giving back
over the past couple of weeks, i have had the pleasure of meeting and photographing individuals who believe in giving a share of what they have been blessed with back to society. they are:
sir richard butler, philanthropist and a member of the pestalozziworld board of trustees. learn about pestalozziworld’s work in nepal from an interview my colleague suvayu pant conducted here.
bimala shrestha pokharel (front, centre), owner of higher ground cafe, bakery & crafts. higher ground actively seeks at-risk individuals, especially women, and those from the lower income group and provides them with training and job opportunities. read my article on the business here.
dan austin, filmmaker (his most famous work being true fans), cycling fanatic and one of the founders of 88bikes, a project that aims to empower children in rural areas all around the world with the freedom and joy of owning their own bicycle. read ahmad’s article on the project’s work in nepal here.
for more posts direct from nepal, click here.
a month of portraits
shot a few portraits this month and here’s sharing some of my favourites.
dipendra shakya, owner of himalaya apartment hotel.
sudesh shrestha, owner of new orleans coffee shop.
gagan kunwar, owner of vesper cafe.
gagan pradhan, founder and owner of himalayan java.
kiran nepali, sarangi player in kutumba, a nepali folk band.
for more posts direct from nepal, click here.
jhamel not thamel
me and me ahmad are in the midst of working on a microsite for a feature that we recently completed on an up-and-coming restaurant area in kathmandu comprising of jhamsikhel, jawalakhel and pulchowk. this area is poised to dethrone thamel, the de-facto haven for fine dining.
it is great to see weeks of hard work (interviewing restaurant owners, shooting pictures, etc.) coming to fruition and i will be sure to update as soon as the microsite is ready.
for the abridged version published on nepali times, click here.
for more posts direct from nepal, click here.
the killer slope
drivers in nepal are known for their recklessness and blatant disdain for traffic rules. it would seem as though those same rules were written and destined only to be run over by the chaotic hordes on the roads. i tried to envision what being a traffic police here must be like – if a road maniac or the carcinogens don’t kill you, the frustration will.
just yesterday i witnessed a manifestation of the above while on my way to work – a bus driven off the road and hanging precariously off the side of a drop. good thing the driver was traveling uphill when that happened or the result might have been a lot worse. he was no longer around when i reached the scene but i didn’t see any trace of blood in the driver’s cab when i looked.
me and ahmad have taken to calling this particular stretch along satdobato-godavari road “the killer slope” (it took us a few tries before we conquered it on our bikes). that has now taken on a new meaning, of course.
better slow down when going downhill.
some of the passers-by trying to tow the bus back onto solid ground. i am not sure if it was wise for that man to go on the side (which is now the top) of the bus like that.
i initially thought this man was the driver. he was walking around the scene and tearing up a little. i asked him (mostly with hand gestures) if he was the driver and he said no. since no one around could really explain to me what happened, i assumed he was somehow hurt in the accident and got patched up on the spot.
for more posts direct from nepal, click here.
