Location: A street stall in Kathmandu, Nepal (27°42'26.99"N 85°18'43.60"E)
Date: 7 May 2003; 3.35pm
Camera: Canon G1
A porter is a relatively high-paying job in Nepal. Unlike some countries such as Pakistan where the daily rates payable to a porter is fixed every year, the cost of hiring a porter in Nepal depends on one’s negotiating skills. Regardless, porter-ing is considered a good-pay though tough job. Furthermore there is a limited lifespan of being a porter- as one grows older, the job gets much tougher. In many cases, especially those who speaks English, porters gradually move on to become guides. Nepali porters are a breed of its own- unlike porters in other countries, Nepali porters uses their forehead to carry the weight. They would organised all the luggage and carry them on a strap weighted on the forehead. This is not peculiar to porters but seems to be the norm for carrying heavy items in Nepal generally. Even in Kathmandu, one very often sees workers carrying heavy loads using their forehead.
