Thailand, ah Thailand

Ah, Thailand, how I love your food and beaches!  After our intensive trek and kayak clinic, my brother and I went to Karon Beach (Phuket) to enjoy some RandR.  One day we took a boat to to Phi Phi Island for the day, touring the islands.  Glorious aqua water and white sand beaches!  

Back in Bangkok, we delved into a serious schedule of eating, Thai massages, and sleeping in. Here's AJ (next to the manekin - AJ is the one with the white legs sticking out!) getting outfitted at a Thai tailor, mid-creation of a cashmere coat.   How fun to pick out your own fabric, style, and have it created in less than 24 hours.  My pants were done in 1.5 hours, and fit perfectly.  

Seoul!

Holy smokes, I'm in Korea! It's a complete culture shock compared to Nepal and Thailand. I've now fully experienced being a foreigner...Nepal, well, I had much cushioning there with my volunteer placement. Thailand, ok, I understand Thai beaches (well!), drinks, and fully appreciate their food. Korea is a completely different experience. There was a panic moment the other day, when I sat down in a local Korean restaurant in the Namdaemun market, hoping to order dinner. There were no pictures of the food and everything was written in Korean. I've become accustomed to pointing to what I'd like to eat - and I've not yet been disappointed.  So, I defaulted to what I already knew - and asked for kimchee, a soup served with rice, a side dish of spicy pickled cabbage, and dug in. Now after a few days of kimchee, I'm feeling pretty done with the pickled cabbage!

Off I went to the DMZ on my third day in Seoul, the Demilitarized Zone, that marks the border between North and South Korea - how fantastic an experience to walk through one of the underground tunnels discovered in the 70's by South Korea!  It was pretty eerie to visit the new train station there, the last stop before North Korea (and doesn't cross to North Korea yet).  It is unused right now, but was built in the hopes to connect the Koreas.  So strange to see this pristine series of buildings, a perfect station with a waiting area completely devoid of people, an empty (massive) parking lot, and yet staff cleaning the windows in the place.  It will be years before it will ever be used.  

Finally, my last day was a visit to Changdeokgung Palace and the Secret Garden.  It is beautifully restored, after the Japanese invasion of 1592, when it was fully destroyed.  The main gate to the palace was originally built in 1412 during King Taejon's reign during the Joseon Dynasty, and is the oldest gate in Korea.  It is a massive site to wander around, with gardens, forests and beautiful flowering trees everywhere. 

Kayaking down the Seti

Aafter our last day of trekking in Jomson, we promptly flew to Pokhara to start the next phase of travels with my brother.  We went directly from the airport to the hotel to drop our gear off, hastily changing to bathing attire, then we headed to the kayak office to start our clinic. Pokhara is this quaint vacation destination, and the town sprawls lazily around this huge lake. It has a very beach like vibe with bars and restaurants everywhere along the main strip - everyone there seems so much more relaxed than Kathmandu.  

How lovely to be led by Paddle Nepal, run by a Canadian, Kelly, and her Nepali husband. Our group was led by 5 Nepali pro kayakers - some on the National team, and absolutely born in a kayak.  Like mermen.  That sounds dirty, but what I mean is like a mermaid, but a dude. 

In our group we had a veritable United Nations - a couple of Brits, two French, an American, a Russian, and us.  We had spectacular instruction on the first day in Lake Pokhara - like how to put on the kayak wetsuit for starters.  Which, by the way, adds nothing to your image nor does it improve body odor.  We learned how to do the eskimo roll, emergency moves (well used over the next few days), paddling tips, etc.  

Day 2-4, we paddled down the Seti River, along increasing rapids to test our limits.  On the final day, we reached a level 3 rapid, and I'm proud to say that I'm the only Canadian woman to have successfully paddled my way down the toughest of rapids - a succession of technical moves through rocks, then some fast paddling between two large boulders, moving through crashing waves in all directions, then attempting to clear the 5 foot drop in the water.  Followed by even more crashing waves, coming in from all directions, through which you have to quickly paddle - that is if you haven't bailed out by then!  It is a total adrenaline rush - and I can't wait to try it again. 

It was a spectacular trip, camping all the way along sandy shores, meeting locals as we went. We slept under tarps (held up by kayak paddles!) and were fed incredible food.  Right up to and including marshmallows.  I was sad to end the trip, however, my posterior was extremely happy to reach the final destination!

Trekking in Annapura

So, I've now finished my placement in Kathmandu, and my brother has come to join me in Nepal! 

We took off to do some trekking through the Annapurnas - a gorgeous area just north west of Kathmandu, where Annapurna I resides - rising up to a staggering 8091 meters, eighth highest in the world.  It was a beautiful experience, staying at locally run teahouses along the path - some of which had more amenities than others!  Some even had showers, sometimes warm, too.  Our path took us from Pokhara to Muktinath Temple, staying along the way in Hile, Gorepani (including a 5 am Poon Hill summit!  Yowsers!), Tatopani, Ghasa, Jomson, and Kagbeni.  Our hilarious Nepali guides, Prakash and Gobinder, led us along the path, keeping us well informed, highly entertained, and well taken care of.

We emerged at Muktinath Temple on Day 6, where the tree jungle landscape expires and becomes a dry desert like Tibetan plateau.  Very interesting, especially given the uprising in Tibet right now.  The scenery was a visual feast, as we trekked alongside a near dry riverbed, that swells up in monsoon season (fast approaching), as it turns through the Himalayas.  After climbing our way to nearly the top of the pass, we reached the temple, which provided astounding views of the entire mountain range.   Then, we went (of course) for tea, and descended down the path to Kagbeni for the night.  After reaching Jomson, we flew back to Pokhara to begin the next portion of the trip - a 4 day kayak adventure camping trip/clinic down the Seti River, toward Kathmandu!

Village trek

Here I am in a small family village ...a 4 hour drive NW of Kathmandu, then a 5 hour trek deep into the jungle, up one side of the mountain, then down to the river and up the other side. After so many stops along the way to greet relatives in various villages (always including tea), we ended up extending the time required to get to the family village, so finished the day trekking to the village by headlamp. Which was brilliant and terrifying, along what Nepalese call a path, but it really it is indescribable. It was trekking along the edge of a cliff, where, by headlamp, it appears that you just may risk falling off the side of the cliff. I was quite glad to not have run into tigers or bears, as they apparently frequent the locale. Mind you, the tigers feast on goats, usually, so there probably wasn't tremendous danger. We ended up arriving at 8:30 pm, to feast on daal bhat (of course!) and was offered a tiny bed with a straw mattress (!) in one of their mud houses, conveniently located above the stable!

While there, I got to play with baby goats, chickens, buffalo...how lovely!

Springtime is also just around the corner, so everything is beginning to bloom - so refreshing and spectacular, compared to dry and dusty Kathmandu.

Tibet!

The Last Resort, Tibet Border

Lounging after some intensive bike riding!
Here's me at the Tibet border...

Here I am at The Last Resort, an awesome adventure kingdom that borders Tibet.  It is well known for bungy jumping, as it is the only place to do so in Nepal (no, mom, I didn't do it!!!). 

We stayed in well appointed tents, each one perched on a different slice of the mountainside, with crazy stone pathways taking you up into the restaurant or down, down, down, to the lower resort to the spa or plunge pool.  The first day, I went rappelling down 210 meters of waterfalls one day - gorgeous!  The hilarious moment came at the end of the descent, when we had to hike uphill those same 210 meters in our full body wetsuits, burlap sack style diaper on my derriere (in place so you can abseil, or slide down parts of the waterfalls) and soaking wet shoes. Nice. The next day, I biked to the Tibet border one morning, a grueling 2.5 hour ride, directly uphill on wild terrain - ranging from beautiful roads to rocky muddy trails (and everything in between including silt roads).  It was actually a fairly uneventful greeting of the border.  We were allowed to ride across the bridge to the red line that marks the Tibet side. As we couldn't cross the line, we sat there to enjoy the thundering water in the river below, made funny faces to the Tibet guards, then promptly headed back to find more chocolate to fuel our return to the resort.  It was a 40 minute descent right downhill to the resort - incredibly fast, and mostly motivated by hunger.  We fully indulged in gourmet food while there and enjoyed breathing in some fresh, unpolluted mountain air.  

Siddhi Memorial Hospital, Bhaktapur

Here is where I've been volunteering - Siddhi Memorial Hospital, in Bhaktapur, 14 kms east of Kathmandu.  14 kms doesn't sound that far away, however it can take from 45 minutes to 4.5 hours to get there due to the terrain, lack of gas, full busses.....  The last week I was there, I decided to rent a mountain bike and ride there and back to Kathmandu.  Brilliant!  

I've been living here (most weeks) Monday to Friday, in the attached old age home, which has a residence for volunteers.  This incredible place was founded by Shyam, an inspiring leader, who had lost his 41/2 year old son, Siddhi, to a vehicle accident.  He died on the way to Kathmandu, as a result of a lack of local hospital services in Bhaktapur, so decided to start a project to create a place for the community, specifically targeting disadvantaged women and children.

This hospital is run on donations only, and it is quite amazing to see what Shyam has created as a result of a huge personal loss.  Shyam is one of my personal heros.

Here is a photo of the OPD - Outpatient Department, quite basic, yet it provides much needed attention to very sick kids.  Most have cases of dysentery , chest infections (especially in winter) and malnutrition.  While I've been here, I've spent time working in the OPD, in the old age home, and working with Shyam on marketing materials for the hospital to help solicit more donations.  

Here I am in the cafeteria eating the traditional daal bhat, served for both lunch and dinner at the old age home.  Most Nepalis eat this twice a day.  In this photo I'm trying to look excited, desperately trying to ignore my fourth case of GI issues, attempting to eat this very, insanely, ridiculously bland daal bhat.  Thank goodness most daal bhat is delicious and tasty, with lentils, rice, and spicy lamb or mutton, pickle (which is really a spicy chili sauce), and potatoes.   

Chitwan Jungle - Elephants!

Here I am in the Chitwan Jungle, the Terai region of Nepal about a 4 hour bus ride SW of Kathmandu.  We had a weekend of adventure there, beginning with the filming of a commercial at our resort, which included some pretty hilarious acting as well as two elephants, a chain, and a man in yellow pants with a pink scarf!  

Our first night had us trekking through the jungle, looking for some of the local birds such as indigo blue peacocks.  They are pretty evasive, however, we did see a few on the other side of the riverbank.  After walking through the elephant breeding centre (so adorable! 1 day old babies!), we ended up at Sunset Point where we watched the huge orange sun slowly disappear behind palm trees and sand, while enjoying a G&T.  Now, Sunset Point has some pretty interesting things on their menu, including a long list of various lassis - mango, banana, apple, and most interestingly of all - a "special" lassie.  Naturally, this one had us inquiring....and suffice it to say, that they blend a special herb into the yoghurt drink, which they said will ensure you can't walk home!  I love Nepal.  

After Sunset Point, we feasted on daal bhat, of course and after a lovely fire, off to bed, ready for the next day.  We began the next day with an elephant safari through the jungle to spot some rhinos - we saw a mother and a young baby calf, up close and personal, right beside our elephant!  They don't seem scared of the elephants and obviously don't notice us perched atop.  After walking through the river on the elephants backs, they suddenly became very frisky, and started trumpeting to each other and smacking their trunks on the ground!  It was both fantastic and terrifying - the elephant trainer who was also on the back of the elephant, was trying to control the elephant, and as a final showdown, my elephant plunged itself headfirst into a tree, clearly pushing it over!  Crazy - the tree must have been 4 ft wide, and the elephant pushed it right over, exposing the roots and all.  Then our elephants raced back to the breeding centre.  Yup, raced.  And riding on the back of a running elephant is just as comfortable as it sounds.  They have elephant polo championships here - I can't imagine riding on the back of a running elephant for a whole game!

Post elephant race, we went swimming with the elephants.  How exhilarating in a fairly terrifying way.  I was waiting for a hazardous elephant trauma to happen, however the elephant trainer seemed to have full control over the 2500 kg beast!  While in the river, we would take turns climbing on the slippery back of the elephant, then the elephant would shake us off and toss us into the water!  We laughed so hard!  One of the funniest scenes, was us trying to teach our Nepali friends, Rajiv and DC, how to swim.  This isn't the most useful skill in landlocked Nepal, so most don't know how.   It was so hilarious to see them madly doggy paddling away, trying to swim up the current and not drown.  

After a walk back through the village to our resort, we took a jeep to start the last leg of our day - a canoe ride down the river to look for crocodiles.  It was amazing to see them from the vantage point of a boat and we spotted dozens of crocs, young and old and (thank goodness) mostly docile.   When we hopped off the canoe, we went for a trek through the jungle to search again for rhinos.  The guide started the walk by giving us instructions on how to avoid being killed by a wild rhino.  Really!  

The instructions were as follows:

-remove a layer of clothing

-run zig zag

-climb a tree

all at the same time or closely following each other!  I laughed so hard at the first one - try to avoid being eaten by distracting the rhino with your nakedness and running away in a zig zag fashion.  I gather that the idea being that the scent on your clothing would distract, and running back and forth would further confuse as they can't turn their 2000 kg bodies quickly, nor climb a tree.  I was fairly happy to not spot one on this part of the journey.  

Post riot partying

So after all the pressure of the week, we had to let loose this weekend! Off we went bowling at the local bowling alley - where you can also enjoy a G&T for $2.00! I'm sure that helped me with my game. It is pretty fun and lots of foreigners seem to gather here for a laugh. I much improved my game, as this time I didn't launch my entire body down the bowling alley. My bruises of a month ago from that trauma have just now disappeared!

Yesterday we rented mountain bikes and went up into the hills for some riding. It was great, and the traffic getting out of the city was pretty light due to the fuel shortage - which means just a little less pollution. We rode up the paved road along the hills way up into the valley. When we got to the top, of course, you have tea. Then we rode down the backside of the mountain on some pretty rocky single track. As we navigated our way through remote villages, the kids seem to pile out of their houses shouting "hello, hello!". They seem entirely confused when we can shout back "Tapaailai casto chha?" Or "How are you doing?" In Nepali. How hilarious to see their reaction.

HIV Clinic in Banepa

This was a most interesting week in Bhaktapur....
On Monday, it took us 4.5 hours, two taxis, one bus, some hiking and plenty of patience to travel a mere 15 kilometers from Kathmandu to Bhaktapur.  There were riots, a fuel shortage, and much of the route was "banda" or closed.  When we finally arrived at the hospital we settled in to start the work week there.  

On Tuesday, we traveled out of the valley to Banepa to this HIV Clinic.  They do great work to teach in the community about safe drug injection, safe sex, and in this particular case, the photo shows me with the trainees for the peer education team.   All who had been in the high risk community themselves, now they are trained on how to reach out to those at risk youth.  They became my "brothers from other mothers" for the day!

On Wednesday, I was trapped in Bhaktapur due to more riots, and eventually managed to get to Kathmandu by evening.  The other volunteer, Ronnie, stayed the week, and also became stuck there due to more riots and enforced curfews.  Apparently on Thursday, a kid murdered another, and when the police didn't do anything, the city exploded.  Tear gas, bullets, bricks, burning of buildings....everything became quite tense.  It has since calmed down, somehow, despite the fuel shortage, Ronnie managed to catch a bus back to Kathmandu for the weekend. It feels like a country that is just hovering on the edge here,  if it is political, environmental, or even just perceived unfair treatment, anything can set off a riot or demonstration.  

Rock climbing at Pasang Lhamu

Here's my first day at the climbing gym!  How fun!  I brought everyone from the basecamp and taught some newbies how to climb.  We had lots of laughs, especially with everyone wearing the harness for the first time.  It does very little to flatter even the most svelte of athletes!   

Pasang Lhamu was the first Nepali woman to climb Everest.  After her third attempt, she died on her descent of Everest in 1993.  This gym was created as a memorial for her heroism.  The founders also work with the community and it does a terrific job to encourage and financially support disadvantaged women to start to climb.  

While I was feeling like I had a little expertise to share with my group, I found out that the guy who was climbing next to me had climbed Everest three times....how humbling!  We all felt a bit daunted by his expertise, but their group was very welcoming. In our Nepali English conversation, along with some wild hand gesturing and lots of laughter, we learned some new techniques from them.  

Rickshaw Trauma!

So, here's something you don't get to write home about very often.  However, before I get into the details, I have to preface the story with some background.   

I was enjoying a day to myself in Thamel this past Sunday.  My first afternoon to myself since I got here.  It was a mixture of errand day and indulgence day for me. After dropping off my laundry in town (1 kilo = 40 rupees, or about 50 cents, special volunteer rate!) I had a delightful massage and rather interesting haircutting experience at one of the local (more upscale) spas.   I say it was an interesting haircut, as my Nepali is still fairly limited, as was her English.  I thought I'd said aliali (meaning a little!), but maybe she thought I said a lot....anyway, it is only hair!  But, the wonderful part of it all, there was indoor heating in this place!   I was bathed in heat the entire time, and while my haircut wasn't probably one of my best ever, I was just enjoying hot water on my head and heat around me!  I may even go back for another haircut there, just to indulge myself in the heat again.   

So anyway, I'd had my blissful spa experience and was wandering around Thamel in my zen like state, about to search out a rooftop patio in the sunshine for a late lunch.  Then along came this rickshaw, out of no where, and he crashed into me!  Now, a moment to describe a rickshaw, or at least this one, well, it is like an adult size tricycle, with a wooden flat platform on the back, designed to carry loads around short distances.  Normally, they have loud squeely horns which they honk to warn you to move out of the way.  Well, either this guy thought he had the clearance, as I was well off the side of the road, or perhaps didn't concern himself with that detail (more likely the case), he crashed into my right hand.  I think he did notice, as he glanced back at me and kept on peddling like a madman.  I thought I'd broken it entirely, but as the searing pain finally settled down, and when I actually didn't pass out right there in the street, a day later, I'm lucky to find it only bruised and swollen.  Well, this is Nepal, and it could have been worse!  And when the heck else in your life can you seek pity from those around you, due to an unfortunate collision with a rickshaw!  I did find my rooftop patio afterward, enjoyed my lunch of chiya (tea), a baguette sandwich, and a tasty pastry.  The tea alone makes everything better.  Then off I went for the rest of the afternoon to shop around the markets of the city.  

Near Godavari

Yesterday's adventures took us out of the city - all six of us went out on motorcycles for the day! Here's a picture of me hiding in the trees on our hike. Not showing are Rajiv (OMG crazy driver!), Emily, Allan and Manju. Motorcycles are the main way to travel here, cheaper on petrol, easy to get around the cars and buses, and you can conveniently fit up to 3 or 4 adults and two children on one, plus groceries. The most I've seen yet is 5 people, and I haven't seen anyone try to fit a goat on one....however, I'm still only a month into my trip! I did see two goats tied to the top of a bus on Friday on my way home from Bhaktapur to Kathmandu....which kept me laughing all the way home! They looked particularly terrified, perched atop the bus, legs just sprawled apart, holding on for dear life as the bus careened toward the city, screeching to a halt every 40 feet to jam in more passengers. I really wish I'd been there to see just how they struggled to get them there in the first place! But I digress.

So yesterday, we went deep into the Kathmandu Valley, along twisty, curvy roads, up, up into the hills to a gorgeous park, the Royal Botanical Gardens. It was a gorgeous sunny and crisp winter day here, until the moment you entered the park, where it was like entering a tropical rainforest. Huge tropical plants, ferns, babbling streams, and amazingly little garbage (this was unusual as there is garbage EVERYWHERE in Nepal, you just burn it, or let the cows, goats and dogs eat it). Back to the park...you could walk for ages here and not run into a soul. Yet despite the remote location, there was still someone around who found us and was ready to serve chiya (masala tea) for 25 rupees (40 cents). This liquid is heaven in a glass, I have to say, hot, sweet, and spicy milk tea, and just exactly when we needed it. Post-tea, we wove back down the narrow passages toward the city, and the temperature plummeted to a just about freezing with no sun. To warm ourselves up, we piled into a restaurant in Thamel, and by candlelight (no power) stuffed ourselves with tasty delights like butter naan, hot soup, chicken masala curry, and rice. Then it was back home for the rest of the evening, ready to recharge for the next day's adventures. Ah, I love Nepal.

Durbar Square, Kathmandu

Here we are touring close to Durbar Square - seems each city has one, and I don't know what the Durbar part means in Nepali, yet.  This is one of my favourite pictures so far, I just love the marionettes they make here, they are each carved with much love and then hand painted.  On an unrelated note, it does remind me of Team America, so I do need suspend that thought while they are lined up through all the markets!  

This square is about a 15 minute walk from Thamel, near my house, just past the spice market, close to where I got my sari made.  I just can't believe that I'm starting to get to know my way around this city.  It is still confusing, though, and at night time it is another navigational challenge altogether, which is not dared solo.  Even if the Maoist leader lives around the corner from my house, it still isn't safe.  That is an odd thing to write, by the way.  

Trapped in Kathmandu, and while on the subject, making nachos

So, trying to get to my placement yesterday was short circuited...my plan was to go to leave Kathmandu to go to Bhaktapur yesterday (by motorcycle, how terrifying and fun!), however there were protests all over the city; fires burning, police, tear gas, rock throwing, and even more smoke in the air than usual here.  I heard that they had something to do with the increase in propane and fuel costs, which is a big deal.   Most people don't have electricity, so we all have one or two burner propane stoves to cook food (no ovens here).  No propane, or an increase in the cost, tremendously affects life.  

On an tangent, now, while on the subject of propane stoves.  I made nachos here the other night for our dinner, thanks mostly to a late night craving.  Ever try that without a microwave or oven?  It is not as easy as you'd think.  Never mind the fact that you can't buy nachos.  You make them.  Starting with the dough, you roll it flat, cut it into triangles, deep fry....then you make the salsa, then grate the yak cheese - it is quite the process!  Then trying to melt the cheese over top was interesting.  The trick is to insert a plate into the frypan (loaded with the nachos and cheese) and place the frypan cover overtop.  Eventually, eventually, the cheese does melt. It turned out amazingly well, I'll say, mostly due to some excellent direction in the kitchen, mind you, and very little to do with any ability on my part.  Thank goodness for DC, our most excellent chef!

So, as a result of the strife yesterday, all the volunteer plans got cancelled, as no one could get around, so all six of us ended up at the local pool hall playing snooker and drinking tea for the afternoon!  It was really funny, too, as life grinds to a halt, you just dream up other things to do in the interim.  Playing pool here is different, too, as each pool table has their own "didi" or Nepali sister who manages the table, keeps the score, gets your tea, and whose job it is to hand you the pool cue.  How funny!  It probably helps with employment - good thing, too as the unemployment rate is about 37-40%.  Never mind, underemployment, and that is a whole other thing. So we played pool for about 4 hours for the grand total of 250 rupees (4$).  My pool playing skills are still abysmal.  A few more protests, and I'm sure they'll pick up.

Mount Everest

Here it is...Mount Everest, Goddess of the Sky (seen on the left side, south view), otherwise known locally as Sagarmatha. This is the tallest peak in the world standing at an astounding 29, 028 feet.   We took an early morning flight at 7:30 am to take a glimpse of this wonder, and it was breathtaking, a perfectly sunny and clear day, due to great wintertime conditions here.    

It was sad timing, really, as Edmond Hillary, who was the first person to summit Everest in 1953, died in New Zealand the day just before we flew over the mountain. It seemed that all of Nepal was in mourning here, as Hillary left behind not only a legacy of climbing, but also great local support of clean water initiatives, schools, and hospitals in the Himalaya region.   The local papers all reported on how incredible his influence has been, and will continue to be, here in wonderful Nepal.  

Post birthday....

I'm writing from an internet cafe in Bhaktapur, the city of my placement. In this internet cafe, they are playing "Summer of 69" by Brian Adams for the 5th time in a row, this version is in Nepali! It is so funny to listen to!

Bhaktapur is a medieval city, no cars allowed, and chocked full of cafes and shops at every turn. My host at the hospital, Shyam, is pretty much the mayor, owns most of the city and founded the hospital. He's THE MAN to know. Last night he put on a traditional show for the foreign guests, and we had the best seats on the third floor of one of his restaurants overlooking the square where the show occured. It was a visual feast.

So my birthday was a tremendously memorable event...after the traditional Newari dinner (complete with dancers, yeti, peacocks, and more dancers), my lovely Nepali hosts Rajiv, DC and Neer, had arranged a surprise birthday cake for me! The entire restaurant burst into song, and I had so many blessings of "May god be with you...". How entirely thoughtful! We went to a traditional Indian dhori for some dancing, then hit the foreigner pub in Thamel, Tom and Jerry's, then off to a Nepali dance club. Neer, one of our Nepali friends, seemed to know everyone, and got us back door entrance into this swanky club. Up the back staircase, up to the 4th floor and the bar opened up to a club, much like those at home. It was a really funny experience, as everyone there was dressed in western wear, and there we were in our saris! However, when the heck else will I be so adorned? Interestingly enough, the bars here are 90% men, and they can dance!

The evening ended late, and the next morning started early, at 5:30 - with a flight over Mt. Everest! It was breathtaking - a clear sunny day and the views were spectacular. Afterward, Emily and I headed to Nagrakot, a village in the himalayas, for some pampering. Massage, hot tub (overlooking 360 views of the mountains), great food - up to and including a hot water shower! It is incredible how the little things become so appreciated. The next morning, we hiked down the mountains to Bhaktapur with a guide (thank god for Krishna, our fearless leader or we'd still be hiking today if it weren't for him). The path included dusty roads, rocks, cliffs, and wandering through farmers fields on no less than a 1 foot wide path. Krishna took us through villages with incredibly lush surroundings, it was almost like wandering through the rainforest. Kids from the houses would come out calling "Hello! Money!" and we'd amaze them with our Nepali language skills. Mostly, we sounded like 2 years olds with poor vocabulary and grammar, although I think they were amused.

Although the hospital is very interesting, and my work is about to really begin tomorrow, I'm already looking forward to going back to Kathmandu this weekend to stay at Basecamp with the other volunteers. It is a bit isolated here!

Birthday in Nepal!

My birthday in Nepal!  

I never ever thought I'd be celebrating such an event here...how lucky am I!   We've finished our orientation program today, which included 5 days of language instruction.  Very tricky, this Nepali language.  Useful to know, and a few examples:

• malaii piro manparchha (I love spicy food!) 
• ma swayam sewak hu (I am a volunteer) 
• tapaaiko keti saathi (do you have a girlfriend!)

That is the extent of my Nepali pick up lines so far.  I do have much help in learning the language here as Nepali men (the ones I've met so far) are quite forward. Perhaps a little too much so!  Like the man dressing me in the sari shop for example, there was a point where he was dressing me in the sari, and had to tuck the yards of fabric around my waistline.  He seemed to really enjoy that part!  Hmmm, we all had a good laugh over that one!  If I were going to chose who would spend some time around my waistline, he may not necessarily have been my first pick!  Oh well...he was tremendously helpful though, and personally escorted us into the market to help us get the proper adornments for our saris.   Nothing would do but to get a perfect match.  It feels very Las Vegas, all the bling that goes along with wearing a sari.  So now I am the proud owner of a sari, green bracelets (they are a whole other story), face jewelery (tikka) and a necklace to match my lime green sari.  

Tonight we'll celebrate the end of our orientation programme and my birthday with a traditional Nepali festivity tonight.   Which is where the sari comes in...the good news is that Didi, our cleaning lady, is around to help fold all the fabric into the correct places.  

Tomorrow we are flying over Mt. Everest in the morning, then heading out to the mountains for an overnight adventure.  There is a fantastic 5 star hotel/spa where we'll overnight, then trek 5 hours down the valley into Bhaktapur, the city where my placement will be.  

Off to find my way on my own to Thamel....hope not to get too lost!

In Kathmandu, Nepal

Here I am in Nepal, finally. I got here yesterday after a short 3 hour flight from Bangkok (I LOVE THAILAND!). I've landed in uber-beautiful chaos. It is unbelivably crowded with people, bikes, motorcycles, cars, tricycles...all going in all directions all the time. And on the opposite side of what I'm used to. Walking around, you have to watch yourself and where you step - open manholes, garbage, shit, cows, goats, dogs, cats, babies, beggars, and people selling you things you never knew you needed...who knew Tiger Balm is so useful?

So I live now at what is called Basecamp - Volunteer Abroad's house in Kathmandu. It is basically a well put together rooming house for the volunteers. Right now there are three from Canada, including myself, all who started with me, and will be placed in different locations here in Kathmandu. The white house is 5 stories tall, each floor has a bathroom and three boarding rooms, a kitchen on one floor, three indoor seating areas, an outdoor rooftop patio (which gets the sun almost all day! yeah! picture to the left), and of course, a computer area with internet. Very important to feel connected. We have a cook here, a cleaning lady, an IT guy, and three volunteers who live here sometimes, who are our guides. They are just absolutely wonderful and we all have quickly become family.

Today was orientation day one, which was a leisurely start - DC, our cook, made us a very tasty breakfast - porridge, bananas, cooked apples, toast and chai tea. Wow, all served to us in the sun on the rooftop patio. Then we began with learning about the house rules (including very specific toilet instructions), culture shock, a tour of Thamel, the tourist area only 15 minutes walk away. And explicit instructions on how to find our way there and home. Did I say that there are no addresses here? So it is "at the Carlsberg sign, turn right, then at the brick wall go through it, then .....finally, turn at the garbage pile cow area, find your way to the green cement walled bar (not the first one, the second one), then a hard right and straight down the road...." very tricky! And that is only a fraction of the directions from Thamel home. We had a test, too, to find our way back - passed! It may feel different when dark, and that is a whole other set of instructions.

We then shopped our way home, there is So Much To Buy! But, yet, restraint, as I have three months to go, and little room in my packsack.

That is all for now....have to share the internet with my other family members!