Kathmandus myllrande gränder

Gamla stan i Kathmandu är ett virrvarr av smala, mörka gränder med ett myller av butiker, grönsaksstånd, människor, mopeder och cykelrickshaws. Dofterna av kryddor, rökelse och mopedavgaser bildar en sällsam och ganska angenäm mix. Här finns fantastiska miljöer att fotografera i, men trängseln är enorm och frestar på fotografens tålamod.

När jag stod och väntade på att något skulle hända i ett gatuhörn kom den här lilla tjejen fram till mig och ville bli fotograferad för 10 rupier. Normalt betalar jag aldrig för att få fotografera, men den här gången kunde jag inte motstå!

Nepal är ett av världens fattigaste länder. Under de nästan 20 år som jag besökt landet och följt utvecklingen så har det hänt fantastiskt mycket. Elektricitet, mobiltelefoner och Internet finns numera även ute i avlägsna byar. Medelklassen har växt, precis som i Indien.  Men det finns fortfarande många som är hemlösa och lever på att tigga på gatorna i Kathmandu. Då är 10 rupier för en bild ett lätt val.

Närkontakt i regnskogen

Close Encounters in the Rain Forest

Two weeks ago, my very good friend Harka Kumal invited me to a jungle walk in the Baghmara area in Chitwan National Park, Nepal. It was meant to be a shorter version of the first trip we did together more than 19 years ago. It turned out to be far more adventurous than we ever expected.

Chitwan National Park is situated in the southern part of Nepal, on the border to India. Covering over 900 square kilometers, its unique wildlife includes rhinoceros, tigers, crocodiles, monkeys, sloth bears and hundreds of bird species. The park was declared a world heritage site by UNESCO in 1984. The area holds shadowy Sal-tree forests, high elephant grass and muddy swamps covered by beautiful blue water hyacinths - a delicacy for the rhinos.

A tranquil canoe ride along one of the streams contributing to the Rapti River initiated the trip. Harka easily identified the birds as we quietly drifted by. No need to consult the well-thumbed bird handbook. A few white egrets proudly stretched their necks on the beach - too far away for my 120 mm lens.

Suddenly a magnificent mugger crocodile appeared in front of us. It seemed to enjoy the sunshine on the beach and took no notice of our presence, fortunately for us! I got a few shots before we moved on through the smooth water. Chitwan is the habitat for two species of crocodile. The mugger crocodile, eating smaller animals as they enter the river to drink and the fish-eating gharial. The gharial is close to extinction and a crocodile farm in the park tries to improve this situation by hatching eggs and reintroducing young crocodiles into the river.

Our canoe ride finished we continued on foot into the forest. 20 years of experience led Harka on familiar paths through the elephant grass and thick brush under the Sal trees. The snap of a twig made him freeze for a moment. Three deer swiftly jumped away in front of us and we moved on.

Now we were seriously looking for rhinos and Harka was determined to succeed. We went deeper into the gloomy woods. Squelching through the mud where we found fresh rhino tracks ahead of us. We arrived at a tiny lake in the dark sal forest - nothing here. We pressed on to the "Rhino Lake" mirroring the sal trees in the still water surface. There - at the far end of the lake a tall male rhino was quietly grazing on the water hyacinths. "Come quick" Harka whispered and tiptoed through the brush without a sound.

Well, rhinos are by no means harmless animals. An enraged rhino can easily reach speeds up to 40 km per hour and the only thing to do is to climb the nearest tree if attacked. So keep an eye on useful trees around you and always follow the instructions from the jungle guide! We quietly got closer, maybe 25 meters from the magnificent animal. A climbable tree close at hand.

Suddenly the rhino raised his head and looked at us with his poor eyes. We were detected!  His shaggy ears moved to pin-point us. We quickly scrambled up the tree trunk. The rhino sniffed the air for a while and continued to graze the water hyacinths beneath us. The only thing to do was to stay in the tree until the rhino went away. Twilight falling we had to leave to get back home before darkness. We discreetly slid down from our safe place and moved away through the brush.

Happy, tired and with the adrenaline still pumping we walked back home while the last rays of golden light filtered through the tree tops.

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Born inside the Chitwan National Park Harka Kumal is a licensed jungle guide with a great passion for its wildlife and nature. Uniquely talented he speaks en excellent English and his long experience of the rain forest makes him a well-reputed guide. With his boyish enthusiasm and sparkling energy he gives the visitors to Chitwan an adventure far beyond any expectations.

Meet Harka at the Hotel Seven Star or check his Facebook page.

Läs den svenska versionen här.

På besök i en annan värld

A Visit to Another World

19 years ago I made my first trip to Nepal. The meeting with the friendly Nepalese people, the nature and culture had a great impact on me and more visits were to follow during the 90's. 16 years later I returned to a world very different from my own and yet very familiar.

In the southern lowlands of Nepal, Chitwan National Park is bordering India and here lies the small village of Sauraha where I have spent most of my time in the beautiful country. On my first trip here in 1994 I met with a young, enthusiastic and knowledgeable jungle guide, who spoke good English. His name was Harka Kumal and we spent a few days in the rainforest together, looking for tigers and rhinos. Born inside the park Harka knew every path through the elephant grass and muddy swamps making it a very exiting jungle walk for me.

Since that first meeting 19 years ago I have been able to stay in regular contact with Harka, his wife and three kids. I soon realized that they led a hard life under difficult conditions.  Back in Sweden I pondered over what I could do to create a sustainable life for the Kumal family without making them dependent of me. One year later we jointly succeeded to buy a small piece of land on safe distance from the river to avoid flooding during the monsoon. A small hut and a water pump was included in the buy. The new land strip formed the foundation for their future. Now they could grow vegetables and spices on their own garden plot. The year after, we built a new and strong house in traditional Tharu style from elephant grass and mud. Steel plates were used for the roof instead of grass, to keep the house dry during the rainy season.

Now 16 years have passed since my last visit to Sauraha and many things have happened. Very bad years followed in Nepal during the Maoist insurgency. Ordinary people were kept in terror and the all-important tourist industry plunged. Those days are long gone and life has returned to normal in Nepal. Sauraha has now electricity, mobile phones and Internet. I returned to the village with great exitement and a bit of tension in the end of October 2013. Would I recognize the village any longer? How would it feel to meet the Kumal family after so many years? Surely, the village has changed and developed. Many more hotels, shops and trekking agencies have popped up along the dusty street. Oxcarts and elephants are accompanied by noisy cars and motorbikes. But only a few minutes' walk away, you still find yourself in the middle of the paddy fields and traditional Tharu houses. Life goes quietly on as it always has. Goats, chicken and ducks in the street. Only a few satellite dishes on the roofs reveal the modern age.

The first meeting with the Kumal family was emotional and filled with great happiness. Harka, his wife Jyanti, their two daughters Samsana and Kalpana and their son Suresh gave me a hearty welcome to their home. 16 years suddenly felt a short time. We soon catched up where we once ended - our own wrinkles the only way to tell the difference. I had only met the kids while they were still very small. Now they are fully grown. They are doing well in school and are now in 10th and 11th grade. 

Suresh is an enthusiastic and talented football player, scoring well in the local team. Zlatan is of course the great idol! You can easily imagine that the Swedish Football Federation t-shirt I brought got very popular. In addition to football, a great interest for computers dominates and Suresh keeps our Facebook conversation going.

The family lives on the income from Harka's work as a well-reputed jungle guide and Jyanti cooking and selling lunch to the kids in the near-by village school. Growing vegetables in the garden is still important to keep the household going. I am enormously happy to see that my dear Nepalese friends are doing well. The project we once started together 19 years ago - to create a sustainable life and make the kids go to school - has succeeded!

After spending five memorable days together it was finally time to say good-bye. We jointly planted a mango tree in the garden, while the neighboring kids curiously watched us. It will grow big and give delicious fruits in three years. I hope to come back and taste it!

I want to say thank you Harka, Jyanti, Samsana, Kalpana and Suresh for a memorable time and your enormous hospitality! I am proud to be part of your family.

Läs svensk version här.