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Mrs Thuji General Shop

This general shop is located in the middle of nowhere. However, it is a popular place, as it is also a bus stop. Right from the onset, I marveled at the setting. I felt like I was watching an opera. The villagers were the audience seated in their luxury boxes, the performing actors the two goats. The play could have been called “The Advent Calendar.”

God’s Rays

In Myanmar, parents want to give a good life and good education to their children. As life is truly harsh, they give their children up for adoption to monasteries, where they become monks. Their life then becomes dedicated to Buddhism with daily prayers, food gathering, and focus on respecting others. As an outsider, I felt that their life is like a Swiss clock, regulated, with a heart beat that never stops and never surprises. The murals were critically damaged during the 2016 earthquake. The Temple has been closed since.

Candle-lit Monk

Candlelight is an important element of rituals in all cultures and festivals around the world. In every culture light triumphs over darkness, and inspires miracles and hope. Candle lighting is a time of healing, reflection, contemplation, and meditation. The shrine next to the monastery contains hundreds of Buddha statues in red robes placed in niches along the walls of the corridors. Lighted with numerous candles, the shrine offers a holy atmosphere for the meditation activity of the monks.

Farmers with Water Buffalo

Agriculture is a vital industry in China, employing over 300 million farmers. The government prides itself in providing food, shelter, and a good life to all its citizens. However, the reality is grim, as the younger generation would rather work in a factory then tend the land. Nevertheless, the elders work to keep the traditions alive.

She Ethnic Minority Weavers

I was in awe to discover the bond between the mom and daughter as well as their connection with their machine. The precision of the task was not deterred by the aging equipment. They worked in unison, the rhythmic noise was pleasing to hear. The quiet voice of the little girl added to the symphony.

Stepwell

Stepwells were built all over Northern India to collect water during the rainy season. Steps were built to access the water at any time of the year. Women worked like clockwork getting the water at the same time each day. Their pace walking down the stairs was brisk with their jar carried on their hip. On the uphill, they carry their jars on their heads.

Ring Leader

At eight years old, she seems to have already gone through a full cycle of life. She takes care of all her siblings when her parents work in the field. She is the go-to person in this one street village, as other kids look at her for direction. Her exterior demeanor shows toughness, but the inside is tender and warm. On a subsequent trip I shared images with her and she thanked me with a big smile and laughter with her friends.

Morning Ritual

Rain or shine, the monks gather on the main square to start the day with meditation. The combination of the celestial sky, the light in the monastery, and the dedication of the monks was mesmerizing. The silence was powerful. Monks of the Buddhist religion practice meditation for enlightenment through inner awareness and experience, with the hope of helping others and understanding the “true nature of our lives.”

Karmathaksun Dechencholing Private Monastery

I am the only Westerner who has had the honor to sleep inside this private monastery. It was fate. On my return flight from a previous trip, I sat next to a known Buddhist painter, Mr. Nima Dorji, who had been commissioned to paint this monastery with his dad. To my delight, he offered to become my guide on subsequent trips. It not only gave me special access to the place, but also the opportunity to witness how Nima paints personal and spiritual stories.

Grandmother and Kids

At first, this family was resisting our presence. The two girls had just carried water to the house and the young boy was already eating. Rice production is limited, most poor Yi peasants live on acorns, banana roots, celery, flowers, and wild herbs all year round. After we struck up a conversation through the young girls (the grandmother spoke only the Yi dialect), they invited us inside their house. The moisture and piercing cold were forgotten as they welcomed us with open arms and hot drinks around their traditional fireplace.

Tenzin Dorji - Rinchen Khando

When I first saw these two teenagers, I was captured by their look, their confidence. While Tenzin is not in school and Rinchen is in primary school, they are still friends. They were quiet and unassuming. I followed them around and the path they took revealed much about who they were, their living condition, and the lack of family support. Even on the happiest place on earth, alcoholism is an issue that can’t be taken lightly.

Wood Gathering

Visiting the Yi region feels like stepping centuries back in time when mere survival was life’s greatest challenge. Intense manual labor fills most of the villagers’ day. Seasonal weather is becoming unpredictable and natural catastrophes can wipe out an entire region. Working hard each day is a necessity as every day counts. This older man made five trips that day, not just for his household but also for his aging neighbor. He walked over 20 miles, carrying over 200 lbs.

Uncertain Future

Traveling through Yi territory puts in perspective what is really needed to live, and in most cases what it takes to survive. They have very few clothes, sometimes barely more than one set. They travel on foot for miles to reach the local convenience store or the monthly market. Their daily routine rarely deviates, even when they are sick, as weather is a constant threat to their livelihood. They have very little, but they have heart.

Old Dwelling

Most Yi houses are low mud-and-wood structures without windows and are dark and damp. Interior decoration is simple and crude, with little furniture and very few utensils, except for a fireplace consisting of three stones. The government offered to build this gentleman a new house, which at first he resisted. His son convinced him otherwise and construction was already under way. The future modern structure will host the extended family to the joy of all.

Horse Culture

Since they eat grass, horses can go almost anywhere that humans can, eating as they go. And unlike cows and camels that must sit and rest to digest food, a horse’s digestive system allows it to graze and walk all day. Horses are still a common vehicle, as on this day, where building material was transported from the main town to his small village. Travel time was about 4 hours.

Bolatbek - Eagle Hunter

For centuries Bürkitshi (eagle hunters) have been hunting with their eagles during the frigid winter months for subsistence and fur (foxes, wolves, and hares). Eaglets are captured from their nests high in rocky crevices. Only female birds are selected, as they ultimately grow to be larger than males, giving them an edge as hunters. The bond between hunter and bird is deep; she answers only to the hunter’s voice.

The Hunt at Altai Soum

Western Mongolia’s Altai region is one of the most remote spots on the planet. Few roads traverse this massive area, and the high icy peaks of the Altai Range bordering Mongolia, Kazakhstan, China, and Russia form an impenetrable wall that keeps all modern encroachments at bay. Traveling through this region at minus 10F in early November made me wonder how the hunters survive the harsh winter.

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