Kathmandu Street Life

Kathmandu in Nepal is the stepping stone to many of the Himalayan mountain treks and it is usual for visitors to spend a few days here before or after heading to the many popular trekking areas in the mountains. Kathmandu is the gateway to tourism in Nepal and is also the nerve center of the country’s economy. It has the most advanced infrastructure of any urban area in Nepal, and its economy is focused on tourism, which accounted for 3.8% of Nepal's GDP in 1995–96. (Tourism in Kathmandu declined thereafter during a period of political unrest, but since then has improved.)

The city has around 2.5 million population and sits at a height of 1,400m in the Kathmandu Valley in central Nepal. It is a bustling, chaotic city with poor roads and infrastructure but offers some  great photo opportunities of daily life.

Saigon Street Scenes

Saigon, or rather Ho Chi Minh City as it is called now, is a wonderful place for observing street life. It is a vibrant Asia city where many activities occur on the street from peddling goods to preparation and eating of a multitude of foods. Many years ago the bicycle was the king here but this has now been replaced by the motorcycle which predominates the traffic in the city. On Sundays people simply cruise the streets on the motorbikes and it is a real challenge to actually cross the road given the density of the bike traffic. The trick is to slowly, but positively, walk out into the street and the bikes will part and move around you ..... that theory has held up for me so far!!

Street Life

This is unfortunately still a common sight in Siem Reap, Cambodia with children and whole families living on the street. These two children had been left to sleep by the roadside while the mother probably headed off to try and find or beg for some food.

Life After Death

These mushrooms had sprouted up on an old dead palm oil husk. Fungi are important decomposers of dead animal and plant matter and break down the organic material into simpler compounds that can be absorbed into the soil and  used by other plants. During this process they return carbon dioxide into the atmosphere which green plants then use during photosynthesis to produce food and these green plants then produce oxygen.

Sri Lankan Life Guard

Along the beachfront on Galle Face Drive in Colombo these lifeguards were on duty to ensure the safety of those people venturing into the waves of the Indian Ocean. Their bright red uniforms stood out as they took their position on the watch tower.
In the background of this photo you can see the Galle Face Hotel which sits on a prime spot overlooking the beach and ocean.

Colourful Colombo

I love to dive down little back streets of anyplace I visit to get a real feel for the life there away from all the usual tourist traps. This little side street in Colombo, Sri Lanka was delightful with people living their simple life in simple houses. However the place was brightly painted providing a wonderful mosaic to capture with my lens. Even the little tuk tuks were brightly painted red and green. Again photographer's luck prevailed when I lined up this shot as the little girl appeared in the doorway just to complete the scene.

Life After Death

This flower appeared to be thriving in this old graveyard in Prague, Czech Republic demonstrating the power of life while surrounded by death.