Photos: Stepping Back in Time in Kathmandu
Kathmandu has so much history that much of it lies scattered about the dusty, winding side streets. It’s not unusual to find a worn statue sitting the corner of a busy square and later learn that it’s been there since 600 AD. Artifacts that would be in a museum anywhere else in the world are just part of the landscape here and sit waiting patiently for you to discover them.
{ 30 comments… read them below or add one }
Love the photos, One place I definitely need to visit.
Oh wow these are some amazing shots. I love the colors and also the oldness a lot of them show.
I’d like to know what that last shot is of… are those prayer sheets or something similar?
Kristi, the last shot is of Tibetan prayer flags. Kathmandu has a large population of Tibetan refugees, and all of these photos – except for maybe the first – are actually from Boudhanath, the center of Tibetan life in Kathmandu.
Johnny, I think the feeling of antiquity in Kathmandu is so strong – stronger perhaps than any big city I’ve been to – partly because so much of the city was built with wood, which shows its age much more than bricks or stone. Great photos! How did you lay them out? With a WordPress plugin?
I totally agree — the weathered wood really adds to the atmosphere. And the tiny caved details you see on everything are lovely.
As for layout, I didn’t use a WP plugin — that’s good old-fashioned Photoshop work there. Took awhile to set up but now I have a template so it should go faster in future posts.
Thanks for the comment and the info :)
I’m sorry I muddled your name Wes!
Ha! No worries, mate. Everyone calls me Johnny at this point.
wow
great photos
Beautiful photos and really cool magazine-style layout!
Oh Wes,
Your photography skills astound me. For once, you leave me silent and that ain’t easy. Has National Geographic called yet?
Why, thank you Jeannie! No call yet. Photoshop.com made my year. NatGeo would kill me.
Gorgeous photos! They never cease to amaze me. I’ve always wanted to travel to Nepal…
Thanks! Do it!
Wes, Great stuff, and the layout is amazing, too. I haven’t found a happy way of doing this style through Wordpress, so photoshop does seem like the answer, but unfortunately my computer doesn’t like that either!
Wow! Talk about a photo post. Nice job arranging the shots. My personal fav was the metal bowls. Looking forward to more quality posts.
Thanks, Andrew — I appreciate the feedback.
Beautiful! The prayer flags really caught my attention. It would be cool to have my prayer flying in the wind like that. Pretty symbolic. All of the pictures were great, you have great skills!
Thanks, Frances!
Such beautiful photos. I think Kathmandu is one of my favourite cities to visit – it really is *exactly* like stepping back in time – some of the shopfronts and workshops in those streets off Durbar Square look as if they’ve been that way for centuries. There’s so much colour, and all the hustle and bustle…thanks for sharing, it takes me back there!
So glad you liked them! Kathmandu is like Varanasi for me — a place where you really can lose yourself and forget about the last 500 years of history. Amazing.
So you’re saying this is all just around town, in random spots throughout? That is one of my favorite things about places that have long histories. To actually see the intermingling of past, present, and future all at once is just astounding.
Agreed! And yes, it’s just all jumbled up. Amazing — it’s like a treasure hunt.
Thank you ! I loved this photos. It really catch the everyday life and moods of Kathmandu. Thanks again vagabond Johnny!
Thank *you* :)
I think I’m gonna get me some prayer flags for my balcony. See what the condo board says.
Bee-u-tee-ful!! Love the assault of colour…
I love prayer flags. Surely they won’t mind? ;)
Beautiful photos, and the layout is great. Definitely makes me want to visit! :)
These photos are incredible! Another great photo essay. Wish I had your talent.
Great photo essay! Nepal is near the top of my travel list!
Very nice photos Wes. Really like the prayer wheels and flags. Took me right back to last December when I visited Nepal!