Randomness of Nepal

Here is a quote from my 96 year old Nepali roommate….

“The people of Nepal are just happy go lucky people.  They don’t have money but they are still happy.  They eat, drink, and are merry.”  As he laughs away, sipping on his brandy and eating rice and lentil soup.

A puja (ceremony) for his wife who passed away 2 years ago

Many offerings, incense and rituals for the puja

After spending my first 8 weeks here and getting to know the people, I couldn’t agree with him more.   Sure there are over 12 hours of power cuts a day, garbage everywhere, pollution so bad you can actually see it, but that doesn’t bother them…or at least it doesn’t show.  All of the Nepalese people I have come across are so happy it's contagious.  And when the power comes on, and we can actually watch t.v., it's like the most exciting thing ever.  :)

Pretty sure the dump yard is right along the river

Although it doesn’t seem like there is always order to things here, somehow things always manage to find a way to work.  I have yet to see one stop and go light here, but at the busiest intersections there is always one lonely cop that acts as the traffic light for the day.  It somehow works. 

Traffic Light

There are shoe repair men on almost every corner and people carry absolutely everything on their backs, including ginormous dressers. The fuel shortage here is quite ridiculous...people will LITERALLY wait for half a day for petrol...and then come to find out that the gas station has run out and they should try back in a few days when more petrol will be delivered.  So if someone doesn't show up to work, understandable...they prolly dont have any fuel to get there.  Although they could, and probably do take one of the many forms of public transport here.  The most popular one being a super packed bus with people packed to the brim like sardines.  Some of these bus rides here are so packed, people are literally hanging out of the bus, hoping they aren't gonna get whipped off!  Oh and no need to worry about not catching a bus, trust me, they find YOU.  

Note the guy hanging out of the bus...like I said, they will find YOU.

You can't see, but the second person carrying the dresser is actually me.

The road I am now living on was a dirt road for the first week while I was here.  And let me tell you, I couldn't believe that I could actually SEE the dust. And I now that I know you are all wondering, yes we finally got some asphalt put in.  And it was MORE than an exciting day.  I'm pretty sure everyone in the neighborhood watched the entire process from start to finish.  And now, the people are so excited that I don't even see anyone using the sidewalks anymore.   :)

The dust on my road b4 the asphalt

Guys watching the asphalt allll day long, pretty sure they didnt move from this position.

Cremation Ceremonies

Going to the cremation ghats was a little as I expected it to be, and at the same time nothing like I could have imagined.  It wasn’t the easiest thing to watch, BUT definitely an experience I will always remember.....along with the smell of burning bodies, which I hope I never have to smell again.  There are many different rituals and beliefs that go into an open air cremation.  All along the Bagmati river (which is by far one of the dirtiest rivers I have ever seen and at the same time the holiest) is where these cremations take place.  I was able to watch the entire process of a family who prepared their loved one’s body to be cremated, in hopes and faith that their soul would be carried on into another life.  From watching them wrap the body up, to making many offerings, to starting the body on fire through the mouth, to watching the ashes get brushed into the river, is more than enough to take in for a day.  To say that this place is full of emotion is quite an understatement.  And as hard as it was to watch it, their customs were still unbelievably beautiful.

Many women placing offerings on the body

Blessing the body with the holy water from the river

Little boy pulling a magnet in the water in search of coins

Although it is hard to believe that despite the massive amounts of garbage all over the city, there ARE in fact garbage men here.  Instead of using a big garbage truck to drive through the cities, they walk around with a dust pan and little broom and sweep up whatever garbage they might find.   They even had garbage men near the cremation sight, which was a little weird considering the river was full of garbage and the ashes of dead bodies.

platform along the river

On a lighter note, here is the reason I am a vegetarian in Nepal.  :)

enough said

Life on a Bus

After many, many bus rides here in Nepal, I think I am finally able to block everything out and ignore the chaos that is ALWAYS happening.  And what does that include you might be asking?  Well, here is what some of the bus rides here have entailed.   

Overbooked buses, which require me to sit up front with the bus driver and all the locals.  Which is fine, until the small children begin puking and then proceed to toss their puke bags out the window.  Just because it’s raining doesn’t mean the windshield wipers need to be turned on.  Stopping alongside the highway (more like cliff side) to have a bathroom break.  Listening to the sound of the horn throughout the ENTIRE journey.  Praying with closed eyes just because it’s necessary.  And of course the boxes of live chickens who wouldn’t stop chirping for the life of them.  I eventually learned that the reasons for taking Dramamine are two-fold.  One, I don’t get sick.  And two, it completely knocks me out and I actually have a chance of sleeping for oh….about 7 minutes before I either hear another horn or find out we’re stopped on the middle of a high mountain road bcuz the cows have decided they don’t want to move. 

Up front w/the locals and one other foreigner who wasn't happy

Cliff-side driving

I dont think there is a "right" side of the road to be on

 

 After finally making it to my destination of Lumbini, I somehow ended up staying at Korean Monastery for a few nights.  I honestly don’t even know how this happened, but it was pretty rad.  For $3/day, that got me a bed…or maybe it would be more accurate to say a pad on the floor with a net over it, a bucket shower, and breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  Granted it was the exact same food for every meal, which of course meant rice and vegetable curry for breakfast….but it somehow still tasted amazing. 

Korean ceremony in my home for a few days :)

our nets :)

 Lumbini, which is the birthplace of Buddha, was a pretty peaceful place.  There were a whole lot of monks, Buddhist temples from a bunch of different countries, and quotes from Buddha scattered all along the gardens.  Oh and prayer flags galore.  Definitely was a cool little place and worth the 16.5 hour roundtrip bus ride that wuz a journey in itself.