Sunday, December 12, 2010

Nepal: hard workers

Because Nepalese work outdoors commonly, even in Kathmandu, in some ways it is easier to catch them at it than it would be us. In this post, I've separated pictures of people working between the Everest region trek and in Kathmandu.

Workers in the highlands:
1porter w basket load! copy.jpg
There are donkeys and yaks on the dirt path, but mostly there are people, playing the role we'd fill with Mack trucks.

2woman with kerosene cans copy.jpg
This young woman is carrying empty kerosene containers downhill to be refilled. No individual or beast could bear all those bottles if they were full.

3face of a porter copy.jpg
This gentleman's face suggests a lot of years carrying a lot of loads.

4porters! copy.jpg
These cheerful young men were our porters, sunning themselves after a very short day. We were a good gig with relatively little baggage.

5building women hammering stones copy.jpg
Building sites we passed were a reminder that labor is cheap in Nepal. These women are chipping away at stones to make them more rectangular for inclusion in walls.

6women (hotel workers) on roof w laundry copy.jpg
These hotel workers in Namche Bazaar seem to be taking a break after completing the laundry. They reminded me of folks I am acquainted with at home.

Slideshow of workers in the Everest trek region is here.

Working in Kathmandu
7women fruit and veg vendors close copy.jpg
In the city, people sell each other the goods of life.

8butcher, close up copy.jpg
Want meat for dinner? The butcher will cut it for you, fresh ...

9customer waiting for cut of meat copy.jpg
...while you wait.

10vendors of votive candles and prayer flags copy.jpg
At temples, various offerings are available for purchase.

11painter at world on temple decorations copy.jpg
Artists refresh the paint on monuments and religious sites. This seemed to be underway at most places we visited.

12working with steel on building site copy.jpg
This was a modern building site using good quality materials, but I doubt OSHA would approve this guy's footgear.

13breaking up ground wide copy.jpg
Within a short walk from central Kathmandu, one comes to planted fields where agricultural methods look to have endured for centuries.

City workers slideshow.

Disclaimer re what a tourist can see.

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