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Kathmandu Earthquake, 25 april 2015

Finally got to talk with my friends and family in Nepal and luckily they are safe. 

My closest family lives in a little bamboo cottage whats a quit safe place. Last night more then 30 people slept at their little house and even in their chicken run. Tonight more then 40 will arrive. 

My close friend was at school, run outside as the hole building collapsed. The few computers they had were destroyed. Just seen photos of people walking with tears in their eyes while seeing the old historical buildings being completely destroyed. 

All shops are closed. There is no electricity what means in most cases there is also no water.. 

I heard that the greenhouse we recently build as most of my fb followers probably have seen, is almost completely destroyed by the house that is next to it. It collapsed and fell on top of it so the bamboo, plastics and the plants are destroyed. 

I was just one the phone with friends in Kathmandu and they told me there was another earthquake around force 6.0 one hours ago. While being on the line my friend told me there was a new earthquake coming at this time and after that the connection was gone. So now again waiting to hear if they are safe and what was the result of another after shake....

Because photos speak even more:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/nepal/11562833/Massive-earthquake-hits-Kathmandu-Valley-in-Nepal-in-pictures.html?frame=3281320

Nepal Diary

 

Dairy Nepal 

31-12-2014

Need to get into the writing more but feel like I want to do too many things... Anyway yesterday was again an interesting day. So enough reason to write things down as a memory while things fade with time.

It feels good to be for a longer time in Kathmandu. Things sometimes just happen when you have more time at a certain place. It is a very good experience to be here on my own and try to get a sort of daily pattern that gives me a good feeling and is what I am searching for. That could be a goal by itself, but there is so many more. 

Yesterday afternoon I met Rohit, my friend a guide for most of the times in Nepal. He was just back from a trip with customers going to Chitwan. Now he also had diarrhea and felt like shit. So probably we don't leave tomorrow to Solu Khumbu area but I also like to celebrate New Year here in Kathmandu. I also still feel weak so no mountain biking for me today. Would be too frustrating because I read the itinerary and it is quite hard climb you the morning before getting tho a graduate smooth descent back to Kathmandu valley.

While having a masala dosa at Duth Sager and Rohit just a cup of tea because of his stomach, he told me there was New Year festival for the Gurung people. The festival known as Tamu Loshar. I went there after lunch and spend the whole evening up to the end of the festival around 23:30. There was a lot of singing and dancing. Also the traditional competition where the male on one side and the female on the other side, are battling with their lyrics. Of course and unfortunately I could not understand it. People invited me to dance and where very friendly. Nice to experience and just lucky to end up there. I might have been the only foreigner. On the way back I met on the streets with the winner of the festival. I guess she is quit famous here while everybody was shouting here name. I will include some photos. 

In between time and now at breakfast I am working on editing the video I shot of the Paleo workshop. Before leaving to a Dubai. There is a lot of footage and need to make selections for just a 2 to 3 minute video. The work have to be done anyway so nod bad to combine it here with some photography and cultural site seeing.  

Today's will explore another part of the city. Take a rest at the balcony before deciding where to be and celebrate at the midnight. 

 

01-01-2015 until 05-01-2015

No writing

Trail-Run Shivapuri National Park

To get to the run there was a bus pickup close to Thamel. I got up early to peeper myself and have a little breakfast with the muesli I brought from at home. I met other runners on the street, also waiting for the bus. The bus arrived and brought us to starting point at the bottom of the Shivapuri mountain. Here all runners got the number and latest information. Richard Bull is the organizer from this race and it was the 2de time it got organized. Around 7:30 the countdown for the race started and we took off. P

4:22 27 km

 

Trip to Necha

05-01-2015

In the bus

We left early as most of the bus rides in Nepal. I was very tired because the night I went to sleep late. I was sleeping most bits of the morning. This was the best part of the road to Okeldunga. Build by the Japanese and recently finished. J

 

06-01-2015

Long day walking with the children. I carried Rosani a few times and also the bag of the sister of Shoba. Nice views on the valleys. Sleeping at a family place where Rohit his grandmother was staying. She was ill so we visited her as soon as we arrived.

 

07-01-2015

Day one in Necha with relaxing at the family house. Eating Dal Bhat in the morning. They were having fun about the way I was eating with my hand. They have such a quick and nice way of eating with there hands that it is difficult to do it in the same way. Washing closes with fun from the wives. Rohit gone. Mother of rohit making plates from leaves. 

In the afternoon going up to market place and it started raining. So we took a cup of tea. When it stopes raining we walked up to Shoba her mother and brother. Arriving at sunset. Made a little fire in the kitchen where we sat down. We ate Dal Bhat and afterwards called with Kanchi to see if all was fine at the house in Kathmandu. We went to sleep. I had one bed and Rogit Shoba and Rosani shared the other bed. 

Day two with funeral ceremony down at the river. About 100 people joined. Then walking all the way up again to market place. Eating at a friends place and sleeping with uncle at his house. 

 

08-01-2015

Day three

Getting up was heard because of all the raksi. Had tea and then went to big kaki her house. We sat in the lovely morning sun for a while. At the next house there they just finished a ceremony to remember the parent passing about years ago. There was a priest inside and the sun shaved his head but leaving just a little hear left at the back of the head. Had Dal Bhat and sat down a bit more. Rosani was playing around. Sometimes playing with other children or running after the mother chicken with her young. 

Rohit told me about more cultural aspects. The tikka of Shoba is on tr top of her head and also she has a big green necklace with gold in the middle. Both show she is a married woman. Sometimes they even have a big tikka in their hair. Not in the middle but just a bit outside the middle of the forehead. 

At the beginning of the afternoon we walked to market place. There was a gathering of political people. It didn't looked like there was a lot of serious talking.

We left and walked further to the hospital were we should meet somebody to talk about ideas to get more Trekkers or tourist that are interested in local Nepali culture, to the village Necha. We talked a bit and then went to Shoba at Rohit his house. She went ahead to start cleaning the house because there hasn't been anyone for 3 years. We joined after the meeting. The house was full of dust, sand from the mud where the plaster the walls and floors with. We started upstairs and the went downstairs. We protected our face with cloth and cleaned with pieces of dried grass tight together. It worked quit well. Because there was no light in the house we used my headlight and lights from the phone. 

The family at the behind the house were taking the oranges from the trees. They challenged me by asking if I could help out by climbing in the tree to take the oranges out. 

 

11-01-2015

Day 4 Necha

Morning go to house of friends. I got invite red to eat a rice flower pancake that was really delicious. It was made in ghee so quit fat.

We went to the market to buy a black cloth for Shoba for the semenisyic ceremony.

 

12-01-2015

Trekking day 1

Necha to to river side village

Beautiful trail traversing the mountain. Rohit telling about moving to Kathmandu and starting work as a porter, wood worker and working for trekking agencies.

Finally defending to the riverside were we had lunch. 

Sleeping with big family. Watching a Nepali movie.

 

13-01-2015

Trekking day 2: Riverside village ??? to family in Diktel

We left early without breakfast at the family house. Just had a cup of tea. We followed the river went left and followed another big riverbed until the trail climbed up on a ridge. We followed the ridge until we saw the flags of the beginning of the village.

We got a lift from a ambulance jeep. 

 

14-01-2015

Trekking day 3: Diktel to Rabhuwa

 

15-01-2015

Rabhuwa to Necha

 

16-01-2015

Necha: resting day

 

17-01-2015

Last day in Necha

Last week I visited a school in the Necha village. They invited me to talk about educational subjects

 

24-02-2015

Trail Run 

I got up early to take a taxi from my friends place in Kapan. The evening before we arranged the taxi to bring me to the starting point of the Jamacho Jungle run in Nagarjun National Park. I was well on time and felt quit good. This would be my 2de official trail-run and again in beautiful Nepal. I read about it following the Nepal Trail Run website and Facebook. The subscription could take place at 7 while the run started at 7. My last run at Shivapuri National Park went well but was quit a disaster because I still had a virus. During the run I had to vomit a lot, had diarrhea a few times and my IT band problem was a gain making it a painful run. 

Because of the IT band problem that mainly occurred while defending, I decided to start quit fast and try to follow the Nepalis up on the climb to the top were the Jamacho Gumba was. All   

 

25-02-2015

In Hundu culture today is a special day. It's the day of worshiping the goddes Saraswati. She is the beloved goddes of knowledge, education, music and arts. In the house of my friend the family prepared some offerings around a little statue of the goddes. School books were put below the little formed altar. At this special day children that had they age to start at school could go there and subscribe to join the next day for classes. The southern of my friend also joined school at this day. We went to a private school quit close to their house. There were some activities and the children could meet their teacher. The teacher made some drawings with the daughter of my friend. We visited the offering place at the school and got a tikka and some biscuit. 

In the afternoon we went to Thamel to meet the owner of the Asian Heritage company. I owed him some money for renting the apartment and using his guide for 4 days in Solu Khumbu area during the trip to Halesi. Also took a good caffe latte at the restaurant Gaia. 

In the afternoon, on the way back, we went to Chabahil market close to the bus stand to search for a plastic store. We found one soon and measured how big piece of plastic we needed. Also we bought 2 big pieces of rope to fix the plastics on the rooftop.

 

26-02-2015

Changing the plastics for a bigger piece from 30x45 feet. There was quit some wind so it was very difficult to put the plastics around the greenhouse. We found out that now the plastics was about 6 meters longer. So we decided to buy net bamboo next morning and make the greenhouse a few meters larger. We cleared the ground with grown spinach that was ready to eat and plowed the ground. 

 

27-02-2015

In the morning we searched for bamboo in the lower market area in Kapan. We found it for a good price, 10 pieces for 2000 roepies what's about 20 euro. Because this place was about 15 minutes walk from home we had to arrange some transport for the bamboo. At the same time we were buying the bamboo there was a customer with a bicycle with chart to transport things. We hired him for the transport for 250 roepies.

After bringing the bamboo home we started to build the extension for the greenhouse. We used the same structure. In between time I decided to increase the level of some parts at the side of the greenhouse to make it more flat and stable. I used sand from other parts that also needed to be flattened out. The entrance to the garden was a little step down. The steps were not structured and leveled. I decided to get rid of the old steps, make it a little shorter but used stones to make it more stable. Later we could make it more strong by putting a mixture with mud and cow pie on top of it. 

After finishing the bigger part with bamboo we put the plastic over the structure.  There was a strong wind that sometimes took the plastic. Unfortunately there were some sharp parts left were the plastic got cut on 3 places. We would fix it later. Now we needed to fix the plastic very tight to the ground. There were holes on the sides of the plastic were we put pieces of bamboo in. On the other side the plastic was a little to big so we raped it inside out and put stones and mud on it to keep it at place. 

 

28-02-2015

Finishing the greenhouse and making the tables on each side.

Necha Teacher Development Meeting

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Last week I got invited for a Necha Teacher Development Meeting. All the teachers of a Necha were present and they together with the students they preformed speeches and dances with traditional folk music. While being there and seeing that almost none critical subject involved with education or development were involved I got motivated to talk about some subjects. I asked if I could give a speech and there could be a translator for me. They didnt mind so I started writing a speech and chose one subject to highlight. Of course it should be a respectful speech to the hole community and the education program they were developing. But during my stay in Necha in April and now in Januari I realized that the plastic garbage increased very quickly. As I spoke about this subject I realized that most of the people didn't understood the importance or the effect that after years this plastic could waste their water quality. Most people are thinking it is just about the environmental look that tourist don't like plastic in the nature. But they don't understand if plastic as small parts gets into their water system it can make a lot of people and also their animals sick. I challenged myself because I am quit a shy person. But there was something in me that was forcing me to do this. My believe and also the fact that I now realized that if people wouldn't understand or disapprove I wouldn't care about it. I just wanted to share my thoughts no matter what. While talking sentence for sentence, being translated by the chairmen of the Himalayan Foundation. 
I changed the speech a little bit but this is my draft for it:

"Namaste

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Excuse me for not being able to speak in you languish. 

Thank you very much for being here with all of you. It is great to see so many people have been working on these displays for the the education of so many people. 

As a westerner of course I have some differences with all of you. I am glad that the world is different. That is also why I visit for example Necha.

During the days a stayed in Necha I have been learning a lot about organic food, farming, and how to make a beautiful house with everything that nature and the land provides. I feel very privileged that so many habitants from Necha have been sharing al this with me. 

Because of this I want to give and share back. or me there is 1 though that I would like to share with you.

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I found that this beautiful village has got more and more plastics in the environment, compared to my last visit. I want to explain to you what happens with this plastic. After years it will evaporate, diminish into microscopic parts. These parts will stay in the ground and finally water will pick these parts up. The water we drink in this village is not filtered. It is very hard to filter these parts from the water. For that reason I would like to ask you to please be careful with putting these plastics in the environment. ease teach the children about this. Let's collect the plastics at every house and later at a central place. We all are responsible of keeping this earth as good and clean as possible.

Thank you for your time and again for visiting this beautiful village Necha!
Danjebat! "

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Luckily people were very respectful afterwards and told me they liked it. I could feel that some of them couldn't deal with the critics of it but still they very polite. Some told me it is good I shared it with them and they would do as much as they can to make changes for the future. I got about 15 prayer scarfs as a gift and they thanked me way to many times. I hope only a little percentage of it will stick to their minds and I realize that things are different here and change also just takes time.

Kathmandu Valley Shivapuri Trail-Run

Kathmandu Valley Shivapuri Trail-Run

The map of the 27 km run.

The map of the 27 km run.

After having diarrhea for about a week I didn't felt very strong. But with a good dinner and breakfast in the stomach I started very hopeful. There was pa pick-up bus close to tamel to drive to the north part of Kathmandu. Here hè Shivapuri National Park started. The trail would crime al the wat up to the Shivapuri mountain (2732 meter). Close to the startingpoint you could collectie your nummer and leave your backpack.

 

A little further were the gate to the National Park was all the runners feathered for the takeoff. The countdown was given and I started my first official trail run. we took off. The trail started going up steep on stairways. I was quit close to the front of all the people and tried to find my own pace.

 

Running wasn't possible on the steep steps. The Nepalis took off really fast. I had to let go some of them but found one nepali and 2 western competitions who almost had the same pass and stayed close to them. My hard rate went up quit fast but I realized that I wasn't out of breath at all. After a minute or 10 everyone around me started to slow down a bit.

 

My legs started to response from the steep start as well so I just kept pace. We climbed steeply on to the ridge what would lead to the top. On the way I felt my breakfast coming up and a bit later I started vomiting in a few separate bits. I hoped it would fade and kept going.

 

 

When I arrived on the ridge there was an exit to take for 27 km and one to leave for 17 km. a little further I felt my stomach getting mixed up and with a lot of pressure. A quick stop and again diarrhea. I recovered and for a long time I could walk quit fast.

 

The trail now got from stairs to a beautiful small trail going gently up the ridge to the top. I run on with a guy from France that looked very professional but tried to not get distracted about it. I aspected to find a check point at he top with some drinks and energy food but didn't found a place like this. So decided to go down and keep some speed following a young Nepali guy.

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e told me he also joined a trail run for the first time. But to my opinion he didn't walked like this. Especially down the Nepalis are very fast and hard to follow. After descending for about one hour I was very happy to find a food and drink place, because I was running out of energy.

 

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There was energy drink, Mars and some cake what day advised me to eat. I tasted it and it was almost pure sugar. I still wasn't feeling well and this sugar kick made me feel even worse. At the check point I was really surprised. They told me I was the 3de not Nepali in the race for 27 km.  

I started running again with a mouth full of this cake. While running I decided to better not finish it and to spit it out because all I drunk and eat was already coming up. 

 

The decent went on over a jeep trail and there were some places with shortcuts on a smaller trail. With again some vomiting I tried to get my pace again but felt really weak. Halfway the decent a Italian female runner came aside and for half an hour I was capable to keep following her. I had to give in because my returning injury, a runners knee, came up really bad. Later another not Nepali runner would chase me in.

The last hour I couldn't run anymore and just walk down as fast as I could. Is was a nice jeep trail surrounded by forest and fields. After 4 hours and 22 minutes I came across the finish. Still a great time and 5 place of the not Nepalis. Even with the difficulties I was really glad to have done this trail run in Kathmandu, Nepal. 

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Kathmandu // 30 december 2014

31-12-2014

 

Need to get into the writing more but feel like I want to do too many things... Anyway yesterday was again an interesting day. So enough reason to write things down as a memory while things fade with time.

It feels good to be for a longer time in Kathmandu. Things sometimes just happen when you have more time at a certain place. It is a very good experience to be here on my own and try to get a sort of daily pattern that gives me a good feeling and is what I am searching for. That could be a goal by itself, but there is so many more. 

Yesterday afternoon I met Rohit, my friend a guide for most of the times in Nepal. He was just back from a trip with customers going to Chitwan. Now he also had diarrhea and felt like shit. So probably we don't leave tomorrow to Solu Khumbu area but I also like to celebrate New Year here in Kathmandu. I also still feel weak so no mountain biking for me today. Would be too frustrating because I read the itinerary and it is quite hard climb you the morning before getting tho a graduate smooth descent back to Kathmandu valley.

While having a masala dosa at Duth Sager and Rohit just a cup of tea because of his stomach, he told me there was New Year festival for the Gurung people. The festival known as Tamu Loshar. I went there after lunch and spend the whole evening up to the end of the festival around 23:30. There was a lot of singing and dancing. Also the traditional competition where the male on one side and the female on the other side, are battling with their lyrics. Of course and unfortunately I could not understand it. People invited me to dance and where very friendly. Nice to experience and just lucky to end up there. I might have been the only foreigner. On the way back I met on the streets with the winner of the festival. I guess she is quit famous here while everybody was shouting here name. I will include some photos. 

In between time and now at breakfast I am working on editing the video I shot of the Paleo workshop. Before leaving to a Dubai. There is a lot of footage and need to make selections for just a 2 to 3 minute video. The work have to be done anyway so nod bad to combine it here with some photography and cultural site seeing.  

Today's will explore another part of the city. Take a rest at the balcony before deciding where to be and celebrate at the midnight. 

Kathmandu, back to Nepal.

It's great to be back in Kathmandu. I visited my Nepali friend Rohit and his family with Christmas. It was so nice to spend the time with them, especially with Christmas. Got sick the day after. Probably because his souther, Rosani, was also vomiting and I was quit close. 2 days on the bed, vomiting and diarrhea. Now 4 days later finally feeling a bit better. Have been bouldering yesterday. There is a very small but nice climbing place with friendly people. The wall is nothing special but what can you aspect in the 3de poorest country in Asia. Met the Nepali Climbing Champion and perhaps helping him out later to build a campus board. Traveling alone can be difficult but at the same time nice meet interesting people. It is a good learning process to travel alone, find my way and seek what I am after.

Yesterday I walked throw town and for the first time with my camera. With a wide circle I went to Durbar Square. An ancient place in the middle of town with very old tradition building with beautiful wood carvings. There I met 2 girls from Spain. In the afternoon we had a nice walk to Swayambhunath temple and had a great sunset from the temple based on the top of a hill looking out over the city. Spanish people I find a lot more expressive then Dutch for instance. I like that and it makes them much more easy going too. Find it difficult myself sometimes being shy but it helps spending time with them. 

Some final thoughts on Dubai. 
Dubai was amazing. The duality between the enormous high buildings, amazing cars (like ford mustangs everywhere), rich people showing off. And on the other hand local areas like Deira, where people live like in many of the poor places of Asia. I find it a very interesting but sometimes also sad situation to experience. Although the people from Arian, Pakistan, India, Nepal I met where extremely friendly, not after you money, and liked to have an interesting conversation. Especially the people from India I find so manny times very interesting, lectured about many global aspects, history and it is so nice that they are so proud of there country. Only 18 % of the population in Dubai is from origin from the emirates. Men and women ration is 3:1. Anyway enough facts, but interesting place. When I met a Indian business guy at dinner at a local food place, he mentioned proudly; if all the Indians would leave from Dubai, their economy will collapse. It made him even more proud of being Indian. Btw in Deira you can eet for les then 2 euro at local Pakistani food places, and amazing good food. Look for the place where all the locals go so you have more chances on good food and not getting sick.


To anyone reading this. Enjoy New Year and Happy New Year!

Portret Project Pogoria III, Poland

Recently I've been to a friend in Poland to co-work on a photography / video project. The project was about shooting models at the location of a sailing club. For me it was the first time I've been working intensify with models. It was even more a very challenging project because I don't spoke any Polish and the models didn't spoke and only understood a little bit of English. A lot of non-verbal communication and giving examples of the pose or total image your are trying accomplish. 

It was a great experience and the models were very flexible what helped me to explore my creativity as a photographer but also being able to direct and compose the shots I wanted. Of course I prepared my self before I went there with getting the images in mind and getting ahead in the creative proces of shooting at a sailing club and on sailing boats. 

If you like take a look at some images of the project:

Senior portraits of Jan

in

Jan invited me to come and take his senior portraits. He is at the point were he is going to finish university and will be ready for the job market.So it is important to show yourself with a photo the way you are. I tried to capture a business wise and personal part of him.