12 November 28, 2021The Sunday Times
Travel Asia
insisted that everyone else
photograph her too.
Fenn chatted to her in Nepali
and she introduced herself as
Aruna Nepali. As we went out
to photograph the sunset she
took it upon herself to be our
guide, introducing us to her
mum, little brother and father
as we walked. When we
stopped at a viewpoint she
taught me to count in Nepali
by numbering stones.
After dinner we uploaded
our photos to Fenn’s laptop and
talked them through as a group.
“Nice,” he said when he saw
my picture of Aruna. “The
important thing is that you’ve
caught the light in her eyes,
which means her personality
comes through.”
The stories of the guides and
porters I met have stayed with
me during the pandemic. Nepal
is open to international travel
now, with no requirement
for vaccinated people to
quarantine on arrival. Tourism
will be vital in helping the
country to recover and each
pound you spend there has
a much bigger impact than itdoes in places such as Spain or
the US. But it is important to
travel with groups like Photo
Journey, who put money back
into the local economy.
I had wondered if being on
a group holiday with a learning
element might act as a barrier,
distracting me from engaging
with Nepal and its people.
Instead I found that it brought
Nepal to life. The photography
gave me another excuse to
interact with everyone I met
and my fellow students helped
me to see the country through
a different lens.Ash Bhardwaj was a guest of
Photo Journey. Nine nights’ full
board from £3,499pp, including
five nights in a Pokhara hotel
and four in teahouses
(photojourney.co.uk). Fly to
Kathmandu and then transfer
to Pokhara by bus or planePODCAST
Listen to Ash Bhardwaj’s
dispatch from Nepal on
The First Mile podcast
(podfollow.com/thefirstmile)and looming over me.
I scrambled back inside for
my camera and tripod to put
my new skills into practice.
“The key to landscape
photography,” Brightwell said
as he joined me outside, “is
going back to the same place
until it looks good. Fortunately
Nepal nearly always looks
good and I always want to
come back.”
Once the sun had risen,
we went inside for breakfast,
and then it was time for an
emotional goodbye. The→Continued from page 11 trekking group carried on for
two more days, but I made my
way down to meet up with
Fenn’s group. It was much
quicker going down than up,
and I walked through an entire
cloud layer to reach the village
of Lwang, where they had been
staying for three days.
“When we first started Photo
Journey we moved villages
daily,” Fenn told me. “But by
spending more time in one
place our guests meet the same
people every day, build
relationships with them and
get an insight into what life isreally like in Nepali villages.”
That afternoon a group of
children popped in to see what
we were up to. They were shy
at first but quickly grew in
confidence. I smiled at one of
the girls and showed her my
camera. She tilted her head
sideways and held her palm
up to the sky in a mixture of
affirmation and curiosity.
I snapped a few shots and
showed her the picture. She
shrieked with delight andFishtail Mountain, right;
Aruna Nepali, belowYou’ve caught
the light in her
eyes, which means
her personality
comes through
NEPAL ENTRY REQUIREMENTS
Visitors to Nepal are required to show a negative RT-PCR test
(taken within 72 hours of departure) on arrival. You must also
have proof of travel insurance that covers health, immediate
crisis or rescue for the duration of your trip and show the
barcode generated by registering for the International Travel
Online Arrival Form (ccmc.gov.np). Proof of vaccination
or a negative test is not required for children under five.
Vaccinations are not mandatory for 5 to 18-year-olds, but
they must show proof of a negative RT-PCR test. In addition,
you must also demonstrate proof of a hotel booking, as well
as any trekking or mountaineering permits. Those who are
fully vaccinated against Covid-19 — at least 14 days prior to
entry into Nepal — can get a visa on arrival. For more
information, see gov.uk.ASH BHARDWAJ