Stories from Eurasia
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I took a trip to South Asia this summer to document the faces, stories and source behind a coffee company called Eurasia Coffee & Tea. Their proceeds support many non-profit organizations based in Eurasia (India, Bangladesh, Nepal) and they also happen to source a lot of their tea and coffee from Nepal and Sri Lanka. My boyfriend, who works for the company, was with me and we were on the road (in the air?) for a little over a month. Sri Lanka was all about tea (and rightly so). We visited tea plantations, factories and also a Tea Institute, which was fascinating and so beautiful.
In Nepal we traveled high into the mountains, very near the Himalayas to visit their organic coffee farms. It was so interesting to see the source behind such everyday products like coffee and tea.
In Bangladesh, India, and also Nepal, we visited Eurasia Coffee & Tea’s partners – organizations that care for AIDS survivors, women rescued from sex trafficking, girls who had been born in brothels, tutoring programs for children who live in the slums. Due to language barriers, we communicated poorly with words, but tried to make it up with smiles and “Photo Days” at each of the centers. Everyone loved having their photo taken! Some of our best memories are with these ladies and girls.
About the Author Karen is a photographer, creative and adventurer. She grew up in Tokyo, Japan but is now based in Brooklyn, New York.
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we were growing a tad weary of traveling and were glad to get home. But it was unlike any trip I’ve ever taken before, full of so many inspiring landscapes, colors and people. Have you ever been to that part of the world? What did you like/dislike about it?