Closing Blog

After a long, 2 day journey to Minneapolis, I am home.

My last few days in Kathmandu were very long and drawn out.  I also wasn't feeling one hundred percent.  I was so tired, and a bit sickly- small appetite and what not.  Each day, I woke up  and thought about how to kill the day.  I mostly shopped for gifts, would take a nap, walk around, and then find some dinner.  My heart was torn.  I love this place- I absolutely do.  I could spend  atleast another six months here just exploring and soaking it up.  For such a small country, there is so much to see and experience.  I just love it.  But yet, I am so ready, and so excited to go home.  I want to sleep in a real bed, with fitted sheets and lay my head on a real pillow, that isn't just a piece of foam with a pillow case on it.  I want to drink coffee, and see my friends and family, and see the kids at school.  I want to NOT worry about water, and if there is enough of it to shower, and NOT have to buy bottled water (the valve in my water filter tore, so I can't just filter my water anymore) and buy a tasty beer that isn't an Everest or Nepal Ice.  But then, WAIT!  I don't care!  I want to stay!  Ughhh.... Each day, I couldn't decide how I felt about my departure date coming up so soon.  Kathmandu had also become very boring for me.  I had seen a lot, had memorized Thamel like the back of my hand- there was just nothing to do, especially for not feeling well enough to go explore anyway.  Had I rested, and had some plan to go do something else,  I probably would not be thinking so much.  But, it was how it was, and April 21st snuck up on me.  I had my last Dal Bhat for lunch, and went to dinner at Fire and Ice Pizza (as recommended  by Tish and Rick) with some friends from my guest house, then to Sams Bar ( our favorite hang out ) for a last drink.  My flight left in the afternoon, so I had time to sleep, and go to brunch.  I went to Northfields, a little cafe I had sort of become a regular at , and the owner insisted on taking me to the airport.  I agreed, and at 1pm, we caught a cab to the airport.  On the way, we were stuck in a jam for political demonstrations on the street.  Regardless, I made it to the airport.  I had to pay an airport tax (anyone ever heard of that?  I sure hadn't... but I guess in a poor country it makes sense.) of 1, 340 rupees.   The airport is very small.  I flew to Delhi where I had a long 9 hour layover.  Luckily, I met some really friendly people  and spent a  lot of time just talking (you all know how good I am at that :) )

From there to Brussels, and Brussels to New York, and New York, to finally home.  Rhett picked me up at the airport.  I felt like I smelled like a rotten skunk and desperately wanted to take a clean shower.  It was the strangest feeling of being home.  

I spent my first day home visiting friends, and through them did a lot of reflecting on my trip.  I know that I have learned more than I even know at this point, but I already feel the effects of Nepal.  I feel some changes- changes for the better- and am excited to continue to learn from that experience.

I would like to thank everyone for taking time to read this blog.  It was such a fun outlet for me, and fun to be able to communicate with you all.  I loved getting on the computer and reading all the comments you guys would leave.  

I would also like to thank everyone for your support, in whatever way you chose to support me. I am very grateful to have so many amazing friends, family, co-workers, and parents from my school that supported my decision to do this and help me in whatever way.  From the bottom of my heart, Thank you.  Looking forward to seeing you all so soon. :)

one last time,

Nameste.

Athena 

Cluttered and crazy Kathmandu

Well, I made it back from Pokhara, barely well enough to board the crazy bumpy bus I would ride for 6 hours to Kathmandu. I had plenty of anti-nausea pills, anti acids, and anti biotics to keep me strong for the travel. I missed a lot in Kathmandu apparently- I guess there was some rioting, and bombs and what not during the election that I conviently missed out on while out in th middle of no where.
I spent the day yesterday, which was the official Nepali New Year, in Bhaktapur. They are the only village in Nepal that celebrates, and it was very busy. It is now the year 2066 and the Newari's in Bhaktapur celebrate with lots of chickens and goats being slaughtered, and pulling a giant chariot down a cobble stone street to the Durbar Square. This process takes 3 days- the chariot holds special dieties, and it is such a slow process, it is not as exciting to watch as I thought it would be. But either way, I got to see Bhaktapur- a beautiful village known for a few things- the Newaris here are famous for their intriquite wood carvings on buildings, pottery, and tasty curd (yoghurt). The town is away from all traffic, so no honking horns or almost getting hit by cars. Because of the new year, it was packed- mostly with local tourists actually. TONS. I went there with Tina, the leader of the Responsible Travellers, and a friend of hers who works in a local restaurant. We spent the entire day there, which one should do, since there is a hefty fee of 750 rupees to enter the village. (actually, that is only like, $8- but you get caught up in the currency here- suddenly, paying 100 rupee is expensive for a cab ride, 'cause you know it could only be 50, but really, 100 rupee is only $1!). The cab ride home was interesting- a bit scary with all the drunk drivers. At one point, we were stuck in a traffic jam and our driver tried to vere off to drive around the traffic, but was stopped by a bunch of motorcycles. One of the men got off, and through the window, starting beating our drivers face- all for traffic reasons.. and i thought new yorkers were aggressive and had road rage! They immediatly got on their cycles and left, leaving our poor driver with a very wounded right eye ( people drive on the left hand side of the road and the drivers seat is also on the right- just like England. Lots of english influence here.) With one good eye, we were safely taken home. It made me realize how THAT would never happen in America- or atleast, it is not as common. Not to mention, there is NO stop signs, no stop lights, no traffic lanes- people drive where they want to. There ARE traffic police, but they are pretty much useless. It is amazing. You'd think there'd be more accidents on the road, but people just go with the flow here usually- that act of violence was the first I'd seen here. You also don't see people yelling profanity, and giving people the finger- people just know that things just the way they are, so no use yelling. But people do tend to be more blunt here in some ways. For example- if you are in someones way, they might just grab you and move you out of their way- nothing rude- just a cultural difference.
I could go on and on about these little things (time- there is another one- time pretty much doesn't exist here either) But I have a meeting with Tina soon, and should look over the report I have prepared for the Biogas headquarters.
The count down begins now- I have 6 days left.
So, happy 2066 everyone!

The Slums...

It has been a very emotionally exhausting past 5 days for me. I began my family homestay program by taking a land cruiser with 4 people up front, (including the driver) 5 in the cab, 8 in the very back, and 6 people on top holding a cage with a dozen live chickens, and several bags of rice for an hour down a very bumpy road to a small village with my leader, and the head of CWIN,( an organization that fights for childrens civil rights and sponsors poor families, providing them with school supplies.). We arrived during a town meeting- all the children and parents were gathered together to announce the childrens year end exams, and recieve goodies (books, pens, pencils, etc.) We were greeted with flower lays and big red tikas on our foreheads. The principal (or as they say, head master) introduced us to the curious crowd. After the ceremony, the head master took us to different childrens homes where I gathered information about the child- things like how they are doing in school, have they been sick, do they sleep in the kitchen (this is important because about everyone uses wood to fire the stove to cook, producing so much smoke and causing many illnesses in children) These families are incredibly poor. It was a lot of repeat cases that are being sponsored. The most common problems are 1) the father as abadoned the family, and the mother has no education and either works as a labourer for 100 rupees a day, (that is $1) OR, the mother can't work, and just farms to provide food for the family. Scenario 2)The father left for Saudi Arabia or to work with the Maoists and got either ill or hurt and had to come home and is unable to work. This is hard because the father would have to have sold all his land to afford the visa and plane ticket, leaving the family with nothing if he does not succeed. These people live in small clay huts, and sleep on grass mats, and generally do not have any other seperate room to sleep in. It was an eye opener being there- like jumping back in time- which is ironic to say because in the Nepali calendar, it is currently year2066! We slept at the head masters home that night after eating a big plate of Dal Bhat and dindo- a millet paste- with our hands. Yes- I ate with my hands. There isn't another choice anyway. The next day, I visited more children in the slums of Pokhara- this is a bit different from what I just described. It is government land, and these children (same heart wrenching scenarios) live in dirty shacks with many people in the city- there is very minimal farming area so it is very difficult for them. The children are all very bright, and very good students I found out. All have motivation to do well in school, because they know what a gift it is to actually BE IN school, and are thankful for the support they are getting from CWIN and Chance for Children. I did get to do some sight seeing as well- I saw the World Peace Pogada, went boating on the Phewa Tal lake here in Pokhara, saw old Pokhara and old HIndu temples adn Devi's Falls- all are along the way to see the kids. I stayed with one headmaster whose children were very interested in the "american" staying with them. SO much that when I was journaling, everyone stood around me watching, and when I went to bed, the grandmother tucked me in and brused my hair in the morning. People are so very hospitable and happy to have you in their home. I ate Dal Bhat once again, every night, with my hands each time. It is hard, it feels very barbaric and unnatural, and you have to sorta suck and slurp the rice/dal concoction into your mouth and thaat is odd since we were brought up to not eat with you hands, don't slurp, wait to eat till everyone has been served... all those basic manners that are engraved into your mind suddenly don't apply. The view in Pokhara is quite beautiful- you have an amazing view of all the mountains, and it's funny to think that a few weeks ago, I was on the other side of them. What a week. I ended it not very well- last night I got food poisoning and have had to postpone my trip to Kathmandu due to this illness. But all in all, it has been such a surreal week, seeing how these people live- it is not at all the same as teh villages I stayed in on the trek. Poverty has taken on a whole new meaning to me. I mean, some of these people don't even have a toilet or running water! and the water they use to wash their cloths is usually a disgusting river of swill that runs through the gutter of the street- That is what they wash their cloths in. There are water buffalo and cattle all over the place, and because there is a heavy HIndu population, they dont do anything about them- cows are holy, and usually the Brahimins own the water buffalo, and since the Brahmins are the highest caste, well, the water buffalo stay. I am looking forward to going home to crosswalks, and streets NOT full of cows water buffalo and chickens all over the place. But what an experience this has been.

Back in civilazation!

Hello everyone! It has been a long time since I have been near a computer; where to begin...
First off, I got very ill the day before my trek was to start. I nursed myself back to health with doses of Cipro for 5 days, although that didn't stop me from going on my trek. Raju also came to visit me before my trek to see me off. (I had taken his family to the doctor the day before- his wife is very sick, and his beautiful daughter, Simmrind, was diagnosed with Tuberculosis. Healthcare is such a wonderful thing in our country that we offen take for granted.) He will be sending his family back to India to family so they can take care of them, while he stays a bit longer to work.
I was thouroughly informed about bio gas, and on Tues. March 17th, I left. I started out in Besisar, and made my way up teh Annapurna circuit. It is the most beautiful place I've ever seen. You walk through these villages with beautiful people spinning prayer wheels, washing laundry, cooking Dal Bhat, which became my staple food, and it is just stunning. Words can not describe. For those who don't know what dal bhat is, it is rice with a lentil stew you pour over the rice, which usually comes with a heap of curried potatos and spinich.
I made it up to Braka, which is where my guide from the Responsible Travellers is from, and began collecting data about people with Bio gas, while educating those who had never heard of it. I learned a lot- more than i have time to write. Bio gas seems like such a wonderful alternative fuel- produced from cow dung, and any other waste. I spent days in Braka, just outside of Manang, when it began to blizzard. we were supposed to leave the next mornign to head down the trail, but the next day there was snow up to my knee. We trudged on though- for hours we walked through the snow to Pisang, where we stayed teh night. It kept snowing, and I sat by the fire in a little lodge, listening to about different languages in that one room. Nights were always very fun- you sit with the family that own the lodge while watching the children play, eat Dal bhat, and play cards with amazing people you just met that are trekking as well. I played poker one night with a bunch of guys from the bristish army, some were Austrailian. Always interesting people. Then you go to bed, sleeping on a wooden frame with maybe a thin layer of foam, snuggled up in your sleeping bag, wake up, pee over a hole , and do it all over again- often the same people will end up at the next lodge- especailly if you tell them where you are going. Some Koreans followed us all the way up to Manang from the beginning of the trek. They always packed their own food, and if you have ever eaten Korean food, you know that it has a certain odor.... :) They were fun to play cards with. It is also interesting all the different types of people you see on the trail- you see old people, young people, LOTS of germans, couples trekkiing with thier 6 month old baby, all kinds of people on the trail. And it isn't exactly all that easy- you walk between 5-8 hours a day, sometimes all up hill, and it is exhausting. Then there is cup of rice beer waiting for you at your next tea house, and plate of dal bhat, and a fire to sit by. Good times. Eitther way, we made it out fo the snow, which made for horrible trekking, and I began my family homestay. I trekked to small villages in the tropical hills somewhere outisde Pokhara ad Besishar. The people here NEVER see tourists, so I felt either like a celebrity, or an alien. Sometimes, people would stare and yell "white person! white person! " (in nepali of course) or they would smile, and with hands clasped, say "nameste". I got lots of interesting looks. It was so fun staying with the families- you sit on a mud floor, and the most warm people cook and make tea for you, happy to have a foreign guest in their home. I would educate them about bio gas- although many were not interested. But, information is never a bad thing. then, in the morning we would leave and walk down stone seps that feel like your knees are getting pounded by a hammer, and go to the next village. On the way, there is no villages in between, so we would stop and eat our packed lunch of usually some chipati (which is like a tortilla, only not....) and a hard boiled egg. You will hear children singing at the top of their lungs somewheere off in th distance... and there were teh most amazing trees- so big and covered in these spider- plant looking things, with beautiful white blossums. Lots of moss covering everyting- this was truly off the beaten path, and an experience I will always be grateful for. We'd arrive in teh next village, and a family would take us in, and i would sleep on a frame with grass mats for a mattress- chickens everywhere, and wake up at the crack of dawn to every rooster in the village announcing the new day's arrival. You walk out side, and a HUGE ox would be staring at you while munching hay, and goats running around (although they are usually tied up on a short rope) and the mother yelling at her kids, "NANI!! OH, NANI!!" (nani means, like, big sister- older daughter. younger sister is kashi) it was fun. I did that for days.... days of no shower, no computers, no telephones, no cars, all you hear are the animals. I ended my family homestay in a gorgeous place on a lake, in Rupa Tal, however it iwas very isolated, and I was stuck there a few extra days with nothing to do, so I went a bit nuts. I am now currently in Pokhara, and will begin something new- I will be staying with family again, and be talking to them about their child/children who are sponsored by Chance for Children (also run by the Responsible Travellers) and see what they need, how it's going, etc.
I am having such a wonderful time, but I miss home. I am looking forward to coming home in a few weeks. I hope all this makes sense to read- I have been stuck inside my head for a long time now, and it's hard to summarize so much frm weeks into this one blog.
My love to you all- I miss everyone so much. I can't wait to give you all hugs.

-athena

Mosquitos and Rhinos in the Chitwan.

oh, and I fogot- color. I got my days mixed up here, which I keep ending up doing- for some reason it's so easy to forget about time and the date. I celebrated Holi, the festival of colors 4 days ago. Within 45 min. of waking up and getting outside, I was totally drenched and covered in colors. In fact, I was malled. Gangs of kids walk down the street, and especially if you are a tourist, you get drenched in buckets of water and smeared with vibrant colors of red, blue, yellow, green, etc. It was such a blast. I bought some plastic sacks and colors and sat on the roof of my hostel, and other tenants joined in, and sat there filling bags with colored water and throwing them at people in other hotels. Imagine you as a kid, having that awesome water fight in your neighborhood. Now, add color, and the rest of the ENTIRE country- about the entire country that day was celebrating. I hung out with a fun crowd of people from all over the world- France, USA, New Zealand- and we drank beer and threw color at eachother when not attacking the others around us. It was so much fun. The shirt Jesslyn made me is a wonderful tye-dye now. The pants, I bought especially for that day, I threw away. They were a mess. I still have pink in my finger nails, and stayed a weird shade of blue-ish pink on my arms for several days. The next day, which was Mar. 11th, I got up early after a long night of what all travelers dread (yep, it finally happened- the water beer and food all caught up with me and my body revolted against me) I headed to the bus station, and by 7am I was off to the Chitwan Jungle. It was the most hilarious, rickety, bumpy, INSANE 7 hour bus ride I have ever been on. I thought my window was going to fall right out the whole way; I don't think that bus has any shocks; and the bus driver was hauling butt. I stayed in a little place with grass huts-the people here are poor in a different way than in Kathmandu. They live in grass huts, farm, and live much simpler. That night, I felt like such a wreck from only getting 3 hours of sleep the night before, I hung low and rested. But, March 12th was something else. That morning, breakfast was brought to me, followed by an elephant. Yes, an elephant. This knarly guy whose feet were are knarly as the elephants feet took me out into the jungle on the elephants back. It was so quiet, except for the sound of screaming peacocks (which you hear throughout the night) and millions of other exotic birds. I saw wild peacocks, mongoose, deer, monkeys, some rare bird called "horned beak" or something, crocodiles, and RHINOS. yes, rhinoceros. We stumbled upon a mama and her baby out there in th wild. Luckily, sitting up on a rhino, you feel safe and our presence didn't seem to disturb the pair at all. It was crazy. You really feel like you are looking at a dinosaur. Most prehistoric animal I've ever seen in my life. I also later on that day got to sit bare back on an elephant and give it a bath. I mostly just got sprayed by it's trunk and fell off in to the river, but it was awesome. This grizzley guys shouts this bizzare elephant language and gives it orders. Crazy. even later I took a 4 hour hike into the jungle with a guide from the place I was staying at (by the way,I loved the place I was staying- great people, and I was the ONLY guest due to lack of tourism in Nepal, which is a major problem and really hurting the people here.) I saw more crocodiles, a 5 ft. long snake, which I don't know why I can' t think of the name of.... but it was huge. I've never seen a snake that long in the wild. Also came upon some rhinos sleeping- we quietly walked off to not disturb them. It was a long walk. I slept well that night. The next day, I couldn't leave because of a local strike- they blocked off the main road through town, so I was totally stranded. My last day there I hung out doing nothing- I made a make shift hula hoop and showed the staff some tricks to kill time. I did nothing that day. March 14th, I left. An ox pulling a cart picked me up and took me to the bus station. It was another long 6 hour trip back to Kathmandu. I am happy to be back at my hostel- I love the people here. Tonight, a guy I talk to now and then (he's always outside drinking a beer at 10am- those English folk, so crazy) told me there is a massive strike and most things will be closed tomorrow. Maybe some rioting- don' tknow. WE'll see what happens. I need to buy some stuff before my trek which starts the day after tomorrow... Hopefully we'll be able to even get out of here. It was nice to be out of the city for those days... but I am already ready to go out to the mountains. I will say that I dream of home and friends and kids and family every night. I miss everyone so much, and I haven't even been gone that long. But you are all in my heart every day.
I have probably left out so much, but that is all I can remember at the moment. Did I mention that i got eaten in the jungle? Yep- I think I actually have hives on the back of my right leg- and I'm pretty covered in mosquito bites. I've nver had hives before, and nowhere seems to sell any calamine lotion or any thing like it. SO, i just endure the itch..
well, love to all of you. It may be a long while till I can write again.
Nameste

Monkeys and Raju

Sat. marked one week of me experiencing Kathmandu. I woke up early that day, had a big breakfast, and started walking toward Monkey Temple. The walk was different than my past long walks through the city. I crossed a river that was so polluted with trash and sewage I started to gag. Looking down at my feet didn't help either as particles of animal were scattered accross the bridge. Wandered through a neighborhood that was pretty nice. Lots of smiling beautiful, curious faces. I had to dodge water balloons a lot that day. I only got hit a few times.
It was only a 20 min. walk there to Swayambutnath (monkey temple). The entrance was spectacular. Huge gate that told all- gold and elaborate. It is a long walk up steps toward the temple. Surrounding the area is giant Buddha statues about big as houses it seems like. More beggars, more people selling. That last bit up was the steepest and hardest. But so worth it once you reach the top. Monkeys run wild doing tricks upon the temples. The eyes pierced down at me. Many locals come here to pray. The grounds are surrounded with little stupas that are dark and medival looking. I am finding this place hard to describe. It was all just too incredible to put into words. The view looking down at the valley of Kathmandu is also pretty amazing, and for the first time I could see a little tip of the himilayas (it's always so smoggy and hazy here). I wandered down the path and found myself at a different temple where there appeared to be a dance party, and young women were shakin it. ;) even the older men joined into the dancing of local hip hop. It was fun to watch. All so amazing. I don't know how long I stayed at Monkey Temple, but it had some great people watcing. I went to another buddhist monestary there too. I watched a monk show a woman how to pray, which lead to beautiful prayers and chanting. The sound of those monks will forever stay in my mind. I spent the rest of that day walking home, and drinking a needed beer. I got hit a few times walking home with more water balloons. Only 2 days left till the festival.
Sunday, I slept in. I didn't do too much at all. I DID however, make plans to go to the Chitwan National Forest on Tuesday. Looking forward to that. I will spend 3 days there, canoeing, washing elephants, going on a little jungle saffari for only $70! That includes hotel stay and food too. But anyway, I was walking down the street with my friend and suddenly a man ran up to us from behind. It was Raju. He had been looking all day yesterday for us, and now all morning. He said his wife was very mad at him for not having us over for dinner in thanks for "changing their life". I said ok. He took us on a little adventure around his neighborhood- took us to a temple, where I got nailed by balloons. (I was soaked.) At one point I had to use a bathroom, so he asked some people on the street if I got use their toilet. It was just a hole in the ground. Funny to do. Good thing I have strong legs. The women were working inside making these beautiful carpets by hand. It was amazing. They work together working on one, and it takes more than a month to complete it. Hard work.
That night, Raju and his wife cooked us the most delicious dinner- most authentic Indian food I ahave ever had. It is tradition to feed eachother, so we all took pieces of chipati and grabbed up the veggie concoction and fed eachother. The 2 year old just sucked on a tomatoe and smiled. She is so adorable. It was truely a memorable experience.
So, today is Monday, festival of Colors. I bought some hilarious pants that I think is for a short man.... to wear today. In a few hours, I am going to be bombarded with water and color. I think being a white female makes me an easy, obvious target. It will be hilarious.
So, I may not have a chance to get to ta computer for a while after this entry, so please don't worry about me (mom and dad). I'm just going to be busy.
Much love to you all.
-athena

Poverty

Last night I had way too much fun. I was invited by a local to go see some live music on a rooftop. It was awesome. I will have to do impressions for you guys when I get home. I drank too much, and ended up dancing and doing a shot with some girls I started talking to and hanging out with. Unfortunately, I didn't have enough food in me, so I ended up getting a bit sick later that night.

So, today I felt pretty crappy. I ate a muffin and some mint tea, and started to wonder with my friend from the hostel. I found myself at a new temple somewhere outside Thamel (the main tourist district, which I have stayed in mostly because it feels safe) An Indian man started talking to us about it, and told us about the festival coming up , festival of colors. Which is why water baloons are constantly being thrown at me- I'm their target practice. He invited us to tea in a little place nearby. He gave us endless tips of being in the city, how to save money, and finding good, honest shops. Good man. His name is Raju. He ends up taking us back to Boudhnath, now my third time there, but this time we go to a different monestary, the white one. I took my shoes off and followed Raju inside. There were about 50 monks in there oming and chanting, and playing enourmous horns. IT was so intense. I started tearing up from the energy that room held. I couldn't believe it. It travels through your body and you suddenly feel very light, and small in this big world. There was a giant gold buddha in the center of the room.
We left and went to a room where women work all day on Mandalas. They are amazing. a man there explained everything.
Next, Raju took us to his home. He lives in a muslim community with other Indians. His home is literally a shack. His beautiful daughter was sleeping. She had a cold. His wife made us Indian tea. He talked to us about how hard it is, but how grateful he is. His eyes started to tear up. I had to help. I sat on their bed/couch/table/ main furniture. I ended up buying him a shoe box he can use to repair shoes to make money to support his family. I have never seen a man more grateful in my life. He shook my hand with tears, and his wife kept bowing to me. I left in tears too. I have never seen anyone so poor in all my life. It is intense. He asked me to stay for dinner, but I was really hungry for some Dal Bhat, so I said goodbye. We took the local mini bus (basically a van people pile into for 5 rupee) back to town. A wonderful man we met on the bus lead us to Thamel, and he recommended a great cheap place to get Dal Bhat. I dont think that place gets much tourists.
I am exhausted now.
Power will probably go off soon.
Love to you all.