Hello Adventurers,
Below are the e-mails I sent home during my most recent trip to Nepal. I was there last month in February with David and Deb from Ann Arbor. We had a great time, despite a few disruptions and inconveniences.... These messages were sent from various cyber cafes in Kathmandu.
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The Bestari Bestari Expedition (Slowly Slowly) - February 2007
Sent: Sun, 11 Feb 2007 9:32 PM
I managed to find David at the airport today but not my luggage... David had no problems with flights and all his luggage arrived, including 3 boxes of medical supplies he will donate to hospitals here.
We walked all over on a grand tour of downtown Kathmandu this afternoon. It rained the whole time. Which actually was a good thing because the streets were calm and quiet versus the usual intense traffic and general chaos which usually prevails. We stopped in at the Living Goddess' Temple (Kumari) and had a sighting of her - very auspicious. She came to the window! I have seen her maybe 4 times in all the years I've been coming to Nepal.
We stopped at a Buddhist monastery where there were a few monks chanting and clanking cymbals and blowing long 15 foot horns near where we sat.. In the main square there happened to be a procession of sorts - a Newari festival (local people of the Kathmandu Valley). They were all dressed up and following a little marching band (which I think I heard this morning at 6am). So now - even on day 1 we've seen it all -- almost...
I got too wet during our walk and especially during the rickshaw ride on the way back. I had to run out and buy a pair of pants because I was freezing. It is cold in the evenings and especially at night. Last night I was really cold until I pulled the two thick heavy blankets from in the closet onto the bed. I also slept in my clothes so they are getting lots of use.. I have my fingers crossed that my suitcase will materialize tomorrow. If not, I may have to start buying trekking gear....like shoes. Right now all I have are not even good walking shoes...
Yesterday, when coming form the airport, my taxi drove by a field where there were some kids playing soccer. Of course at that moment the soccer ball went into the road and under the car. We hit it and it popped! :( I felt terrible. So today I went downtown and bought 4 soccer balls and on the way back from the airport with David we stopped at the same field and I kicked all four balls to some kids there... I think they were happy. I will pass by again tomorrow and will be curious to see if there is a soccer match going on. I'd better go to bed. I look forward to watching CNN under those thick blankets.
Sent: Mon, 12 Feb 2007 10:33 PM
Today I found Deb at the airport -- but not my luggage....!! I'm now thinking of all the things in my suitcase which I need, like the chargers for my cameras and my new $50 headlamp! I am praying for it to come tomorrow. I may have to buy all new gear. We will see. We leave for trekking the day after tomorrow. I have been wearing the same clothes since the day I left Ann Arbor!.... Hard to imagine. :) I bought one pair of pants yesterday which I slept in last night and will sleep in again tonight.
This morning at breakfast David and I befriended Sam, a young 21 year old man from Australia, traveling by himself. He seemed happy to have company. We invited him to join our table and then to come with us to Syambunath, a Buddhist temple. He was happy about that and joined us for half the day. We loved the 'Monkey Temple' and had a great walk and chat while there. We passed a barber and David got his hair cut. It looks great! He had an incredibly painful looking complementary head massage after the hair cut but said it felt great. On the way back we took a tiny mini van (cheap local transportation) that held about 15!! passengers (maybe 4 comfortably in the USA). It was fun. Sam and David had lunch together while I made the journey to the airport to pick up Deb.
On our ride back from the airport we passed the soccer field where I left the balls yesterday, and I am pretty certain ONE of them was in good use when we passed. I was happy to see that. The balls were not too expensive. I spent about $15 for four of them.
This is still only day 2 for David and only half of day 1 for Deb. We had a great afternoon visiting the Hindu temples where there were cremation ceremonies going on. There are fires along the river where they burn the bodies of people who have died. The ashes are then swept into the water. PLUS we are four days away from a big Hindu Festival where everyone - thousands of Hindu Shiva worshipers - gather at these temples. Some of the painted sadus - holy men - have already arrived and are camped along the walkways... There were some cobra snake charmers, from India and lots of men with dreadlocks smoking ganja. The monkeys, a common sight around here, were out in force, too.
We had a great dinner and a good chat by a fire pit in an outdoor restaurant. We are looking forward to the trek. If my luggage doesn't come tomorrow, I will need time to go shopping for trekking gear.
Sent: Tue, 13 Feb 2007 6:18 PM
My luggage came today. I am so happy. !!!!!!! My video battery is charging as I type, though I still have the same clothes on. It's been seven days! :)
Sent: Tue, 13 Feb 2007 9:38 PM
I have much to do tonight and it's getting late and we leave for the airport at 5:45am tomorrow. First flight. David and Deb are very excited about our journey to the mountains tomorrow and are asking many questions. It is interesting for me to sit with them with full knowledge of what is ahead.
We have been lucky with the good karma, coming across interesting things in the streets and along the way. This is what Nepal offers. Each day is very different.
Today we went to the biggest Buddhist temple, Boudanath, and had a relaxing walk. We shopped a lot and bought lots of things. It also so happened that the main teacher (Rimpoche) at a monastery there had passed away just yesterday. There were all sorts of activities and even a viewing of the body.... We happened upon this scene - yet now I feel I know this man. The monastery went all out to share him, his personality and perhaps his teachings, even with the general public like us. The monks were chanting and praying and in many ways celebrating the life of this friend and teacher. We feel somewhat lucky for knowing him even though only slightly, if that makes sense.
David, Deb and I had a wonderful dinner and always good conversation. We see so many interesting things during the day and then sit down to discuss so many deep thoughts, ideas, new understandings and global philosophies at dinner. We went to an Italian restaurant.
Tomorrow will be a new set of plans so totally different and distant from what we have experienced so far. I am happy and lucky to be able to share such things. David and Deb have really good attitudes.. much more to say in this category... I am very impressed by them and am learning lots from them.
How is the snow in Ann Arbor? Are you buried under several feet? I am watching CNN and am seeing weather reports.
Last night when I went to bed the hallways to my room were pitch black. I managed to find the key hole in the dark and my room. I was a bit worried I had opened the door to someone else's room, but it was mine. The electricity was off in my wing of the building. I had to light a candle, which are handy in the rooms for such frequent occasions. I brushed my teeth by candle light and wrote some in my journal. I missed watching CNN.
Tonight I'll be up a while longer, lingering over all the things I missed from my suit case. I have to re-pack for the trek and will leave the rest in storage at the hotel.. The electricity will go off again in a half hour so I better go...!!
Sent February 14
Me again...
Forget me thinking I know what lies ahead. :) I suppose this is the main ingredient of an 'adventure', right?
We were at the airport this morning, at 6am all ready to go. We waited until 10am. I woke up last night to pouring rain at 3am which continued all day!! It's 9pm now and it's still raining.
At 10am they canceled our and ALL flights - to Lukla. Oh darn...!!! Bad weather. Darn!!! It rained all day and supposedly there are two feet of snow and ice at the airport in Lukla. Oh darn!!! This is unusual for this time of year. Someone said it has not snowed like this in 70 years. Maybe bad weather everywhere all over the world.. Maybe Mother Nature is trying to tell us something.
Our plan now is to wait a day and try to fly to Lukla on Friday or Saturday. If that doesn't work we decided to fly to Pokhara instead (another town to the west) and trek a day or two there. David and Deb have very good attitudes, but the rain and cold and change of plans wore us out today. Hopefully tomorrow will be sunny and all will be back to normal.
I am ready for bed. It is still very cold and wet!
The electricity keeps going out in Kathmandu. Because of drought there is not enough water for the hydropower and they have to conserve. It's on and off regularly during the day and officially out for three hours every day. !! Tomorrow they will start turning it off for 6 hours each day! I don't know how they will handle the onslaught of trekkers who will come during the main tourist season in a week or so. Tourists seem to need lots of electricity for e-mail, cameras and space heaters. The locals are not phased. Many are running around in flip flops. It seems crowded now, with more tourists coming soon. When we returned to our hotel from the airport this morning the hotel was full. :) !! Deb and David are now staying at another hotel up the street. I am at a cheaper place by the original hotel.
What to do...?
At least we have a plan. There is still more to see around here, and we can keep very busy. However I am realizing that EVERYTHING there is to do in Nepal is totally done outside. If it's raining and warm that's ok. But cold and wet is not good. We'll see how the next few days go.
We took a rest today for a few hours. I returned to my hotel and watched a romantic comedy on HBO before the electricity went out. I was cozy warm. I ate chocolate, which was the perfect medicine for a cold, wet and unplanned Valentine's Day. We are very sad we are not in the mountains. But I suppose we should be glad not to be trekking through snow. David and Deb are in good spirits and want to get to the mountains so I HOPE that will work out.
Sent February 15
First Kathmandu Snow for 60 Years - BBC News
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/6362679.stm
Sent: Thu, 15 Feb 2007 7:19 PM
Thanks for the news article about the snow. Yes, there was snow here! It never happens. The last time it snowed in Kathmandu was in 1944! Today was much warmer, thank goodness. We had lots of clear skies and hot, hot sun. We spent most of the day in the "Garden of Dreams" a beautiful garden that was built by a prince in the 1920s outside an old palace that has recently been renovated.
Another unfortunate disturbance happened today...! We were not able to drive by taxi anywhere.. There was a 'strike' and no traffic was able to move through the streets. Thus we stayed around here and ate and shopped. Seems the lowest cast is calling for some action on certain issues in the government.. Higher wages or something.. This is Nepal..
Tomorrow we will try for Lukla again, but I am expecting long delays, if not another canceled flight. We have to be at the airport at 6am again.. We will try for Saturday if tomorrow doesn't work. Each trip is something new.
Hopefully I will not write tomorrow, which will mean we got to Lukla. Then we will have our fingers crossed that we will be able to fly back out again in a few days. I've been stuck in Lukla before, once for three days. This is the first time I've gotten stuck in Kathmandu. We are eating, resting and shopping well here - I guess a better place to be stuck.
Sincerely,
Heather O'Neal
Of Global Interest LLC Adventure Travel
The Eighth Street Trekkers' Lodge B&B
Ann Arbor, Michigan
(734) 369-3107
http://www.ofglobalinterest.com
"Don’t tell me how educated you are. Tell me how much you have traveled!"
-- The Prophet Mohammed
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