Goodbye to Nepal

Well, it's over. I managed to say goodbye to 150 kids and staff who all ran after the taxi crying and waving. Tough stuff, I tell ya. It was good though. It was one of those good sadnesses. Not the empty kind but the kind that would make you do it again. Whoa nelly! Not that I would do it again right away. Psh. I tell you, being able to breathe clean air again, sit on a toilet, let a machine wash my clothes and eat a variety of foods is really enjoyable right now. I think I'll really take the time to appreciate it for a while before I jump into anything else.

So all in all, I'm glad I did it. I wasn't even sure if I liked kids before I went or if I was even good with them at all. I'm glad to know that I can handle a lot of sometimes difficult children and really enjoy it. And I know that everyone will think I'm crazy, but I actually miss the curry. Our cook made damn good curry. And no, I don't miss my dog yet although I'm sure she cries for me every night.

Alors, c'est tout. I'm now in Ireland visiting my brother. Other than the fact that his Polish roommates are dead set on shocking my liver after its three month dormancy, I'm once again in love with the island and am trying to figure out how I can live here. Maybe work on the peace progress in the North?? Who knows. For everyone who is desperate to see my shining face again, I'll be home on Sunday. And in one piece too.

I will post pictures when I get home, but as for more stories, you'll all have to wait for my next adventure.

The Shining

To finish up my trip here in Nepal, I decided to get out of the valley a wee bit. This might seem odd to those who just can't wait to get back to the valley (like me...to the Ottawa Valley). But the Kathmandu valley is a different story. I decided to rent some bicycles with another volunteer and ride into the country.
Like all things involving time in Nepal, everything is relative. For instance, we were told that the bike ride to Nagarkot would take 2 hours. First of all, there was no mention of the entire expedition being uphill and second, we were rescued after 7 hours.

Adam, you think me hobbling on a sprained ankle to the cliff's edge over the Bay of Fundy was dangerous?? Try riding a bicycle through the streets of Kathmandu. Not only are there no rules, but one must dodge whacko drivers, wayward holy cows, water buffalo and frequent snot rockets from third storey windows. Needless to say, it was a relief to get out of the cursed city. The bike ride through the countryside was incredible. It reminded me that everything in the country is better; the water, the people, the air. It was so wonderful, we didn't even mind the difficult climb up the mountain...for the first few hours. Long story short, it was gruelling. The mountain was so steep and the roads so terrible that we spent much of the trip pushing our bikes.

Halfway to our destination, we came to Shanku; a tiny ancient village. Because there was a festival happening, the usual low population had exploded and there were people everywhere, coming to bathe in the river. Of course with the pilgrims, came scores of vendors with glass bracelets, doughnuts and red powder. There were also henna artists and a ferris wheel, travelling at an unnerving speed. On the way out of town, we picked up some followers; children who ran alongside our bikes for about 3km until another group of kids picked up where the others grew weary.

Fast forward through more gruelling uphill riding. It was dark, we were exhausted, we had come to a crossroads and we had no idea where we were. A trio of men happened to come up the road and ask us where we were going. After hearing our plans, the leader announced that he himself owned a cheap hotel only ten minutes uphill. If we had had more energy in us, we perhaps might not have accepted his offer, but we didn't and so we did. Him and some others carried our bikes up the hill through some very sketchy pathways. I asked my companion in French (a great, sneaky tool for hiding dialogue from english-speaking Nepalis) if she figured we'd be robbed and beheaded but we were both too exhausted to care.

We ended up at the most incredible resort, perched on the edge of the mountain and we were to be charged a whopping $5 each. I thought that it was far too good to be true. When we found out that we were the only guests at the hotel, I thought, 'great. We've walked right into "The Shining".' The next thing I know, we'll have Jack Nicholson chopping down our bedroom door with an axe. We got the best room, with a balcony facing east, so that we could watch the sunrise over the Himalayas.

We were woken up at 6:30, (we got to sleep in!), and sat out in the courtyard to watch the sunrise. I never can get over how fast the earth is moving and how fast the sun climbs over the horizon. We were so high up that the sun didn't rise over the mountains until 7:00am. From there, we could see the whole Himalayan range, including Everest. To top off the morning, I had french toast, tea, curd and a hot shower.

We headed back down the hill, with our fleece jackets wrapped around our seats (our ass bones had been seriously compromised on the bike ride up). After stopping to ask directions from some young girls carrying large baskets of greenery strapped to their heads, we were off and happy be to going downhill. Every adult we passed asked for cigarettes and every child asked for a rupee or some chocolate. We stopped at a temple where pilgrims were flocking to and climbed an infinite amount of stairs. Luckily, an old man told us that we better not take our bikes and that we should store them in his hut. The temple was wonderful except for those damn monkeys again! My companion who is a Buddhist, bought an offering and was presenting it to the tara when this evil monkey leapt off the roof and pounced on her offering and ran away with it! Gosh! Those things are wicked!! I hate monkeys!

Anywho, we cycled back into Kathmandu and literally got a face full of grimey brown pollution. We had to stop to wipe our eyes and cough up the grime that had coated our throats. Sick. All in all, the trip was incredibly auspicious and I am very glad to have seen more of Nepal.

And that's all. Tomorrow is my last full day in Kathmandu. Can't wait to see everyone.

Monkeys and a Lady of the Night

Ok ok, I know. I'm sorry. It's been tough you know, keeping on top of this blog. Not only have I been very busy, Nepal is slightly chaotic at the moment. For starters, there was yet another strike here which shut down everything; schools, businesses and all transportation. Luckily, it ended in Kathmandu and the airport was reopened. The Southern Terai region however, where the strike originated, seems to be going to hell just a tad. Not only is the general strike continuing, but there has also been a 20hr a day curfew imposed to try to stem the violence. It is on virtual lockdown and many of our employees and students have been stuck there for over two weeks.

Why you ask? Well, let me tell you how many strikes here develop. In this particular case, a bus hit and killed a pedestrian. In retaliation, the bus was torched. The bus drivers in Nepal then went on strike vowing not to return to work until the government replaced the bus. Seeing the bus drivers and 'anti-bus drivers' locking horns, many ethnic conflits have been reignighted and now everyone is fighting everyone. Any questions?

Anyway, generally, we are not too affected in Kathmandu anymore. I was going to go south to the jungle so that I could ride an elephant and see a rhino before all the poachers get them, but alas, it wasn't to be. Instead, I am going to rent a bike and go riding in the mountains for a couple days. I'm really looking forward to it.

In all other normal news, today I was driven off the road by a herd of water buffalo. Who else can say that, eh?? A couple of weeks ago, we took the older boys to Swayambu, the 'monkey temple'. (This is an aside for Adam: Darling, I know you really wanted a helper monkey to bring you drinks, but I don't think you really understand how sneaky those things are. I thought I loved monkeys too, but they just aren't who we think they are.) Seriously, those monkeys can not be trusted. No one can take food in with them or even smell like food or the monkeys will go to town. We had monkeys rip the bags right out of our hands. One in particular, sat on a pillar and was nano-seconds away from jumping on my back. He was bearing his teeth and screaming and everything. All because I was hiding a doughnut. Yah, the last thing I need right now is a monkey on my back.

As for home life, our dog has become quite the lady of the night. She has found a way to break out of her cage, jump over the wall and escape through the neighbour's yard. Since going MIA almost everynight, I've been noticing her middle getting a little plump. I just hope I'm gone before she poops out some puppies and we have to explain how we let her get knocked up by just some random neighbourhood scallywag.

Not sure if I mentioned it, but the kids are talking to us again. I'm glad that teenage resentment is usually pretty temporary. At least I'm getting good practice being hated, for when I'm a parent.

Oh yes, and just to add to the considerable inconviences of the strike and such, we are now on a new programme of about 6 hours of electricity a day. Since it is the dry season here, the hydro plant has been working at decreased capacity and we now lose power about 5 times a day. I suppose all in all, it is a good time to be heading home. Speaking of which, my departure to London is in six days.

I have found a tailor, about a 15 minute walk who is not only cheap, but is good and friendly. He is the only Muslim I have met in Nepal and he orders excellent tea whenever we come. Yesterday, I picked up two curtas (long blouses) that he had tailored for me. Not only did both pieces come to about $3.50, but he also insisted that he make me a blouse, on the house. Incredible. I tried very hard to give him more money but he adamantly refused. It is so nice in a place like this, to find someone who will charge a white person the same as a local and do it with a smile.

Well, this is a long entry, so I'll wrap it up. I just wanted to end with a little happy note. On my 30 second walk to Child Haven, there is a new puppy that is about the size of my hand. He loves me and I also love him very much. Everytime I walk by, I hug it and it licks my chin. That's all.

Busy Beaver

Well, sorry. It's been awhile. It's tough trying to save the world and applying for grad school at the same time. Yes, I'm trying to figure out how to send a silly amount of documents to Canada before January 31st so that I can get even more in debt come September. I'll let you know if I get in (but let's not talk about it if I don't).

So it's been busy here. And it's also been awhile... so let's see... where can I start? I guess the last 8 days have seen good times and bad. Since the kids have been on vacation, we've done lots of fun stuff. We went on a great picnic last week. I have to say, it was surprisingly grueling climbing to the top of a mountain, not of course due to my tremendous physique and enviable athleticism, but because I was hauling a 40lb bucket of fried potatoes, uphill for an hour. The climb was so difficult but the potatoes were so exquisite, I still haven't decided if it was worth it. But we danced and blew bubbles and ate great food and had a marvelous time.

So school has begun and the last few days have been difficult. Moreorless, there is a general mutiny happening. The children not only are refusing to go to school, but also lied to us and management about when they were supposed to go back. Many of the kids are also on a self-imposed hunger strike (which hasn't seemed to have lasted more than a few hours at a time) because there has been a cut back in the amount of salt in their curry. Of the 30% who are going to school, about 60% miss the bus daily, creating yet another problem. Yesterday, the volunteers took over the discipline and made all the hookers (you know, those playing hookie) sit in a classroom all day just as if they were in school. Needless to say, I have two weeks left and all the children now hate me. I only have a couple of loyal ones that have decided to still mutter a couple of words to me. It's strange how quickly we forget what being a kid is like. I can't understand why they are being so difficult and I also don't enjoy being hated. I hope being teenagers, their moods will be short-lived and they will go back to liking me before I leave.

On the bright side, all our cohersion and guilt trips kinda-sorta worked as all the kids went to school today, but all emphatically, refusing to even look at us.

The other night I went to dinner with another volunteer at the home of the President of the American Himalayan Foundation. Just to give you a bit of a mental picture, he lived in a house in the Australian Embassy compound, had a houseboy (I don't know...male servant?) and some wonderful other treats. For example, he had two fire places. You don't know what it's like, sitting next to a fire of burning wood, instead of huddling around a burning pile of your own shit tickets. (used toilet paper) What a treat! And I had the most exquisite gin & tonic. My god, it tasted good and the smell reminding me of the juniper bushes back home.

Over dinner, which was a very nice meal of pasta and bread (crazy, eh??), we were privvy to a number of interesting stories of what Nepal was like back in the crazy days. What a nightmare! I'm very lucky that it is considerably more peaceful here now. I think I will tell everyone the details of the stories when I'm back home. Don't want to give my Mum any fodder for her incredible imagination.

The scary stories aside, I learned a number of interesting things that night. Well, as for the good things, this man and his organization live in relative prosperity compared to native nepalis here, but he does the most incredible work. I have seen scores of street children here, emaciated, filthy, violent and all huffing glue; even the little ones. These are the children that he targets. He offers them shelter, food, education and sponsorship into their adult lives. I am so relieved that someone is trying to tackle the problem with the most downtrodden children here.

The crazy bad news I heard was shocking. They just recently rescued a group of girls that had been traffiked to India. A Nepali, went from village to village, collecting money from families, with the promise of taking their children to Kathmandu to be housed and educated. What he would do however, was sell them (yes, SELL) to Christian houses in India. No kidding! There are hundreds of western evangelical organizations in India that are litterally buying souls. And they are aware of what they are doing! They buy the children and give them new names and everything. I couldn't believe it. For all the greenmen back home, don't worry; apparently, the catholics here are great.

Anyway, wish me luck on getting this application in on time. And also, wish me luck that the kids will like me again before I go.

Kelly the Buddhist?? Tsk.

Ok, Ok. I know. Mum and Grandma probably have their index fingers poised above the mouse, ready to send that email to me demanding when the next posting will appear on my blog. Well here it is. The ol' pneumonia has been slowing me down a tad. Yes, it's true. My lungs have filled with some multi-coloured fluid, but I am now on the mend. I self-prescribed some penicillin and was so impressed by its affect that I went and got a book on Sir Fleming to read about the genius who invented it. Swell guy. And on a positive note, this is the first time in over two months in a third world country that I have taken antibiotics. Not bad.

So the kids here are all on holiday and we are attempting to alleviate their boredom. Yesterday, we took them to the movies. We packed 50 children onto the public bus, (the total coming to a whopping $4.00) and off we went into the city. After we got off, we had to walk down a very sketchy alley way, past an open sewer where I spotted a 9" rat and a dead dog in a bag, and into the courtyard of the movie theatre. Needless to say, it was a little tricky organizing 50 kids into five different movie theatres. I went to see Casino Royale, the new James Bond movie. Of course, being in Nepal, they cut all the racy sex scenes so there was a little too much hugging and not enough doing for my liking. But all in all, it was good and now all the boys want to be James Bond.

Today we decided to paint some of the dining hall chairs some wacky colours to keep the kids occupied. They did a great job. They also did a great job of getting it in their hair, all over their clothes and painting their shoes and my coat.
We also heated up a bucket of water and bribed all the little kids into lining up and getting their faces washed and applied with lotion. Because of the cold weather and the high altitude, their faces are really badly chapped. They actually enjoyed it because they never get to feel the sensation of hot water and by the end they had totally forgotten that we had got them to line up with the promise of chocolate, which was a complete fabrication.

My rat problem has finally come to an end. I put out poison and then not caring to wait to see the results, I gave my room to the new volunteer. Nice, I know. But I really couldn't take them trying to get in bed with me anymore. I was desperate. And plus, the new volunteer snores like a banshee and so no rat has dared to get into bed with her.

The other day, I went into the mountains and spent a day and a night at the Pullahari Monastery. It was incredible. Buddhists are so clean and quiet, it was very refreshing. And the air and the scenery were wonderful. We were so high up that the fog didn't reach us at all. It was such a great change from being enveloped in impenetrable whiteness for most of the day, which is a characteristic of Nepalese winters. In the afternoon, all the girls from Child Haven climbed the mountain and begged me to come back. I had planned on staying another night, but alas, I couldn't say no. It was probably a good thing anyhow. If I had stayed any longer, I might have become Buddhist. They are super people.

By the way, the internet cafe that I am in right now, is full of Buddhist cowboys. With hats and all. Isn't that wierd??

Well, the countdown has begun. Three weeks until I fly to London to see my darling brother. Four weeks until I once again fill that gaping hole in my mother's life.

I'd Rather Have the Cockroaches

Ok, so traveling in Asia is known for being ridiculous at times. I was just thinking how lucky I had been to only have been subjected to cockroaches and nothing else too alarming. My flight was supposed to go Singapore-Delhi-Kathmandu in a nice clean time span of about 6 hours. Let me now tell you a tale of a young woman and how this simple plan turned into a freefall into the dirty snakepit of India.

My family drove me to the airport for my scheduled departure of 9:10am on January 2nd. Due to the fog (most likely smog) in Delhi, my flight was cancelled and would depart the following day. No big deal; another day to spend with my family. Ha. Not so fast. We call and discover that the flight is actually leaving that night at 9:00pm. No at 11pm. No definitely at midnight. We go back to the airport for my midnight flight and I bade goodbye to my family. Although the gate number on my boarding pass says 32 and the tv screen says 30, it is actually 49. Oh and the flight is delayed until 1:30am. By this point, I had been up since 6:00am and I was very tired. I crawled onto the plane and marveled at how lucky I was that I had gotten three seats to myself so I could lay down and sleep.

I managed to sleep for a few hours and woke up when we landed. It was 3:00am Indian time, two hours behind Singapore. We were off to a bad start. We had to remain on the plane for almost two hours while they 'sorted out' customs issues. Eventually, close to 5:00am they announced that we would have to surrender our passports to the crew before disembarking. I wasn't having any of it. I had never heard of a procedure like that. I put up a big stink and refused to give them my passport. They refused to let me off or anyone else behind me until I gave them my passport. Being 5:00am and having 75 livid Indians in line behind me, I handed over my passport.

While we were waiting to get the shuttle to the airport, I argued with a crew member as to why I had to give up my passport. He explained that they needed to get us transit visas because this wasn't an international airport. "Delhi isn't an international airport??" I balked. "Yes, it is, but we're in Kolkata". (Culcutta) Of course we are! Why wouldn't we be!? Perhaps they could have mentioned that to the passengers.

We were ushered into the airport where we were hearded from room to room for no apparent reason. Tempers began to flare and everyone started yelling at everyone and waving their arms. We were finally given vouchers for taxi cabs and after waiting for about an hour for one to show up, we had to argue with the driver to take us to a hotel. We loaded our bags into the car and piled in. But this cab was not assigned to us so we had to unload and get out. But since no one else was assigned to that cab and there were no others around, we loaded our bags back into the cab and piled in. The drive to the hotel took almost an hour. I'm not sure why the airline couldn't find a closer hotel but I was too tired to wonder for long. We got to the hotel at about 7:00am and I was assigned to a room with a woman from Delhi. Well, at least they had the courtesy to put the two single women together. It was freezing but we passed out anyway for a good two hours.

We had to get up at about 9:00am to grab a quick breakfast and get back on the busses to go back to the airport. I ate little and ate it quickly so I could go and soak my feet in tepid water to try to warm up. After the hour ride back to the airport, we were left outside the airport to wonder what was going on and to reignite some tempers. At about 11:00am we were finally ushered to another room where they yelled out names and gave us back our passports. They didn't stamp anything. They just wanted to keep our passports to ensure that we wouldn't skip the flight and stay on in Kolkata. Ya. That's pretty much unheard of. Who would want to do that? If you saw Kolkata, you would understand what I mean.

We waited long enough for another yelling match to ensue before we were finally told what time we would be heading for Delhi. We got on the plane sometime after 1:00pm and headed for Delhi. We arrived sometime after 4:00pm, missing my connecting flight to Kathmandu by a good three hours. There was only one daily flight to Kathmandu and I would have to wait another day for the flight. Instead, I insisted that they put me on another airline and get me there a.s.a.p. They put me on Royal Nepal Airlines, a notoriously bad airline. The flight was to leave at 7:30pm giving me a small but possible window to get to Kathmandu and get a cab home before everything shuts down. This is the point in the story where everything could make a turn for the better, but alas...

I ask a number of times about my bags to ensure that they get switched to the other plane and that they end up in Kathmandu. They graciously bring me my bags to ensure that they are mine and as I breathed a sigh of relief at least for my bags, the man carts them off in the wrong direction and the airline staff chase him down to redirect him. Great. Fingers are really really crossed. I called auntie Vicki to tell her that I just arrived in Delhi and the b*stards charge me $15 for the three minute call.

So remember my flight? The one that leaves at 7:30pm? Well, now it leaves at 10:00pm. Like the spoiled westerner I am, I tell them that I really need a food voucher since I was supposed to be in Kathmandu yesterday and I am now very hungry. No problem. Just wait here and they will be right back. Fast forward three hours. Kelly is still sitting there and still hungry. 30 minutes before my flight someone rushes up, asks me if I have gotten anything yet and rushes off when I say 'no'. Someone different runs up and asks if I have gotten anything and rushes off when I again say 'no'. Only one of them comes back, takes me to get food and finally gives me my damn boarding pass. I wolf down a sandwich and go to my boarding gate. 10:00pm comes and goes. Close to 11:00pm we get on the plane and head back to Kathmandu.

I got my visa quickly and my bags a little less quickly but they surprisingly, were all there. I argued with a number of taxi drivers who insisted on ripping me off and finally found one who gave me a decent price. I arrived at the house sometime after midnight and woke up one of the volunteers to let me in. (The front gate was luckily unlocked. Thanks Bill) I rummaged around and had to unpack all my bags to find the key to my room. Longing for a hot water bottle and my bed, I open up the door to find that that damn devil rat has had a party in my room. He has gotten into the food I hung from the ceiling (he must have climbed up somewhere and leapt onto it), he's crapped on the tables, window sills and of course, my pillow. At this point, I don't even care. I brush off the crap and crawl into bed. I woke up this morning with a cold and no drinking water in the house. Argh.

Well, just another chapter in the life of Kelly in Kathmandu. It's not too bad to have a couple bad days out of a couple months. I'm going to go see the kids this afternoon and that should cheer me up. I had been regretting not taking time to travel India and now I'm going to need a big long break before I'll be able to go back there. It's funny how things like that work out. Oh right, so about the title of this segment: I'd definitely take the cockroaches with Biman Air than my flight from Singapore to Kathmandu anyday.

Sloan's in Singapore for Sexmas

After taking a very acceptable flight from Kathmandu to Singapore via Delhi with Air Sahara, "emotionally yours", I arrived safely into the fold of my cousins and aunt and uncle. (Yes, that is actually the airline's moto. What does it mean? I can only scratch my head and wonder). The past ten days have been many things; indulgent, relaxing and a culture shock. I am very grateful to have spent Christmas with family and to have had the break from third world living. I took a bath the first day I was here and had to take a shower immediately after because the bath water was so dirty.



Instead of eating rice and lentils twice a day every day, here I have had peppered crab, osso bucco, Thai take-out, Vietnamese dumplings, gourmet pizza with truffles and arugula and maybe one or two alcoholic drinks. I've been a little torn between enjoying my decadent indulgence and feeling a tad bit guilty. There is such an incredible difference between Nepal and Singapore. Another reminder of the unequal distribution of the world's wealth.

But what can you do when you live in a shoe? So I'm going to, and have been, enjoying myself. When I get back I will also be enjoying myself, hanging out with the kids, going for walks in the mountains and going for good masala tea.



Here are some pics from New Year's Eve and some other fun times. Don't be deceived; 90% of this three month trip, I don't look this clean or shiny.

Kiddy Dance

Here are some pics taken about a month ago. We asked a traditional Nepalese band to come to our home and play for the kids. It was a great afternoon and was a lot of fun for both the kids and the didis. The little one in the blue sweater is named Lalit. He's the one that I would like to stuff in my suitcase and bring home.