Day 5 Nagarkot & Miss Nepal

I don't usually travel with an alarm clock since the modern cell-phone all ahve it built-in.  There will be a morning call anyway, especially when travel with a group. But I still like to get up a little earlier, to be sure.  I have lots of gear with me, so it is to be sure.  I set my iPhone to a morning call, and this is something to share about - I always set my iPhone alarm to the actual "alarm" sound - in stread of rings or songs, that does not work!  I heard someone has to use 5 alarm clocks to be sure to get up, I think perhaps there is a more simpler solution.  When I enrolled in this photography tour trip, I asked for a single, non-sharing room, cost a little more but better for me.  Not that I can't stay with strangers, I do often, but for this trip I decided to stay along so I can get better sleep.
When I was woke up from the alarm of my iPhone, I almost jump to the window to check the sky outside, still early, still a little dark, but then I kind of realize that perhaps I have no luck this morning.  Heavy clouds still there, but nonetheless I still set up the camera and lenses, waiting for the day to break.  Anf for the first time in this trip, I started to use the digital back.  I brought along with me a Phase One P65+ digital back mounted on a Hasselblad H2, with a caseful of lenses.  I have a nice room with a small balcany that if weather permits, I could have set up the camera and sipping coffee while taking pictures!
Slowly the first light came, and I am almost certain that I will need some other time to see Himalayan here, not today. Still, I took some pictures with the GF-1 mounted with the Olympus ED Macro 50/2.
This shot, captured with Phase One p65+ on Hasselbald H2,  with HC 50/3.5 lens, although scaled down to small file for this blog, still clearly shows that the image quality from a digital back is still visibly superior than that of a smaller camera.

I did not take much pictures, and I have packed up my bags the night earlier, so I carried my luggages to lobby to load onto the bus, then go for a breakfast, with just the Panasonic Gf-1 on hand.  I was thinking that perhaps this is it, nothing more.
The breakfast place is a nice set up, I have myself a decent meal, and a few cups of coffee.  For coffee, I am not addicited to it, but sometimes I drink cups in succession, and it was what I did this morning.
Finally, time to go.  After making sure that all my bags (gears) are loaded, I jump up to the bus ready to go!  Huangzhen, a Chinese photographer friend met few years ago in a Tibetan trip asked me if have seen a yound lady also in the breakfast area who was former Miss Nepal?   No. While saying that, I jump down the bus with a GF-1 on my hand, found the Miss Nepal, and ask for to pose for me for this image!  A nice lady, pretty, even a little shy.
Tip to the photographers: most beautiful lady like to have nice pictures, but they don't always have them, for many reasons, sometimes they are not comfortable or sometimes the moment is not right, or sometimes it was because the photographer did not make the picture.  My approach is always go straightforward to ask, all you can get is "no", but more often than not, and for myself - almost always a "yes", then you get a more decent image.  Can one snap an image without she is aware?  Of course, but not always nice.  So what I did?  I simply asked that I was told that she was former Miss Nepal?  And she nod with smile.  And I said "If you were Miss Nepal then you are always Miss Nepal!  So Miss Nepal, can I have a picture of yours?"  Then I asked her to stand by the staircase where the light comes in, with a vibrant yellow wall that is a harmony to her skin, and took this picture.