Todays photos come from the Tharu village in the national park of Bardia which must be one of the best places to see wildlife in Nepal. The Tharu were the original settlers of the Tari belt or Southern Nepal and are considered to one of the poorer castes but i have to admit they know how to use natural materials to build their homes. 

As the photos below show.

This photo shows the inside of a bamboo and mud house and how they fashion cupboards into the walls. This to me is making the most of what you have.

Same here you can see big storage containers made from natural materials and ideal for keeping out rodents and small scavenging animals that can come in from the jungle close by.

A typical Tharu house, maybe not mossie proof but warm in the Winter and cool in the summer and if you need to repair it then bamboo and mud materials are all around.

This is one photo i like because they use the roof for growing vegetables.  

Its been a busy week as I have had to return to work after a week on the sick with a chest infection. But back to the photos. Kathmandu is a very unique diverse city where one street its ultra modern and then the next is a slum. Being the capitol city it attracts Nepali from all over the country in hope of finding a better future.

The first photo shows the sort of buildings you can see in the more affluent areas of Kathmandu.

  

But in most areas the homes are more modest with whole families surviving in just a couple of rooms. because there is no government support people do what they have to do to survive.

Other Nepali make do with what they can build. Most of these homes are seen as better alternatives to the homes they left behind in the villages.

Its a city that is worth visiting at least once in anyone's life. 

In many places across Nepal this is the standard way of carrying because of the geographical layout of the land. I have seen young girls and old ladies struggling under heavy bags of rice which would put young strong men in the Western world to shame. 

Having no access to freezers or fridges all of the food is made by hand, every day a new variety and always fresh.

One of the worse jobs in Nepal to have to do, its hard on the fingers, wrists, hands and so, so boring but its has to done.

Outside of the cities many people have to rely on the old way of getting around. Its changing slightly but still this is a common sight in many rural villages in Chitwan and across the South. Hence why the pace of life is so slow there.

Everyone has to help, the sacks on these bikes are full of feed for the buffalos, cows and goats. Just to get these you have to make a several mile round trip.

Final one for the day, a regular sight in the village in fact in 4 years of being there I only saw one tractor working. Best thing with this one is this man has a mobile phone in his pocket and at one point was steering the plough with one hand and holding the phone with the other.

For more experience of Nepal see www.ehn-nepal.org 

Experience Himalayan Nepal was first formed in 2010 by Raj and myself with just a website and a small office in his back room and no budget. Since then we have been joined by others (Phil Palmer in particular) who share the passion of our work as a volunteer organization that wants to achieve so much more than just placing volunteers. Our dreams of actually creating an international NGO that creates, builds and runs projects designed to make a difference is becoming a reality as every day passes.
But because our website and Facebook page are dedicated to our work I feel that many people (unless you volunteer through us miss out on experiencing the true beauty of Nepal. Over the years both Phil and I have amassed a large number of photos not related to volunteering that deserve to be shown because in these you can see Nepal at its best.
The aim of this blog is to show these photos to the World to see what you are missing.

So if you are viewing this blog for the first time please check out our;

 Website            www.ehn-nepal.org

Facebook page. www.facebook.com/ExperienceHimalayanNepal

We are a fully registered NGO in Nepal 

Certificate of Social welfare Council Registration No 30727

District Administrative Office Kathmandu Registration No: 219

and come and see these photos in real life.

The main reason why all of this started the summit of Mount Everest taken on my first trip to Nepal. After reading about Sherpa Tenzing and Sir Edmund as many do I  made a promise I would one day go there and I did. The rest is history.

The base camp from the track leading to it, tired, suffering from altitude sickness and ready to head back to the warmth of Chitwan I can still remember the sense of achievement when I was standing there.

Pore posts will follow soon but if you want to experience Nepal then why not through EHN?
www.ehn-nepal.org