There are faces that I know I’ll never see again. I pass by them every day. On the street. In a restaurant. While traveling through a foreign country. I expect this. Sometimes, if I’m lucky enough to capture them with my camera, I can revisit their faces whenever I like. I can imagine that I’m back in that moment when I snapped the frame, and am comforted by my memories.

And then there are the places that I know I’ll never see again. Unlike the people whose paths have crossed mine,  I take comfort in knowing that they are waiting for me, if only I can make my way back again. The Himalayas. Kathmandu. Namche Bazaar:

But what if in a few tumultuous seconds they were all gone? Smashed to pieces into Rubble and Dust? What if I didn’t make it back before the unthinkable happened?

Almost one week ago, a terrible earthquake hit the country of Nepal, and for an agonizing moment, the earth shook causing this ancient city to crash down upon its inhabitants taking the lives of thousands and decimating many of the city’s UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Basantapur, a section of Durbar Square in central Kathmandu, gone:

Boudhanath Stupa, severely damaged:

 

A photographer friend of mine, Jessica Lia from Dhaka, Bangladesh, shared her experience of the recent earthquake with me:

I was in Malaysia last week and on 25th April, got phone calls from friends in Dhaka who informed me that Bangladesh, Nepal and India were hit by a major earthquake. I was worried about my family and friends. Because in Dhaka, buildings collapse even without earthquakes. Initially, I got news that in Bangladesh many people were injured in several districts, some high-rise building were tilted. Then I was devastated to find out that Nepal was shattered by the earthquake.

Last year I visited Nepal for the first time. Nepal was shining in all its glory. I roamed around Kathmandu and Pokhara and took thousands of photographs. Whenever I remember Nepal, my heart feels happy.  The beautiful temples I visited last year have turned into dust.  The Nepal earthquake death toll keeps rising, and I am heartbroken about the country and scared for what’s coming next for Bangladesh. Dhaka with its unplanned city structures will face greater damage if any more massive attacks happens.

I know it sounds trite, but life can be precarious. We can’t predict what will happen from one moment to the next. I’m lucky to live in a part of my country mostly unaffected by natural disasters with rigid building codes and standards -and the wealth to back them up.

Of all the remote corners I’ve explored, I’d promised myself that I’d return to this one. The beautiful people. The stunning landscapes. The rich heritage. When I first landed, it was unlike any place I’d ever visited in the world.

As I look through my pictures from that momentous journey, real paper photographs that I can hold in my hands, I am reminded of how important my camera is for documenting the beauty that exists in this world, and how fortunate I’ve been to experience a land as magical as Nepal and it’s beautiful inhabitants.

One day, I hope to return to this enchanting country, and although irreparable changes have taken place, I’ll capture these differences with my lens. And once again, when I’ve returned and am safely tucked into my cozy home, I’ll be able to visit the faces and places that touched my  heart again and again.

Holly ~ Soupatraveler

If you’d like to learn how you can help the people of Nepal or would like to make a donation, please check out this post with links to all the organizations on the ground helping right now.