The Majesty of
Mt.. Everest, Photo by J. Graham, 1999.
Jeff with relics. Photo by J. Graham, 1999
Pigments
for offerings. Photo by J. Graham, 1999.Hello from Nepal,
Here are some recent memories.
The flight over Everest was dazzling. I got very close and took some
pictures that show Everest very well.
I went to a shawl factory today. Sue wanted to buy some. They were in
the $80-100 range so I didn't get anything. We got a tour of the factory
and watched as three looms were making the silk and wool scarves. They
ship most products to the US and UK but sell the extras in the showroom.
We watched them dyeing and drying and folding and packaging.
I played basketball and tennis yesterday. I'm finding that I still need
exercise to stay mentally fit. I always go into a funk when I travel and
get lonely. I'm doing much better now.
It's been such a blessing to visit Ralph and Sue. They are very kind to
me. The servants serve us the three meals a day. I leave clothes in the
basket. They come back washed and folded and put on the bed. I got to
use Sue's car and driver yesterday and went on three errands that would
have cost about 25 dollars or more if I had taken a taxi. I have use the
email over 12 hours so far. (I type off line so have only been online
about 20 minutes.) Sunday is the big shopping day. They have a game
called sheep and goats kind of like checkers.
Today was amazing. I went to see Kalpana Shrespha. (This is a family where a
friend's daughter stayed when she was on a medical mission to Nepal a couple
of years ago.) She is so beautiful and is
fun to talk to. She works at the helping hands clinic six days a week helping
all kinds of poor people with health needs. I saw two nursing mothers, about 5
women with babies, several teenage types, and a few men. I got to the clinic
early because Susan didn't need her driver and let me use the car and driver. I
was escorted to a waiting room where I read my book. There was a cook who knew
English and he practiced his English on me. It was fun because he was so
bright-eyed and excited about life. I looked out the window to Ring Road, the
main road around the city. There was a lot of construction and traffic. People
were selling vegetables, breads, coconuts, tomatoes, and other fruit. I had to
wait for two hours but the time flew by. I got in a taxi with Kalpana. She lives
on the other side of town. The exhaust is terrible. I paid the 100 rupee fare
and she was so grateful. There are 68 rupees per dollar. She is such a sweet
personality. She took me to her home and showed me where Jenny slept in the same
bedroom as her daughter. She showed me the walk they took and the rug where they
played cards for hours. There were photos of the kids. Her son is a really
handsome young man. He is in precollege at a world college somewhere in New
Mexico. I think he has an email that she'll give Jenny. I was served pop and
cakes. Dristi came to the door to greet her mother when we first came home. She
is really cute. I got photos of her for Jenny and I'd like to keep one too. She
is a delightful outgoing young lady. She went upstairs and got dressed up for
the photo I was to take for Jenny. Her mom wanted me to get a photo of them
standing together to show how much Dristi had grown since Jenny had been there.
She is not a girl any more! She's a young lady. I met Kalpana's husband. I
talked to him about 30 minutes about his job of water management for the
electric company. He is very learned and talks easily. He told me of the time
getting his Ph.D. in Colorado. I guess they have parents in Colorado because they
go to Nepal once a year and Dristi loves to have her grandparents visit. They
are all the kind of people you would like living next door to you. After taking
pictures and talking, they gave me gifts for Jenny. They
gave me a little replica of a Gerka knife. I had gotten some of them for the
grandkids earlier in the day and had thought I should get one for me. Now I have
one. I had earlier given them wild flower seeds
and two decks of cards. I also gave them some money from Jenny and told her
Jenny wanted them to do something special for themselves. Dristi wrote a card
for Jenny while I was there and I'll send it to her with her other gifts.
After the visit Dristi and her dad escorted me to the main road and helped me
find a taxi. I was able to direct it right to the residency gate!! There was a
note inside my room that said the reservations at the restaurant were earlier
and I was to take one of the drivers and meet them there. I quickly got on my
long pants and had the driver take me. We had drinks on an
outside courtyard and dinner inside. I had a noodle type dish that was good with
a salad. I've been able to find food that I like each place I've gone. I haven't
had any digestive problems at all. It's fun to be with Ralph and Sue and the
other 2 Jeffs and Marlin - the 3 protection guys for Ralph. We talk so easily
and the
stories are interesting and funny.
This morning we went to Patan and it was the last place that's on our list. I
finally got lots of souvenirs for people. I feel good about what I got. Patan
has a great museum. I learned a lot about the Hindu and Buddhist religions.
It was fun to play the game of "haggle" with the keepers. I'd ask how much.
They'd say 450 each for the bells. I'd say what about 500 for two.
They'd say no how about 800. I'd say what about 550. We arrived at 650 with the
stick to strike it thrown in. The first guy wouldn't do it but the guy next to
him jumped at the chance. The bells have a wonderful tone. The amazing thing is
how they sound when rubbed like a champagne glass. It just sends chills up my
spine. The pitch is so pure to me. There are these horns that fold up. They
weren't very good
quality, like the flutes so many people sell here, so I just took photos of
them. I do like the castanets and the bells. I also bought some cards that are
on paper made in Nepal with rice like paper. Very pretty.
The Kathmandu government has outlawed the blue rickshaws. The little black
ones are as busy
as little lawnmowers, weaving in and out of traffic. The reasoning was that the
blue ones were owned by a company who could afford to change over to the electric
rickshaws. The little black ones were privately owned and it would be an unfair
burden for them. I can see that they might be outlawed too in the near future.
The exhaust is overpowering at times.
I haven't seen the mountains from land yet. I did take a flight to Mt. Everest
and it was stunning. I got a photo of Everest just as the pilot turned the plane
around at the mountain. I was afraid that with the cloud cover we have had, I
wouldn't be able to see the mountains even when I was on my trek. I leave
Tuesday morning for the plane to Pokhara. I am really looking forward to it. I
love hiking in the mountains. It will seem strange not carrying my own backpack.
I hope that the weather at home has given you a great autumn.
I had to wait through a torrential shower on a shopping walk the other day for
45 minutes. I will always bring my parka from now on. The rain comes very
suddenly. I was only 2 blocks from the residence.
I feel like I've lived a whole lifetime here and I haven't even started the
trek part yet. I'll start the hiking part, then switch to the white water
rafting, and finish up in the jungle at the Chitwan Park with elephant rides
and rhino watching (not elephants riding rhinos like one person thought that I
said.)
I'll write an ending, thoughts, and news when I get back home.
Namatase,
Jeff
Monday, September 20, 1999
Hello friends and family far and near,
Today has been very full of action and adventure.
The most memorable event came when I was walking down today. I was nearly
hit by a motorized rickshaw. I was walking down the sidewalk and ten
feet behind me I heard a crash. I looked back and a rickshaw that was
moving along at a good speed must have hit a rut because it tipped on
its side
and then rolled over on its top. The people inside were upside down
when I looked back.
If the pole hadn't been there it would have slid right into me!
Immediately
people crowded around to help the passengers and driver. There was
blood and
shock but it didn't look like broken bones. I noticed that the motor
was still
going so I got someone to turn off the engine. It was wild for a while.
I am very lucky I wasn't hit. I still must have some growing to do in my
life. I am definitely not going to take one of the black three wheeled
motorized rickshaws. I take the taxis. The start the charge at 7 rupees
and it goes up by 2 rupees every so often. I have usually paid between
30-50 rupees for a ride. Figure that out with the rate about 68 rupees
per dollar.
I then went to the airlines to change the time for my tickets. It works
out that I will be on the same flight that I would have been on the 14th but now
I'll arrive on the 4th of October, Monday, at 5 PM. It's flight
UA2454. I will
be starting my trip in India at 2:25 AM. I get to Frankfurt at 7:20 and
leave at
9:40 AM. Then I arrive at SF at 11:50 AM and leave at 3:35 PM. I'm
scheduled to be home at 4:59 PM. I don't know how many hours that will
actually be in the air and waiting in airports for planes. I hope that I
can sleep part of the way.
I won't be able to check email again tomorrow
because I leave at 7:15 AM and I don't want to bother Ralph and Sue.
Actually I won't wake up Ralph. He doesn't sleep much and sometimes gets
up early - about 3-4 AM - and goes to the embassy to get work done or do
his running and swimming at the pool. He's put in a full day when we eat
at 8 AM.
After getting my flight rearranged went shopping for my last items. I
got all kinds of things for many people. I have some Gerka knives, bells,
chimes, spinners, cards of rice paper, - all kinds of different things
that come from Nepal. I hope to be able to deliver most of the gifts in
person (except you Bob in California.)
To fill out my eventful day, I had two more experiences. Ralph let me
attend a reception he had for teachers of the International School here
in Kathmandu. I was able to talk "teacherese" for awhile. I especially
enjoyed talking to the principal, the PE/history teacher, the counselor,
and a math teacher. The principal had just adopted a little Nepali girl.
They had discussed it. Since he is 49 it was a serious decision. They
wanted to name the child Mariah or some other name. When the nurse
brought out the baby, she said, "I'd like to introduce you to Mariah."
Both of their mouths fell open and they were hooked. He said he was
religious and he felt circumstances were prearranged in some ways. He
has decided to sell his $200,000 summer house in Colorado on five acres
with a great view. His values have changed and Nepal has slowed him
down. He had started out in the oil industry in Kuwait but that industry
slowed down so he decided to teach. He had to declare what his masters
was in so he chose administration. He hadn't planned going into being a
principal, but just before he finished his masters, he was offered a job
as a principal. His story was longer but this is the gist. Many of the
teachers have had multiple foreign assignments. One spouse of a teacher
said that she was the daughter of a daughter where all in the family had
been "wanderers." She worked for UNICEF and was the representative for
this whole area of India, Nepal, and surrounding countries. She has a an
8 year old and a 10 year old. They are in their fifth or sixth country.
The counselor had lived in Port Angeles for many years. He was single
and wanted adventure. He went to a job fair with 20 countries
recruiting. He chose Nepal over Romania by a slender margin. A big part
of his job is counseling juniors and seniors about their credits and
possible schools to attend. It was very stimulating talking to other
teachers again. I may see if there is an opening in the Eugene area for
a teacher who goes to hospitals or homes to teach individuals. It's one
of many ideas I have for jobs.
After the reception, I was invited to go to dinner with a local Nepali
family who have common friends with me in the states. The man is a
psychiatrist and his wife does volunteer work for women's issues. They
have 10 and 13 year old girls. We talked of many things during the
evening. Computers, the blurring of some countries differences,
children, the care of the mentally ill (he doesn't have to worry about
malpractice because he says they understand the possible side affects
and nobody sues,) local foods, history of Nepal, a common friend Kris
Carlson so I could catch Kris up on what was going on in their lives,
and more about computers. It was a very enjoyable evening eating at a
local restaurant that used to be a favorite when they would go with
Kris. I was going to go to their house but it was raining and they had
construction going on at their house. They couldn't even get their car
out. I will call them on the 30th when I get back and arrange a short
stop at their house. I got a photo of them next to the taxi before I
left. Dr. Bishnu is a very energetic talker and has the most wonderful
smile as he talks. He seems to enjoy life so much. Aruna is very easy to
talk to. She plied me with questions about where I lived and how I had
met Kris. We covered a lot of history taking and giving in a short time.
I had been told by one person that you weren't to ask for leftovers from
dinner in Nepal. I learned that some people do. We packed up extra bread
that looks somewhat like pita bread for pocket sandwiches. The bread was
very good. The ride home in the taxi was even more harrowing than usual.
Headlights rocketed at you and you didn't know if it was a car with one
light out or a motorcycle or worse yet was an auto rickshaw running with
no lights. It's like a video game.
I feel like I have spent my time well in Kathmandu. Now I get to do my
trek. I will proabably take awhile to finish up on my description after
I get home. I will be forever changed from my experiences
here.
See you in the States.
Jeff
September 30, 1999
Hello Everyone,
I just made it back today from my wonderful "outback"
experience. It was
strange and lonely at first not to be able to contact people.
When I was
on my rafting trip I made a breakthrough and was happy where I
was. I
didn't want to be anywhere else at the time. There have been so
many
changes in my life lately that my system was on overload. This
trip has
given me a forced time by myself to learn to be comfortable in
my own
company. I can sit and enjoy the moment better than I have in
the past.
I can wait knowing that there will be something that will come
soon that
will knock my socks off. I haven't had to pursue adventure; I've
just
put myself in the position to experience what comes my way. Here
are
some of the adventures I've had. I just got back the developed
photos
from the trip and they will bring back much of the trip. People
will
duck when they see me bring my photo album with 9-10 rolls of
film!!
I left off my last Nepal Newsletter getting
ready to go on my trek. I
flew out of Kathmandu to Pokhara. The airplane ride gave me a
chance to
see an aerial view of the land. Kathmandu is on a plateau up high.
Pokhara is lower in elevation. I could see all of the terracing
for rice
and the little villages connected by dirt roads or in some cases
just
paths with no roads available yet. Most villages had electricity
but not
all could afford to use it.
I landed in Pokhara and was met by a representative of Tigermountain
Travel. If you haven't visited yet check out <tigermountain.com>
on the
internet. A group of six hikers was gathered at the starting point
with
lots of other people. I found out that there were many people
supporting us.
We were divided into two groups.
Jeff with trekker friends. Photo by J. Graham, 1999.
I was with a mom and daughter from
South Africa. They were delightful. We hiked a similar speed -
very fast
- and got along famously (I'm using new words like "torch"
for
flashlight after being with them for three nights.) The other
group of
three hikers took a different pace and it ended up that we only
saw them
for one lunch and one dinner the whole trek. In our one group
we had a
head sherpa leader, a head cook, an assistant sherpa leader, three
assistant cooks, and 6 porters. The porters were amazing. They
can carry
130 pounds of weight in baskets on their back with just a head
strap
attached. I tried it. I had to hold my neck so it wouldn't break!
The
porters got a big laugh out of that. We had a lot of Namaste -
the
greeting and parting words somewhat similar to the idea of Aloha
in
Hawaii but with a more holy religious connotation. We started
hiking up
a road. I thought that we would be on a road the whole time but
we
eventually got off on some paths. We stopped at a place called
Pokhara
Lodge for lunch. The view from the deck is unbelievably beautiful.
The
Himalayas are right in your face. A famous peak called Fishtail
is in
the middle. It is considered holy and can't be climbed even though
it's
one of the highest of the peaks. The Annapurnas, actually several
different peaks are called Annapurna 1, 2, and 3, were very close
too.
Photos can't do justice to the view. The clouds were still bad
from the
monsoon which stayed around later this year. Usually it's over
by mid
September but it's hanging around with rain most every day. There
were
lightning shows just about every night and lots of rumbling thunder.
After lunch we made a two hour hike past Garung villages to our
campsite. Children would stop us on the trail and say, "Namaste."
We
would repeat the greeting. Just as we were past they called out,
"Do you
have a pen?" This comes from the advice that is in the trekkers
guide
not to give chocolate because it doesn't help the kid's teeth.
The
suggestion of school supplies is given to trekkers in the manual.
You
are supposed to give them to the head teacher at a school so the
kids
don't beg but sometimes stories about the teachers not getting
them to
the students makes people want to give them directly to the kids.
This
encourages begging. I'm not sure how to solve the problem.
The campsite was all set up when we arrived. The porters go ahead
while
we are having lunch so the evening camp is all set up ready to
go. The
bathroom tent with toilet seat on a frame and toilet paper on
a rock on
the ground was ready (I had seen the Asian squat bathrooms and
was glad
we had the Western feature), the shower tent was set up with about
a 5
gallon pressurized tank hooked up to a shower head on a hose,
the cook's
tent, the dining tent where the three of us ate served by the
cooking
staff, and one tent for me and another for my two trekking mates.
The
porters went into town and were put up by local families for free
or a
few rupees. The porters only make 200 rupees a day which is $2.94
in US
dollars at the 68 rupees for one dollar exchange rate. The GDP
(gross
domestic product) is only a little over $200 US per person per
year, one
of the poorest countries in the world. The cooks spent hours preparing
the meals. There were three hot meals a day and snacks in the
afternoon.
Tea was at 6 AM and breakfast at 7:30 AM. Because our group didn't
want
a hot breakfast, we usually left about 7:30 and got an early start.
Usually groups got into camp about 5 but we arrived about 1:30.
The
porters had fun talking about the pace we set and few stops we
made. The
first night was an amazing few of Fishtail and the Annapurnas.
I could
be in my sleeping bag and look out the flap at the mountains.
The clouds
did come in and we lost the view for most of the rest of the trip.
That
gave me the metaphor of seeing the beauty and then having it hidden
but
knowing it was there. Every once in awhile, we'd get another peek
at the
peaks, but not like the first evening. Each day was the same routine.
We'd hike with our main serpa, Nema. He spoke English well and
we pumped
him with questions and were given all kinds of information on
the area's
people, animals, and plants. It is well worth it to hire a guide.
The
hike was actually one of the easier treks in elevation gain and
time
out. We started out about 800 meters and went up to about 1800
meters
(several times up and down!). The last day's hike was called the
"3,000
steps down." The path is so steep that rock steps are placed
into the
trail. The rocks are slippery from the rain and algae. It's not
"if you
slip," it's when and how often you slip. Many times the creeks
would run
into the trail. I was glad for my waterproof boots during that
stretch.
I did have to ford two streams. I was worried a little about leeches
but
it ends up there are only land leeches in this area. I never had
a leech
during the trek but I did during my stay in the jungle.
The leeches are only about 1/2 to 1 inch long and about the diameter
of
a small thin worm - that is until it has sucked you dry. Then
they swell
to the size of a pencil and about 2 inches long. One person told
me that
one good "leeching" can allow the animal to live for
a year. Most of the
time one can't even feel the leeches. They do their thing and
then you
notice blood when you take your sock off. I had one on the back
of my
neck that I felt before it bit me. I had two on my legs, one of
which
was swelling when I detached it. Stepping on them is somewhat
like the
explosion of red one gets when a mosquito is swatted after it
has had
its meal on your arm or leg. It was fun to walk by the schoolhouses
and
hear the children reciting their lessons. They go to school from
about
10-4 each day. The public schools don't provide a very good education
according to the guide but the "boarding schools" the
private schools -
do a pretty good job. You can tell which school by the uniforms
the
children wear. As you trek you see up to 200 children walking
off to
school. Twice children brought their English books out to read
to me. I
played teacher and went over the lessons with them. It was
conversational English like I had in Spanish. "What country
do you live
in?" "I live in Nepal," was the response. The kids
were very good at
reading but not very good at comprehending what they read. The
meals
were huge. We couldn't eat everything but the porters took the
extra
food to the villages so nothing was wasted. The lunches were "native"
so
we had the Dahl Bat which is rice with lentil soup poured over
and
vegetables and potatoes mixed in. One eats with the hand in native
style
but we used utensils on the trek. Walking over the walls of rice
paddies
reminded me of the movies I have seen of Vietnam. There are terraces
all
the way to the tops of the hill on all available land. Millet
is grown
but rice is preferred. Each family of the hills has a vegetable
garden
and is pretty self sustaining. To earn extra money, members of
the
family have to work for richer farmers or join the army and send
money
back home or sharecrop someone else's field. Bananas, oranges,
and
mangoes grow on trees all over the hills. Potatoes, beans, lentils,
tomatoes, and cucumbers are other crops raised. Since the other
two
trekkers were vegetarians, I was the only one to have chicken.
I even
watched as the bargaining went on one afternoon for the evening's
meal.
The live chicken wasn't too happy about its fate. The evening
meals were
"continental." We had soufflé, noodles, and pizza
for dinner on
different nights. The meal started with soup, then continued with
salad,
the main course, and then dessert. This letter is already too
long so I
won't go into all of the other food. Just know it was plentiful
and good
(and I only ate the nonspicy and nonchocolate stuff. There was
lots of
that too. We even had an iced cake one night.) The cooking is
done over
kerosene burners. There was always at least 4 different kinds
of food
prepared for lunch and dinner. All lunches were hot. It wasn't
just a
slapped together picnic. We waited until the meal was cooked.
Sherpas Sarkee, Nima Tenzing, and Moti Kattel. Photo by J. Graham, 1999.
I think I'll send this and finish up the river
rafting and jungle time
when I get back. I'll also add to that my time in India for three
days.
Hopefully I'll get to go to the Taj Mahal and maybe see the teeming
millions in the city itself. Hope you are all doing well as the
season
marches toward fall.
Jeff, white water rafting on his trip to Nepal.
Photo by J. Graham, 1999.
