To Tide You Over...

So I just got back from the field (Hetauda) and am working on my post about it... until then, here's some pictures to look at from around KTM. :)

Patan Durbar Square (about a 10 minute walk from my house)



My new room (Libby's old room - THANKS!)





My pets: Everest and Annapurna


Swayambunath - the Monkey Temple


A monkey at Swayambunath



Views of KTM valley from Swayambunath (it must look awesome on a sunny day!)






Sleeping God Statue in Balaju Park

Bandh - This is when you run the other way.

So today I had my first Nepali lesson. Yes, a lot later than I thought I would start, but I have high hopes with my teacher. He’s pretty good so I should know basic stuff within a few weeks. I’m going to start with 3 hours a week and see whether I should add more or take less.

After my lesson, my friend Raj and I decided to go to Swayambuhnath – which you might hear as the Monkey Temple. Yup, heading back into monkey territory. What it is about temples that monkeys like I have no idea, but as long as the monkeys stay back, I’m okay with them hanging about. Raj and I were on our way on his motorbike when we hit the New Road area (seriously, it is called New Road) and heard a big commotion. Lots of yelling on the big road and a whole bunch of people walking/running towards us. Raj pulled off onto a side road and walked back to see what the big deal was. Sure enough… it was a bandh (or strike)/protest.

Bandhs are pretty commonplace here, but usually people know about them in advance and just stay at home. Raj and I weren’t among the people who knew about this one in advance. There were a lot of people walking very quickly away from the strikers. And I figured maybe we should head away from them, too? So Raj and I got back on the motorbike and found an alternative route to Swayambuhnath. We found out along the way that the bandh was happening because the President has not visited the important temple in Kathmandu Durbar Square. Apparently, the people are quite pissed about this… so much so that New Road (a huge shopping area) and even Thamel was pretty much shut down for most of the day. We saw the protesters again in Thamel… which kind of freaked out all the tourists, but still they just sit and enjoy their coffee. They probably think it’s a parade. Except the people are breaking things and destroying atms and starting fires in the street.

Swayambuhnath was very cool. Another stupa (like the one in Boudha) but this one is crawling with monkeys. The monkeys here, I had heard, are more likely to jump you and grab at you… but they were pretty calm when I was there. Swayambunath is interesting because the hill it sits upon is supposedly “self-risen” from the lake which was supposed to have covered Kathmandu Valley (just letting you know what Lonely Planet says…). There’s a statue in a fountain at the entrance where you’re supposed to toss a coin and depending on where it lands it’s good luck (only if it lands on the platform at the statue’s feet). Neither Raj nor I could make it… but this young girl got it almost every time! She must’ve been standing there tossing coins – at least 50 rupees! – for awhile. Everywhere you look there are prayer flags hanging all over the place. I wish it had been sunny so that the colors were brighter than they were, but I’m sure I’ll make it to the Monkey Temple again. I’ve also found that temples are crawling with young couples… all looking for a quiet place to hold hands and be all lovey-dovey. Really. It seemed like the only people visiting the temple were couples. In every dark corner or semi-secluded area, there’s a young Nepali couple probably forced to meet secretly because they are promised to marry someone else.

It was the same at Balaju Park – where we went after Swayambuhnath and Thamel. The park is just outside of Ring Road (which encircles all of Kathmandu) and is quite small, but nice with small ponds with fish, walking paths up the hill, and a sleeping Vishnu statue. It was nice to hang out with Raj and see stuff around Kathmandu. I haven’t been traveling around much… especially this week since I was sick. Plus, it’s better to see stuff with a local than with other foreigners.

My Pets

So in my new room (pictures coming soon) I discovered Annapurna and Everest... two geckos that live in my room. Don't get me wrong, I like geckos. I'm actually fine with most creepy crawlies and bugs and animals. Okay, maybe not cockroaches, but who likes them anyway. Geckos, though? Eat all the mosquitoes you want. I'm happy to have you! We've got this unsaid agreement (well, maybe I said it out loud, but it looked like they understood)... geckos stay on the walls and not on my bed. Or in my clothes.

I mean, really, do you want to wake up in the middle of the night staring into a beady pair of gecko eyes? No thanks. So hopefully, Annapurna (she's the smaller of the two) and Everest (obviously, the bigger one) will stick to the agreement. Otherwise... maybe you'll hear me screaming wherever you may be. :)

I'll try to post a pic of my new friends once I see them again. I guess it's better than me petting the mangy street dogs.

My Night as an American (13/09/08)

So last night was my roommate Libby’s last night in Nepal. I really like Libby and will definitely miss her in the house. Last night was almost my second experience in Thamel. Still crazy (if not crazier than the last time I went) and still crowded with foreigners, street kids, and aggressive shopkeepers who think a “Hello American!” is enough to get you to buy things from them.

We ate at Or2K for dinner with my classmate and only other Heller person in Nepal Elle. Or2K (I have no clue as to what the name is for or means) is a popular Israeli restaurant with the local foreigner crowd. The place is very hippie with low tables and floor pillows and cushions to sit on. You’re always bound to see at least 3 people with dreads, 1 Che shirt, 1 Bob Marley shirt, and the other person is probably wearing something light and flow-y in linen. The food’s good and at least gives me a place to get pretty good hummus and pita, baba ganoush, and falafel.

After dinner, the three of us went to Tomaz to meet up with the other roomies, Tom (the neighbor), and some other friends. Tomaz. How to describe this place. It’s got a South Beach-y feel with neon, long billowy bright white curtains, dim (I mean, DIM) lighting, and loud music playing (anything from Fergie to techno/house and we even heard The Offspring’s “Pretty Fly for a White Guy”… yup, anything.). So with the South Beach-y feel, throw in some random Hindu religious art and sculpture, some jewel tone interiors, and you’ve got a pseudo-swanky bar for the young hipster Nepali crowd to mix with the foreigners that are bound to find their way there.

What did we find out? Their long island iced teas are strong, their other drinks taste like a juice box, and they don’t understand the concept of straight liquor shots. They have shooters (kamikaze and other girly like shots), but ask for Smirnoff Red vodka shots and they bring it to you in big tumbler glasses and ask you if you want ice. Also, when you order a drink, say you order the long island iced tea… they say, “how many?” Not “how many” like how many does your party want… but how many do you think you can hold right now at this very second. Our waiter didn’t really quite understand that we only wanted one drink at a time. Then again he asked me a couple of times why I don’t want to order snacks (though other people in the party did).

And then the impromptu dancing started. So there’s a new minister in power in KTM who has decided that places need to shut down at 10. So this includes the shower bars (actual bars where showers set up and girls dressed in bikinis dance around… though not always IN the shower. Obviously these places are also fronts for prostitution rings – keep in mind, I’ve only heard about shower bars from locals and other westerners and never want to experience them for myself), bars, dance clubs, and regular restaurants. So we decided that Tomaz needed a dance floor… as we proceeded to dance in the little space by the DJ.

So there’s like what, 7 girls? Plus Tom. Of course some random guy from Oregon who just finished law school and is on his last hurrah until joining the wonderously boring and long hour days and weeks at the public defender’s office would join us. Weird. Luckily, maybe he got the hint from Libby and me… or it could have been the constant elbow in the side from Tom, but the random guy from Oregon left without a word.

Anyway, this morning, Libby, Tom and I ate breakfast overlooking Patan Durbar Square (very cool, quiet, and not like the rest of KTM). And then Libby left this afternoon for Dhaka. :( I spent the rest of the day moving into her room… there’s always turnover at Sushil Villa they say. Still it’s kind of sad. It was great hanging out with Libby and finding out we’re alike in some ways. Wonder how much Dhaka flights are? I’ve never been to Bangladesh.

Photos around the house and KTM

Sushil Villa (seriously, that's the name of the place... it even says so on the house!)

The living room and breakfast table.


The back garden. This place is seriously unbelievable. It's way different from my great apartment in Jizzakh.


A view of KTM from the Hash hike.


The hills surrounding KTM.


Saw this kid sitting in the window of his house. The other picture I took of this is at the top of my blog.

Time for another break...

Photos from Teej and Boudha

The line of red saris into the temple at Pashupati.


A little boy taking in all the red.


Crazy monkeys.


On the way out of Pashupati and to Boudha.


Another temple (with another line).


Boudhanath in Boudha (you've probably seen the eyes other places).


Religious men back at Pashupati (taken from very far away... they make you give them money if they see you take their picture).

Field Trip! (040908)

So today at work, I thought I was going to be reading through journal articles and program materials, but then my colleague Yogi invited me to come along to some focus groups in a village outside Kathmandu. Of course I wanted to go… KTM is really noisy, crowded, and kind of dirty so I wanted to see if other places in the valley are the same. So we headed to Thankot, probably 10-15km outside of Kathmandu.

The focus groups consisted of local women’s groups (also participating in a Heifer International project) so I got to meet a lot of really interesting women. We were asking for feedback from them about 4 PSAs my organization has produced concerning pre-natal and maternal care (part of our Early Child Development program). The ladies were so excited to have us (giving us gifts – it’s what they do) and to talk about the PSAs. Of course we gave them some program swag from our most popular show (SSMK, which I’m going to be working on as well).

It was SO nice up in Thankot. It’s up in the hills (KTM is in a valley) and so it’s less hot, less crowded, and less polluted. The ladies were telling me that they’ve even had freakin’ tigers roaming around the villages at night. Seriously. TIGERS. :) It was really fun and nice to hang out with the local women and see how important their feedback is to our broadcasts and PSAs. Of course, I got the “She’s not Nepali?” but I think I’m starting to get used to it. Once I speak Nepali (I’m learning a little bit here and there and still looking for a private tutor), I’ll be able to blend in much better.

We got back from Thankot a little late, so Yogi gave me a ride home on his motorbike. Have to say, I was a little concerned getting on a motorbike here of all places (I really need to post a picture of a street scene so you’ll get just how crowded and congested this place is!), but it wasn’t so bad. Still a little wary of motorcycles in general, but not super afraid anymore. Don’t worry, I’m safe, mom (if you’re reading this finally!) and I probably won’t do it again.

Unless someone else offers me a ride home. :)

We Sing. We Dance. We Fast and Faint.

So a couple of days ago, I experienced my first festival/holiday here in Nepal. It was Teej celebrated by all Hindu women (except for a few select groups like the Newari and Gurung – I think). I’m used to holidays in Uzbekistan where there’s a big program or show and flowers given to everyone. Here… it’s a little different. Teej is kind of like International Women’s Day in that it’s a woman’s holiday… but instead of celebrating women, it’s for praying for the long life of their husbands. Awesome.

My roommates and I headed out to Pashupati (it’s a big temple here in KTM) early on Tuesday morning (yup, a mid-week holiday has definitely thrown me off for the rest of the week) with the promise that we would see amazing singing and dancing from the women of KTM. So we go and are met with a very, very… very long line of women dressed in red saris from head-to-toe. They’re all supposed to be fasting, and I must say, I was a little worried for their health and safety as Tuesday proved to be an amazingly clear and hot day. Who really want to not eat and then sing and dance all day? In the heat? Well, that’s what these women came to do. It was really cool to see everyone decked out in red. I even went out a couple of nights before and bought something red just so I wouldn’t stick out like a sore thumb and I don’t even wear red.

So Pashupati apparently means “lord of the cattle” so it’s a major temple here in KTM. While we were there we also go to see a Hindu funeral and the burning of the dead. A little disturbing for me, but the Hindu faith deals with death differently than the Judeo-Christian ways. The funeral was very colorful, with the body of the dead wrapped in vibrant orange and red cloth and flowers. We watched as the men (as they can only perform funeral rites) washed the body in the Bagmati River and then carried it over to be burned. All the while, the women in red are standing in line waiting to get into the temple. There was water available and even some little Nepali Red Cross volunteers to make sure that the women weren’t passing out while waiting in line. We saw a few ambulances carrying off women who had fainted and then later there were reports that 15 women fainted (not a bad ratio once you saw how many people were there). We didn’t see any dancing though… and that was a big disappointment. Wouldn’t it have been so cool (imagine the pictures!) to see thousands of red sari’d women dancing around hoping their husbands live a long time?

Also at Pashupati, there’s a ton of monkeys. And not your average zoo monkeys, but staring you down, ready to take your food and bag, and probably raging rabid monkeys! They circle you like they’re seriously stalking you and are ready to take you away. Also, random fact, did you know that a gang of monkeys is actually called a cartload or a troop? We had no idea! At the time, though, they act like more of a gang. Sure… they look cute when they’ve got their little baby monkeys hanging onto their stomachs or backs, but then you see that crazy look in their eye. I’ve decided to treat all animals I see here in Nepal as rabid. So that means no petting the street dogs, too (which look surprisingly mangier than the ones in Uzbekistan). Fine.

Then my roommates and I headed to Boudha, another little area of KTM. It's the Tibetan community here in Kat. I've got some good pics of the Boudhanath Stupa - one of THE holiest Buddhist spots (and also a UNESCO World Heritage Site). You might recognize it if you've looked at any travel guides or websites about Nepal. I'm pretty sure I'll head back there soon as it's a very laidback and quiet part of KTM (which is hard to find around Patan, where I live).

The next holiday is Dashain, but I heard there’s not so much of a big festival because it’s just when everyone returns home to their families for like a week. If you know any different, let me know. I’m supposed to go trekking then, but wouldn’t mind just a week to explore the valley a little more.

Happy Teej… hope your husbands appreciate the fainting.


I'll be having another photo break soon with some pictures from Pashupati.

The Love/Hate Relationship Begins…

So I’m not sure if you’ve heard of Thamel, but if you’ve ever or will ever go backpacking, trekking, or climbing in Nepal, you’ll most likely end up in Thamel. It’s a small section of Kathmandu where the foreigners outnumber the locals. It’s very westernized with it’s Zara, Mac store, cute coffeeshops, and cheap outdoor gear shops. It’s the place you go to buy everything and anything you left at home from nalgenes (I forgot mine) to down sleeping bags. It’s also probably the highest hippie capital (in more ways than one) as well. So there’s a lot of dreadlocked, dirty hippie people (not that I judge) all running around in their Birkenstocks and linen tunics.
Okay, so that might be the hate part… well at least part of it. I’ll get to more of that later. I went into Thamel with my Cali roommate and her colleague/friend. I thought I should probably get it over with now so I can know where to go later on when no one’s around to show me. So we took a taxi to get out there because it’s pretty freakin’ far away and then as soon as you’re out of the taxi, you’re immediately hit with the sound of honking of taxis, motorbikes, and rickshaws. Throw into the mix, the constant calling of “Hello!” from all the Nepali sellers trying to make a rupee (or a thousand) off of the nearest westerner. Shoot… I meant to get to the love part of the relationship and I’ve immediately slipped back into the hate part.
The love part, here goes. I like Thamel because it’s the place I know I’ll probably go if I feel like I’m missing the states. As I said before, foreigners are a mainstay in this section of Kat. That means that things that foreigners like are available in Thamel. They have gifts and souvenirs, bars and restaurants and dance clubs and prostitutes. My roommate likened it to Bangkok, which I am not really interested in visiting. My roommate, her friend and I stopped at this café with its sleek leather chairs and western food and people watched as different foreigners and westernized Nepalis alike sat and chatted in their cute, trendy clothes. It’s nice to just sit and absorb the western-ness.
Plus, where there are tourists, there are touristy shops. So Joy, I’ve scoped out the place for magnets and know where to find them when I’m about to come home. I’ve already figured out a lot of the gifts I’ll be bringing home and by the time I leave, hopefully (big hopefully) I’ll know enough Nepali to bargain well.  I bought a few things for myself… I can’t help it and it will be a long 7 months. So I bought a warm hat (a little early, but it’s getting a little cooler in the evenings), a new bag for when I need to carry more stuff around town, a map of Nepal so I can orient myself, and season 1 of Mad Men (because I’ve heard a lot of good things about the series). So now I know where I can at least marginally keep up with American movies and television.
A little more on the bad part of Thamel (just a little). Another common occurrence in Thamel is seeing the street kids sniffing glue. I saw it a few times and was stunned. So the street kids asking for money from the tourists, I’m a little wary that that money isn’t going towards food, but towards more glue.