First Curry Without Worry in Kathmandu

Healthy food for hungry souls: This is the message that NGO Curry Without Worry promotes, and it couldn't be more clear. On Tuesday, the 16th of November, I had the opportunity to document this fantastic organization's first every food drive in Nepal. Started by a group of San Franciscans lead by Sharwan Nepali, the organization has hosted a free food drive every Tuesday in San Francisco for the past four years, accompanied by music, dancing and singing. "I had a dream to bring Curry Without Worry to Kathmandu at the time we started the program four years ago in San Francisco", said Sharwan. The menu consists of five soul warming items, with Quanti, a nine sprouted bean traditional Nepali soup, as the signature item.

The day began at 10 a.m., preparing the massive amount of food for cooking. "In San Francisco, we serve about 200 people on average. Our first event here in Kathmandu attracted about 300 people, plus feeding the 50 boys who live at Paropakar Orphanage", said Nepali. In San Francisco, the organization currently rents a near by Baptist church for cooking purposes. Here in Kathmandu, the organization utilizes Sharwan's old home, Paropakar Orphanage, to cook the food. From there, the food is transported in a truck to the serving sight, which is located at Hanuman Dhoka in Kathmandu Durbar Square, a historical venue to say the least. Serving is usually scheduled to start roughly at 3:30, but can start as late as 5:00 in some cases. Following in the tradition of the San Francisco chapter, word of mouth is the only utilized form of advertising for the event. "We believe that word of mouth is the best method of advertising. It saves money and gives the event the intimate, village-like-gathering feel we're looking for", said Sharwan.

Beyond Curry Without Worry's goal of donating free food to those in need, the event is designed to provide a venue for the community to gather. One of the greatest results of this interaction is that people, regardless of their background or situation, can find or give help. In this sense, the food acts as a medium; a medium in which it's participants may transfer ideas, establish new relationships, and spread the good will that the event produces. Who would predict that the result would be anything else? When good food hits the plate, and dancing, music and laughter are abundant, you can't help but dive into the "human fire place", as Sharwan likes to put it. Now, almost into it's third week, that fire place is growing rapidly with no end in sight. I hope that some of you will one day be able to come and join in the festivities. As for myself, you can bet that I'll be there every Tuesday for the rest of my stay here in Nepal. As per usual, photos are on flickr, under the Nepal collection. Thanks for reading.

Unofficial opening of Ama Ghar's new house

I had the privilege of attending the unofficial opening of Ama Ghar's new house at the end of last month. The day was full of meeting friends and family, eating and of course dancing and singing. The Ama Ghar family has been waiting almost two years for the new house to open, and their dream will finally come true by the end of this month. The unofficial opening included close friends, donors, board members and volunteers. A major milestone in the history of Ama Ghar, almost in it's 10th year of existence, all attendees absolutely glowed with joviality making the day one to remember. Considering that each attendee was witnessing the fruits of a tremendous amount of time, effort, and money, it's not surprising that everyone was in such high spirits.

The house is an inspiration to whomever has the pleasure of viewing it. Not only aesthetically pleasing, using many traditional Newari architectural design elements, it's design also incorporates features to guarantee the safety and sustainability of all who inhabit it. For instance, instead of being built on one foundation the house is split into three sections, increasing the houses chance of survival in the case of an earthquake. The house also was designed with an extensive water collection and filtration system. The house uses gutters and reserve tanks to help insure that water supply is never scarce, and extensively filters all waste water before it is re-introduced into the environment. Solar power will also be utilized, in place of gasoline run electricity generators, in cases of power outages which are frequent during the winter months. To witness these developments, which one hopes will set an example of sustainable development in the surrounding villages, has been a privilege for me. Photos of the event, as well as of the house, are available for viewing and download on my flickr page, located in the Nepal collection, under the Everyday Ama Ghar and Unofficial new Ama Ghar opening sets. Hope you enjoy. Until the next post… cheers.

First Dashain in Nepal

Dashain, one of the largest festivals in Nepal, occurred just a few weeks ago here, as well as across many other parts of the world. The festival largely commemorates the triumph of good over evil in many different legends, such as the Ramayan, largely attributed to the evocation of the goddess Durga. Nowadays, however, there are as many commercial aspects as religious of Dashain as well. I never expected the amount of shopping I witnessed; it reminds me of Christmas back in the states, everyone and their grandma shopping and gorging on all things good in life. This was my first Dashain in Nepal, and I'll never forget it. Not only did I get to see family and visit with relatives that I've probably never met before, I also got a front row seat to what Dashain is like when a whole city celebrates it at once. I still feel as if I'm experiencing some of the repercussions of the holiday: Weight gain was inevitable after having to eat my own weight in food. Delirium from all the sights, sounds and smells is common if you're not used to them. I don't think I've ever felt so tired from just walking or driving from place to place, due to the endless flocks of people I needed to meet and greet.

It must sound like I'm complaining, but my actual sentiments could not be more at odds. I'd love to do it all over again. Don't get me wrong, Dashain is just as crazy in the U.S. within the confines of your family and homes. But overall it can't compare: The air is just full of the Dashain craze here, because almost every single person within a ten mile radius and beyond is celebrating it. It's like trying to avoid getting wet while in a swimming pool; you'd need to be wearing a full wet suit to stay dry, and even then you'd still feel the sensations of pressure and temperature from the water around you. You can't avoid it, nor should you. The valley seems to take a long and depth breath during these two weeks, a relief from the pollution, congestion and chaos of the typical Kathmandu. One can only talk so much about Dashain though; pictures are much better at illustrating all the things i've talked about and more. Visit my flickr page, and look for the Dashain set within the Nepal collection, accessible from the first page, for a full glimpse at my first Dashain here in Nepal.

Ama Ghar

Note: Pictures link to high-res downloads
The door always seems to be open at this place, warm and endearing, seemingly drawing the visitor in. For the past three weeks, I've had a chance to get to know this door very well, not to mention the people who live past it's threshold. Ama Ghar, commonly referred to as "motherly home" in English, is a home for children of disadvantaged backgrounds, located about 12 km south of Kathmandu proper in the village of Taukhel. Comprised of 39 kids ranging in age from 7 to 19, Ama Ghar, together with funding from the Ama Foundation, give the children a chance for a proper upbringing, including a place to sleep, eat, play, and the opportunity to go to school and live like a family.

In addition to the children, a permanent staff of seven, plus two guard dogs, work almost none stop in order to fulfill the goals of the organization. The tasks include, but aren't limited to: cooking, cleaning, tutoring, managing finances, playing with the children, in addition to a multitude of other typically equivocal tasks. For the staff, a broken window means assuming a window repairman role for the day. Shopping for 40+ people is no breeze either. To say the staff doesn't have help would be blasphemous though. The children help a tremendous amount in keeping their rooms clean, doing their laundry, as well as helping in dinner preparations. Security issues appear to be under control as well with help from two dogs, including Balu pictured to the left :)

Brought to life roughly 9 years ago with the establishment of The Ama Foundation, the strain on the current accommodations in Taukhel is apparent. With only 5 rooms dedicated to almost 40 children, sleeping arrangements have become tight. Almost every outdoor ledge that sees some sunlight is dedicated to drying clothes, and eating space is very limited. When more than one guest joins the house for dinner, children must be displaced from their regular eating area to make room. For the children, however, this is well worth the extra attention they receive. Curiosity abounds in the form of questions, about anything from what life in the U.S. is like to what kind of music you like to listen to. Luckily, a new house has been in the works for almost two years, and the children will hopefully be moving by the end of this month.

Ask Bonnie, house Managing Director of Ama Ghar, what Taukhel looked like when the orphanage first opened, and she'll tell you there was only a fraction of the buildings there are today. Not only has crowding become a problem within Ama Ghar, but with new houses going up everyday, it's become a problem in the greater part of Taukhel as well. Not that the kids mind this much; many have friends that live near by, and shops are readily available for the children when they have some spending money to buy chocolate, or pirated movies. It becomes apparent that there are two opinions burgeoning in Ama Ghar as moving day approaches: those who are looking forward to moving, and those who are not. The reasons are obvious: One camp is looking forward to the much needed space and privacy, and the other is hesitant to leave what little civilization they have in Taukhel, not to mention friends and easy access to public transportation.

Dhan, rice fields, are a common sight near the new house. Compared to the wall to wall buildings typical of Taukhel, it's a different world, a different time. Gone are the shops, the crowded streets, replaced by farms and dirt roads. We're left with ample space, cleaner air, peace and quiet…. maybe a dream world for many, but perhaps not for a teenager. Moving to this kind of area, although only a 2km drive from the old house, will be a massive change for everyone. Only time will tell how both the children and the staff will adjust to their new surroundings. However, with the way the Kathmandu valley has been expanding and growing, perhaps we should see this move more as a blessing rather than a curse. Who knows what the area will look like in even just 5 years time. It may become just as crowded as Taukhel is now. I leave you with a preview, a teaser if you will, of the new house. Upon it's completion many more photos will follow; hopefully that day will come by the end of the month.

Chitwan

note: pictures link to high-res downloads
An oft-stated fact about Nepal is that it contains a plethora of diversity: of cultures, languages, ethnicities and religions to name a few. Why? In short, the reason is geography. Not only is Nepal located at a crossroads of many other nations, but the nation in and of itself contains a broad strata of elevations and geographic features that have caused the people to adapt according to their specific climate. From the high desolate mountains of the north, to the lush low lands of the south, Nepal is home to almost every type of climate that exists on earth.

Nestled within the Mahabarath mountain range in the south of Nepal, which divides the indian-like plains of the Terai and the more mountainous Pahar, exists the Inner-Terai. This hanging valley is not quite as low in elevation as the rest of the Terai, but contains similar geographic features such as plains and jungle, making for an interesting ecological system. Dependent on the traffic situation, getting to the Inner-Terrai can take anywhere from 5 hours to a whole day if you're really lucky ;) Famous to the Inner-Terai is the town of Bharatpur as well as Chitwan National Park, an ecosystem of plains and jungles hugging the banks of the Rapti River.

Our ETD for Chitwan was roughly noon on a Wednesday afternoon, to arrive at the hotel in time for dinner, which included the occasional drink and relaxation in general. But as is often the case in Nepal, our plans soon went up in smoke, due to gridlock on the main southern route out of town. For two hours we waited, standstill, but to no avail. As is customary, after one plan has failed a new one is conjured up and instead of taking the main highway we opted for the backroads, more risky but our best bet. Our adventure had begun…

Mountainous roads are risky for a number of reasons, especially in Nepal during the monsoon. Road conditions can deteriorate quickly, so getting stranded due to mechanical malfunction or impassable objects is nothing to be scoffed at. Extraneous tourist vehicles don't make the trip any easier; hitting a patch of road where two large SUVs can't both pass is not unlikely; in fact, it should be expected. Be prepared to feel like your in the hot seat of a rally car, because the game is pass or get passed on the road of Nepal haha! Despite all of these obstacles, the reward for traversing such unpredictable terrain is generous: the views of the mountains and the valleys is unbeatable. Houses dot the sides of the valleys, each like a bright star in the infinitely dark night sky. The mountain tops seem to reach up to the clouds and drag them down, hiding their peaks as if they were sacred.

Well, you can't win every gamble, and we were certainly trounced in our initial attempt. About two hours into our journey, while gallivanting through an especially rocky section of road, the familiar pop-whiz-bang of a tire on it's last leg entered our sensory banks, accompanied by gaping mouths and subsequent delirium. Luckily, and I mean really luckily, we had taken the Land Rover which contains a full size spare tire, and we merely had to change it before we were on our way once again. 20 minutes, a few pair of greasy hands and a few pictures later we were back on the road, pleased with ourselves and ready to gamble it all away again.

Luckily we didn't lose our gamble again. After driving south through the mountain pass, by dusk we arrived in Hetauda. From this juncture, we headed west to Bharatpur, and once again turned south, venturing to the Safari Narayani Lodge located on the Rapti River at the edge of Royal Chitwan National Park. Elephant rides are quite possibly one of the most popular activities in Chitwan National Park, and are therefore in abundance. Almost any resort located in the vicinity of the park will offer it's guests a chance to enjoy the nature around them through a variety of activities, including elephant rides, canoeing, and hiking. Safari Narayani has somewhere around a dozen elephants, one of which you can see pictured to the left.

Our entourage included two elephants, a mother and son team. Delineated to the younger of the two, the established relationship certainly made for an interesting two hour ride. For one thing, the baby elephant would almost never go on without the mother. While crossing the Rapti, for instance, we were forced to stop and wait in the middle of the river for the mother to catch up and pass us. No amount of persuasion (in the form of whipping in this case) would make the young elephant move forward. Equally eventful were the occasional wildlife sighting. The list includes numerous species of birds including hawks, as well as the single-horned rhino you see pictured. Catching a glimpse of a rhino is no small feat, inducing our guides to chase after it through the bush for about 10 minutes. But I have to thank them for that, for the chance to get such a great picture!

Our final stop that day was to the family plot of land, which also sits on the north side of the Rapti river. Unwilling to walk the overgrown path to the plot, Kanak uncle flung the Land Rover into the thicket. Windows rolled down, one had to be careful to not get a face full of wet branches, or the occasional leech. My uncle exclaimed, "how many people can say they own a jungle?!" Ineed, the plot hasn't been inhabited in so long that it is well on its way to becoming a full-fledged jungle. Chitwan is a great getaway from Kathmandu. It's slower pace, warmer weather, and awesome jungles contrast nicely with the mountains to the north. I was lucky to go and experience it, hopefully I'll be able to go back soon.

Krishnashtami

note: pictures link to high-res downloads

Krishnashtami, one of the largest hindu festivals in the world, celebrates the birth of the hindu god Krishna. In Nepal, this festive day is a national holiday, allowing one and all to enjoy the many celebrations held around the city. I was fortunate enough to be in Kathmandu during the holiday this year, and only a fifteen minute walk away from a major krishna mandir in Patan Durbar Square. The density of people increased exponentially as I neared the square from the north. Hundreds of people crowded the area, worshipers, tourists, and merchants alike. Standing on the high ground, I was able to capture the mayhem of the most crowded part of the square. In addition to the many people walking to and for, people lined the sides of almost any mandir that had space on it. Getting trampled while moving around was not improbable, so moving with traffic after leaving my perch was critical.

Many Hindus consider Krishna the 8th avatar of Vishnu, who fulfills the role of preserver of the universe in the group known as the Trimurti. Also included in the group are Brahma, the creator, and Shiva, the transformer.As a consequence of this relationship between Krishna and Vishnu, many mandirs dedicated to one or the other are also mutually used for worship of both. This fact was more than evident on Krishnashtami here in Patan, as many of the bigger ceremonies of the day were held at the larger Vishnu mandir. Decorated and accentuated with streamers, people, and smoke from the many pujas, Vishnu's faithful vahana known as Garuda, the being which a deity rides, sits in his shadow ever faithful.

After the lumbering monotonous walk past the mandirs, a large line appeared towards the southern end of the square. Composed almost exclusively of women and children, all present were waiting for darshan. The line stretched well beyond the limits of the last mandir, conveying its integral role in observance of the religious holiday. The act of receiving darshan from a guru or from an icon of god himself essentially proclaims ones devotion, and in this sense is a universally important gesture. The process typically involves the devotee bowing ones head toward the revered, or the touching of the head of the devotee to the feet of the revered. Not only is this a sign of respect and devotion, it can also be seen as a process of accumulating affection for God, which in Hinduism is a key process in moving forward spiritually.

It may be a while until the next time I'm able to enjoy Krishnashtami in Kathmandu. However, the excitement that goes along with celebrating the holiday here is too good to not enjoy again, so you can bet I'll be back very soon.

Adventures in Patan Durbar Square

note: pictures link to high-res downloads

Familiarity, that state in which one is comfortable with their surroundings, situation, etc., is perhaps one of the most sought after human emotions. What individual doesn't dream of walking into their local grocery store or barber shop, or restaurant, and feeling as if they were in the right place at the right time? I am in no way resistant to this way of thinking, in case you were wondering!

Today's selection of photos comes from a spot nary a 15 minute walk from my uncle and aunt's house in Patan, Patan Durbar Square. There are three Durbar (palace) Squares in Kathmandu Valley, one in Kathmandu, one in Patan and one in Bhaktapur. The reason there are three stems from the fact that before Nepal was a unified nation, at one point in time the Kathmandu valley contained three separate kingdoms. The rulers were brothers, who were bequeathed each of his respective kingdoms from their father after he had passed away. Patan durbar square is known as one of the most beautiful, for it's classical Newari style architecture, and it's high concentration of mandirs. The square is thought to have acquired many of it's monuments during the Malla dynasty, in which competition between the three kingdoms was at it's height.

By now many of you are calling

me a hypocrite and somewhat of a simpleton, because if I am in fact looking for farmiliarity, then I've completely eaten my own words. What am I doing in the complete opposite situation? The short and simple answer is that I wanted an unfamiliar situation; I felt that I had become too familiar with my familiarity, in a sense, of the U.S. and my way of living, etc. There are many reasons I wanted to come to Nepal, too numerous to itemize them all in a single blog post. But one of them was the urge to live and breathe and work in a place I was unfamiliar with. Up to the day I took these pictures, my second full day in Kathmandu, no feelings of unfamiliarity had fully entered my personal space. I would chalk this general ignorance of my situation up to the fact that I had only been here two days, more or less under the watchful eyes of my hosts. Of course, this is greatly appreciated and needed, but slowly I hope to become more independent, as I'm sure they do as well haha!

Uncertainty finally reared it's ugly face when I happened upon Durbar Square, much of which looks like the scenes depicted to the right and above. Finally in my element as a photographer, I quickly became fully overwhelmed with feelings of vulnerability, uncertainty, and chaos in general. To any local this little stunt would seem elementary at best; but for myself, it took a good deal of audacity. At this point I must give credit to Sita didi, my guide for the afternoon, for at least leading me to the general area.

'What a relief!' I thought to myself; I had finally made it to my gold mine of photographs. Not only was I paralyzed for a good ten minutes after my arrival, unable to take pictures, I

also found my usual photographic senses mucked up from the feelings described above. The heat magnified itself off of the red bricks of the square, which were seemingly as hot as the sun itself. Tourist bounded to and fro, looking for all the same shots I was looking for. What to do? I quickly evaluated my situation and decided to suck it up! I as well fully assumed my touristy nature and bounded to and fro, snapping pictures of all the familiar stupas and mandirs.

You may think that I regret my touristy actions, but this could not be further from the truth. Keeping my entire ordeal in mind, the collection of photographs you see here are not only special to me in the sense of what they are of, but also the emotions they represent to me. As a photographer, familiarity of a place is usually indispensable in capturing a great photograph; knowing a place leads to discovering the angles, subjects, and timing for the unique shot every photographer dreams of.

Perhaps I overreacted, but that's not something to worry about now. After much time, I began to realize that these historic spots around Nepal, Kathmandu especially, are exactly that: Tourist hot spots. The table full of figurines and statues was more or less a dead give away of that. In a way, this situation saddens me. Tourism is one of, if not the, biggest industries in Nepal today, therefore this shouldn't have surprised me. Without spots like this, the country would be in an even more shabby state than it already is. Perhaps I just wish I could have seen these mystical places at the height of their time. Although, I would not have been able to capture these pictures if that were the case!

So maybe I didn't have my usual photo-skills on my side that day, but the "best" shot was not my objective; the goal for the day was to put myself out there, when I knew I would feel vulnerable, and become more familiar with the places, people, and situations that are now occurring around me. I think I've at least gained some confidence and familiarity from my exploits; I hardly think I could've gone backwards. Every day brings with it new challenges, which I'm sure will increase in frequency as I become more independent. Hopefully this way of thinking will aid me and help me overcome the many obstacles I've yet to meet. Until the next post, I bid you adieu!

Blue Skies on Skyline Drive

note: pictures link to high-res downloads

Skyline Drive, 105 miles of pure bliss for any driving enthusiasts. The scenic byway is the northern sister of the larger (469 mi.) Blue Ridge Parkway, which continues the journey through the Appalachian chain to its terminus near Cherokee, North Carolina.

Armed with 5 cars, cameras and high spirits, my friends and I set out to see what the sizzling sun and winding road had in store for us. The day did not disappoint.

Although the entrance price is a bit high during peak season ($15 for months March through November), the cost is immediately accounted for on a day with blue skies and billowing white clouds. Soon after we entered the park and made the first climb, we stopped for the shot you see above.

The air was enveloped in humidity, owing to the fact that scattered thunderstorms dotted the landscape to the west and north of our location. Luckily not a drop of rain was felt through our entire journey, which was most certainly for the best.

The frequency in our stops diminished as the day wore on, as our pilots became more and more enthralled with the trumpeted blips of the throttle, the curves of the road, and the unadulterated bliss that resulted.

The group consisted of a single Spa yellow AP1 Honda S2000, in addition to 4 BMWs, ranging from an E36 325i up to the infamous E36 M3. Ubiquitous staring commenced the second the group of five arrived at the northern gate, bountiful in both approval and scorn.

We didn't care though. The day was ripe for the taking, and we were damn well going to take it.

By the time I next looked at my watch, 4:00 pm was at hand. Perched in a McDonalds near the town of Luray off of 211 west, the group decided to call it a day and head back to the congested and ugly landscape we knew all too well. I'll admit that Fairfax has its share of good scenery, but in the eyes of skyline drive it is merely drivel.

I'll leave you with one final picture, one of my favorites to say the least. Make sure you move aside if you see this car in your rear view :)