People Of Nepal

This is a sadu or holy man. Or he appears to be, that is. I was told there are "fakes," who dress that way for better luck with panhandling. I can't say for sure if this is the real thing or not.

I took another photo of this same monk on a different day, wearing a bright blue, knit Nike cap. In that picture, he's sitting in the same place, wearing his monk garb, holding his prayer beads.

I took this photo of the Nepali child while stuck in traffic. I was in a taxi, on the way to the airport in Kathmandu to fly to the smaller city of Pokhara. I didn't have much time to spare when I finally got to the airport.

I was told this man, like a number of others seen panhandling in the area, had leprosy, but I don't know if that was true.

A Nepali friend told me that it's not uncommon for parents to place their small children along the streets to panhandle (or just sit next to a dish to collect money), while Mom or Dad watches from nearby. Apparently, they want the children to appear to be orphans in order to gain sympathy ... and money. I did notice a little plate next to (to the right in the photo) this little boy, but there was nothing in it, so I'm not sure if that was for donations.

I saw this same type of worship going on even when the stupa was extremely crowded. People would just walk past or even step over those lying down.

As my friends and I were hiking up a steep hill overlooking Phewa Lake, we walked alongside terraced rice paddies in various stages of growth. Some, like this one, were just being prepared for re-planting, while others were ready for harvest, and others yet were still growing.

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