Notes from Nepal

Family Reunited, Country Divided

During the past month, I have been dealing with the headache of several airlines’ and governments’ regulations to transport Marley from Manila to Kathmandu.  Although it was a painful process, I felt relieved when Marley and I successfully landed at the Kathmandu airport a little more than a week ago.  Before I could check my cell phone for a text message from Charles, who planned to meet us at the airport, I heard a woman say, “Aaja banda chha?”  I knew our journey might not be over yet when hearing that there was a strike going on today.

Before going any further, I want to first explain the term banda, which is the Nepali word for “closed”.  Although this can be used to state when a shop will close or to close a door or window, it is commonly associated with protests that shut down everything.  During a banda, roadblocks are set up in which trying to cross in a vehicle can be a dangerous proposition.  Among the foreigner community, banda, with short ‘a’ sounds, has become ‘bandh’, which sounds like bund.  I’m not sure why the word has an ‘h’ at the end… perhaps to distinguish that it’s not a band, like U2 or The Smiths.  Due to the frequency of these protests, bandh has become a frequently used term in the vernacular of foreign residents in Nepal.

One might ask, “So what are Nepali people so upset about?”  In general, there’s much to protest in terms of poor government services.  Soon after we arrived there was a bandh in front of the Ministry of Education, near where we play tennis, by poorly paid public teachers.  However, bandhs have intensified this month as the May 27 deadline for a new constitution quickly approaches. 

Here goes my attempt at a brief and oversimplified historical background, which I'm still trying to understand. Nepal abolished its monarchy when it set up a parliamentary government in 1990.  Soon thereafter, the communist party was not content with its level of representation, so it started a decade-long “People’s War” from 1996-2006 in which the Maoist insurgency group successfully garnered (albeit sometimes in a threatening and forceful manner) rural support.  An estimated 13,000 people were killed during the war.  The monarchy, which had been relegated a role similar to that of the British monarchy as of 1990, went through a roller coaster ride from the June 2001 “royal massacre” in which the crowned prince killed 10 members of the royal family and then himself, to February 2005, when the brother of the deceased crowned prince dissolved government and took back power.  The King’s return to power lasted a little more than a year before parliament was restored.  The Maoists ended the war in 2006 and gained considerable political influence during elections in 2008.  One of the main tasks of the new government was to create a constitution by 2010.  After two one-year extensions, there still isn’t a drafted constitution and tensions are rising.

A myriad of political parties, with names that remind me of the People’s Front of Judea from Monty Python’s Life of Brian, have been debating for several years how the new government should be structured.  Consensus and compromise seems impossible.  A bandh in the far western part of Nepal is in its fourth week to protest the proposed division of its territory based on ethnic identities.  “The Indivisible Far West” wants to stay united despite the proposed government delineations.  The Maoist leader, with considerable power and influence, promotes ethnic division and identity.  Meanwhile, roads, businesses and schools have been closed for three weeks, and some vehicles that have defied the bandh have been burned and vandalized.  To add one more variable to an already complex situation throughout the country, lower caste groups are also demanding improved rights and anti-discrimination policies.  At the same time, two upper caste groups, which coincidentally are the castes of two of the main Maoist leaders, also want to be considered as a separate ethnicity.  To put it mildly, there’s a lot at stake right now and the country’s political ability to govern a diverse population seems uncertain. 

Now that you have a glimpse of Nepal’s current political turmoils, let’s get back to the airport.  Due to the bandh in Kathmandu two weeks ago to protest the proposed ethnic-based political boundaries, Charles had to walk a few miles to the airport to meet us.  After our family was reunited, we were forced to stay at the airport for five hours until the streets were passable after dusk.  The following day the bandh continued.  Most stores were closed and no public buses were running.  I didn’t have any problem with the 45-minute walk to and from the embassy for my language lesson, but I heard stories of people walking for several hours to work that day.  More bandhs are scheduled this week and next week as the May 27 deadline looms around the corner.  While I appreciate the right for freedom of expression, these bandhs seem to cause substantial distress to many people not involved in making decisions about how this country will be governed.  At the same time, some people I’ve asked don’t think the government reacts to bandhs or listens to the bandh instigators' demands/interests. 

Something or someone has to give without turning to violence again.  I can only hope that somehow the spirit of and capacity to compromise can outshine divisive mindsets that ignore what’s best for the nation as a whole.  While that seems like a pipe dream right now for Nepal, and it is indicative of many countries in the world including my own, perhaps this small country of 30 million people can figure out how to make it work.  Governance of diversity is tricky business.  I’m not sure if anyone has really figured it out in terms of focusing on the ‘greater good’ and putting some ideologies on the side while key issues are resolved.  May peace, a willingness to listen, and an openness to change be the guiding principles for Nepali leaders and its people in the days to come.

Footnote -- I've included the images from a local news source not to alarm anyone.  However, they are examples of how sometimes the bandhs have become violent/destructive.  Please note that we never see these types of demonstrations firsthand.  We are staying far away from protests and have not been subject to or seen any signs of lawlessness.  With safety and security as a priority for our reunited family, we are following informative and cautious guidance from our embassy.  Speaking of our family, Marley is definitely enjoying the cooler and drier weather of Kathmandu compared to the Philippines.  This climate suits our fuzzy little creature much, much better.

Jimi Sir

The Peace Corps experience is at once both very individual and very universal.  This is why Peace Corps recruiters are always careful to say "this is what MY experience was like" to the people that they speak with, because a Volunteer's experience can be as unique as any individual.  That said, there are certain themes that run across the Volunteer experience regardless of where a person serves, what their job is, how old they are, or many of the other general characteristics that we prescribe to Volunteers.

I, for example, was in my mid-20s when I served as a Volunteer in an Environment Program in Tonga.  Chris was the same age when he served as a Business Volunteer in Samoa.  Through my many years of working for the Agency, I have become friends with RPCVs who have served in almost every country that Peace Corps has been active in.  Get any of us together and the conversation devolves into themes such as:  what drove us crazy about the culture and what we loved about the culture, the craziest people that we served with and our closest friends, the most disgusting things we ate and the recipes we learned to cook, what we wanted to accomplish in our work and what we were actually able to accomplish in our work, and of course- bowel movements.

Take any two Returned Peace Corps Volunteers who are strangers to each other, from any two countries and any two decades, give them the above list of discussion topics (a piece of flipchart paper and a marker may help things along) and let them loose to discuss.  Invariably you'll find that regardless of the obvious differences, the experiences are greatly similar.

Now, rewind to a few weeks ago when Nepal, and specifically Peace Corps Nepal had a very interesting visitor.  This gentleman, whose name is Jim Parks, is a Senior Official of the Millennium Challenge Corporation, a US Government development agency.  The MCC (as it is known) was here to plan a threshold project, which is how MCC evaluates the potential for a country to become an operating program.

While this all fine a good, the main reason why so many people were interested in Jim's visit to Nepal is because, in fact, it was a return visit.  Jim served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Nepal in the early 80s and this was his first time back.  Like so many of us, the experience was transformative and started him on a personal and professional path that would lead him to a high level position in an global development organization.  But many of us who are RPCVs have had similar experiences, so "why", you're probably wondering, have I chosen to write about Jim Parks?  Well.... unlike the overwhelming majority of us, Jim was lucky enough to have had the last several weeks of his service documented for posterity, and then made into a movie to be shared with the world via the internet.

During the last six  or so weeks of Jim's service, his friend (and aspiring filmmaker) Claude Vonroesgen came to Kathmandu, visited Jim's site, and recorded 36 hours of "videotape" footage from the time.  More than two decades later, Claude released the film under the title "Jimi Sir" in reference to the honorific that Jim's young students used to address him.

During this recent trip to Nepal, "Jimi Sir" managed to squeeze in a personal trip out to visit his former site, and his best friend Claude came along to film the return as well.  Peace Corps organized a screening of "Jimi Sir" in Kathmandu and several members of the media (and a plethora of RPCVs) came to watch the film and ask Jim questions, and later that same day me, Chris, and some of our friends were able to have a quiet dinner with the MCC contingent.

During dinner the discussion topics were varied, with a central theme being the Peace Corps and the universality of the experience.  Claude's film captures much of the essence of what it is to be a Peace Corps Volunteer, regardless of where or when someone has served.  Watching the film, I was brought back to my last few months in Tonga and couldn't help reflecting on what the experience meant to me. 

Now I'm not saying that this little film is Oscar worthy or high art.  What it is, however, is a 60 minute little gem of a film that, via the way it captures of universality of the Peace Corps experience, is guaranteed to make any RPCV who sees it reflect on their own experience.  It will make them wonder how their local friends and family are doing now, and make them wish that they could return to their sites... if only for a brief visit.  It will make them miss the PCV friends that they served with.  It will make them crave their favorite local dish and make them very glad that they no longer have a squat toilet.  Most significantly, however, it will make them grateful for the Peace Corps and all that the experience has meant for them.

 

Pokhara

Human-Environment Interaction:  This was a concept that curriculum guidelines encouraged me to incorporate into the 6^th grade humanities class that I taught last year.  As we followed the twists and turns of a Nepali river valley on a bus ride between Kathmandu and Pokhara, this term repeatedly came to mind as the scenery was indicative of not only how an environment effects how people live (e.g., evidence of landslides and rivers swelling during monsoon season, and large boulders in the middle of rice paddies), but also how people affect their environment.  The latter was most prevalent in the jigsaw puzzle-like terracing of mountain sides for rice, wheat, cabbage and corn.  Although the signs of our collective human footprint on the land existed, the overall beauty of the environment, the cleaner air away from dusty Kathmandu, and the scattering of population in rural Nepal were wonderful to experience on this trip.

Pokhara is situated 170 kilometers (100 miles) to the west of Kathmandu.  Many foreign trekkers head straight to Pokhara after arriving in Nepal because of its proximity to the Annapurna mountain range of the Himalayas.  In anticipation of having a few family and friends come visit us in the next few years, we decided to head to Pokhara during a three-day weekend to get a feel for the place and what it has to offer.  Last Friday was Nepali New Year… out with 2068 and in with 2069! 

Although the highway connecting Kathmandu and Pokhara is for the most part in good condition, its winding nature and heavy traffic especially leaving the Kathmandu valley resulted in a seven-hour trip one way.  There are daily flights that take less than an hour, but the bus ride was a chance to catch a glimpse of rural life here.  The “tourist bus” (as it was labeled) was a fairly even split between foreigners and Nepalis.  This label definitely helped us on the ride back to Kathmandu as we seemed to have a “pass GO” card to get through several roadblock protests set up to urge political reform against federalism. 

We are planning to purchase a car sometime in the next few months but thoughts of driving on this route are intimidating.  Passing trucks on steep climbs, slaloming around kids and cows, and maneuvering around potholes and narrow shoulders would all make for a stressful driving experience.  We’re likely to hire a driver once we have a car, so I’d be happy to be a passenger on that route again…preferably in the back seat so I don’t have to witness all the potential hazards.

The scenes along the way, although we didn’t capture them with a camera (difficult to do on a bouncy bus), made for long-lasting mental images.  Teenagers playing soccer on a former rice paddy that was still completely saturated from recent heavy rains; the ubiquitous developing country scene of a young boy with a huge smile running alongside a wheel spinning it forward with a stick; women washing clothes under roadside pipes dressed in multi-colored saris; a couple pulling themselves across a river in a open cage-like device (like a simplified gondola) suspended several meters above the water.  Local scenes like that were in contrast to seeing a popular white water rafting spot geared for tourists to enjoy the thrill of the cascading rapids as the rivers drop and turn through the valleys.  Overall, the time on the bus, minus having to sit behind a stinky trekker for a few hours, was full of taking in scenes and images to help gain some perspective on life outside urban areas.

Our time in Pokhara itself was limited to 1 ½ days.  We walked around the town and tried out the many restaurants and found some good options for future visits.  On Saturday we took a cab to nearby Sarangkot, which is about 20 minutes from Pokhara and at a slightly higher altitude.  The views of the Himalayas are supposed to be amazing at Sarangkot, but unfortunately most of the mountains were covered in clouds when we there.  We were fascinated by watching paragliders take off from Sarangkot and although the take off looks a bit unsettling, once one is in the air it looks incredibly tranquil.  We told ourselves that we’ll definitely try this next time we come, especially if the weather is clear because the views of the mountains would be absolutely phenomenal from the air. 

After all the walking around in Sarangkot and in downtown Pokhara, we pampered ourselves with a massage at a place called “Seeing Hands”, which is an NGO that employs blind people.  The massages were a bit rough around the edges but still very relaxing for our tired muscles.

Before a morning departure to head back to Kathmandu, we got up early to catch better views of the Himalayas from our hotel.  The funny part of that experience was that I didn’t realize that our hotel had a roof deck with a great, unobstructed view.  So at first, we walked around the neighborhood for a clear view of the mountains.  Low and behold that when we got back to our hotel, Charles asked, “Hey is that 3^rd story deck attached to our hotel?”  I blame not having caffeine yet to have not spotted it beforehand.

All in all, it was a great trip and a nice break from Kathmandu.  Our lungs appreciated the break from breathing in lots of dust – by the way, like many locals, we are wearing masks these days whenever we’re walking in the streets in Kathmandu.  It’s nice to know that we’ll most likely be back again to Pokhara several times in the next two years… maybe next time we’ll be in shape for one of those seven-day treks! 

Tennis!!

We have been really fortunate that in every country that we have lived in so far, we have always found ways to incorporate tennis into our daily lives.

In China we mostly played at the Sichuan University campus courts, not too far from my classroom and Chris’ office.  It was there that we learned how to play on red clay courts, the very same courts where one of their best female professionals, Zheng Jie, learned how to play the game.  We also played several times on synthetic grass courts of the fancy apartment complex where our friends David and Chris lived.

In the Philippines we usually played the hardcourts at the US Embassy’s Seafront Compound, a property on the bay’s Roxas Boulevard that also contained the swimming pool and gym.  For a while we also played with our friend Bubut at the Makati Sports Club, located conveniently around the corner from our Makati apartment.  One of my fondest tennis memories from the Philippines was playing in the "jungle courts" at the exclusive Mactan Shangri-la Resort in Cebu.

We didn’t know what to expect when we moved to Nepal, however.  We had done some research and knew that some of the finer hotels had courts and had also learned that the US Embassy had a facility similar to the Seafront Compound in the Philippines.  After our arrival we went around and viewed all of the facilities but eventually decided to pay the membership dues to be able to play on the Embassy compound, aka “Phohara Durbar”.

A big difference that we noticed right away was that there are many more people who used these courts than used the courts in the Philippines.  On our first foray onto these courts the neighboring court was full of people (some of whom I recognized from my few days of visiting the Embassy), and within a few minutes of hitting we were surprised when a couple of them walked onto our court to ask if we were “from the Americas.”

I know…….bizarre question…… not to mention the fact that we walked onto our court!  They explained that there was an upcoming tournament that they needed to recruit more players for and per their very brief assessment (we were literally three hits into our warm-up) they had determined that they wanted us very badly to be on their team….. as long as we were from the Americas.

Backstory:  35 years ago, in the Northern Pakistani city of Quetta, the British Ambassador to Nepal and American Ambassador to Nepal at-the-time, were attending a regional conference.  The men were big fans of the game of tennis, and were also good friends.  As they strolled down one of the lanes, they came upon a shop that sold brass items and spied a big brass trophy (in the style of the Stanley Cup).  They bought the cup and planned to organize a friendly tennis tournament upon their return to Kathmandu.  The tournament would pit tennis-playing Commonwealth citizens against citizens of the Americas who were living/working in Nepal.  Since then, this annual tennis tournament has been a hotly contested affair and has carried-on without interruption, with the exception of 2010 when poorly-timed Maoist uprisings in Kathmandu created enough instability and security concerns to cancel the tournament for that year.

I will admit that we were very apprehensive about participating in this tournament.  While Chris and I are very competitive with each other, we tend to let our nerves get the best of us when playing others.  In this case the stakes were even higher because the Commonwealth won in 2011 and for the Americas, this year’s tournament was a grudge match.  We had a team and an entire community counting on us.   We decided, however, that it would be a great opportunity to network and to meet new people, and given that we had been in country for less than a week at that point, this was something that we definitely wanted to do.

We agreed to join the team (which included representatives from Canada, Mexico, Peru, and the US), and for the next three weeks we participated in the three times per week practices that the team captains had organized.  The evening before the tournament, the Deputy Chief of Mission (second highest ranking American in the Embassy- after the Ambassador) hosted a reception at her house for the Americas and Commonwealth participants. 

The tournament would consist of 6 men’s doubles matches, 6 women’s doubles matches, and 12 mixed doubles matches.  Each match consisted of one set of 11 games.  If the teams were to tie at 5-5, then they would play a tie-breaker for the last game.  The overall score and winner of the tournament, was determined by a compilation of the total games won by each team, thus every game won was vitally important.  Even if you were losing, you had to keep fighting to try to win every point and every game.  That one game could mean the difference between the team’s winning or losing.

Chris and I were seeded 4^th in men’s doubles.  We were seeded 6^th and 9^th in mixed doubles with our partners.  I hadn’t played competitive team tennis since high school and the morning of the tournament we were both really nervous and pumping with adrenaline.  We were scheduled to play one of the first three matches of the morning (there are three courts at Phohara Durbar) and we arrived early to stretch, warm up, and put on our custom designed team jersey.  By the time that play started, we were well prepared and ready.

Chris and I won our first match pretty easily.  At 2-2 we went on a run and won the next 7 games to gain nine points for our team.  Later that day, Chris and his partner Heather won their match 7-4, and then Christy and I won our match 6-5.  In the end, it wasn’t really close and “Team Americas” won the 36^th annual Quetta Cup quite handily.  Our men’s teams in particular did very well and established an imposing lead that the Commonwealth team couldn’t come close to overcoming.

And in the end it was a really great day.  We met a lot of new friends, got some good exercise, and earned bragging rights for our team for the next year.  We all had a great time actually, and it was capped off by a hilarious awards ceremony where trophies for “loudest shrieker”, “most foot faults”, and “best team supporter” were handed out to deserving individuals.  We all drank glasses of champagne and toasted to the completion of another year of friendly competition and to many more to come.

In retrospect, it is funny to think that we arrived in Nepal with no ideas as to whether or not we would be able to play tennis comparable to our opportunities in Philippines and China.  Not only did we find that the facilities were present here in Kathmandu, but within our first month we met a lot of great people and discovered many potential hitting partners.  It is absolutely a luxury to be able to live and work internationally AND still pursue a favorite sport or hobby.  Here in Kathmandu, we’re happy to have this luxury, which along with the opportunities to pursue meaningful careers, to explore and appreciate the natural environment, to learn about local cultures, and to gain spiritual enlightenment, makes this possibly one of the coolest places that we have EVER lived, and for this we are extremely grateful.

Exploring Bhaktapur and Hinduism

On March 20, I visited the nearby city of Bhaktapur, which was once the capital of Nepal from the 14^th to 17^th centuries.  Its traditional style of Newari architecture is extremely well preserved along narrow brick streets and alleys that cars cannot access.  While Kathmandu has its Durbar Square, the entire central district of Bhaktapur reveals a rich history through several open squares, and Hindu and Buddhist temples all over the place.  More importantly, it’s not just a faux tourist destination that attempts to recreate the past.  While Bhaktapur embraces its historical and religious significance, the town inhabitants go about their daily lives without paying too much attention to tourists like me.

Instead of going by taxi, which would cost around 1,200 Rupees (or US$15), I ventured for the first time into the world of Nepal public transportation.  For a one-way fare of 25 Rupees, I took a not-too-crowded small bus for about 45 minutes to Bhaktapur.  Everything went smoothly in terms of finding the bus station, getting on the right bus, etc.  Buses here remind me a bit of buses in Samoa in terms of waiting until a certain number of people are aboard before departing.  In either direction, I waited about 15 minutes for the bus to leave, using the time to practice my limited speaking and reading skills of Nepali language (I’ve just started learning Nepali script – नेपाल is “Nepal”, which I just figured out how to write using Microsoft Word).  Irrespective of my language geek tendencies, with a little patience I was happy that my roundtrip transportation to Bhaktapur cost less than a dollar.

I arranged for a guide to walk me around the historic city.  Ajaya, whose family runs a modest Bhaktapur guesthouse and trekking business, met me at the bus stop and led me around the city from 10am until 3pm.  He is extremely proud of his city and if I had not told him that I needed to head back to Kathmandu, I think he would have kept on going until sunset. 

Prior to arriving in Bhaktapur, I told Ajaya that I was interested in learning more about Hindu customs celebrated in his town.  As we visited the significant religious sites, including several Buddhist monasteries as well, he was extremely knowledgeable and patient in explaining the meaning behind these places in terms of the deities and legends that these sites represent.  Shamefully, I cannot remember a lot of what he told me.  I’m starting to get some of the basics down, but I also realize that this religion is incredibly complex.  

First of all, there isn’t one form of Hinduism – just like other faiths, there are various sects.  I’ve learned that to state that all Hinduism is polytheistic is inaccurate.  Many believers follow either Vishnu or Shiva as their supreme being.  There are others who believe in a trinity of deities – Brahma (the creator), Vishnu (the preserver), and Shiva (the reproducer and destroyer).  Hmmm, a trinity… sounds familiar.  One interesting connection between Hinduism and Buddhism is that some consider Siddhartha Gautam Buddha to be one of the ten earthly incarnations of Vishnu.  Then I start getting confused with the consorts – Shiva’s Parvati and Vishnu’s Lakshmi.  These goddesses are often depicted as counterparts to Shiva and Vishnu.  In Bahktapur, there are nine temples scattered throughout the city in honor of the various incarnations of Parvati.  Another thing I learned in this town is that the deities typically have temples and then nearby homes dedicated to them.  Ajaya often described, “This is where Ganesh is worshipped and then over there (pointing to a beautiful three-story structure with intricate wood-carved windows), is where he lives.”  Speaking of Ganesh, the elephant-like god who is the son of Shiva and Parvati, is often worshipped in Nepal because he is responsible for helping out with prosperity and wisdom. 

Inside an inner courtyard of a group of houses, Ajaya showed me one of many small temples that was a combination of both Hindu and Buddhist images.  Ajaya is Hindu and expressed openness not only to Buddhism but to Christian beliefs too.  In a small Buddhist monastery, he eloquently and graciously described his interpretation of the Buddhist Eightfold Path, honoring the value of the Buddha’s teachings of loving others through a foundation of the right thoughts, words and actions.  His respect and osmosis of other faiths reminds me of something I just read in Religions in Nepal.  From one of the Hindu scriptures, an incarnation of Vishnu said, “Whosoever follows any faith and worships me under whatsoever denomination in whatsoever form with steadfastness, his faith I shall indeed reinforce.”  Mahatma Gandhi reinforced this acceptance of other religions – “Hinduism strives for the betterment of all religions and through them of the entire world.” 

Of course, there is A LOT about this religion that I don’t understand (e.g., animal sacrifices).  This trip to Bhaktapur was a good first step in learning more about Hindu legends, rituals and beliefs in Nepal.  How incredibly fortunate to be in this country and have the opportunity to learn firsthand about Hinduism and Buddhism while roaming through old city streets.  I hope to meet many more people like Ajaya who will reveal further insights into this aspect of the Nepali culture.

I Love Mountains

I've just realized that I really love mountains.  Coming to Nepal I wasn't quite sure if this would be the case.  Let's face it.  I'm an "ocean" guy.  I grew up in San Diego, served as a Volunteer in Tonga, and spent the last two years in the Philippines.  The ocean is in my blood and I was concerned about being so far away from it and for such a long time.  The ocean has long been a source of inspiration for me.  What would I do without it?

This weekend we decided to get out of town and headed to the mountain village known as Nagarkot, which has earned a reputation as a "gateway to the Himalayas" and was known to offer some of the most spectacular scenery in Nepal.  We had also heard the place described as a "glorified truck stop", so we didn't have very high expectations, but what we found was a quaint, serene, little town, from which there are endless amounts of breathtaking views of the mighty (as appropriate a term as any) Himalayas.

We stayed at a place called "The Fort", which actually used to be a fort but has since been converted into a charming, guest-house that maintains its historic feel and cultural fit.  Chris booked us into a room in the eastern tower, a four-story square spire that contains one room per floor; ours with its encircling balcony at treetop height was comfortable on the inside and spectacular on the outside.  The western tower, which rose even higher, had a roof-top viewing deck from which we marveled at what truly are wonders of the natural world.  And while some might look upon mountains as things to be climbed and conquered, we gained immense satisfaction from merely observing them and appreciating their majesty.

Because of these mountains, this country is famous for its trekking activities, and though we are realistic enough to know that walking for more than a few hours (especially when it doesn't involve shopping) has very little appeal to us, we absolutely intend to give trekking a try at some point.  A 14-day trek, however, is something that you need to work up to, so as part of our "prep for trekking" project we decided to take a simple three-hour walk along the ridgeline road to a look-out tower that offered views of the Himalayas on one side, and the Kathmandu Valley on the other.

The walk, like everything else in Nagarkot, was completely enjoyable.  We "oooohd" and "aaaaahd" at the views at several points along the way, we learned the Nepali word for "puppy" from a group of kids and their very cute dog, and via Chris' "namaste" greeting we met a tough looking, former security-guard turned soldier (the walk bordered a military training camp that was encircled in miles of razor-wire), who turned out to be one of the nicest people that I've met so far here in Nepal (and whose brother is married to a Filipina... and no I didn't know her....).

I will admit, however, that we were sore, tired, and grumpy when we finally returned to The Fort (which doesn't bode well for a 14-day trek), but our discovery of the Lotus Spa right next door promised to take care of some of our issues.  True to their motto:  "Unlimited relax [sic] for body, mind & soul", and a one-hour Ayurvedic massage later, everything was right with the world again.

Later that evening we walked down to the Sherpa Guest Cottage where we dined on excellent Tibetan/Sherpa dishes while listening to one of the staff play classic rock tunes on his acoustic guitar.  The walk back to The Fort revealed a star-filled mountain sky, the likes of which we haven't seen in a very long time.  In all, it was a pretty amazing day in a very cool place.

We can say with authority that Nagarkot is so much more than a "glorified truck stop".  It is a glorified truck stop with interesting and friendly citizens, with some very nice places to stay and eat, and with a million dollar view.  Most importantly to me, it is the place where I discovered my love for mountains and where I came to the realization of why both oceans and mountains appeal to me. 

As diametrically opposed as oceans and mountains may be, they have one very important thing in common.  Oceans with their vastness and mountains with their majesty have a way of helping people put their daily trials and tribulations into perspective.  They remind us that in fact we are very small, and our issues are even smaller, and without this occasional reminder it would be easy to allow these things to take over our lives.  It is helpful for people to experience this every once in awhile because in doing so we come to terms with what worries us; we find peace and we gain inspiration.

Getting Settled and Unsettled

It’s hard to believe that as I type this note we’ve just passed the one week mark of our arrival in Kathmandu.  In some ways it feels like we’re already old pros at living in this city and that we’ve been here for ages.  Yes, that is a completely naïve perspective because of course we really don’t know anything yet!  In that sense, it feels like we are very much ‘fresh off the boat”, or FOBs to use a term I picked up in the South Pacific for newbies, i.e. recently arrived immigrants. 

Part of the feeling that we’ve been here for longer than a week may be due to this being the third country we’ve moved to in five years.  Perhaps we are getting better at adapting and feeling at home in new environs because of the frequency of picking up our lives and moving from point A to point B.  Another part of feeling settled has to do with Kathmandu itself.  Although it is a city of one million people, its small narrow streets and dilapidated state of many buildings give the city a very quaint and aged setting.  In comparison to the megacities of Chengdu and Manila, Kathmandu is tiny – 1/10^th the size in terms of population.  Initially it seems much more manageable in terms of getting to know the city and being able to explore it by foot.  Our walk this past Saturday was proof of that in terms of reaching the old part of the city in less than an hour and then being able to explore small streets and alleys for several hours.  This is quite different from Manila where we had a car from day 1 and we didn’t explore the city that much due to traffic headaches.

Other aspects of daily-life that have us feeling settled include setting up wireless Internet and cable TV (BBC, CNN, ESPN) at home – communication and entertainment are always key – and getting to know our local supermarket.  Our main source for shopping is not so modern but has five floors with separate floors for food, clothing, household goods, appliances, etc.  They have most of everything we need, but it’s still a bit of mystery where items are located.  For example, why would coconut milk be located in the shelves with baby formula?  Figuring this type of stuff out is part of the fun of living overseas. 

So, what’s unsettling about our new home?  And I use the term ‘unsettling’ with a positive connotation.  Part of our interest in living overseas is to get outside our comfort zones; to experience a culture, people and life that are not the same as where we come from.  While I may be puzzled or frustrated because something seems counterintuitive or an event feels unusual or abnormal, it’s okay and part of the experience.  As always though, it’s tough to suspend judgment despite being accustomed to cross-cultural situations.  Here are some examples of the stuff that has us a bit perplexed.

I have to admit that I did not fully understand the term “load shedding” until the second day here.  Electricity has scheduled times each day that it will not be provided and part of that time is covered by our apartment building’s generators.  Every day there are 1-6 hours of no electricity, usually during the afternoon.  We also had to figure out which outlets are supported by the generators because the generators only cover certain plugs.  The schedule of electricity load shedding appears to change every week, but at least we have a general idea of when to expect electricity for things like our modem or our hot water heater.  This inconsistent electricity is something new for me; I’ve never experienced this in the places I’ve lived…even a remote place like Samoa!  The Nepali people I talk to about this seem to smile and accept this as part of life.  They say it’s a problem, but they don’t express any frustration about the inadequate electricity supply.  It’s just a fact of life here and most stores, restaurants and offices have back-up generators.

Another aspect that will take some getting used to is the level of dust.  Walking around is fantastic in terms of seeing and getting to know the city, especially in comparison to being in a car and whizzing by people and places.  However, sidewalks are limited at best.  When I have to walk on the street’s edge, it’s important to be conscious of no sudden movements, which could easily result in an accident with the many motorcycles or micro-buses that come within a few feet.  If there is some space alongside the road, I’m walking on dirt and rubble that is quite dusty because we are in the dry season.  After an hour or so of walking, my clothes and hair feel like they have a thin coating of dust.  And bla ck shoes… forget about it!  Several Nepali people wear masks over their mouths and noses.  That may be something to consider to protect my lungs after so many years in polluted cities.

Before this blog post gets too long, I want to add one last unfamiliar aspect that I don’t fully understand and that I’m extremely curious about – the dominant religions of Nepal that appear to co-exist harmoniously:  Hinduism (80% of population) and Buddhism (10%).  When I pass small temples located along or in middle of Kathmandu’s streets, I am curious as to their purpose, the rituals that people perform, and their beliefs.  While I know the very basic tenets of these religions, I want to feel more comfortable and knowledgeable about their beliefs.  I also want to gain a deeper appreciation for how and why these religions don’t seem to profess judgment, or to put it more simply, the “I’m right; you’re wrong” attitude that so many other religions seem to require. 

So, one week into the honeymoon stage of this cross-cultural experience, all is going extremely well with the comfort and discomfort of living in a foreign land.  I feel incredibly fortunate that Charles and I share a similar passion for and interest in living abroad.  While it could be easy to get wrapped up in all that may seem wrong or different with a foreign culture, I try to remind myself often that I am a guest here and that I am incredibly lucky to have the opportunity to be here for an extended period of time.  In the end, I see it as my job to approach my presence here with openness, respect, a genuine level of appreciation, and a whole lot of patience.  So say we all! (sorry…geeky BattleStar Gallatica reference).

From 30,000 Feet

Normally when a pilot announces that the plane is in a holding pattern and is unable to land for awhile, I feel annoyed and impatient about wanting a trip to be over and done with.  You’d think that after 22 hours of flying time since we left San Diego, we would be fed up with being on a plane.  But today was a different story.  This time around we were enjoying our first views of Mt. Everest and the rest of the impressive, if not daunting, Himalayan Mountain range.  We couldn’t take our eyes off of these snow-covered giants. 

As I was taking in the amazing scenery, I realized that this natural wonder will be the defining feature of the next few years of our lives.  As family and friends visit us in Nepal, I hope to never take these mountains for granted; along the lines of, “Oh yeah, those are the Himalayas… no big deal.”  So, this is my pledge from Day 1 – soak up everything this country has to offer; not only in terms of its natural beauty, but its history, religion and culture too.  Appreciate it from Day 1 to Day 901, which is approximately 2 ½ years from now and when Charles’ tour will end.