Getting into the swing of things

So, I'm back at my office after Mum's trip, and, apart from a week away 'in the field', I'm slowly building into a routine. In the morning, I eat breakfast after the usual cup of tea and then head in to the office, taking Bhanja to school on the way. At lunch time, we all head out to a small roti-shop, the Nepali equivalent of a sandwich bar, for a chapati and vegetable curry. Then just as it starts to get dark, I make my way home again. It's good to have a little bit of routine again in this most unpredictable and unorganised place.

The field trip was to go and help to start a social survey in an area where a new Hydropower plant will be built. This meant a day's bus ride followed by several hours walking to get to our base. We then had to walk to all the affected villages and talk to the local residents about the new plant. It was very interesting to see people off the tourist trail, see their scepticism about development plans and their enthusiasm about the possibility of a new source of income in a mainly agricultural landscape.

The landscape in the affected area was amazing
One village we visited was a typical Gurung village. It was very like Ghandruk, a village on the Poon Hill trek, but for one major difference. It felt more real. Ghandruk had been developed by the government as a model Gurung village, while the one we saw was left alone by all development, so it seemed. The children in the evening played football on the terraced fields on the outside of the village - a passing game was all but impossible due to the steps in the surface. And very few of the people there had seen foreigners before, so it caused a large amount of staring. They also performed one of their 'cultural programs' for us, singing songs and dancing for a few rupees.

Naiche, a typical Gurung village, that felt like something out of Lord of the Rings
So, as Christmas was approaching, I wanted to try and do something to celebrate it. So, Bhanja and I made a small nativity scene, and some paper chains as well. I bought a plastic christmas tree, and we made some decorations to put on it as well. Hopefully, Saru will be here for Christmas day, so although I won't be with my family in the UK, I'll be with my Nepali family. When we were making the nativity scene, Bhanja was colouring in the people and asked for the brown colour. I asked why he needed the brown, as he was on the angel. He said for the face. Not pink, brown. This might sound a strange little thing to remember, but when I was small, people had pink faces. For Bhanja however people have brown faces. So, in our nativity scene, we have a brown faced angel, Jesus, Mary and Joseph, shepherds and wise-men.

The Christmas tree and nativity scene
Walking back from my office the other day I saw a midget - he was riding around on a quad. In Nepal, the land of short people, midget's are titchy.

Thanks to everyone who's emailed me recently. I'm sorry I've been very lazy in replying to them, but I do read everything. I just forget to write back...

Anyway, Merry Christmas one and all.

SAM

(Here's a rare photo of me, just to show I'm still alive, alert, awake enthusiastic)

Tourist Time - Part 2

So, as most people do, we spent a large part of time in the Kathmandu Valley. Like most countries capital cities, it isn't the best area of the country by any means, but it is convenient and has good transport links and lots of history.

We first visited Kathmandu Durbar Square in the middle of Kathmandu. It was a good place to start as it gave a good flavour of Nepal - a manic taxi ride followed by temples, hawkers, living goddesses and tiny streets packed with people and motorbikes. Our first stop was the Kumari Ghar, the house of the living goddess for Kathmandu, who is supposed to represent the God Taleju. She is a pre-pubescent girl selected from a set of highly ritualised conditions. Her view is considered by many Nepalis to be a blessing. After wandering through and looking at the many temples built in the square we moved to the tourist ghetto of Thamel, for a bit of shopping and a look-see.

The Kumari Ghar, unfortunately the Kumari didn't bless us with her presence, but still a quiet place in the middle of the bustling Kathmandu Durbar Square
The next day, Saru joined us for a walk around Patan, starting at Patan Dhoka, the gate where the peoples movement of 1990 held its ground, and moved on to the historic, and patently more pretty than Kathmandu's version, Patan Durbar Square via a number of little temples, hidden in nooks and crannies all along the side streets.

Saru and me outside one of the temples in Patan Durbar Square
After returning from Pokhara, we had a day of big temple and stupa visits. Auntie Kathy had decided to stay in the hotel, as her leg was a bit sore after the exertions in the the mountains. So we visited Pashupathinath, Boudha and Swayambhu all in one day through a large number of taxi rides. It was good fun, and interesting to see all the temples one after each other, seeing how each differed in it's own way.

Pashupatinath Temple - the place for Hindu pilgrimage in Kathmandu

Boudhanath Stupa - the centre of Tibetan Buddhism in Nepal
I had to return to my office for a day, so Rachhu very kindly agreed to Mum and Auntie Kathy around some of the bigger temples in Patan and the museum there. When we all returned from our various places, we found Aama and Buwa had cooked a large number of sel roti - doughnut like bread from rice flour. So we sat on the veranda in the afternoon sun and ate warm sel roti. Bliss.

Mum and Auntie Kathy at the Golden Temple

Aama and Buwa cooking sel roti - my favourites!
Bhaktapur is the third of the cities in the valley, once a kingdom's capital but now a well preserved piece of history, thanks to lots of foreign aid. We walked around, fending off people trying to get us to visit their Thangka painting schools and potential guides, and found our own route to the places we wanted to go.

Auntie Kathy, Rachhu and Mum in Bhaktapur next to the 'Large Shiva Lingas'
On the last full day in Nepal, we took everyone to Dakshinkali, the temple dedicated to the scariest of Hindu deities. Normally the place runs with blood, from the animal sacrifices that take place there. However, we were lucky and none rook place when we were there. We returned by the fish infested, snake worshipping lake in Taudhaha. As a bit of fun for Mum and Auntie Kathy before they left, Rachhu gave them a hennaed hand, traditional decoration for Nepali women.

Everyone at Dakshinkali
Rachhu giving Mum a hennaed hand
And as quickly as it started, Mum and Auntie Kathy were gone again. It was fun being a tourist again, seeing other foreigners and, of course, spending time with Mum.

SAM

Tourist Time - Part 1

Mum and Auntie Kathy came at the beginning of November to visit Nepal, and inspect my life of luxury here. I've broken this up into 2 parts of tourism, first outside the Kathmandu Valley and next time our visits in the Kathmandu Valley. This is a bit of a photo-blog, partly because my writing is not very good, but mostly because I am lazy and, as they say, a photo speaks a thousand words.

So, the first place we went outside the valley was the National park at Chitawan. This involved a bus ride down to the park, about 6 hours or so along some of the most scary roads in Nepal. When we arrived, we went for an organised wander around the park before heading to the river for the sunset - a part of all the "Chitawan Package" holidays.

The sunset in Sauraha across the Rapti river
The next morning, we were woken early for a canoe ride along the river to the edge of the jungle, followed by a visit to the elephant breeding centre. The boats weren't the most stable in the world, and Achut standing at the back didn't make the situation any better. The walk in the jungle was fairly uneventful, we saw lots of trees, some termite mounds and in the distance one or two deer. After the warnings that we might have to run from rhino, it was a bit tame, but what can you expect when there are 12 noisy people trampling through the surrounding. At the elephant breeding centre 7 days earlier one mother elephant given birth to the first set of twins in captivity in Nepal, the third in the world. One of the guides led out a baby elephant to be petted, then a small Nepali school boy ran into the enclosure behind the animals, causing a large amount of horn trumpeting and shouting.

Canoeing early morning along the river

A lake in the jungle - when noisy tourists aren't there, deer, rhino and other animals drink from the lake

The mother with her twins - both boys
From the elephant breeding centre we went back into Sauraha to watch the elephant bathing. Achut, the shy and retiring person he is, wanted to shower with them. This involved climbing onto the naked elephant's back and the elephant driver shouting things at it to wash itself and get Achut as wet as possible at the same time.

Achut about to get a trunk-full of water
After lunch, it was our turn to go on the elephants for our safari. We went on into the jungle, lumbering along at a lolloping pace. Every step pushed my rib into the wooden surround of the the carry-cot ontop of the elephant, eventually ending in a bruise the size of a tennis ball. The advantage of an elephant safari is that most animals know the elephants and don't run away, giving quite a cool view of the local wildlife, especially the endangered one-horned rhinos.

Mounting the elephant

An argument between the elephant and rhino?

Crossing the river
That was enough for one day, and we had an early night. The next morning we had the bird walk at 6.30, the morning mist rising from the river and the golden orange sun poking through. There were, however, a distinct lack of bird life. Maybe it was because it was cold. Maybe it was because it was very early. Or maybe it was because we were very very noisy. After that, we headed for the bus station and headed for Pokhara and the mountains.

The morning mist rising from the river
In Pokhara we first went to the lake, Phewa Tal, and had a two hour trip around the lake powered by an old Gurung lady. Lots of Nepali people were heading for the temple in the middle of lake, boats as overflowing as local buses.

'Buses' going to Tal Barahi

The view of the Annapurna Himalaya from Phewa Tal at sunset
Then we started our trek. It was a six-day trek up to Ghorepani, to watch the sunrise from Poon Hill before descending back down to Ghandruk, a preserved Gurung village, and back to Pokhara. Mum and Auntie Kathy didn't find it easy. Some days were long, almost 8 hours walking, but both did a most admirable job, and kept going through the pain that was at the end obviously pulsating through their bodies.

The start of the trek, bright eyed and bushy tailed...

Up hill, down dale...

Through rhododendron forest...

To Poon Hill for the Himalaya's best view...

And the sunrise...

Before reaching the highest point on the trek...

And returning downhill...

Through some beautiful Gurung villages...
And finally a well earned rest.
The trail always throws up one or two interesting parts. Ours was a quite funny really. In the hills around Pokhara, Marijuana is found naturally occurring. In one tea-house we stayed in, a foreign man in his forties or fifties came in rather off-his-head on the local crop. He had been there 10 times or so in the last month apparently. Everyone in the tea-house was whispering, what would the man do? He came in, got out his pipe, and then ordered some food. Later on, the guides and porters couldn't help themselves and were talking rather loudly about the man in Nepali, until someone asked him for some crop. He then started to complain that people always asked him for some, and never gave him any money, and that all the local people sold him their crop and ripped him off. My heart bled.

So once the trek was finished, we had a relaxing day around Pokhara seeing the sites before heading to Kathmandu the following morning.

The Kathmandu Valley part will come soon!

SAM

Back up and running!

So, my Mum has come from the UK, and fixed my technical problems. Wahey! (Thanks Bids) So, I've posted some things about the last month, mainly about the 2 major festivals that have taken place.

Last week, I started to work with a Hydropower NGO, and it hopefully will teach me about how NGOs in Nepal work. In return, I'm going to be helping them on things I know. i.e. computers and english. Great deal. To see about the NGO you can look at their website www.peeda.net.

Anyway, my Mum and Aunt are here for the next three weeks, so I'm going to be doing a lot of the touristy stuff that I haven't done for a long time, including going on elephant safari, walking in the mountains and so on. Should be fun!

SAM

Tihar - The Festival of Lights

The fire crackers started not long after Dasain. The first ones in our road really gave me a shock. Later, when I was speaking to an ex-pat he told me they were a relatively new phenomenon coming from India, a sign of the continuing India-ification of Nepal. Achut told me with some pride that last year he had tried to hit one of the many low-flying aircraft with a rocket, but it couldn't reach.

Tihar, known to most as its Indian name Diwali, is probably the most popular festival amongst the Nepali people. Dasain is the Nepali festival, but Tihar is just more fun. The festival lasts for 5 days, and is to worship Yamraj, the god of death, and Lakshmi, the god of wealth and fortune. The first three days, animals are worshipped as symbols of Yamraj's workers - crows on the first day, dogs on the second and cows on the third. As well as giving puja-ed food to all the animals, dogs and cows are given marigold garlands. The large German Shepherd next door still did look rather scary, but with the orange necklace, I couldn't help but laugh at it trying to bite me through a steel fence.

On the third evening, Lakshmi puja is celebrated, one of the most beautiful sights you can see. We all put on our new clothes from Dasain. Aama and Rachhu drew a mud path up our stairs to the puja room, with flour dots along the path to represent footsteps. All around the house we set up candles inside and out. All the lights were switched on. All of this was to guide Lakshmi to the house, so she can bring wealth and prosperity for the next year. We sat up on the roof and watched all the other houses in our area with their candles, and for the richer people, fairy lights. We bought some fireworks and set them off as well, not managing to shoot down any low flying aircraft with our rockets.

Wandering around the streets were groups of singers performing what is known as Deusi Bhailo - Tihar's version of carol singers. They visit houses and perform traditional dances and songs for anyone who would listen, and expect a rich reward from their audience. Also, this day people gamble as they believe Lakshmi is with them, so their luck should be good. How many of them benefit from Lakshmi's blessing is questionable, I have a feeling even in Nepal, the house will always win in the end.

The next day after breakfast, Aama and Rachhu started to cook sel roti, a doughnut-like bread that is made from rice dough. These are then fried in clarified butter known as ghiu. I think this is one of my favourite Nepali sweet dishes, especially when hot. Rachhu also spent a long time making flower garlands, four in total, to be used the next day. I sat in the sun, ate sel roti and became slowly red from the winter sun. It's a hard life.

The final day of Tihar is known as Bhai Tika. This is a day for brothers and sisters, where sisters place their blessing on their brothers for long life and prosperity, and where the brothers try to add to their sisters prosperity by giving them money. Being a man, If you are unfortunate enough not to have a sister, you can visit Rani Pokhari temple in the middle of Kathmandu, where there are many ladies waiting to bestow blessings, maybe in the hope of receiving some prosperity. This tradition goes back to when in an old kingdom known as Kirat, covering some of modern day Nepal and India, the King fell ill. His sister bartered with Yamaraj, the god of death, to postpone taking her brother into the underworld until several conditions, including waiting until the Tika that she gave him fades away.

For us this meant waiting until the pre-appointed hour, again determined by the chief astrologer, before we could begin. We were not allowed to eat until the puja had been completed. On the veranda outside my room was a layout very similar to that for Dasain, with puja items sitting in front of a carpet rug. Aama's brother had come, and first Aama puja-ed him. Then it was Achut, me and Bhanja's turn. We sat in a row on the carpet whilst Saru and Rachhu walked around the carpet three times, pouring water - ritually cleansing the area. Then the girls gave us oil on the top of our heads and in our ears - I couldn't remember how well I had cleaned my ears that morning, and had a slight panic what they would pull out from my ears when they retracted their hands. Then they did a small amount of flicking powder and throwing flowers, placing flowers on our heads, shoulders and knees. Then they applied the multicoloured Bhai Tika and gave the garland that Rachhu had made the day before. Finally, I gave my small gift to them and knelt down, touching my head to both of their feet, something that made them all laugh. I was handed a tray of food things, cooked sweet breads - including some more sel roti - fruit and spices.

It was a great day, especially as we spent the rest of the time just talking and eating. It wasn't as if I believed in everything that was done for my wealth and long life, but it is so good to have fun with people that are your - adopted - family, enjoy their culture and learn a little bit about them. As Atticus Finch might say, walking around in their shoes.

Bhanja after Bhai Tika

Rachhu and me after Bhai Tika
Tihar was an especially great time for me. Not only was it because all my Nepali family were there, but before Tihar something else had happened. I had met some ex-pats through church, something that isn't actually that normal for me being rather unsociable. I had been told about a man who works in a Hydro-electric engineering NGO, and he might be able to find something useful I could do. So, on the second day of Tihar, I went to visit him. I discussed with him why I was in Nepal, what I did in the UK, and he said that there should be something I could do for them. So, I would start the next week, after the Tihar holiday. I had slightly mixed feelings about working with another NGO that wasn't working in Rajghat. Would I have time to work with Rajghat things? Would this mean that the ideas we had for Rajghat would just have to be stopped? I think though that the thing that will be hardest is losing the flexibility, as I had no work before, I didn't have to be anywhere at anytime. Now I have to be in an office 9-5, or the Nepali equivalent. We'll see how it goes. Hopefully with the experience I get from here, we can get Rajghat things going though. It's not going to be forgotten.

A definitely more upbeat time!

SAM

(Apologies for the lack of photos. Somehow my camera deleted half of the photos on it, but left others. Rather random and very very very annoying.)

And for the mountain man, I'm off to Pokhara in a couple of weeks, so I'll get some better photos then, but for now, the sunsets have been pretty amazing here in the Valley. These are the Ganesh Himal, to the north-west of Kathmandu.

Ganesh Himal at sunset

Dasain!

Tika day for Dasain was yesterday. It celebrates the victory of Ram over the Demon Ravana with the help of the Goddess Durga. It started very early in the morning with a rather cold shower. The joys of no hot water. Aama and Buwa spent all of the morning conducting their puja for this most special of days in the Nepali calendar. Rachhu was in the kitchen from early morning, cooking. Me, I spent the morning between the TV, watching people celebrate the festival all over Nepal, my bed and the toilet. My stomach bug that had been attacking me for the previous 5 days was still making my life hell.


Ready for the puja

At the appointed hour as decided by the chief astronomer, we all sat in a room upstairs near the puja room in our newly bought clothes. In front of us was a tray of fruit, a jug full of leaves and water, another tray with rice and abhir powder mixed for the tika and some barley shoots. In a leaf bowl was a large amount of rice, an oil lamp was burning and an incense stick was doing its job. Rachhu, Achut and I were sat in a line, and we got given our tika, and the barley shoots were placed on the top of our heads and behind the left ear.

Being given the tika

Tika completed!

As we hadn't eaten all morning, we were all fairly hungry. Traditional food at Dasain is goat meat, curd and chiura - squashed rice. So we ate. A lot. I then lay in bed, tired and rather ill. Everyone was waiting for Saru, the recently married daughter, to arrive with her husband. Children visit their elders at this time, going for a bit of food, money and their blessing. Some people end with a forehead covered in Tika, and a rather richer pocket. For the next few days the rest of the house went visiting family, and me, I lay in bed. The hedgehog finally passed from my system and I became a lot better.

Me, with Achut and Buwa, after the Tikas, in my new clothes.

This time with Aama, Buwa and Rachhu

SAM

Half way to where?

6 months has now passed since I arrived in Nepal. I must be getting very old as time seems to be passing like a bullet train.

For the last 2 days I feel as if I've been trying to pass a hedgehog through my colon, it has been rather painful. Add to that someone kneading down on it as well and you might be able to understand my discomfort. Hopefully it should go away soon, normally these things only last a couple of days.

Dasain officially started last week, but this week has been the start of the main celebrations. Walking along the road, I have passed streams of goats on their way to a grizzly end - eating a goat for Dasain is considered as traditional as a Turkey at Christmas. A few days ago we went shopping for clothes, Racchu, Bhanja and me - the recipients - and Buwa - the money. Even the poorest people in Nepal expect to get a new set of clothes for Dasain, leading to it becoming a bane for some families rather than the celebration it should be.

Yesterday the Bahuun, priest, came to our house to conduct a large puja. This was in honour of a baby being born in the family. All morning, Aama and Rachhu were cooking food, but not eating. Finally, once the puja was completed, we ate the food they had cooked - pickle, bread fried in oil called pourri, and my favourite sel roti, a doughnut-like sweet bread.

The streets are littered with dead kites, the losers in the battles to control the skies. Some are hanging from the telegraph poles, some stuck in trees, and others lying in the road where they fell, fallen warriors trampled beneath the feet of uncaring passers-by.

Something I'm feeling at the moment...

In front of me I see a road. It is undulating, over hills and through shallow valleys. I look behind me, and the same type of path is there. I look around me and see other people I know. Their road is much more mountainous, over high peaks and through deep gorges. I try to walk with them along their road, carry some of their bags, but I can't. There is something stopping me. Is it me? Is it someone else? I just don't know and don't understand. What do I do now?

Everything a bit disjointed I know, but hey - that's my mind sometimes...

SAM