Hi everyone!
Well, let me just tell you that leaving India was a lot harder than expected
. It went by so fast! We were just getting used to the madness of incredible India and then we had to leave. I personally feel that even though we experienced so much India has such a rich culture that it would probably take a lot more time to feel like you totally understand it. Maybe I'm just making random excuses to come back! After a crazy journey we arrived to our guest house located at Freak Street, Kathmandu's most famous street from the hippy overland days of the 1960s and '70s which runs south from Basantapur Square. The smell of sweet incense, children fluttering prayer wheels, random hippies, ad hoc restaurants and shops selling enlightenment, are standard sights on this fascinating street. First thing everyone did was shower with hot water (finally!) and eat dinner at the fantastic rooftop restaurant in our hotel. That night we met with Dawa, our trekking guide. He explained some stuff about the trail we were going to follow and the equipment we need. Feelings were mixed. Some were very excited about hiking 9 days and others were nervous
. Next day the group was divided into 3 teams, some got supplies for our volunteer work, others got über warm sleeping bags and jackets for the hike and Ana and I went to the Thailand embassy to do the paperwork for our visas.
That afternoon we took bike taxis to the the Buddhist Swayambhunath temple that is located just outside Kathmandu on a hill that overlooks the valley. According to legend, this hill rose spontaneously from a lake that once covered the valley, hence the name swayambhu, which means self-risen. Its really cool because they actually have monkeys running around everywhere.
That night we met with Jeevan Lama, the director for our upcoming village home stay and volunteer project. The next day was a free day so we all went shopping for hiking stuff in Thamel, which surprisingly for me, is a whole district in the city just for that.
That night we celebrated thanksgiving day. We had a nice dinner and we basically gave thanks for the beautiful families that we have and for the opportunity to be doing what we are doing
.
The next morning, on our way to the village, we went to the Pashupatinath temple which is a holy temple of Hindu lord Shiva, who is known as Pashupati, which means the master of the whole universe. The most important festival celebrated in this temple is Shivaratri or the nights of lord Shiva. Our time in Kathmandu was really great, I enjoyed it so much!
Paola
When we arrived in the village of Nangle Bhare everyone was pretty tired, but we were not expecting what happened when we set foot on the grounds of Nabengram Secondary School. The principal of the school, teachers, kids, and some village families planned a warm and really awesome welcoming cerenony for us. The principal made a huge speech saying how happy they all were for us coming and they acknowledged us as members of their big family. It was amazing. They blessed us and introduced the project were going to do at the school.
When he finished with his speech we got introduced to our respective host families
. Me and Paige got a pretty close house from the school but there were some houses so far away from the school that going there every morning seemed like a hike. Our host families were great. For Paige and me personally was great because our host mom didn't have any daughters or sisters so she was so excited to have us there she hugged us and kissed us all the time. When we woke up the next morning we got some chai in bed. That was so amazing. And then we had to go to school to start with the project.
So the project consisted of painting the school, including some pictures and murals on the school walls. We also built a fence around the preimeter of the school yard, to keep the children from falling down the hill. And, we filled in a large hole in the school yard that was dangerous for the children. We did that all morning and then at 2 we had lunch. The food there is really simple but delicious. Then we went to the school and painted some more. The kids at our school were really amazed and happy we were there because that was the first time they had visitors in the village
. They also helped with the painting. At around 7 we had dinner and at 8 me and Paige were so tired we just went to bed. We actually went to bed at 8 every day. Haha.
The next day me and Paola had to do a trip to Kathmandu to get our Thailand visas for the flight home. It was annoying but we got it done quickly and got back in time to eat dinner with our families.
The next days were all similar and consisted of painting and playing with the kids, except one day we went to a hike to the top of a nearby mountain. Not everyone went, but it we had amazing views of the Himalayas, and that is when I got excited about our trek that is coming up next. The hike was not hard and we got chai in the way back.
The day we had to leave the village, the school again made a great speech for us and showed us some great dancing and singing. The goodbye for me and Paige was horrible because we really got attached to our host mom and our little host brother (he cooked delicious)
. Everyone waved goodbye as the bus left the village. Probably one of the best home stays in my life.
Ana
Nepal is one of those places where you are so hit by the awesome beauty of human expression that it is easy to glance over what inspired humans fascinating cultural displays to begin with; nature. Yet it is here in Nepal, the small Kingdom to the north of the mighty subcontinent of India that has brought us back to that often-times forgotten world just below our feet.
Today we begin our final chapter, a trek into one of the worlds most beautiful mountain ranges, The Annapurna.
We will walk into these massive mountains remembering all we have done here, and waking to the realization of who we have become since we began three months ago. Since flying over these snowy peaks we have been wondering what mysteries lie hidden in these valleys
. Now, after many adventures within the quirky corridors of Kathmandu, where we discovered ancient temples housing living goddesses (and countless monkeys!),stained stupas being circumnavigated at dawn, the most holy of Hindu sites paying homage to the deceased, and a typical Nepali Thanksgiving dinner together.
We celebrate the success of our final home stay where we lived in earthen homes alongside terraced fields where we helped our host families harvest millet, potatoes, and more under the awesome presence of the Langtang mountains. We continue to peel paint from hands, reminding us of the hard work we joyfully put in at the school there, and the laughs and songs we shared still resonate within our hearts.
As the holiday season calls us home, gratitude fills us to the brim. How fortunate we are. What a beautiful world....
Gregory
Kathmandu and Village Home Stay
Sunday, December 02, 2012
Pokhara, Nepal
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