Kathmandu blooming in Spring!

I get asked a lot why I love Kathmandu as a city, as most people travelling through can't wait to get out of the chaos and mess and up into the mountains and rural areas.  Though I love visiting outside of the valley, Kathmandu has a lot of charm amongst the hussle and bustle.

Especially during spring, there are some beautiful snippets of colour with some beautiful blossom and flowers in the city!!

Garden of Dreams is a renovated Rana palace that is a private peaceful garden to slip away from the traffic and noise, to have a coffee and read a book in the tranquil and beautiful gardens! (see two pics above).  Definately worth a visit for any frustrated and frazzled tourist passing through the city!! As well as a bit of respite for locals and expats also!!

http://www.gardenofdreams.org.np/

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Supporting Emmanuel Beads who provides employment for women through bead training projects in Kathmandu

There are many great bead projects around Kathmandu, and this time I visited Emmanuel Beads who work with women to make beaded necklaces and bracelets etc.  They provide training and also a meeting place for the women to make the pieces at their premises in South Kathmandu.  Originally the project was set up between two English women living in the city and now the ownership has been passed on to Reshma and her mum who coordinate all the women, and they are supported by a network of English ex pats and visitors to buy their products and keep them running. 

On my visit, I chose some simple beaded strand necklaces in various colours, that look fantastic when worn - with matching bracelets.  Please see listing on our online boutique for RESHMA necklace and bracelet set:

http://shop.auraque.com/product/reshma-bead-necklace-bracelet-set

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Weaving AURA QUE Jacquard fabrics on wooden looms for our Summer bag range

AURA QUE has developed a range of jacquard fabrics with our producer in South Kathmandu.  The original Geometric Stripe version has been so popular in our Jogi Bag range, that we have developed this design and the new Aztec pattern, into coloured versions in Purple/Green, Yellow/Pink/Purple and Red/Mustard/Purple for the late summer season.

The jacquard is made on the mechanical wooden loom, controlled by punched cards with holes in specific places that correspond to rows in the fabric design.  This makes up the Geometric Stripe and Aztec fabric designs.  Different colours are introduced to ge tthe colourful patterns, or the black and white version.

It takes one person a full day to make many metres, as the shuttle is fed by hand through the fabric to produce the cloth. So our current AURA QUE order is being made at the moment by hand, employing 4 workers on the machines. It is energetic work, and the clacking noise is loud and rhythmic when you are next to the machines.

Above: Fabric and colour design development.

Above: Spining the yarn onto the bobbins to be threaded onto the looms.

We will have 6 colourways available over the summer for both our Jogi Bag range and our leather/jacquard bag range for more playful and colourful range by AURA QUE!!

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Behind the scenes - keeping it simple with our AURA QUE Photoshoot in Nepal.

Before I left Nepal this time, I arranged a small photoshoot in Kathmandu for all our current AURA QUE products.

Working with a young local model and up and coming photographer, who works for a local fashion magazine Navyaata, we kept it simple, working on a terrace rooftop using natural light, and simple clothing to emphasise the bags photographed!

 

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150900042747022.443386.28478580702...

Things do not happen as efficiently as it could do in the UK, with a two hour wait for the photographer, change of venue for better lighting and an entourage of family members and friends to add to the distraction and frustration but we got it all done and I am really happy with the results!!

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Behind the scenes - keeping it simple with our AURA QUE Photoshoot in Nepal.

Before I left Nepal this time, I arranged a small photoshoot in Kathmandu for all our current AURA QUE products.

Working with a young local model and up and coming photographer, who works for a local fashion magazine Navyaata, we kept it simple, working on a terrace rooftop using natural light, and simple clothing to emphasise the bags photographed!

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http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150900042747022.443386.28478580702...

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Things do not happen as efficiently as it could do in the UK, with a two hour wait for the photographer, change of venue for better lighting and an entourage of family members and friends to add to the distraction and frustration but we got it all done and I am really happy with the results!!

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Despite wishing for less rain in UK, the Nepalese pull a 30ft tall chariot through Patan, honouring the Rain God and praying for epic monsoon rain!!

Whilst I was in Nepal last month, there was the festival for the Rain God in Patan - where a 30 foot tall chariot is constructed and then processed through the streets in the old town.  It is pulled along by rope by many people, which seems quite a hard task!

I have seen this chariot at various times during my visits to Nepal, and thought it looked like a giant christmas tree!  Once I even got stuck on my cycle with the procession coming towards me, with crowds of people and the massive chariot which I got stuck amongst and eventually managed to find a side road to escape the hoards of people!

Actually it celebrates: "....the happiness of heavy shower at a time when famine took place in Kantipur, according to a legend......

....Rato Machchhindranath is considered both a Hindu and Buddhist god, who by legend was brought from Assam (India) during the reign of Lichchavi King Narendra Dev, by a farmer to Lalitpur valley in Nepal to prevent a drought during the rice season.................The longest running chariot festival in Nepal recreates this event in hope for good rain. It begins with the construction of the chariot in Pulchowk, Lalitpur and ends with the Bhoto Jatra festival in Jawalakhel....... It is celebrated by Buddhists and Hindus of Newar community. It is celebrated by pulling the chariot to different places in the town of Patan."

So the festival happens annually in April/May before the monsoon arrives in Kathmandu, which is necessary in the rural areas for farming, but also for the hydro power sources, which currently means a little bit more electricity, and less load shedding around the valley (fingers crossed!) - as usually power shortage is reduced from up to 12 hrs a day to sometimes around 6 hours without power. Well, every little helps!

Read more: http://www.yalamandu.com/2012/04/bundyo-rato-matsyendranath-jaatra.html#ixzz1va4IYyXq

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Happy World Fair Trade Day from Nepal!

Well it's WORLD FAIR TRADE DAY!

I popped into Kumbeshwar Technical School to collect some samples yesterday, and found all the knit producers competing in a Knit swatch design competition run by Safia Minney at People Tree!

Safia and her team at People Tree UK and Japan has worked closely with Kumbeshwar for over ten years I think, developing their skills and increasing their productions consistently.  And so over the years both People Tree and KTS have grown together, such a positive business relationship!

To celebrate World Fair Trade Day, People Tree had organised a design competition open to all producers at KTS, to produce a new idea for a knitted swatch.  They were stitching all the swatches together (with each producers name on the back side) to make a giant bag for display!  Great to see such creativity encouraged and supported!

 

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Nepalese police demolish slum homes along the river in Kathmandu

So the river that seperates the main part of Kathmandu from the south city of Patan, has always been a bit of sight since i have been here. The river is full of rubbish and the whole area smells really bad, such a shame.  But for some Nepalese people, the side of the river is their home.  Mainly for people with no legal paperwork, coming in form the rural areas, they have constructed temporary housing along the river side, which has been there for as long as I have known.

Yesterday I saw lots of the police with big trucks, all preparing to knock down these people's homes.  Loads of people were watching from the bridge and across the other side.

It seemed really sad to demolish these peoples homes, but I reeeally hope the government has given them other opportunities for accomodation or land as an alternative......

 

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