“It is such a pleasure to have met Justin Chang and hear from him in person how he fell in love with the beauty of Himalayas and my country. Many Nep-
alese do not even get to experience the Himalayas during their life time because trekking requires very hard training. I loved his photos of the Himalayas
and moving stories he captured. I am also appreciative of the work he initiated with Hope for Nepal. Justin Chang is an exemplary high school student and I would like to invite him back as a youth ambassador to Nepal.” —Sher Dhan Rai, Minister of Information and Communications, Member
of Legislature Parliament of Nepal
“On April 25, 2015, Nepal was hit by a devastating earthquake of 7.8 magnitude. The earthquake brought down buildings, tore apart paved roads, displaced families, and took the lives of nearly 9,000 people. The overwhelming support that Nepal received immediately after the earthquake helped to save many
lives and provide relief to victim families. I met Justin Chang in July 2016 when he was in Nepal. During our meeting I learned about how he, along with
his school mates, had been able to raise funds to help victims of the earthquake. This deeply moved me. I would like to express my gratitude to Justin for his
efforts to bring relief to families who suffered due to the disaster. His contributions have been able to provide great relief to the victim families. I wish him
all the very best for his future endeavors and hope he will be able to share his compassions with many more families in need.” —Dr. Shubh N. Mahato,
Country Director, Heifer International Nepal
“Justin Chang’s contribution, through the Embassy of Nepal in Seoul, to the Prime Minister Disaster Relief Fund of the Government of Nepal is very much appreciated. I hope he continues to promote Nepal, our beautiful nature and rich natural resources.” —Kaman Singh Lama, former Ambassador
of Nepal to the Republic of Korea
“Thank you, Justin Chang and his friends in Korea, for their continued support to rebuild earthquake stricken Khagendra New Life Special Education Secondary School in Jorpati, Kathmandu, a special, free-education school for the children with disabilities and underprivileged. We believe that disabled
children can play a vital role to develop the nation if proper education is provided. We are the only school for these types of children and we appreciate Hope for Nepal’s continued efforts towards rebuilding schools and rebuilding hope in Nepal.” —Raghab Prasad Dawadi, Head Master of Khagendra
New Life Special Education Secondary School
“Himalayas captures the beauty of the Himalayan Mountains in its best and worst, with such unpredictable weather changes. Each and every members of
the Korea Youth Himalaya Expedition endured excruciating training period and learned to trust each other throughout the process. What they witnessed at the peak was an experience itself, and the Nepali people they met on the way gave them moving stories to share. Himalayas inspires the readers to challenge the impossible.” —Choong Jik Lee, Everest and Lhotse South Face Mountaineer
HIMALAYAS Prologue
4
Chapter 1 | Darkness in the Mountains
6
Chapter 2 | The Beauty of the Himalayas
18
Chapter 3 | The People of the Himalayas
30
Chapter 4 | People of Kewalpur Village
42
Epilogue
54
About the Photographer
60
Landscape Near Peak Langtang 2015
For what all the pain is worth, the Himalayas truly is a land of beauty. But for the first few thousand meters, the landscape was far from the snowy paradise that I had pictured. Trees covered my surroundings. Birds chirped lively as they flew overhead. Snow was absent and the ground was a vibrant shade of brown. But as I climbed higher and higher, I saw in the distance a jagged peak covered with white snow: it was the first time I laid my eyes on the true Himalayas. As I climbed further and further, the trees began to disappear, the diverse species of animals were reduced to just the yak, and small patches of ice began to appear. The Himalayas was getting barren and I knew the snow covered peak was not far away. I was getting closer and closer to my destination, to finally experience the Himalayas as Edmund Hillary did so many years ago. And when I finally did reach the winter land, I was pleasantly overwhelmed.
The trite photos of Everest that so commonly appear when people describe the Himalayas could not possibly convey the beauty and the wonder that surrounded those great peaks. I was surrounded by monstrous rocks on all sides and the true scale of the Himalayas was made quite apparent. As beautiful as the mountains may have been, what made my experience even more surreal was the clouds that drifted not above but below me. I was at a height where only a few people would ever reach by foot, and it was then that I felt a sense of accomplishment. I frantically took photos of my surroundings, trying to document the wondrous Himalayas to show to those who would never step foot in this winter land. I wanted my photos to show that Nepal was far more beautiful than what I was led to believe.
Beauty of the Himalayas
Colors of Nepal Langtang 2015
Cross Langtang 2015
Floating Mountains Langtang 2015
Sea of Clouds Langtang 2015
A Langtang Child Langtang Village 2015
‘Thank You’ Langtang Village 2015
Looking Up Langtang 2015
Young Girl Langtang 2015
Goat III Langtang 2015
Head First Kewalpur Village 2016
Namaste!
Epilogue
“In the often impassable terrain of the Himalayas, deep crevices and valleys necessitated the building of bridges like these for the convenience of hikers and local villagers. As the bridges were rickety and rusted, I felt like Indiana Jones while crossing and it made hiking the Himalayas an even more thrilling adventure.”
“Many of the local villagers and children greeted us as we hiked by. Some sat in their chairs sipping tea, others were busy trying to advertise their assorted chips and drinks, and the kids ran around calling for their parents as we passed.”
“Trudging on to the peak was a tiring process. I was forced to push myself, walking continuously even if I wanted to give up, and swallowed my pain. It was a long and arduous process where every member of the expedition silently fought their own battles, before our victories led us to the peak.�
About the Photographer places that grabbed his curiosity. Shop keepers busy selling souvenirs and food at night markets, Bedouins praying at dawn in the White Desert, tourists looking down from the Eiffel Tower, and beautiful sculptural decorations at the Bayon Temple, just to name a few. His interest transformed into a passion when he began to capture the beauty of the natural world that he discovered as he climbed mountains throughout Korea and finally the Himalayas.
Justin Chang has earned both gold and silver keys for photography from Scholastic Art & Writing Awards over the years. A junior at Seoul International School, he currently is both a staff writer and a photographer for his school newspaper, Tiger Times. Justin Chang’s interest in photography began with his journey around the world, taking photos of people and
Various climates of the different altitudes of the Himalayas presented a wider scope of nature’s wonder. The amazing sight at the 5,850m Stok Kangri in Ladakh, India, in 2014, made him come back for more in the following winter in 2015 to Langtang in the Nepalese Himalayas. He made his trip again in the summer of 2016 to capture, this time, the life of Nepalese people living after the atrocious 2015 earthquake of Nepal. Through his series of photos of the Himalayas, he hopes to promote the cause of Project Hope for Nepal, a non-profit organization, Justin found soon after the earthquake, by mobilizing coalition efforts to rebuild schools and to rebuild hope in Nepal.
“Rebuilding Schools, Rebuilding Hope”
All rights reserved under the Project Hope for Nepal This book may not be reproduced in whole or in part, in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system now known or hereafter invented, without written permission from the publisher. For more information, please contact projecthopefornepal@gmail.com Join us in ‘Rebuilding Schools, Rebuilding Hope’ with Project Hope for Nepal! www.facebook.com/ProjectHopeforNepal Edit and Design by Justin Chang Photography by Justin Chang
Special Thanks to
Government of Nepal, Ministry of Information and Communications
Heifer International Nepal
Khagendra New Life Special Education Secondary School
All Hands Volunteers
Embassy of Nepal in Seoul, Republic of Korea Rotary International District 3650
Global Korea Foundation
Korea Youth Himalayas Expedition