenty of great experiences.

He's been in Nepal since 16 July and ventured into the mountains with his friend Broughton Coburn, author of Nepali Aama, and family. "I did pick up a few words like dai and bhai," says Berky who plans to write a routine on his Nepal experience once he returns to the US. "We didn't plan anything but I did perform impromptu at schools in Khumbu and Namche," he adds, "I don't know if they understood anything but they were laughing and it is always a good sign when people laugh."

But the Sherpa children probably did because Berky's humour is universal. Language has been no barrier when he has appeared on MTV, Disney Channel and Nickelodeon. Trained initially as a classical musician, he also performs musically and comically with symphony orchestras in the US and Canada. His talent and reputation are now so recognised that Hollywood stars Jeff Goldblum and Michelle Pfeiffer hire him as a movement coach. Berky's work off-Broadway earned an OBIE Award, and he's performed at such top venues as the Kennedy Centre, Lincoln Centre and the Edinburgh Festival.

Berky is known for his talent that taps into those humorous predicaments all of us find ourselves in at one time or another. "If we can touch that simplicity at the root of us and really make it vibrate," says Berky, "we'll go out of a theatre not saying 'wasn't he a good performer?' but rather 'aren't we all great!'"

Besides shows that he has lined up for factory workers, monasteries and schools while he is in Kathmandu, Bob Berky will also be performing Out of the Blue Trunk at the Indigo Gallery.