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.

The Hash… or ex-pats unite.

Yesterday, in an effort to be social, I joined my roommates on the Hash. What is the hash? Apparently, they happen all over the world in all the ex-pat communities. It’s like a group run/hike on a course set by the Hares (or Hairs) through the landscape of whatever country they are in. They went over some rules I didn’t understand, something about x’s and checkpoints, circles, and false trails but I think that just applies to the runners. I was on the walking team… I’m not about to look like a crazy person running around with white people and other foreigners. The Himalayan Hash here in Kathmandu is the highest hash and pretty much goes through the hills of Kathmandu Valley. By far, it’s the strangest thing I’ve been participated in… at least in a long while.

Picture this… 70 or so foreigners running/hiking through the rice paddies and poor living areas of Kathmandu leaving small heaps of shredded paper (to mark the way, of course) every few feet and making a lot of noise along the way (even at the gate of a monastery). Then picture at the end of the course, those same 70 foreigners standing in a circle in someone’s ex-pat yard forcing newcomers to chug a beer while everyone else sings the “official” hash song. That would be the hash.

The walking was nice (albeit weird to just be traipsing through Nepali neighborhoods and rice paddies) because I’m glad I got see a different part of KTM and got to hike some. It’s supposed to be a chance for people to meet other ex-pats and chat. I spent my hike talking to my Californian roommate and discussing how absurd the Hash concept is. I got some great pictures and avoided falling or leeches. So that part was nice.

The ridiculous frat party games after, I was not into. I’m not a joiner to begin with and I’m definitely not into being told what to do. So when it came to the forced drinking games, I did not participate. My Cali roomie and I stood and observed the other foreigners. The Hash crowd is a little older, I’d say maybe most of them are 30-50 years old. They come from all over. There was a bunch of Canadian pilots/flight attendants, some Filipinos (none of which approached me of course), some Irish, and of course, Americans. Doesn’t the whole thing seem very American?

I have to say the whole thing freaked me out. If I were to get married and live abroad (whether in Nepal or some other place where they have the Hash), is that what all my Saturdays would be like? They do it EVERY Saturday. They even have a Grandmaster. Yeah, I know. Gordon, is this what we have to look forward to?

Needs to Be Said

So like Peter writes in his blog... I'm starting to get the feeling that there are people reading this blog that aren't participating. Just saying. The few times I get online (my access is a little sketchy right now in the beginning), I like to check out the comments on my blog. Write to me about what's new at home or I don't know... ask me questions about Kathmandu (no, I cannot see Everest from my house). It'd be cool to hear from you. :)

Photo Break

As promised... pictures!

Here's the mountains from the plane.



Here's the view from my room in my house.


Oh! Here's the cute water (Himalayan, it's called) they give out on Jet Airways flights. It reads:

I look back on life - it's funny how things turn out. You, a connoisseur of fast food, now gaze at water that took years to make. And I, some of the purest water in the world, stand here, trapped in a bottle. Come, enjoy the irony. Live Natural.

It was great water, too. :)



more coming... promise!