Nepal Diary iii - Chautara ko Baje

When you are trekking, you will find a 'chautara' generally after a steep portion of walking, where you can take breaks and rest. This is often where you get the chance to talk to lots of different people: the local villagers, porters, tourists and travellers. 

I met this elderly man on our way to Ghandruk while we were resting at a chautara. He was carrying water in his doko (basket). Although I don't remember the brief conversation we had, I am glad I managed to take a few pictures. He was surprised to see a Nepali with a big camera and mentioned that he was only used to seeing foreign tourists to be carrying those. I guess I was a tourist in my own country in many ways.

Nepal Diary ii - Phewa Lake

I took these pictures at 'Phewa Lake' in my hometown Pokhara. It is a beautiful lake that is famous across the country, particularly, tourists and travellers as it is right by the tourist centre of Lakeside. For others, it is also famous for a religious purpose as an island in the middle of the lake is where the famous 'Barahi Temple' is and you will always see boats of people carrying offerings (coconut, sweets, flowers, tika) all placed in a beautiful plate made out of dried tree leaves that are sewed together.

Going to Phewa lake during my visit made me quite upset. The reason being that when I had lived in Pokhara for the most part of my life, I had only been there twice! Going back as an adult and being able to appreciate the beauty of the lake and the tranquility and peace it offered, I felt upset that I had not been able to fully embrace that while I was actually living there. I sat by where many of the boats were docked and watched as religious devotees flocked them, some excited, some nervously jumping on the boat and holding tight to both sides. Afterwards, I walked along the shore and found a quiet area of the lake where there weren't many people and you could see many empty boats floating on the soft waves and you could see the surrounding hills enclosing around the lake. It was so quiet you could hear the boats rocking gently with the calm of the water. I am grateful that such a place of serenity is in my hometown and I was and am truly moved by its beauty.

Nepal Diary i - Happy Home

I have been going through pictures from my trip to Nepal few years and am slowly sharing them online. One of my favourite memories from my visit was spending time with the children at Happy Home. The children were there either because they were orphans, on the streets or from very under privileged backgrounds. They were not used to a Nepali volunteer so I was immediately appointed as the storyteller as I could read them stories in Nepali. They loved hearing fairytale stories in English too and one of the stories I read them was 'The Pied Piper of Hamelin' which I translated to Nepali as I read along.
On my last day there, I was able to print out some of the pictures I had taken during my stay there. I have never before seen a photograph bring so many smiles.