Nepal
Before the earthquake - April 2015
These images are from a trip taken in April 2015, just before a major earthquake.
There has been "extensive and irreversible damage" at the world heritage site in the Kathmandu valley. Seven monument zones in the valley make up the world heritage site, namely, Buddhist stupas [monuments] at Swayambhunath and Boudhanath and Hindu temple complexes at Pashupatinath and Changu Narayan. The three urban zones at the site are the Durbar squares - meaning "noble courts" - in the settlements of Kathmandu, Bhaktapur and Patan. These complexes have been described by UNESCO and many other witnesses as being "almost fully destroyed".
The images above are from many of the UNESCO sites I visited along with the Nagorkot Hill Station. It is so unbelievable to me that of the many places I visited not five days prior, almost nothing remains. Unbelievable that some of the people whose pictures I made may not be in this world anymore.
Despite the prevalent poverty, the Nepalese people I met were very dignified, warm in their welcome and generous with their time and my heart goes out to them.
The people of Nepal require a lot of help to re-build their lives so please do consider donating whatever you can to help them in their time of need.
