Fotos Finally

Well, it took me only about 15 hours, but I've finally *successfully* uploaded photos for your viewing pleasure. Here goes:


Uncle Juanlu You Lied About Picasa's Quickness!

Home with Mixed feelings

I miss these little rascals already.

Yesterday

I accidentally went to 3 brothels.

BOINGGGGGGGGGGG!

I'm not sure why this trip is so filled with adventure sports. I'm not usually the type of person. First the paragliding and now the bungy. Did I mention that even busing in Nepal is an adventure sport (thanks Uncle Juanlu!)?

Yesterday, Jessica, Juan, and I woke up before the crack of dawn to head on over to the Bhote Khosi River. Jessica chose not to jump, but rather to accompany us for the ride. We didn't think we'd make it. I mean, literally, make it to the destination. It wasn't a question of guts. There was another strike on the way. We sat in the blazing sun (but of course!) for a few hours before the travel agency we were with told us we could choose to get off the bus, walk across the road block, and then another bus from near the Tibetan border would pick us up. We started walking not even for 3 minutes before being informed that tourists buses would be allowed through the blockage. Away we went!

The bungy jump...what to say? It was a 160m drop (second highest jump in the world, following Switzerland) down to the Bhote Khosi River. And it wasn't just the river staring us in the face, it was the massive boulders and trees below. Umm...is this safe?

I would totally do this again. After I arrived safely on the riverbank below, I thought I could not do it again. At least not for several more years. On the ride back to KTM, I started wishing I had done a second jump. Hmmm...next jump...Switzerland?

The 3 of us were supposed to go to the Tibetan border and stay the night last night. The site of the bungy jump is so close, so why not? We were going to go to the town of Kodari, where there are wondrous hot springs to give you a break from the Kathmandu dust. Going there yesterday, however, was not an option. Since there was the strike (this is the second day of this particular strike, might I add), no local buses were running. No border for us.

Tomorrow will be my last night in Nepal.

Sagarmatha: Thar She Blows!

I cheated this morning. And I'm not afraid to admit it. Since I didn't allot the time to do any major trekking, I did one of those "Everest Mountain Flights" the LP always talks about. I have no words:





Rs 20 to the first person who knows which is Everest!

Greetings from the Future

Happy 2066!!!

They have two different new year celebrations here. This calendar is used for most things, whereas the Mayan calendar (2009) to which we're all accustomed is used for birthdays and a few other items. Sure makes it difficult for a non-Nepali speaker to follow a patient's chart when she can't understand the dates!

At Long Last, the Lovely Lumbini

I finally made it!!! No bandhs this time, although we were told there was a good chance we wouldn't make it back to Chitwan because of an impending strike. The monastatic (someone please correct me if need be; is this a proper word?) zones of Lumbini are set up like small towns if you will, with a plethora of monasteries that each country has come to Nepal to build. We stayed at the Korean Monastery. They feed you breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and have very nice dorms (complete with mosquito nets and hot water!!!) where visitors and monks can stay for a donation only. They have evening as well as morning worship which we attended at each opportunity. I was really impressed not only with the monks and nuns' ability to chant for an hour straight, but even with their ability to sit on their knees for a greater part of the time. I simply could not get comfortable. Actually, being uncomfortable seemed to be the theme for me in this Lumbini trip. I was the most sick I'd been the entire time since arriving in Nepal. I had to stay in bed for the entire afternoon on Wednesday, while the rest of my buddies went bicycling to the World Peace Pagoda (yet another!) and the various monasteries around. By the end of the afternoon, however, I forced myself to get up and go myself. I was not going to waste this beautiful opportunity!!!




View from the Sal tree, birth site of Lord Buddha.


This week concluded my health post in Chitwan. In our last days at the hospital, Jessica and I moved from the ED to the Labor & Delivery ward. It's funny. Here, I saw the only birth I've ever witnessed. And it's true what you learn in school. South Asian culture and births. Very stoic. I don't think that woman batted an eyelash, although I was cringing every second.

Now I'm back in KTM for my last week. Plans:

• bungee jump 160 meters
• eat cake
• go to the Tibetan border
• eat paneer
• visit Bhaktapur
• eat donuts
• get a Rs 500 pedicure
• eat more muesli with curd
  
• fly to Mt. Everest
• never eat daal bhat again

Actually, in terms of daal bhat, Rupa my host motha was like no otha. I think I got really lucky with her cooking skills.

Pokhara Part 2, Strike Part 2

Oy. Vey. Back to Pokhara to paraglide. And spend lots on overpriced food and drinks. It's super touristy there, so they can get away with jacking up the prices. The weather wasn't as clear, so we could hardly see the mountains. It was cloudy most of the time, so I was pretty thankful that I had seen Pokhara in a prime weather state the previous week.

Pascal, me, Jessica, and Shakar. Best pilots ever.

Jessica and I went paragliding on Friday. When I was there last week with Juan and Tariq, we happened upon a French gentleman named Pascal who was having scooter troubles. Some punk kids had jammed wood into the ignition, so we (but mostly Uncle Juan) tried to assist him in digging it out. Turns out that this man works for a paragliding company, so I contacted him this visit. Like I mentioned, the weather wasn't very nice, but the wind was, so the paragliding experience was quite invigorating. Wasn't something that was on my list of Top Priorities While In Nepal, but I'm glad I went.

We were on the bus ride back from Pokhara to Chitwan yesterday. First of all, the bus needed some maintenance work not even an hour into the journey. We pulled into what seemed to be a repair shop/repair field/junk yard and waited for a half hour while they fixed the problem (Jessica and I weren't even sure what the problem was, as English speakers are usually the last to know, if they ever know at all). Once we were back on our way, we were stopped again, this time by what ended up being another strike. A woman carrying a child in a remote village was hit by a bus. The bus driver took off. There isn't insurance here, and if you injure someone in a MVC, then you have to pay them a stipend for the rest of their lives (sidenote: if the victim doesn't survive, there is a "flat rate" which is usually less costly than injuring a person. Thus, there is speculation that many times a driver will go back and "finish the job" because it's cheaper. Ughhhhhhhhh). Anyway, there was an uproar in the village because this woman's family now wants compensation, but it was a hit and run accident. What better way to get what you want than to block the road with tree limbs and prevent anyone else from traveling? I can't think of a more proper solution.

We waited 5 hours in a village with no where to purchase water or go to the bathroom. In total: we had 1 litre of water and no toilet for what ended up being a 10.5 hour journey back. Thank goodness I have 2 kidneys.