And finally it came true. Here is mi second photography book. It is dedicated to my project “Dani’s children in Nepal” and so the entire 5 Euros of my benefits are going towards the education of the children I am supporting in Nepal. If you don’t know my project yet and you would like to know more about it, please have a look at “Dani’s children in Nepal”.

Nepal – Where the Gods found Peace

This book is a visual likeness of my experiences in Nepal which have shaped my life. The starting point to this trip was the wish to carry out some humanitarian work in order to help some people in need. So many times when we leave the comforts of our homes to venture into the unknown, the outcome is even more rewarding than expected. While travelling, volunteering and living with the Nepali people I did learn a lesson in life which no book could ever have taught me. I did experience kindness and love of humankind.

This book reflects the beauty I have encountered. Not only landscapes, but furthermore the inner beauty of the people I have met and who have touched my soul. It is the result of my desire to give something back for that light they have kindled in my heart and it’s also part of a project which, only a couple of months ago, I would never have thought that I would be able to make real.

The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes.

You can have a look at parts of the book and order it here if you would like to support my project. Buy it with a special 20% discount untill october 20th 2012. You only have to type the word FANS in the discount field during the check out.

Soon there will be the ebook for the iPad available too. This ebook will be for sale for 5 Euros and just as the benefits of the printed book those will go in their integrity towards my project and its children.

Thank you in the name of Amit, Roshan, Roju, Rohan and their mothers.

Namaste

P.D. For all those who would like to order the book to Lanzarote: Please send me an email or message on Facebook untill the 16th October 2012, 13.00 hours (GMT). I am planing to do a collective order so you can save some money on the transport.

It has been a while I wanted to spend a night up high in Lanzarote, looking down at our neighbor island La Graciosa. Well yesterday all the conditions fell into place and I packed quickly some stuff for the night and my camera and off I went. I found a wonderful little cave right in the wall of the almost 400 meter high cliffs. The evening was perfect. Cloudless sky, a beautiful warm sun setting at the horizon and not a gust of wind. As the last seagull went to sleep the silence was extraordinary. Just a few hundred meters in front of me I could see some fortunate diners enjoying the same view from the restaurant at Mirador del Rio. In the far distance the lights of Tinajo and La Santa, down below the lanterns of the fishermen boats and high above the stars shining just for me (and you). What a night to finish spring and start the summer. Jealous? Don’t be… It does not have to be always a big trip or an expensive toy. Sometimes a balmy summer night under the stars is just enough. Let me know what you are going to do this summer you have been putting of for far to long.

Time flies they say… It is already a month that I am back home from Nepal so here just a quick update to say I am still alive. I am busy creating a page for the children I have taken responsibility of in Nepal and also I am working on a photo book with pictures from my experience there. The page will be to support the children’s cause and to make sure that I will have enough money when the next school year starts for them. The photo book I am working on will contain pictures of the marvelous landscapes I have found while traveling in Nepal and of course of the wonderful people I met along the way. Once it will be finished all the profits I get from this book will go entirely towards the children’s education. If you haven’t done so yet please subscribe to my newsletter and you will get an email as soon as the children’s page is online and/or the book is available.

While on my homepage slide you can have a peek at some of the new pictures that will be available in the photo book as well I also had time to clean up the Lanzarote picture gallery and added some new pictures too. So if you haven’t been visiting the gallery in while or just want to freshen up on some beautiful Lanzarote sights head over and enjoy some of the beauties of this unique little rock in the middle of the ocean.

If you have been reading my last post “Giving a future to Amit” you already know what the story is about. Many women here in Nepal when they are abandoned by their husbands are going through a very difficult time especially if they have children. This is the story of Kalpana and her son Amit which I have been writing about last week and it is the story of Sangita and her three children Rohan, Roju and Roshan too.

When I was organizing the school for Amit a Nepali friend of mine brought a woman to me with her three children. This is when I saw Sangita for the first time. Her story is very similar to Kalpana’s as her husband left her and her children about two years ago. Also she knows where he is he refuses to help her and take care of his children as now he is married to another woman. Unfortunately the Nepali Government and laws are no help at all in those cases even when the whereabouts of the father are known.

Sangita can hardly maintain herself and the children with her construction job. Ten hours a day at least she is carrying stones for the builders in a basket that weighs easily a 40 kilos only wearing some worn out flip flops on her feet. A bone breaking job and on top she has to look after her children which are with her on the construction site because she has nobody who could look after them.

When I heard her story I contacted my friend Anish from VolNepal and asked him if he can help me to help Sangita and the children. Without a doubt he joined me on this project and was able to help me with some useful tips in order to get all the three children to go to school. I arranged another meeting with the school where just a few days before I brought little Amit to. As I still had some donation money left I could sponsor another year in school for one of the children. A second scholarship my friend Anish made possible through his organization VolNepal with which he does a really wonderful work in Nepal. And after some talking and convincing the principal of the school agreed to give one scholarship for free so all the three kids are able to go to school.

I am really happy that we have achieved such a great goal. In less then a week we have been able to get four children into school. Helping them and their mothers, giving them the hope that some day they will have the chance of a life in better conditions as they are in at the moment. Thanks to the donations of some of you and thanks to the help of VolNepal. I really would like to encourage you to have a look at their website or follow their actions by liking their Facebook page as I think they are doing a amazing work helping children, women and all those who are less privileged. If you ever would like to do some volunteer work in Nepal and maybe combine this with exploring this beautiful country as well, I only can recommend to you to contact them. You’ll not only be in good hands but without a doubt you’ll have a unforgettable experience that really will broaden your horizon.

Namaste

Like their story there are hundreds, maybe thousands in Nepal. Kalpana is only 23 years old and already has a almost hopeless future. Three years ago her husband abandoned her and her then only 3 years old son Amit. More often than not those women and their children are ostracized by their community and family when this happens. This is why many women disappear or commit suicide when their husbands die or abandon them as without a husband they have very little chances of a dignified life. Without the possibility for a well paid work they are left to their own faith. This is also true for Kalpana and Amit. While she is lucky to have found a family running a small hotel in Pokhara giving her a little job in their establishment, the money she earns there is hardly enough to buy food and cloth for her and her little boy. To pay a proper education and thus the prospect of a better future for Amit is out of her reach.

I found out about Kalpana and Amit by accident. A Nepali friend told me about them and so I decided to make the six hours journey by bus from Kathmandu to Pokhara Read the rest of this entry »