School Kids in Rural Bhutan

Nepal and Bhutan - Quick Edits

Preparing my lunch, Nepal



Prayer wheel, Bhutan



Girl with her puppy, Nepal



Thimphu, Bhutan




Bhutan has been a great experience, but we are jumping ship in hopes of trekking in the Everest region of Nepal.

Mt. Everest from 30,000 Feet

We had a stunning view of Everest on our flight from Nepal to Bhutan.

Myanmar

Some random pics from a recent visit, where among other things, a hot air balloon landed in a field near a village in central Burma.

Football Revolution

Hundreds of thousands of Hanoians filled downtown to celebrate a victory in the championship match of the ASEAN region against Thailand. It was the 1st time Vietnam has ever beaten Thailand for the title. No cars were flipped.

Etc.

Funeral for a Hmong Grandmother, Moc Chau, Western Vietnam Border Region

Hmong Village, Moc Chau, Western Border with Laos

Presidential Palace Banquet Hall

This is the best bust of Uncle Ho I've yet seen. Snapped this photo during a photo shoot for Bloomberg News.

At Babur's Garden

Babur's Garden is a public park located in Kabul. Women aren't allowed to visit the park but for a specific day of the week and then only for two hours. Without female companionship available, men openly and comfortably express intimacy with each other.

Refugee Camp

7 year old Maryam is in 1st grade at the primary school in Bene Warsak Refugee Camp. She came to the camp 3 years ago from Iran.



Barik aab Bene Warsak Refugee Camp is about 60km outside Kabul and just beyond Bagram Air Base in Parwan province. It was settled several years ago for internally displaced people who had been forced from their homes by fighting. When returning refugees from Iran and Pakistan were displaced by the current conflict or as a result of occupation, they were also sent to Bene Warsak.
The camp lacks infrastructure with no market, few jobs, and a school that occupies the empty front room of a private home. Many of the 425 families left for Kabul in 2007 in search of work and food. 125 families still live in Bene Warsak and do their best to live normal lives in a community that has disappeared.





Carrying water from pump to home.




Math class.




The teacher at the blackboard.




After school play.




A father and son return from begging in the streets of Kabul for food. They were given sheep meat to fill their sack.

Afghanistan

Two administrators at a local boys school in the northern province of Faryab.




Turkmenistan border.




Sisters wait for their afternoon meal at a nutrition center in Faryab province.



In Belcheraug Center a restaurant owner shows off the daily special of sheep. The meat is cooked in a pressure cooker with water and served with bread. Afghanistan is suffering a severe drought and many shepherds are forced to butcher their animals before losing them to starvation.

Mid Autumn Moon Festival

The Mid Autumn Festival is held during the full moon on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month. It is said that the family oriented festival came about when busy parents working in the fields during the bright harvest moon decided to dedicate this time to lavish their children with attention. There are dragon parades, games and food, but the highlight comes after dusk when lanterns with hand written prayers are launched. This happened just outside our apartment and made for a surreal night.