Grass Pickers

It was well worth it to get out of bed at 4 in the morning..

...and I sure dont get to say that often..

Kung Fu Nuns

They meditate, pray, do their daily chores around the temple and then hurry to their Kung Fu class. These are all part of the daily routine for the nuns from Druk Amitabha Mountain, outside the Ring Road in Kathmandu.



Just about 2 weeks after my arrival to Nepal, when I started to work for the Kathmandu Post my very first task arrived – "The Kung Fu Nuns of Amitabha Mountain" my assignment sheet read. I couldn’t wait till the next morning to go visit this Buddhist temple up in the mountains and for the entire day observe how they combine religion with martial arts.





After my first ride on a motorcycle on the overcrowded streets of Kathmandu, the reporter and I were picked up by a couple of nuns who drove us up the hills in their jeep on steep, rocky road. With motion sickness in progress we passed the gates with 5 statues of seated Buddhas who overlook the Valley… We were up high in many different ways..





Founded and designed by His Holiness Gyalwang Drukpa 18 years ago, this nunnery is famous for its Kung Fu lessons, which the nuns attend twice a day. In contrast to monastic communities living under traditional patriarchal standards where nuns are treated as servants and denied the same opportunities that monks enjoy, in Druk Amitabha, the environment is quite different. Gender equality is promoted by His Holiness himself.





Quite fascinating is the health clinic they run, which opens daily for the nuns as well as locals from surrounding villages. The clinic practices Western medicine alongside Tibetan and homeopathic methods and there is an eye clinic as well.





After this inaugural visit that I found rather overwhelming, it was not even a week later when I decided to come back with a colleague reporter to spend a night at Amitabha to document a whole 24 hours of their routines, and to have the privilege of meeting His Holiness.




I have to say, I never felt safer on an assignment before…

Wild Rhinoceros

I was a bit skeptical to go photograph rhino in the jungle the day after I was chased by one..

The only reason I was able to come as close as about 2 meters away from him was a wound on his leg. He couldn't run and kept munching on his dinner while I was snapping shots away.

It was one of the most memorable adventures I have had in Nepal.

Never Say Never

A 4 AM wake-up call I simply accepted as the price to pay for an adventure I was after, not knowing yet at that early hour that the real price I was about to pay for that day will be lot more breathtaking.

The idea to photograph a group of crazy tourists, ready to throw themselves into a 525 foot deep canyon over the Bhote Kosi river on the Tibetan border seemed quite appealing to me. Also, I was about to leave Nepal a couple days later so I wanted to end my 3 month long adventure with a “sweet” conclusion.



We got on a bus in Kathmandu and about 3 hours later faced one of the deepest bungee and swing jumping spots in the world.

Some participants seemed more scared then others, but all were determined to jump regardless of their fear. And they did. However, as I interviewed them every step of the way somehow I felt lucky not to be one of them.



It was not until later that day, when I was confronted with the question: “So, you gonna jump next?” I laughed and continued working.

I photographed one jump after another, climbing up and around the bridge from all possible directions realizing that I was dealing with the most challenging assignment I had came across in the entire 3 months. I just couldn’t get a good photo out of it.

That frustration, most likely, had a lot to do with what was coming up next.



When I was asked again and again and again when it would be that I would jump, “to be able to better write my story” I didn’t laugh anymore. In fact I was getting irritated and had about enough. “Fine!! Where is the damn harness, where are the clips, put that ‘hell’ on me and whomever wants my lunch ticket take it, I’m not gonna need it anymore!”

Peer pressure is certainly underestimated..



There I was, a few minutes later, falling through the air with two questions that seemed crucial at the moment: “What the hell am I doing?” and “Why in the world can’t I scream?” I had 6 seconds of free fall to deliberate on those two topics, which at that moment seemed more then enough time..



It took me the whole 30 minutes walking back up the steep hills to realize what had just happened. I sat on a stone to take a break, I put my feet in a waterfall and splashed the cold water all over myself. I was in a zone and loved every second of that sweaty steep hike up back to the resort.

So, my dear “co-jumpers,” thank you for not letting me focus on my work properly that day and pushing me off that bridge instead, by your so consistent and so annoying comments.

I’m truly grateful to you for so nonchalantly erasing this task from my “Never to do” list…

Faces of Biratnagar

After several days in the Himalayan region, overlooking the peak of Mt. Everest while photographing story of tea, the Maoists stole my peace.. Their strike was planned for the following day which set up an early end to my stay in Kuwapani.

I packed my bags and headed down the hills. My flight wasn't scheduled until the following day so I stayed in a hotel in city Biratnagar for one night.

This very industrial town, on the border with Indian was harsh transition to the reality after spending few days in the Himalayan paradise.. However, I was ready to explore.. At down and dusk I hired a rickshaw to head out to meet the people.

The little nepali I knew by then, took me a long way. It wasn't so bad, after all..