It’s official. 29
days left. And that means all the things we meant to do in Nepal “at some
point” need to happen now or it’s not going to happen at all. It also means
that a lot of the things we’re doing are now also going to be for the last
time. Now that we’re short on time we’re filling all our weekends with the
things we want to do before we leave.
Last
weekend we escaped to Nagarkot for the last time. Peter and I hiked from
Bhaktapur to Changunarayan and then nearly to Nagarkot, where we caught a bus
for the last 6km. It’s the third time we’ve been there and it was kind of weird
to tell the hotel workers that it would be our last time there because we were
leaving soon and the rest of our weekends are full.
Two
weekends ago, we also had the opportunity to participate in Holi, the festival
of colours, which marks the beginning of spring. It’s celebrated in India and
Nepal and basically entails a country-wide water fight with coloured powders
being thrown at each other. Everybody was in such good spirits for the festival
and I was also impressed with how respectful everybody was towards each other.
Older people who did not want to participate enjoyed watching the fun from
balconies and at one point, a woman wanted to get by the heart of the water
fighting without getting covered. All the teenage boys stopped the fight,
parted for her, and they wished each other Happy Holi as she went by before
resuming the fight. Overall, definitely one of my favourite days I’ve had in
Nepal.
Now, in our last
month before we had back to Canada I still want to:
Go to the Sundance Music
Festival (Peter and I are going this weekend)
Go bungee jumping
Go to Chitwan
National Park
Get more kurtas
tailored
Stock up on coffee
and tea (and other souvenirs)
Finish all my projects
I’m working on at IDS Nepal
Eat daal bhat every
single day until I leave (Chelsea and I made a challenge)
Hike up to Shivapuri
Peak
And just appreciate
and experience as much as I can in my final month in Nepal!
Watching the Olympics in Nepal has been very difficult because Nepal is not a country that follows the Olympics. Very few restaurants or bars have a television and then it’s off 12 hours a day when the power is out. I’ve only watched the Olympics one time so far on a TV (Snowboard Cross – my favourite event). Last night I skyped home and my family set a laptop in front of the TV so I could watch the hockey game. Otherwise, I follow the Olympics from Twitter.
Although Nepal does not follow the Olympics, they actually do have one Olympian competing at the games. His name is Dachhiri Sherpa, he is 44 years old and he competed in cross-country. Going into the games, he stated that he expected to finish last, “but the placing is not important if I am teach young people in Nepal about the Olympic spirit. The spirit is in my heart.” Sherpa ended up finishing second to last. After the race, he and the event’s winner, Swiss skier Dario Cologna, waited for the last place racer to congratulate him on finishing.
I think this is a great reminder of what the Olympics is all about. I love the competition of the event and cheering on Canada to gold, but I am most proud when we show good sportsmanship. When Gilmore Junio gave up his spot on the Canadian team to Denny Morrision because he thought Denny would do well (Denny has won 2 medals). Or when the Canadian coach gave a Russian competitor a ski after he damaged his during a cross-country event so that he could finish his race. That is the spirit of the Olympics and that is the attitude Dachhiri Sherpa fully embraces.
Today
marked the first day of a 10-day bandh (strike) that has been imposed
nation-wide in the lead-up to Election Day on November 19 and tension is
increasing in the country. This election will be very important for Nepal, as
it is the first election since Nepal became a republic in 2008 when the
monarchy was abolished. At that time there was a Constituent Assembly elected
but it was dissolved in May 2012 when it failed to make progress in drafting a
new constitution. There have already been several attempts at a re-election but
each time the election has been postponed. However, the Government of Nepal
wants the election to occur so that the country can finally begin to move
forwards, and security measures are increasing as the election approaches. Two-thirds
of the Nepali army has been deployed for the election and the border to India
will be sealed 2 days before voting takes place.
The
bandh that is occurring right now is an attempt by an alliance of 33 parties
led by the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) to sabotage the election shutting
everything down. Today was a general strike where all transportation, markets,
institutions and industries were closed throughout the country. However, the
next 9 days have now been changed from a general strike to only a
transportation strike, so only travel will be restricted.
Although 51 people were arrested today for bandh-related activities, the
Maoist parties successfully enforced a strict bandh today and we’ve heard stories of vehicles that ignored the bandh being torched. As well, several IEDs
and other explosives have been found throughout Nepal. Most have been targeted
at election candidates but as the election nears some are being found in public
areas. Luckily, nearly all the bombs have been found before triggered and few
people have been hurt so far, but some people are concerned that violence will
heighten as the election draws nearer.
As
of now, I am still going to work because I am only a five minute walk away, but
many of my fellow volunteers here likely won’t be able to get to work in the
next week due to the transportation bandh. This bandh is causing a huge impact
on life in Nepal right now and it is still difficult to say what will happen in
the next week. Some Australian volunteers in Kathmandu have been issued an
evacuation plan in case the situation becomes violent but as of now there is
now reason for concern.
Right
now we don’t know how the election will play out but it will be an interesting
next couple of weeks. It’s incredible to be here in such a pivotal moment in
Nepal’s history.
A
couple weeks ago was Dashain, the longest holiday in Nepal, so a few friends
and myself decided to head off to Pokhara for our time off, a city in central Nepal near the
Annapurna mountain range. It took about 6-7 hours by bus to get there from
Kathmandu. Our first full day in Pokhara, Peter, Sumbal and I decided to hike
up to the Peace Pagoda, one of 80 Peace Stupas around the world that were built
to represent world peace following the bombing of Hiroshima in 1947. There are
two ways to reach the stupa, either a 2-hour hike from the back of the hill, or
ferry across Fewa Lake and climb up the stairs. We opted to try both, hiking up
and going back down to Pokhara by boat.
The
next day, I began a five-day trek with my friends Juliana, Luzianne, Peter, and
Lisa in the Annapurna Conservation Area. We started from Nayapul, just over an
hour’s drive outside of Pokhara. We went with a guide and two porters. We asked
our guide if we can push ourselves more during the trek and were able to fit a
6-day trek into 5 days. About an hour into the trek we stopped and filled up
our water bottles and I set my camera on the ground to put in iodine drops (to
kill any bacteria in the water that might upset our stomachs). And being my
usual forgetful self, I left the camera there and when I went back 5 minutes
later it was gone. Fortunately it was an old camera and not a big deal but it
means all the photos from the trek here are stolen from my friends.
The Route: Nayapul-Ulleri-Ghorepani-near Tadapani-Jhinu-Nayapul
The
first day was mostly stairs and by the end of the day we’d climbed more than
3000 stairs. Our guide kindly warned us not to get too close to the donkeys on
the path as sometimes they are prone to shoving people off. We were passing
lots of people as we went, which became a theme of the trek, and I was
absolutely drenched in sweat and actually wrung out my headband halfway
through. The villages we passed through during the trek were absolutely picture
perfect. As we climbed higher and higher, we could see the rolling hills of
forest and rice terraces and as tired as I was by the end I just didn’t feel it
because of how amazing it was to be there. The lodges we stayed at turned out
to be much nicer than I expected. I’d been anticipating very basic lodging and
food but they ended up having showers (although freezing cold from the
glacier-fed water- unless you paid for a hot shower), cozy lounge areas and a delicious variety of food.
Enjoying the rain!
The
next two days of the trek consisted of constant rainfall, mud, leeches and a
serious lack of mountain views. During these days I was grateful for the group
of friends I went trekking with. Although the weather was miserable and we were
soaked through even our rain gear, for the most part we were still in great
spirits, making jokes about the situation. Rain during this time of year is
extremely abnormal and October is supposed to be one of the best times to hike
in Nepal. Our guide let us know that it was the muddiest conditions he’d ever
walked the path on, despite having hiked the trail too many times to count over
the past 18 years. At times, the path had even turned into a stream from so
much water. Personally, I think the rain almost made it more beautiful at times
because we were hiking through the rainforest, passing countless waterfalls and
streams. With all the water, most of us got leeches. I was lucky and only got
one on my foot. Lisa somehow managed to get them on her stomach.
Poon Hill photo as I imagine it
We were also supposed to hike up to Poon Hill on the third day from Ghorepani at
4:30am to get a sunrise view from the hill. It’s supposed to be the most
picturesque sunrise views of the Annapurna range. However, we wouldn’t have
been able to see anything because of the weather, so got some extra sleep
instead. To make up for the lack of picture, I created my own picture about
what I imagine our photos would have looked like.
On
the fourth day, the rain cleared a bit but it was still too overcast to see
anything. However, our day really brightened when we reached Jhinu, where there
is a natural hot springs. Of course we spent the entire afternoon there. The
spring was about a 20-minute hike from the lodge (which I did four times due to
a mid-afternoon beer run) and we had a much-needed relaxing day. When we first
got there (around 1pm) we were the only ones at the spring for over an hour. Near
the end of the afternoon when the pool was pretty full, the hot springs attendant
came over and pointed at each of us in our group to get out. Yes, we got kicked
out of the hot springs. I’m not sure why we got kicked out, maybe we’d been
there too long, but we did a walk of shame out past everyone else and hiked
back up to the lodge.
Morning of the fifth day...finally sunny
On
the fifth and final day of the trek the sun finally came out! Unfortunately for
us, we were past the best mountain views so never actually got any good photos
of the mountains. The last day ended up being the longest and we were
completely exhausted for such a short trek. We had our celebratory last meal
together and all (except Peter) ate our daal bhaat lunch with our hands as the
locals do. Daal bhaat is a plate with rice, daal (lentil soup), vegetable
curry, saag (steamed greens), and pickle, and when you order it you can eat as
much as you want and they will keep bringing you more. Although we didn’t have
the most ideal situations for the trek, I think we got quite a more exciting
experience and loved every minute of it. And here's some more photos...
I’ve
now been in Nepal almost exactly a month and I feel I’ve finally started
getting into a routine. This week is my second actual week of work and although
it started pretty slowly, I’ve now got work to do now keeping me busy. I’m
currently working on updating our organization’s website content because it has
not been updated since Nafisa (an Indev student from last year) was here. The
organization is getting a completely new website made and it’s my job to update
and prepare the content for the new site. During the week, I work from 10-5,
Monday to Friday. Typically, the Nepali workweek is Sunday to Friday, but we
are able to take Sunday off as well, which allows us to see more of the area.
I’m luckier than most of my peers here because my commute to work is only a 5
minute walk. This means I have a lot more free time that I can use to get
things done or explore the neighbourhood (or lay in bed and sleep longer!). I can
leave the house at 9:55am and still make it to work on time.
Thanksgiving Dinner
Last
weekend, we celebrated Thanksgiving here early. I was surprised at how easy it
was to get most of the supplies for our dinner and we spent the day cooking a huge
Western feast with chicken, mashed potatoes, salad, two kinds of beans, honey
glazed carrots, stuffing, cauliflower, fresh bread and Nutella cheesecake
brownies and apple crisp for dessert. We ate by candlelight on the roof of the
CECI Passage House. It was really nice to have that taste of home. On Sunday we
also went shopping, which I’ve been looking forward to, and I bought 2 kurtas
(typical Nepali dress). I’m also looking forward to going sari shopping soon.
In
Nepal, it’s currently Dashain, the biggest holiday of the year. It started on
Saturday but most people still work during this week. It’s a Hindu festival but
is celebrated by everybody in Nepal, regardless of religion. Most people here
compare it to our Christmas and lots of people leave Kathmandu to go back to
their villages to be with their family. On the 8th day of Dashain,
there are lots of animal sacrifices to the goddesses across the country and
after rituals are performed at the temples, the meat from the sacrifices are
cooked and eaten. Even many people who are normally vegetarian partake in
eating the meat sacrifice during this feast. There are other aspects of Dashain
that I have already seen. Buying and wearing new clothing is part of the
festival, and while shopping last weekend, the streets were packed and many
shops had “Dashain discounts”. As well, across the country, large swings are
set up for the children to use. There is one large bamboo swing just down the
street from me. Dashain is a large festival here and it’s amazing that we are
able to be here during this holiday.
Bamboo Swing in our Neighbourhood
For
our Dashain holidays, Peter, Sumbal and I are headed to Pokhara on Friday.
Peter and I are heading on a 5-day trek starting on the Sunday with three other
Canadian volunteers, Juliana, Lisa, and Luzianne (Sumbal opted not to do the
trek). We may also try to fit in some other fun activities like rafting or
paragliding. Pokhara is a city just south of the Annapurna mountain range in
Mid-Nepal. It’s supposed to be beautiful and there are tons of adventure
activities to do there. I’m sure when I get back from our adventure I’ll have a
lot more to tell about it.
There’s only one way to describe speeding
along a steep, narrow, winding mountain road at 70km/h, playing chicken with
cars coming the other way: FUN! That’s how my field trip began a week ago as I
made my way to Dailekh, a town in the hills of Nepal’s Mid-Western Region.
Journey to the field
Although I've only even been to my Kathmandu office for one day, I've already had the chance to do a week-long field trip. The field trip started with an
hour-long domestic flight from Kathmandu to Nepalgunj, a city along the Indian
border in the Terai region. We then loaded our gear into a car and started the
~6 hour drive to get to Dailekh. I loved the beautiful drive through the hills,
although at times it was actually a little scary (like when we drove through
the clouds along a cliff and couldn’t see more than 10 feet in front of us). But I
enjoyed every minute of it! Yet, I was still flabbergasted when one of my
coworkers slept through most of the ride. Between the bumps and honking as we
whipped around every corner, I didn’t think anybody could possibly sleep. Yet,
by the time we left 6 days later, I was so used to it that I was the one
falling asleep, squished in the backseat of a car with 3 other people. Along
the drive, it became clear to me that not many foreigners visit that area. As
we drove by, jaws literally dropped, and I received many gaping stares.
Children that recovered in time from the shock shouted “Hello” or “Bye-bye”
as we drove past.
Views from a temple in Dailekh
During my time at the Dailekh
office, I got to experience what life is like for the field staff. Their work
and social lives overlap so their interactions are bit different than the
Kathmandu office, as coworkers are good friends as well. Despite some
homesickness while I was there, I really enjoyed my time there with the staff
and learned a lot about the project I’ll be working on over the next months.
During my week, I also got the
opportunity to go on a field visit to a small village district called
Khadkawada with Rudra, the head of the MSFP project. To get there, I rode on
the back of Rudra’s motorcycle and it gave me a whole new perspective on the car
ride through the hills. We went off the main road down a muddy, rocky path
along a cliff. Luckily, the motorcycle only slipped a few times, and we only
ended up in the mud once. The ride was probably also the most intense ab and
thigh workout I’ve ever had, trying to keep my body in one position for about
40 minutes each way. It was definitely both a physical and emotional
roller-coaster the entire time.
A light taste of my motorcycle trip
Interviewing Santi and Masare
Once in the village, I got to attend
a 2-day LAPA (Local Adaptation Plan of Action) workshop for the forestry
management project with a group of about 40 local villagers. Although I
couldn’t understand what was said, since it was all in Nepali, it was
fascinating to watch the interactions of the villagers, and the passionate participation
by everyone, and despite the language barrier I learned a lot in the 2 days. I also got to interview five locals for a field placement assignment, and it gave me
a lot of insight into their lives and their opinions on the project. At
the end of the second day, I was incredibly lucky and the village performed a
farewell ceremony, and Rudra and I received flower garlands and red powder on
our foreheads. I hadn’t expected such a ceremony, since I merely a spectator
during the event, and it was truly an honour. The entire field trip was an
amazing experience and was exactly what placement is all about!
