Each visit to
Swayambhunath in Kathmandu found me working my way through another sea. Another sea of tourists milling around excitedly pointing and taking photographs; another sea of monkeys hoping for the occasional dropped piece of coconut or banana; a vast sea of merchants selling everything from shoes to religious trinkets and of course the endless sea of needy looking for alms. Despite this constant intensity - an energy so strong that could be felt flowing through the air - Swayambhu also became a place of refuge for me. A place to go and sit, to walk and think, to clear my head when things seemed frustrating and unmanageable. Despite the constantly shifting ocean of people, during each visit I would inevitably see one familiar face, an elderly woman who (at least to me it seemed) sat in the same spot, all day, everyday. She was never doing anything, only sitting, her gaze cast downward, her face creased with age. People like this fascinate me, what's her story? How did she get there? And why does she sit in the same spot day after day? Perhaps I'll find out someday, but for now I'll have to leave it at that, along with this photograph.
Also as a small sidebar, people have been telling me for awhile now that despite innumerable attempts they have been unable to post comments here. I was finally able to fix this so the blog will now accept comments from anyone and everyone.
Last but not least, I'll leave you with the exciting news that I sold my first photograph yesterday at the
Chester County Art Association Photography Competition! The competition is a great showcase of local artists, and was judged by
David Eastburn, a local photographer who has worked in the area for many years. It'll be up through December 18th and is free so check it out if you have a chance.
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