Getting Away

Having lived here in Kathmandu for a little over three months now, Heidi and I are already aware that we will need to regularly escape the confines of this city, getting away from the noise, concrete and commotion. Fortunately, it's relatively easy to do so. A ten-minute walk from our apartment takes us to rice fields and quiet villages. A thirty-minute bus ride takes us to the hills that overlook the Kathmandu Valley, hills filled with trees, birds and beauty. These escapes reconnect us with God's good Creation, energizing our spirits and calming our minds.

Below, you can see a few pictures from our getaways, along with a short reflection I wrote after our latest visit to Pulchowki, a preserved forest that contains over 300 species of birds:

I need air that I can breathe, Earth that I can touch.
I need silence that I can hear, flowers that I can smell.
I need green and brown and red.
I need rustling and crunching.
I need open spaces, clear skies.
I need water that I can drink, stillness that I can join.
I need beauty that I can see.
I need to get away, be alone.
I need dirt and bark and stone.
I need the sun to warm me, birds to sing to me.
I need simple.
I need calm.
I need to be able to walk unaware.
I need to be able to stop.
I need butterflies and birds.
I need.


A traditional Newari village during harvest time



A not so traditional bearded birder