Day 1, and what a day it was

Sorry everyone for the jumbled update that this is destined to be. I finally have power, internet, and a bit of time to write an update, but I feel that I will almost certainly forget to talk about 90% of the things that have happened over the past couple of days. Here goes an update of as much as I remember.

Prabin, from the Nepal Campaign to Ban Landmines (NCBL), created our hotel’s website, and is friends with the owner, so he got us a great deal on the room for as long as we needed, and ensured that they would take great care of us, which they are. The owner is super friendly, and the hotel’s driver has been a lifesaver on our first couple of days here, while we work up our courage to use the micro-buses (that will be a challenge for Sunday).

We spent most of the first day in Nepal being driven around to some of the sights of Kathmandu by the hotel’s driver. As he speaks very little English, and we speak very little Nepali, he would drive us somewhere, tell us the name of where we were, and we would go check it out, not really knowing where we were. It worked out surprisingly well. I apologize in advance for my descriptions of these amazing places, I am still learning what the full significance of them is, and hope to visit them again throughout my stay in Kathmandu to better appreciate them.

Our first stop was a very holy spot for the Hindu people, Pashupatinath. Having no idea where I was going, or where our driver had dropped us off, I was surprised that after paying my entry fee to what I thought was going to be a Stupa or temple, a young man began talking to me about the site, and telling me to follow him to see the cremations. Dustin and I followed him obediently, although I kept asking myself repeatedly “Is he saying cremation? No, that can’t be right… but wait, yes, he is saying cremation… But no, I don’t want to see this, it must be inside, right? And I will be outside, and I will see the building where cremations happen…” Which shows right away that everything I had known about Hinduism I had forgotten, and how unprepared I was for the day. So the first ‘sight’ that I saw was the cremation platforms, where a large number of Nepali people are brought to be cremated after death. Actually, the first sight was someone being cremated on an open platform, which was a shock to my newly arrived eyes, but also an important part of the Hindu culture. The young man who was quickly giving us a complete, eloquent, and charming debrief about all things Hindu, was Sumit, and he (for a small pre-negotiated fee) became our guide of the temple area, which had a lot to see and take in. I won’t remember everything that there is to tell, especially about the intricacies about the Gods and their relationships, but I’ll fill you in on what stuck out to me.

The first, of course, was watching the cremations and the purification of the bodies of people who had passed. This was a moving and overwhelming thing to watch. Both Dustin and I felt that we were looking in on something that we shouldn’t be present for, but Sumit continued to assure us that this was a moment that was open to be shared with everyone. The ashes of the bodies are swept from the platforms that are along the Bagmati River into the river bed, which runs into the Ganges in India. Our amazing guide took us all through the sites, and showed us the deer park, where he saved us from a monkey attack, the door to the main temple, where we could see the back of the gold bull statue inside, but could go no further, as we are not Hindu, and the many smaller temples around the main temple.

He also took us to visit the state run home for the elderly, and the Mother Theresa hospital for the elderly, also located here. There are no photos of this. This was a very difficult experience, and I don’t think I can comfortably write about seeing these elderly people who seemed almost abandoned by their society in someways, although we were assured this wasn’t the case.

OK, jet lag is kicking in, I need to pass out, and I only got through a third of yesterday! I have tomorrow off, so I will have to update more…

Loves!!!!!

k

PS.this is posted a day late due to lack of power and internet.

From Hong Kong to Kathmandu

So I have arrived in Kathmandu, and have had a short night's sleep, and am up and raring to go! I'll try to give a brief overview of my trip so far, but you know me, I am rarely brief :).

We arrived at Hong Kong after a surprisingly comfortable and painless 15 hours and 45 minute plane ride. I had managed to sleep, watch three movies, and just relax! We arrived at the Hong Kong airport at 5:15am Hong Kong time, 5:15pm Toronto/Ottawa time. We obtained a free visa from immigration, and by around 7:45am we were on a train heading into the city of Hong Kong! We didn't end up doing any of the sites in Hong Kong, and mostly spent our time wandering up alleys filled with stalls, and just soaking in the different city. We were able to grab a bite to eat (Chinese noodles and beef, with a side of fried eggs and bread), and some wireless, and then we hit a wall of exhaustion, and headed back to the airport to wait for our connection flight.

We arrived at the Kathmandu airport at a bit after 10pm Kathmandu time, which would be around, uh, who knows in home time! The time difference is throwing me for a loop, and I can’t keep it straight! We had a car from the hotel waiting for us, which was great, and the best part is that all of our luggage actually made it!!! A porter carried our bags, and then got angry at me for not tipping him in American, and not giving him enough rupees… It was awkward, and I’m sure situations like this will keep coming up while I get accustomed to the exchange rates, and the cost of living, but still, it sucked.

Today I woke up after a great sleep at like 5:30am, to the sounds of roosters outside, and while I napped a bit, I really was ready to go for the day, and was up and at it before 7:30, which is so unlike me! After debating whether the marks of my legs were bed bug signs (they have faded away, so I have decided they’re not) I mentioned my bed bug quandary to Dustin, and have now successfully creeped him out and made him super paranoid about the bugs. I am in more of the ‘meh’ frame of mind about it J. Dustin and I are sharing the smallest room, with two twin beds and barely room for our luggage. We are both (I think) missing privacy, but happy to save money by not bunking individually. The hotel was originally were confused, and gave us one bed, so I think we are both happy that that situation was cleared up through broken English, and we each have our own bed.

After waking early this morning, I went for a walk to find some chai, leaving Dustin at the hotel to rest up a bit and get things done… he was not nearly as ready to seize the day as I was, understandable considering the jet-lag! I wandered up to Thamel street, the main tourist drag, and was greeted by many Nepali people, on cars, bikes, scooters, and rickshaws… oh, and walking of course. I tried to stay out of the way of the vehicles, but a couple of kids were bearing down on me on bikes, and it looked as though it would be my responsibility to jump out of the way, not theirs! I obediently did so only to look down and see A DEAD RAT about an inch from where my sandal Birkenstock clad feet landed. I squealed like a princess, and looked up to see a Nepali girl around my age giggling at me… This is all within 2mins of leaving my hotel. I then tried to play it cool and walked around the garbage, people, and general hustle and bustle with the goal of finding my chai. I finally just sat down in a small restaurant/hole in the wall, picked only for the fact that someone else was sitting there, and had just finished eating and drinking a chai, so it couldn’t be too bad, and ordered my tea. It was DELICIOUS! I am praying that it won’t make me sick, because the paranoia makes me think it will all make me sick. I bought a couple of Pepsi’s for sustenance until I figure out where is good to eat, and made my way back to the hotel feeling like I had actually accomplished what I had set out to do.

That takes us to now, and I am preparing to go out for a tour of the sites in a hired car recommended by our hosts, and to stop by the Canadian Embassy to register to vote, as we will have to act fast if we have any hope of absentee voting while here.

Love you all, and more later!

Katie