Eye that suffered...

As i was more exposed to daylight and travel in the dusty environment everyday, i was conscious about the eye weakness so i thought to visit the Hospital in Tripureshower. Firstly i took a normal ticket to check my eyes, but there was long queue of the eye patient and when i was about to enter the room the doctor leaves for tea breaks for 30mins and it says they refer to other doctors room for detail check up which will take at least 2-3hrs because there was long line already in other places. This is the bitter truth of hospital service we have. People have to wait like a whole day to checkup and i cann´t stay in big mass for a long time.

So after having some tea and snacks, i got the information that their is the pay clinic, which is expensive but less queue as compare to normal check up. So, i went to that counter for ticket, there were only 5 people before me, and did the eye examinations with doctor. The doctor and nurses were shocked to know that i had very less ( below  than average)  natural tear in my eyes after check up, so as the conclusion she refers to use the refresh tear and gel in each 2 hrs time and have to re-examine the eyes after 2 weeks time. Doctor suggest not to go in dust, pollution and Sunlight, but i can´t escape those things until m here in the Dustmandu. At that moment i feel little depressed that i was entering the digital world with ill eyes :-( So, i think i should leave the Dustmandu soon to care my eyes... (not sure when)

These are my eye doses, so now on i should be more careful about things that affects eyes directly. To some context, i can avoid the direct sunlight and digital light but what about the tiny dust particles, air pollution which exist in most of the places in the Kathmandu...

how day ends...

Namaste everyone, wishing you all happy new year 2075 esp to nepali friends. Since my eyes are ill and weak and also i have joined workshop to learn more about telling stories through photograph, i wasn´t able to update my blog. This is picture of Momo restaurant in Pulchowk which is quite popular place. There were many customer having momos, some even takeaway to their family and friends. 

After sitting 4hrs in one place (attending workshop) and food inside your body gets digested, you need to re-fill fuel again. Since i have to travel 2 hrs in public bus afterward to reach home, i must have some energy, so i tried having veg momo there. I thought this place was full of customer due to new year, but after having conversation with women in front of me, its like that everyday, means people enjoy eating their variety of momos. She had buff and mine was veg, taste good !!! If i dn´t eat here, i will have no time to cook in late evening, where m already fully tired and body needs rest. When i have to eat outside to stay away from gastric, i do  miss homemade food prepared by mom.

Traveling in a public bus in Kathmandu is not that systematic, esp in the evening people have to wait long time to get in to bus which are already seat full, they have no choice except to accept the current situation and system. As people move to cities to have better opportunities, but they have to digest different difficulties on the way like dust, pollution, and system that nobody follows.

It took nearly half hour to get in  the next local bus around 7.30pm and problem is the same, small space but many passengers. Since there was no full air in this microbus tire, the driver deny to drive it, and he get out and hang around until the extra passenger doesn´t gets out of micro. So, it was already late to get back home and drivers make even very late to reach on time. In this kind of situation i think morning class are better than evening who dn´t have personal vehicle. :-(

Finally today, i got chance  to capture long exposure from the overhead bridge while i was crossing it,  i was happy at that moment :-) Although it was getting late to go home, i spent around 15mins trying different exposure setting and enjoyed how light flows in the dark.

Every story has an end !!!

Every story has an end and every end is a new beginning.  Now i have only few hours to spend in such wonderful, peaceful environment, so i woke up early  and went for morning walk to enjoy nature around and self. Took this photo on the way to Tudikhel, i like this picture where there is smoke burning in farmland with moon and that popular hill station.

While walking to Tudikhel, i took a cup of takeaway tea so, i can have it with nature. As the sun was rising slowly, i took several shots with Sun & tea. Both were giving warmness to me, a new day to start again so, i called it ``Sun Tea``. Although i have to return back to KTM today, but i want to enjoy this moment fully which will pass away soon. Exploring Bandipur and self was a good decision which i took, i learn many things from different situation, m sure it will remain in my memory forever.

I took this picture while i was having breakfast which is in  half  light and dark. They were having tea talks with Sunrise.

Talking about the Old house Cafe where i stayed, it was like a home to me, where you can find good rooms, wi-fi, and food is mouthwatering. I recommend to you al,l if you ever visit Bandipur. Hope you will like it too :-) It doesn´t feel good to return back to Ktm, but i must go, beautiful moments are very short in life, which lasts forever. Hope to come back again.

It was my first traveling experience in Micro bus. Although they have few seat than a bus, but their speed is too high, which kept me awake throughout my travel journey. There were several times, which could lead to an accident due to high speed and over taking fashion in the highway. I recommend you to take a tourist bus to escape high speed and risk of an accident. Eventhough time has pass so quickly and this journey has come to an end, but i must take every new day as a new beginning and learn to live in each moment mindfully. Thank you all for following my updates with things i write in blog. Much luv.

Day - II

When ever i visit new place, its very difficult to fall asleep, so slept only 5hrs and woke up at 4 am, since there was internet, listened music till 5.30am and i try to get out, but the door was locked so, had to wait for 15mins to get out of hotel. Then i head towards small hill  west direction to see the Sunrise. It took 35mins to reach the top, where tourist go to see the rising Sun. Took several shots, since it wasn´t that clear weather, cudn´t get wow shot, but i like this pic of foreigner watching the Sunrise.

After having breakfast i move to the Siddha Cave which was 1:15 mins walk  in the Jungle (north ) from Bandipur. When i started to walk, there were 3 other foreigner going to same place, but they took several breaks and walked slowly since 2 of them was around 65yrs. Walking trail was mostly stone steps going down and there was handle on the left hand side, which made easy to walk, actually i prefer to go up the hill than down, so my legs was already shivering time to time on the way. Since, i was travelling alone in the jungle, i was enjoying the nature, sound of birds and also scared sometime, i try to calm down, relax and move on nomatter what happens. Life starts, where comfort zone ends, so i began to move forward, eat some bars and water on breaks on way. Traveling solo is a way to challenge self and know how to manage the risk on the way. You are on your own, there is none to ask for, so you have to decide everything by oneself.

Main entrance of Cave where little guide and Baba (yogi) is performing some puja to Lord Shiva.

It was the longest and most challenging bridge i have ever crossed, it was completely dark, nothing to hold your hands on, when i look down and tried to step ahead, i cudn´t move a step forward due to fear of falling into dark :-( so i decided to get down backward. Still those 27 steps remind me like i was going in a  mountain expedition to climb & bear the risk of life. 

This cave was found 30 yrs back, i can´t imagine how yogis used to meditate in that huge cave without rays of light.  It length is 437m and 45m height. This cave is the biggest in Nepal and 2nd biggest in South Asia.  I can´t explain how dark, big and mysterious it was to see, and understand it. As told by little guide, this image in the picture look like a tiger head, which i try to capture. Since there was no light at all inside, cudn´t take nice shots as i want to. 

After exploring the cave with the help of torch light, i knew  how important is it  to capture good image with the direct sunlight and in human life too. Without light we can´t differentiate one object to another what it looks like, and how object change its dimension with changing Sunlight. If there was any special light system inside cave, i think it will be a popular destination to travelers worldwide. Murmuring echos of yogi is still in my ears, as he was meditating calmly, peacefully with no distraction. May he find peace within !!!

The day was full of adventure and it was 37 degree in the midday, although i was going to half boil, i managed to walk down next 30min to get bus to Bandipur from Dumre. My curiosity to explore the cave has made me to forget my hunger, so i had late lunch at 3pm in the hotel, which was so delicious, Nepal Thali set. :-)

While i was having lunch some sparrow came to light stand, looks at street so i took several instant shot. To be continued...

Long awaited journey!!! Day I

Although Ktm is geographically suitable to stay, but these days it has turn into city of pollution, over population, unplanned city and we lack fresh air to breath, pure water to drink, and organic food to eat, so, eventhough  its for a few days, i plan to stay away from Dustmandu.

Farmland being captured during short break near Malekhu.

Relief to the eyes after seeing greenery so clearly after 2 months  and its easy to breath freely here, dust make us feel annoyed easily, tired mentally. It was taken above Dumre, where i changed local bus.

Main Street of Bandipur(1030m, and 143 km to west of KTM) which is hometown of Newari and Magar community, i arrived there at 4.30pm, women in picture looks like she is returning from office to her home.

After looking around, i finally got the hotel to stay which is calm, clean and feels like m back in home.

To be continued...

Rising from Stupa!!!

 Since, today was full moon, i went to shoot around the Stupa in the morning. There was many people doing ``Kora```means round in Tibetian language. During the New moon and full moon, there are other differently able (esp Blind,  disable) people also visit Stupa to have some money from the kind Buddhist who offers them to their best health and support.

This picture was taken inside the Stupa, there are many wooden board where different age group of people perform ``Chhyak`` offering oneself mentally and physically by sliding on that board for more than 108 times a day. Its a kind of great exercise to the mind and body with the spiritual benefits where one is fully focused on one thing.

A women having breakfast before she starts it, where as others are continuing to do which need strong mind and body to perform ``Chhyak`` and wishes happiness to all being on earth.

Since, there was ``Temal Jatra`` in Boudha yesterday where esp, Tamang people offers Kora to Stupa and Dohari (singing competition) whole night over there. So temporary roof of that program is being shot as a frame to the fotos.

Golden hour !!!

While capturing the moments in frame, its very important to take pictures during the Golden hour, which allows you to get warmness of Sun in fotos, soft colors and  if you click on the right time, it will become one of the art work.
Here, women is touching the feet of statue as she is wishing something deep inside her heart, where as the shadow of men makes it more interesting. Someone is always watching you directly or indirectly towards your action.
Having faith in self and god, it make you choose the right path, perform right action and maintain peace of mind in every situation.

Having a clear vision an mind is important to perform any activities, man in picture is praying with focused mind where as the girl in the picture seem confuse like what´s going on? Either she don´t like smell of incense burning or she mayn´t be happy with the self.

I like the morning after the heavy rain, it just clears up polluted air and we can feel the freshness of the environment around us. Since, its landscape, i try to capture some layers, and many colors in it.
We worship the god in temple everyday but we forget to think about its surrounding which is shown by reflection. So self reflection in our action is important subject to think about. We only do the things which we like it, and ignores the rest we dn´t like. I think we should change that mindset.