Nepal Part 2 - Nov 2023

 

BHARATPUR, CHITWAN

We arrived in the third largest city in Nepal where we would stay for the following two weeks catching up with family and friends.  James has kept in close contact with the family he was billeted with back in 2006.  The boys have now grown into men with wives and children of their own.

FAMILY

The 'then and now' pic

Utsab and James, so happy to be catching up

Umanga joins the fun

The wives - Rashmi & Sush Mita

Clare and baby Shanvi

Grandparents Uma and Mahendra
with grandson Sholen (ft the hoodie
Aunty Clare knitted him)

Bubble fun

Everyone has really big houses in Nepal that seem always to be getting added to.  A lot of room is needed as the traditional Nepali family set up is for the wives, upon marriage, to be welcomed into the home of the husbands where they will live and have their own families.  So in 'our' family home, there is already three generations.  It is so lovely to see the care and attention the children receive from all members of the family.  As the wives enter the home they also take over the responsibility of cooking which allows the older generation to quietly take a back seat with the work load.

Typical family home

We took a trip out to the village where James lived with the family and taught at the school.

The school is no longer in operation

The family home, back in the day

FRIENDS

James taught the children of this family at the school

Two of the boys James taught, Ravi and Aditi, with father and grandfather

Ravi's patrents

YBT, one of the other teachers and owner
of the school

NEW FRIENDS

We were the only white, western tourists we saw the whole time we were here.  This is not a tourist area of Nepal so that is not unusual.  Whenever we were out and about we were required to engage with people constantly who wanted to practice their english on us, or just wanted to say a hi.  One of these people was a tuktuk driver who took us on a journey one day.  It seemed every day we stepped out after that he would spot us and come rushing over to shake James's hand and say us a hi.  It was pretty cute.

Another day we were eating an ice cream on the street and two little girls came over the speak english with us.  We talked for a while and then said a cheery goodbye.  A few days later we were walking our usual route to the family house and the same two girls came rushing down the road calling out to us.  They invited us back to their home to meet their mother.  We caught up with them a few more times after this and still facetime them occasionally. Everyone is SO friendly!!!

One of the societal difficulties Nepal is facing is that all the young people, in fact anyone still able to work, are seeking opportunities overseas.  Many high school graduates seek study visas in countries like Canada, Australia, NZ etc.  Many unqualified young men are working in India, the Middle East and other countries where wages are much higher and are therefore able to send money home.  The girls's father has been working abroad and the girls last saw him six years ago.  They are twelve and seven.  This is so incredibly sad for all involved.

FESTIVITIES

During our time with the family we celebrated Tihar, the Nepali equivalent of Diwali.  We decorated the house with lights and the entrance way with rongoli.

There are five days of celebration. One of the days in in celebration of brother and sister.  Rashmi's brothers came from Kathmandu on their motorbikes to celebrate with her.

Brother and sister Shanvi and Sholen receiving their
tika

Although not strickly part of the ceremony, we were allowed to be tika'd too!

FOOD

Tihar also seems to be a time of never ending production of different types of rotis.  Our kitchen did not disappoint.

We had dal bhat (rice, lentils and curry) every day.  We sat on the floor and ate with our hands.  The older generation and visitors are served first.  The young families eat together second.  We enjoyed being part of the family banter during these times together.

Momos continued to feather in our lives also.

Fried momos

Traditional momos with soup

Gourmet momos!

We bought fruit and veges for the home nearly every day.  Sometimes we had no idea what we were buying.

Some kind of sour plum which raw is
absolutely horrid but Rashmi made a
wonderful sweet pickle with them

We still don't know what these are!

FUN

 We took a trip to Devghat, a town on the river where they hold traditional funerals.  The funerals are performed out of sight of the general public but you can see the pyres burning in the distance.

Monkeying around

Taking a boat ride to the other side

Just before we left town we visited Bish Hajari or Twenty Thousand Lakes, with Utsab and Sush Mita.

Croc alert!

We were sad to leave here but it came time to move on.  We can't wait for our next visit .... until we meet again xxx

 

Nepal Part 1 - Nov 2023

 

Looking chuffed to be on a plane to Nepal

PROLOGUE

In 2006, James visited Nepal for the first time as a volunteer English teacher.  He found his feet, his people and his second home.  He came back a few more times over he years to visit, connect with the friends he had made and help out.  We knew it was just a matter of time before we would visit together.  That time had finally come!

Landing at the airport in Kathmandu we were surprised to be asked for our boarding pass at immigration.  We have NEVER been asked for this at ANY airport before.  I had left mine in the seat pocket on the plane as I sometimes do. The young woman processing us was about to get very difficult about it until James spoke to here in his best Nepali, which is actually pretty good.  She was surprised to say the least.  He then sang her his signature Nepali folk song which she gleefully joined in.  Hey presto!  Passport stamped, no problem.

KATHMANDU

    We stayed the first five days in a cheap but very nice hostel on the outskirts of Thamel, the tourist area of town.  Every third world country has one.

We were happy to have these canine
companions living on our street

We spent our time wandering the streets, soaking up the atmosphere and acclimitising to the weather and food.  We found our favourite morning cup of dud chia (milky, sweet, spicy tea).

These locals at our favourite cafe also enjoyed a rendition of the signature folk song.....

We took a trip up to Monkey Temple (Swoyambhu Mahachaitya.  Temples in high places are always good for a view of the city.

Baby stupas

That view though!

So cool to see all the different wildlife coexisting in peace

James was determined to find a tope (Nepali traditional headware) that would fit his (larger than the average Nepali) head!  This one wasn't too far off fitting well.

We stumbled upon (wink wink) a yarn shop where they were selling wool from NZ that they import, spin and dye in Nepal.  We didn't buy any but Clare was happy in her element for a few minutes.

We found some more of our favourite local dishes.  Thali is a traditional lunch/dinner comprising rice, curry (vegetable and/or meat), dahl and a collection of vegetables including achar (pickled veg like cauliflower).  A typical thali is supposed to have all the flavour profiles of sweet, sour. spicy etc

This thali was outstanding

We discovered our love of Momos.  Chicken/veg/buffalo dumplings in soup.  Being a Hindu country, the cow is sacred in Nepal so they don't eat beef but buffalo is a popular protein source for many.

Too yummy to get a photo before diving in

Some cool/unusual things we spotted around town .....

Stray/street dogs are EVERYWHERE!  

So happy to see this guy arrive at a local square with
a bag of dog food for the resident strays.
What a hero!

Just some local street dogs enjoying a daytime snooze

We were bemused and somewhat shocked to see how many people one can fit on a scooter.  Seems only the driver has to wear a helmet.

This dad pulled up in front of us to check his phone.
At least he stopped to do it!!!

The traffic is absolutely chaotic.  On James's advice it became apparent that the only safe way to cross a busy road in to pick a time when there are only motorbikes coming at you - no buses or cars - and just walk.  Look straight ahead, walk with confidence. Do not, under any circumstances, hesitate, change direction or make eye contact with any rider.  Magically everyone will just go around you.  It is super counterintuitive but works superbly!

CHITWAN

Next came a bus journey to Sauraha, Chitwan.  The bus trip was long, slow and very rough.  The roads truly are shocking!  There are villages dotted along the whole highway and on both sides of the river.  The villigers access their properties in the other side of the river by a series of these very cool swing bridges.

Chitwan is an area in the Indo Gangetic plains of Nepal. The weather is warm and humid and it is where everyone comes to take a jungle tour in the extensive National Park. 

We hung out at the river a bit and were lucky enough to spot some deer grazing, crocodiles sunbathing and elephants feeding.  We decided against taking a park tour to try and see a tiger as there was little hope of seeing much in the way of wildlife in the park as the tours where way too popular.

A typical safari truck

We came to catch up with friends.

We caught up with this lovely family for a photo
op on behalf of another volunteer

We were lucky enough to be able to stay at the magical Wildlife Adventure Resort (WAR), owned by friends enjoying good company, great views of the river and some fabulous food.

Sharad, the manager of WAR

The unusual misty vista that is a part of every day
in the plains.

Spotted these guys on one of our wandering.  Back in the day, James watched a game of elephant football here. Fortunately it is now frowned upon for elephants to be used as entertainment or for tourist activities.  These guys are likely owned by the government and used by the park guards to track down poachers.

Taking the elephants across the river to the park
for daytime grazing

We sat daily and watched the gharial (fish eating)
crocodiles sleeping in the shallows

We did lots of walking enjoying the sights and around the village and gaining some cool insights into village life.

Pretty coloours

A typical village setup

Just a cool stack of hay.  Everyone seems to have one.

Lots of people have buffalo for milk and meat

Many modes of local transport in this one picture

The day we left our tuktuk driver spotted this beauty in someones field at the side of the road and stopped so we could watch him for a bit.