Boiling Point:

I watched a show once called boiling point. The jest of it is that people are put in a situation where they are pushed and pushed for a certain period of time. If at the end of the time they don't lose their temper, they win $100.00. Well today I would have not won the money.....

If I ever wondered where that boiling point was for me..... I found out today. Today was one of the most out of control days I have ever had. I am a little chagrined that the ugly American side of me came out a time or two.

It all started last night when I went to hire a truck to take all of the supplies for the water project and also our food, water and sleeping pads to the village. There is a certain part of Kathmandu where all of these trucks park when they are idle and looking for work. I had talked with Ramesh, the project adviser, about how big of a truck we needed. He told me that we would be bringing 5 kilometers of pipe to the village. In my mind that would mean we need a rather large truck. To make a long story short we negotiated a price with one guy and today after loading all the supplies in the truck and after the truck had left Kathmandu he decided the price was not enough. I asked several of my friends to accompany our supplies to the village so they called me from the truck saying that if we did not agree to the higher price he was going to take our stuff to another city. I was so frustrated! To make matters worse this all went down when I was with the Waterfalls (oh yeah by the way the Waterfalls made it here safely and with all their luggage…which is amazing)

I can sometimes be a pretty patient person…but today all patience was lost….and I boiled over in front of everyone…..I think the crowning moment was when I yelled something like…” well just kick him in the nuts” in the middle of this tourist area with everyone looking on. In the end I had no other choice than to pay more money for the truck and that just infuriates me, but what can I do now. The funny thing is that he wanted $15.00 more…which in terms of dollars isn’t much…but in terms of rupees that is a significant amount. So tonight, after a great dinner with the Waterfalls at OR2K, I am taking a deep breath and preparing myself for the next few weeks which I am sure will prove to be amazing. We will travel tomorrow to Bandipur which is a small resort village to spend the night. The next morning we will travel into the village where we will spend 3 days working on a water project. Following that we will travel to Pokhara and prepare for our 5 day trek in the Annapurnas. This will be the same trek that I did several years ago. I am really looking forward to it.

So I am off. I doubt I will not write for the next couple of weeks…so family, don’t worry if you don’t hear from me. I imagine I will have many stories to tell…I just hope there are no more about my boiling point.

One More Month

I decided to extend my stay for one more month. I am not certain why, but for some reason it just seems like the right thing to do. I have been fortunate to be able to pursue different job opportunities back in the states, and I am certain one of them will work out. In the mean time I am here in Nepal trying to help as much as possible with the hospital. Actually, as I went back and read through the blog I realized how painfully little I have written about the hospital. I decided that I would spend some time and write more about it……unfortunately that will have to wait for a week or two. The Waterfalls arrive today and the next few weeks will be crazy at best. Actually the last two weeks have been crazy in trying to get everything organized for the Waterfall group of 11.

Nice Picture

I have a confession to make.....It came to my attention today that one of the pictures on my header and that is also in my slide show is a picture I did not take. (the little girl in orange saying namaste) It is actually one of Liz Tanner's (one of the choice participants) While she was here she downloaded all of her photos onto my computer and somewhere in there a file was created where some of our photos got mixed together. Liz of course being gracious has never said anything about this.....i just happened to notice it today as I was going through one of her folders on my computer and saw the same exact picture.....Arg! It is such a good picture too. She is a great photographer. Maybe not first place....but second place for sure....(inside joke) I am soo kidding Liz.

A short list of the craziest things I have ever done……

1) Putting the airplane I was flying into a nose spin so I was barreling towards earth at hundred of feet a second, just to see if I could pull out of it.

2) Believing my older sister Kim, when I was 4 years old, that she would NOT turn on the dryer if I crawled inside of it.

3) Driving a motorcycle through downtown Kathmandu.

Ganesh asked me to accompany him to his village about 4 hours away so I could meet his family. My understanding was that we were going to take a bus, but when we met up yesterday morning he said he thought it would be better if we rented a motorcycle instead. Who was I to disagree? So we rented a motorcycle and off we went through Kathmandu. Unless you have been here you might not fully understand the significance of riding a motorcycle through Kathmandu….but I can say this….it is one of the craziest things I have ever done….But I learned quickly and before long I was dodging oncoming buses, driving on sidewalks and playing chicken with taxis. It was a pretty dang fun! Once we got out of the main part of the city, things mellowed a slight bit, and the drive was amazing. We were headed directly towards Everest, but due to the clouds around the mountains…we were not able to see them. We rode for about 4 hours both on and off paved roads and finally made it to Ganesh’s village. The weather was perfect, the air was clean, the sun was out and we were high in the Himalayas….life does not get much better than that.

It was immediately apparent that not too many foreigners make it to his village as I was instantly the center of attention. The young kids smiled, greeted me with a namaste, and tried to practice their English with me. The old people looked at me with suspicious eyes, I am sure wondering what an American was doing in their quaint, isolated village. After a quick introduction to his aunt and grandparents who he lives with, we went walking the dirt paths and roads through the village. We stopped in front of the primary school and Ganesh proudly informed me that he had done most of his schooling there. Suddenly there was a commotion and the once quiet school suddenly erupted with excitement. I wasn’t sure what had happened, and then I noticed 20 or so faces in each of the windows looking out right at me. From around the corner came a man that I assumed was the headmaster of the school...he walked directly towards us, and I knew we in trouble….so reminiscent of my days in school. But instead of scolding us for interrupting his school he gave me a respectful namaste greeting and invited us in for some hot tea. Before I knew it I was seated at a large table in the office with different teachers and school leaders all around. They informed me that they have never had a foreigner in their school before and indicated that they were honored to have me there….Before long we were talking about the school, the number of students, and of course their needs. I was amazed to learn that they have 500 students. This is just a primary school that has students from level one to level ten. A few years ago they had to send the students from level eleven and twelve to different school about 10kms away since there was no longer room for them. That means that the older students have to walk over an hour in each direction just to get to classes each day (that sounds like a story my parents used to tell me…except without it being uphill both ways and in 10 feet of snow). They had a paper on the wall that indicated how many students there were in each classroom. I was amazed to see that some rooms had 65 students even with the current 10 classrooms; they were bursting at the seams. That became far more significant for me after I had the opportunity to walk inside one of the rooms with the 65 students. They were crammed onto these small benches with equally small tables to write on. I noticed that they had to take turns writing notes, as there was not enough room for them all to write simultaneously.

The English teacher informed me that they really wanted to add on to the school. The government had promised them 4 more teachers if they could build more rooms, but due to a lack of money there was no way they could do their part. At that moment I wished I had enough money to just pay for the project as I realized how much of an impact it would have on the village. After our cordial goodbyes, Ganesh and I continued our walk through the village stopping occasionally so he could greet friends and neighbors. As we walked we talked. Ganesh and I met about a month ago at OR2K (my favorite restaurant). He is a waiter there. One night when it was slow he came over and sat with me and we chatted for what was probably an hour or two. By the time I left that night I knew that I would have a very kind, honest and trustworthy friend in Ganesh. Over the past month we have spent a lot of time together talking. He talks and I listen mostly. He has talked of his childhood in the village and how he fell out of a window leaving a notable scar on his left cheek. He told me that his father had left them when he was young. He said he was going to Kathmandu to work so he could send home money, but rarely contacted them after that time. He shared with me the experience he had of watching his mother die in a hospital when he was 11 years old because they did have the money the doctor required in order to provide the treatment for her condition. (This story only strengthened my desire to stay in Nepal and make a difference, as things are still exactly the same…if you have no money, you get no treatment) He told me that his dad refused to help financially and he has had a difficult time forgiving him ever since. He has talked often of his true love….they have know each other for several years and are madly in love, but will never be able to marry because she is from a higher cast. Her parents have told her that she will marry next year, and that they have someone picked out for her (arranged marriages prevail here in Nepal….only in the past few years are some of the more progressive thinkers allowing their children to marry for love, but they are few and far between). I learned quickly with Ganesh that I cannot bring up the topic of her getting married next year as tears well up quickly in his eyes if I do….He talks of finding a more respectable job than being a waiter in a restaurant and hopes that if he does it might be enough for her parents to consent to their marriage…but he admits it is just an unrealistic dream.

As we walked through the village he talked about wanting to make a difference in Nepal and especially in his village. He said that he would be happy to live as a poor man as long as he could help others. Twice in one day, I wished I had an unlimited amount of money, as I would give much to Ganesh…..and I am certain he would make every penny count.

As we sat on a hill looking down at his families home we watched the sunset in the distance. His grandmother was putting the buffalo and the goats inside the first level of their home to protect them from the cold of the night. Ganesh pointed out an old man walking up the street with a strap around his head which held the large bundle of wood he was carrying on his back. He proudly told me that it was his grandfather. He and his brother had moved in with their grandparents when their mother died. He said they were always well taken care of and knew they always had an extra measure of love. I love listening to Ganesh talk…..I think it reminds me of how things in the world really should be.

A little while later his aunt came and told us dinner was ready. I knew before even sitting down what would be served. For a Nepali family it is always the same….Dal Bhat. Dal is a lentil soup and Bhat is rice. I have never heard a Nepali claim any other food as their favorite other than dal bhat. It is almost always served with spinach, some sort of curry, and a pickled something or another (not sure what this is, I do know that it is HOT!) We all sat on the floor of the first floor of their home…the goats were over in one corner and the small open fire pit in another. The room reeked of aged smoke from the 70 years of fires in the same open pit which cooked their meals. Their home now has electricity, a new addition in the last 3 years….but we ate by candlelight as the nightly rolling blackout had come. There are just two plates in their home so we took turns eating. Ganesh and I were of course first. His aunt piled the rice high then added a few scoops for good measures. I looked at Ganesh with pleading eyes trying to let him know that I was never going to be able to eat so much food….he just smiled…. He began eating with his fingers, the way most Nepalis eat. His aunt stuck a spoon into the hot embers of the fire to sterilize it, and then handed it to me so I could join Ganesh. I worked on the pile of rice for what seemed like 30 minutes and barely got it all down. I can’t ever remember being that full…not even on Thanksgiving. Ganesh and I then went upstairs to talk…there is not much else to do…no television etc…I got the guest bed which happened to be in Ganesh’s room (private rooms are a luxury they cannot afford). There are only two bedrooms in the house. His grandparents are in one, Ganesh in the other and the aunt in the room with all the food storage.

I don’t know how long I laid there talking with Ganesh before I dozed off, but then next thing I know I woke up having to go to the bathroom like never before. I thought that maybe I might be able to lay there until dawn so not to disturb anyone. I looked at my watch and was shocked to find that it was only 8:30 pm….I had no other option than to wake Ganesh as I had no clue where the bathroom was. He was more than happy to wake up and show me. I was a bit surprised when he walked me over to the back of the neighbor’s house and pointed to the wall of the house and said that is the bathroom….so I peed on the neighbor’s house…(something I would have loved to do with certain neighbors I have had in the past)

The rest of the night was…..well long and painful. There is no such thing as comfortable or soft mattresses here. Falling asleep the second time was much more difficult than the first. By the time morning came I think I slept maybe two hours and both of my hips were bruised. I was grateful when Ganesh woke at 6 and said “let’s get on the road for Kathmandu to beat the traffic.” When I walked outside I noticed two things right away. One was that it was very very cold…the coldest I have felt it yet here and two…there were the most amazing mountains right there in front of me. The clouds that had obscured them the day before were gone and they sun was just beginning to shine on them…..it was a sight to behold. After taking in the view as long as possible…it was time to get on the road.

As if the cold was not bad enough, after only 10 minutes on the road we encountered a heavy, dense fog. The air was frigid and wet. It didn’t take long for us to be covered in water droplets. I zipped up my soft shell and wrapped my scarf higher around my face and hunkered down for the long 3 to 4 hour drive. It wasn’t long before my body was shaking uncontrollably. The face mask on the helmet was cover in dew, so I had to keep it raised. I soon realized that both Ganesh and I appreciated the occasional blast of diesel laden warm air from the exhaust of passing busses and trucks as we would both sigh in appreciation of the momentary warmth. About 2 hours into the drive we reached the summit of the mountains surrounding Kathmandu….and suddenly the fog cleared and the temperature went up by about 10 to 15 degrees. It felt amazing…. We were on the home stretch and I was anxious to get to the hotel for a hot shower. If I got there before nine am I would be assured hot water, but anytime after and it would be cold for sure….My mind was on my hot shower when from the corner of my eye I saw a traffic officer point at me and then point to the side of the road. My initial response was to keep going….if for no other reason that to be on time for hot water….but had I known then what was going to happen after pulling over, I would have kept going for sure. (he didn’t have any transportation with him and its not like he was going to run after me). Being the obedient citizen I am, I pulled over and he asked me for my license. I was out of luck….I never carry my wallet when I travel. I just keep my credit card and money with me and occasionally carry my passport. I told him I had my license at the hotel and would be happy to go get it and bring it back….yeah right…like I would miss out on my hot shower for him! He said he didn’t want to see a license from the States; he wanted a Nepali license….something that I can’t get without being a citizen of Nepal….I knew immediately he had ulterior motives. An hour later Ganesh had his license confiscated and the office was threatening to impound the motorcycle and arrest us and a myriad of other things. I got on the phone with the American Embassy and also had a call into a friend of mine whose dad is a retired chief of police. I went over and stood in front of the officer and wrote his name down in my notebook I keep in my pocket. I am not sure if it was that or what, but he suddenly let us go if we promised to return with money and the owner of the motorcycle (we had rented it if I didn’t already mention that)…In the end it cost me 200rs which is about $3.00US. It could have cost me so much more. Needless to say, I was happy to make it back to the hotel and have a cold shower.

Gratitude

Someone recently asked me what I love about Nepal. I have since thought much about the question and the answer. What I came up with is….so many things. But if I had to choose one it would definitely be the people. I have been fortunate in my life to travel a fair bit, but I think I would be hard pressed to think of a people that are collectively as kind, gracious, caring and giving as the Nepali people. I can think of example after example of the immense kindness shown to me in my short stay. From the hospitality of the villagers of Pasachuar, to many invitations I have received to visit peoples homes (especially during Tihar), to the many gifts given to me by friends and sometime by mere acquaintances. Nepal…… it’s just an amazing country. Please don’t get me wrong, I love America! I miss it greatly. I just think there are many lessons we could learn from this “developing country”.

I recently had occasion to sit in a casual meeting where both Americans and Nepalis were present. I was one of three Americans with about 15 Nepalis. The subject of Thanksgiving came up and we were asked what exactly we were celebrating. I sat and listened as one of the Americans talked about gratitude and giving thanks. I was somewhat surprised at the turn the conversation took when he said that the Nepali people did not know how to show gratitude since they are not in the habit of saying thank you and you’re welcome. The American went on to tell them the importance of saying those words, as without them you can not show true gratitude….

Regretfully, I chose at the time to not get involved in the conversation. Looking back I wish I would have. I should have said something like…..every culture shows gratitude differently. In Nepal the people show true gratitude by using both hands when the hand a person something or when they receive something from another….or they offer a slight bow of their head as a sign of gratitude and respect….a far cry from how we as Americans hand something to someone (about 20 minutes earlier he had tossed a book to me from about 10 feet away that he wanted me to see) Words are just that…words. If they are said with meaning… they become more that just words. I think that often times as Americans, we think that we have everything figured out….and feel that since it works for us in the USA then it must be the right way…Egocentrism at its worse….it is hard to not be egocentric when you travel…especially to a developing country. I am as guilty as the rest….but over the years and through all my travels I have become significantly more aware of it and try to avoid it. I decided long ago that I would always try to learn new things from the countries that I visit and I believe that I am a better person for it.

Sunsets in Nepal

Sunsets in Nepal

Sunsets in Nepal

The ladies after shedding the first round of leis...gotta love the Tikas

Christmas in Nepal

Despite listening to the Christmas music that I had loaded onto my ipod prior to coming to Nepal, I have found it really difficult to feel any sort of Christmas spirit here. Nepal is of course not a predominantly Christian country…..it is made up primarily of Hindu and Buddhist…..and as such they do not celebrate Christmas. Yesterday while returning from lunch the taxi I was in passed a store which had a Christmas tree in the window. It was the first visible sign of Christmas that I have seen here. I have spent Christmas abroad before, but never in a country that did not celebrate it. It will be an interesting experience to say the least. I am grateful that the Waterfalls will be here in Nepal with me on Christmas as I think it will make all the difference between being terribly lonely and having a great Christmas experience in Nepal.

I definitely miss my family back home. It will be the first time in many years that I have not spent Christmas with them. I appreciate the fact that they at least try hard to understand my desire to travel and be abroad. My mom and dad are homebodies, and as such don’t travel too often. I think (we have never really discussed it) that they sometimes think I am nuts because of my incessant desire to see the world. I know for a fact that it is particularly difficult on my mom. I have traveled to some pretty crazy places (Colombia being one of my favorite places to visit), and I know that she worries day in and day out while I am abroad….. They are awesome and I love them beyond words!

Unofficial job offer

While in Chitwan this past week, Eric and I were able to spend a considerable amount of time with Dr. Harish and others who are involved in the hospital project. We also were able to tour the construction site of the hospital. It is amazing the amount of work that they have gotten done in the short three weeks since I was there last. Their goal is to have the first two floors of the hospital completed by August 2008. They then hope to finish the upper two floors by September 2009. While at dinner one night with Dr. Harish, his family, and Bishnu…… Dr. Harish mentioned that they would like to hire me to be the administrator over the hospital. He went on to say that he envisioned it being at least a 4 year position.

There is a huge part of me that would like to stay and be part of this amazing project….but like I have mentioned before there are many reasons to go home and get back into life there. I went to PA school because I love practicing medicine, and I doubt there will be much time or opportunity for me to do so if I took that position. I guess I have a lot to think about over the next few weeks.

Recovering in Kathmandu

It was really nice to have the ladies from the expedition and Eric Woodruff here in Nepal, but at the same time it was really nice to just be able to do what I wanted yesterday. I spent the morning reading, I met some friends for lunch, then I went to the zoo in the afternoon….I figured since I didn’t see any wild animals in Chitwan…I would see them here. I spent the afternoon working on stuff for the hospital.

For dinner I decided to go to a little café I have passed many times down the street from the hotel. (Café Mitra) It was a nice little restaurant, but pricy to say the least. I think dinner was about $15.00…which would be what I would typically pay for 3 or 4 meals. The food was amazing…I had tiger prawns and pasta. A nice change from Dal bhat….. which I have eaten quite a bit of lately. Dal bhat consists of rice and a lentil soup and then there is typically some spinach and a curry of some sort. On occasion you will get some sort of a meat whether it be chicken, fish or buffalo (more of a water buffalo… not the American type….since Nepal is/was a Hindu state…..cows are considered sacred and not generally eaten. If you go to a fancier restaurant you might just find beef that was imported from another country)

Rebuttal by the ladies

The ladies from the expedition wanted to read the blog. I was a little concerned about giving them the address since I had made some less than positive comments about their luggage situation. None-the-less, I gave them the address….. sure enough there are some rebuttals….

Apparently there was only one hairdryer at that point in the expedition….one was purchased later AND none of them have used curling irons since the 80’s. My bad! As for the make up…I stand by my comments…..C’mon Liz you know it true….lol Lorraine has not yet read the blog, so there may be more to come…..

I will say this…..it was a great expedition. I have never led such a small group before, and it was really nice. We were able to completely customize the trip and the ladies were able to do pretty much everything they had wanted to do…plus more I think.

Santosh continued……

As the time was drawing near to leave the village, it was apparent that the ladies in the expedition had become quite attached to Santosh and visa versa. Santosh referred to them as “my guys”….He would ask me things like “are my guys happy?” and “did my guys sleep okay?” At the same time I was not looking forward to saying goodbye again. My mind went back to the time that we left his village 5 years earlier. Santosh lived in a small house on the side of the mountain where the village was situated. After we had said goodbye to the all the villagers and started our hike down the mountain we had to pass by Santosh’s home. He waited there to personally bid us farewell as we passed by. He was teary eyed and found it difficult to say goodbye. He gave us all a handful of flowers as a sign of respect. As we walked down the path, every so often when he could see us through the trees and when we made it to the valley below we could hear him yelling goodbye from the mountain side above…as we looked back we could see him waving both of his arms over his head…..where we were all grateful to have met him and the other villagers, the walk out of the village was difficult for all of us. I knew that we would have a similar experience leaving this village and leaving Santosh at the same time would have made the experience even more difficult.

The night prior to our departure Santosh told me that his professor was traveling so he had an extra couple of days off. I asked everyone if they would be okay with inviting him to come to Pokhara with us. The response was unanimous and so after a long emotional farewell from the villagers the next day we all set off to Pokhara to spend a couple of days relaxing and recreating. The excitement he felt to be spending time with us was visibly notable. I don’t think the ear to ear grin left his face the entire trip. I think that the first hot shower he had ever experienced, and the meals in the restaurants, even the new jacket to keep him warm in the colder climate were all highlights for him...but none exceeded the experience that the ladies provided him by taking him para gliding. I was not able to be there as I was in the hotel sick, but from the accounts told by the women and the pictures I was shown, I knew that it was an experience that he would never forget. Part of the instructions given prior to running off the side of the mountain is to keep your arms pulled into your chest and run hard and fast. The picture of Santosh running off the mountain shows him with his arms extended out to his sides, perpendicular to his body, and the biggest grin you can imagine….a grin that is duplicated now anytime you say the word “para gliding”. I am grateful to know Santosh. He is one of the most kind and gracious people I know……. although his kindness and tenderness are traits that you will find in most Nepalis.

Off to Chitwan with Eric Woodruff…..

Eric is a friend of mine from Park City who came on a Choice expedition to Nepal with me in 2003. When I told him I was coming back to spend a few months in Nepal it took him almost no time at all to decide he was coming to visit. He arrived about 3 days before the ladies from the Choice expedition were to leave allowing them the opportunity to meet.

Eric and I have always wanted to go to Tibet, so our plan for his time here was to take off to fly into Lhasa, then drive back to Kathmandu stopping at Everest base camp on the way. Well….. unfortunately the timing did not work out like we had hoped, so we were not able to go this trip. Instead we decided to head down to Chitwan National Park on the border of Nepal and India. The park is a wild animal refuge boasting animals such as rhinos, tigers, crocks, monkeys, smaller cats, deer, etc… The cool thing is that the resort where we stayed was on an island and you can go look for wild animals on the back of an elephant. Upon arriving we hear stories from other tourists of all the animals they had seen over the two or three days of their stay at the resort. Eric and I were excited to get and photograph the wildlife…..No such luck… after 5 to 6 hours on the back of an elephant over our two day stay the only animal we had seen was the ever illusive “jungle” chicken. Now, I am not sure exactly what the difference is between a “jungle” chicken and your common “farm yard” variety of chicken…but apparently one exists…or so we were told. If you ask me, the bird was nothing more than a lucky chicken that escaped becoming dinner for a group of hungry tourist and has since taken refuge in the dense jungle. All said and don’t it was a great trip even though we did not see a rhino.

Eric will be leaving tomorrow to go trekking in the Everest region of Nepal. I have opted out this time as I am still not feeling 100% and am coughing quite a bit. It was a hard decision, but with the Waterfalls coming in a few weeks, I want to be at the top of my game…..

Bungee Jumping √.............Paragliding by the Annapurnas √.........Motor biking through the Himalayas √ .........Recovering from a tick bite __.....

I should first clarify that my extracurricular activities here in Nepal are merely for research purposes…... The Waterfall family, who I met on a Choice expedition last year to Africa, will be coming to Nepal in a few weeks so I need to be able to offer educated, first hand information on all that Nepal has to offer. I have to say that the paragliding and the motor biking were absolutely amazing. The paragliding takes off from a place called Sarangkot, which sits high above Pokhara; you then fly high above the foothills with phenomenal views of the Annapurna Mountains. You end by flying over the lake then landing on the shoreline. It was an experience to remember and I will try posting some pictures.

At the recommendation of my friend Landon, I rented a motorcycle in Pokhara and set out to explore the mountain villages, lakes and country side that surround Pokhara. In the end I don’t know how many miles I traveled on the motorcycle today, but I do know that the sights and scenery were enough to completely overwhelm my all of my senses. Try as I might with my camera, I was unable to even in part grasp the essence of what I saw. I have always known that Nepal is a beautiful country….but today I realized just how beautiful of a place it is.

Late one night after returning from a day hike here in Pokhara I noticed that my left sock was covered in blood. After a closer look I realized that a creature of some sort had dug itself into my skin and had severed a superficial blood vessel. I am not sure how long my foot had bled, but there was a good amount of blood on my sock and in my shoe. It took about 15 minutes to dig the bug out from under my skin and by the time I got it out it was unrecognizable. We are assuming that it was a tick that bored its way in, then got decapitated while I was walking. I am not sure if it was the bug, or something else, but about 3 in the morning I woke up with fever, chills, nausea, vomiting and horrible stomach cramps. That was 3 days ago and the symptoms come and go. When they are gone I feel great, then 10 minutes later I can be deathly ill. It is the weirdest thing. I have talked to several different doctors here and have gotten varying opinions. To make matters worse, I came down with a cold last week and am still recovering from that. So needless to say things in Pokhara didn’t end on the best of notes. But fear not…I am back at it and looking for the next great adventure.

Santosh

On a previous trip to Nepal I had a similar village experience in a village about 2 hours away from the village we were in this time. It was during that trip that I was given the opportunity to sponsor scholarships for several kids in the village. One of the kids in particular was a 15 year old boy by the name of Santosh. He came from a very poor family and I was told that he would not be able to study past the 8^th grade without a scholarship. (although the government provides the teachers, the students need to pay for school books, uniforms, school fees etc.. This amounts to about $50.00 a year to study…a small amount to us, but an impossible amount to a Nepali family who only makes $200.00 a year) So for about $50.00 a year I was able to provide an opportunity for him to stay in school.

Santosh and I have kept in contact over the years via mail. He was always kind and gracious and made sure to tell me thank you for making it possible for him to go to school…..a reward that far exceeded the small amount that it cost me to help him. I had sent him a post card upon arriving in Kathmandu just to let him know that I was in the country. I had considered trying to get back to his village to be able to see him in person again after 5 years, but I wasn’t sure how I would be able to make that happen.

Yesterday as we were walking down a path to a villager’s home I heard footsteps running up behind me. I thought little of it and continued with the conversation I was involved in when suddenly I was tapped on the shoulder. I turned around to see a man standing there with a smile from ear to ear he grabbed my hand and said hello Erik sir. My brain went into overdrive trying to figure out who he was and what was going on……then it hit me…it was Santosh.....all grown up. He had heard that there was a group of Americans in a local village and he knew it was me. He said he dropped what he was doing with out even telling his family where he was going and ran for 2 hours straight to come find me. This is another one of those experiences where the words needed to adequately describe the experience elude me. The whole experience was…well…overwhelming. We ended up sending word to his family where he was and that he was going to spend the next couple of days with us in the village. As it turns out he is currently working on what would be the equivalent to our Associates Degree at a local college about an hour from his home. He wakes up at 4 in the morning to do his chores, then walks the hour to school in the dark. He goes to his classes, and then walks the hour home later in the day. He says he wants to be a doctor, so he can help the people suffering in his village and others like it. He is, and will continue to be an amazing force in Nepal.

The Village Experience

Part of my itinerary in Nepal included leading an expedition for Choice Humanitarian. Choice is the group that I have traveled with over the past couple of years and they focus on supporting sustainable humanitarian projects such as water systems, school houses, biogas systems etc. Like I mentioned in my last post the group had arrived and we were headed off to a small village called Pasachaur to work on a school house. To get to the village we had to first make it to a small town called Besisahar which is located in western Nepal and is one of the trailheads for the Annapurna Loop, one of the more renowned treks in Nepal.

We arrived to Besisahar on Monday afternoon after a 6 hour ride in a microbus on a road that rivals the road to Hana on Maui. What makes it worse than the road to Maui is that it is the only road that connects western Nepal to Kathmandu so the road is shared by motorcycles, cars, semi trucks and busses both large and small. That coupled with the lack of any rhyme or reason to how people here drive makes it one of the craziest roads I have ever traveled. I have traveled the road probably 8 times in my travels to Nepal and I have yet to not see an overturned vehicle or two…..This trip was no exception. I always love the adventure. (Nancy...don’t read that last part)

Speaking of adventure...did I mention that the Choice group is comprised of 3…yes three single women? They are well traveled and easy to get along with. So far things have been great. The only challenge might be sheer amount of luggage that they are toting around Nepal. I brought less luggage for 3 months than they brought for 2 weeks. I completely understand the need for hair dryers, curling irons, and make-up when you are traveling to a remote country and into a village where there might or might-not even be electricity (NOT….I barely comb my hair here), I need to convince them that they might want to leave some of their stuff at the hotel in Besisahar. (I will never be able to let them read the blog after writing that…) Having gotten all of the mean comments out of the way...I should now say that they are great. We get along well and they are almost as sarcastic as I am…life will be good.

Pasachaur

The hike into the village was a bit of a challenge for us Americans who are not accustomed to hiking steep trails day-in and day-out….but we made it…with the help of a strong village kid to carry the suitcase filled with soccer balls, crayons, and miscellaneous stuff for the school and with the constant support from other villagers encouraging our every step. I think the women were loving me the whole while because I was successful in convincing them to leave a big portion of their stuff at the hotel.

As we rounded the last bend and the village came into sight, we saw all of the school children waiting in a line for us with flower leis and fruit in hand to gift us as we walked passed. By the time we had worked our way through the long line, we had flower leis up to our ears, handfuls of flowers and fruit, and a tika on our forehead. I have always seen these very small and strategically placed tikas on the men and women of Nepal. In fact I have worn them on occasion myself and again they have been…well…..appropriate. Needless to say the tikas we received in the village were neither small, nor strategically placed. To be honest, I don’t know if big, sloppy tikas are saved for the most special of guests, or it they were doing it so they could laugh at us later…..In light of the rest of the greeting ceremony and welcoming party I am certain that they were given with the deepest of respect and appreciation, but we sure felt and looked ridiculous. I probably cannot complain too much as mine was the smallest of the bunch. Poor Lorraine had one that started at the top of her nose and went to the crown of her head. I think she is still washing it out of her hair even a week later. Despite the fact that my brain is telling me not to post pictures of all this…I will do it anyway….but there needs to be an understanding that they can never be used against me for blackmail. We then went and sat with the headmaster of the school and the 4 teachers eating oranges from the recent crop. We talked about the new school and the impact it will have on the village. We were told that it had only taken them 2 months to build the school, a feat that everyone told them was impossible. It is a 4 room school house that will be home to 100 primary aged school students.

After spending about an hour at the school, we were lead down a path to take our belongings to the home where we would be staying for the next 4 days. As we walked and passed other small houses along the way people came rushing out of their houses to place more flower leis around our necks and gift us handfuls of fruit and flowers. We were able to politely shed the previous leis in the school house as they were causing us to itch like crazy and even break out in rashes…only to be greeted with more and more leis. As we rounded one of the bends in the trail, we came upon a large group of villagers standing in a line with more leis, fruit and flowers. The kindness and the respect that they showed us throughout our stay in the village was overwhelming to say the least. I doubt that I am capable of adequately describing all that we experienced in the village. From a family giving up their beds so we had a place to sleep, to the 4 young men that spent endless hours daily preparing us amazing meals, to the hours of dancing and singing (and I mean hours…like up to 6 hours a night) to both celebrate and entertain us, to many invites to come visit homes and eat meals with the different families. I have been into many villages with Choice in many different countries….but I have yet been able to put into words the feelings, the emotions, the thoughts, the experiences of spending time in a village. I will write more about this experience later.

Choice expeditioners arrive

Choice Expedition: Well, the Choice Expedition arrived yesterday morning. My life of leisure has come to an end. It actually is a very small expedition relative to the others that I have lead for Choice and consists of only three people (women as it were)…..They are all very nice, well traveled and very accommodating. I think it will be a great two weeks. We depart for the village early tomorrow morning, where we will be working on a school house. It should be a great experience and I am confident that we (the group) will get along perfectly.

So having said that, it is likely that I will not make a post for at least a week. I will do my best to keep track of experiences in the village that might be of particular interest and I will also take pictures and post them when I get to either Pokhara or Kathmandu.

Should I stay or should I go now

….hey those would make lyrics for a song: Choice has informally asked me to stay on in Nepal for a couple of months longer. I am not sure what I will do. There are plenty of reasons to go home, but for some strange reason I have this yearning to stay. I am very excited about the hospital and the medical college, and the idea of being involved in something that will have such an impact to Nepal, makes it easy to justify away all the obvious reasons not to stay. I have not had to make a final decision yet, but will likely have to do so soon.

Stop me if you have heard this one…….. An Aussie, a Nepali, two Brits, and a rather large American get into a taxi to go to see Everest:

Yes we (Ryan, Rich, Nige, the taxi driver and myself) finally made it to see Everest from high atop a vantage point in a village on the outskirts of Kathmandu Valley named Nargakot. It was a long, cramped, bumpy ride on a very narrow, windy road…..Point being, it was a less than comfortable ride, but worth every second once we made it to see Everest. From our vantage point high above the Kathmandu Valley we sat and watched Everest and its companion mountains go from white, to pink, then to a dark purple as the sun quickly escaped behind the mountains making up the horizon on the opposite side of the valley. It was Rich and Nige’s last night in Nepal, so we went together along with Ryan who is leaving Nepal today to see that highest point on earth. It was very deceiving as Everest from that vantage point was far smaller and far less impressive that the mountains around it. But after much help from a few of the local who were their selling pictures and maps of the mountains, we were able to figure it out. I will post some pictures when I have some time.

Tiger Balm, Bracelet, Marijuana?

Hymalayas at breakfast: I went to the top of Helena’s today. This is another restaurant that I frequent, but have not given it due credit. It is a great place where I often go early in the morning to sit in the roof top café. I am not sure how many flights of steps I have to travel to get up there, but it is always worth every step. From my vantage point atop one of the tallest buildings in Thamel (the part of Kathmandu where I am staying) I could see forever. With the air being particularly clean and the skies amazingly clear I was able to eat my breakfast looking at the Himalayas in the distance. It was quite amazing. I was mistakenly told by one of the waiters that one of the mountains I could see was Everest. I was able to get clarification on that layer in the day.

Tiger Balm: Upon entering the Thamel are of Kathmandu, likely the first person you will encounter will be someone selling something. They are everywhere. I could likely predict with a high percentage of accuracy that the first thing offered would be tiger balm, and when you politely tell him that you are not interested in tiger balm, he will reach into his pocket and pull out a wire contraption that, quite honesty, I have not taken the time to figure out what it is. It starts out as a flat labyrinth of wires with an occasional bead here and there, and then magically, with one tug on a wire, it opens up into a basket, then a bracelet….and so on. (It will be my goal today to find out exactly what the contraption is…..it will be painful, and I may end up having to buy the damn thing, but I will take one for the team to provide you with accurate information). I digress…back to the salesmen that inundate Thamel. After you have said “no” twenty-seven times to the tiger balm and then also to the magical bracelet….someone will walk up behind you and whisper in your ear “hash, marijuana…smoke?” Their voices are almost musical and seducing and it is done in such a surreptitious manner that you might be left wondering if you are hearing voices in your head…… or, if the message were different, if perhaps the voice was from on high. On many occasions I have turned around to see who it was whispering in my ear only to find the street behind me in its normal state of hustle and bustle, with no obvious whisperer close behind. I did, however, catch one intentionally last week during Tihar. After much convincing that I did not, in fact, want hash or marijuana, I asked him if he had any fireworks or if he knew where I could buy some. He looked at me as if aghast, and said “no way man, those illegal” …….but I have hash. The irony of that exchange gave me something to laugh about for hours. (fyi, drugs are very illegal in Nepal, and many foreigners sit in Nepali prisons for drug possession charges)

Tactical Error: I had decided prior to arriving that I would not shave while in Nepal. It is not often that I have the luxury of not having to shave everyday. After two weeks, it got to be intolerable. Not only was it incredibly itchy, but I found myself pulling and twisting incessantly. So I decided to shave it off. What a mistake! Let me interject quickly here that the longer I have been in Thamel the less I get pestered by all the street salesmen. I assumed that it was because they recognized me after seeing me day after day. But no……I have figured out their tactic…..The morning after I shaved I walked out on to the street and I was nearly trampled by salespeople offering me tiger balm, treks, various jewelry etc… It was the lack of the beard. I looked too clean shave and well kempt to have been in Kathmandu for any period of time. So, I have not shaved again, nor do I comb my hair in the mornings….and it makes all the difference.

Pictures of Tihar and other randoms

More pics from Chitwan

Random Pictures from Chitwan

Hodgepoge of Thoughts

Hodgepodge of thoughts and occurrences: I have received many email responses to the blog. I am glad that friends and family are reading it. I was a bit surprised to find that some “unknowns” are following it as well. With that in mind I went back last night and read through some of the posts and decided that people must think I am nuts….both those that know me, and especially those who do not. That being the case, I will continue to write, trying to be as candid about this experience as possible. Some of the email responses are worth noting, so I will try to include some of them.

My laptop is not allowing me to post pictures or even email them. I am not sure what the problem is, but I will try to get it taken care of today as there have been many asking for pictures. A side note about pictures….I have not taken that many pictures since I have been here. On a previous trip I was here three weeks and took nearly 1500. I will try to get the problem resolved with the computer and get some uploaded.

Laundry?...NOT! After returning from Chitwan I decided it was high time to get my laundry done. Things were getting….well bad…if you know what I mean. So knowing that the festival was coming right up I decided to take all of my laundry to a three-hour guaranteed place and pay a little extra. I dropped it off, that part went well. When I went to pick it up, things did not go as well. Here was the conversation with the store owner.

Me: I am here to pick up my laundry, number 318.

Him: Oh it not ready.

Me: Hmmm when will it be ready?

Him: After Tihar(the festival)

Me: That’s three days.

Him: Yes, late in evening.

Me: But your sign says three-hours guaranteed.

Him: Guaranteed?

Me: Yes, What is the guarantee?

Him: What is guarantee?

Me: That is what I am asking. What is the guarantee?

Him: What mean guarantee?

Me: I walk out of the store dumbfounded wondering if I was just on candid camera.

Needless to say I have had very limited options pertaining to my clothing choices over the past 3 days. Tonight is the night and words cannot describe how happy I will be for a change of “clothes”.

Aussie Aussie Aussie Oi Oi Oi: One of the interesting things they do here at restaurants to maximize profits is to sit single people together whether previously acquainted or not. I was sat next to an Aussie guy last night. We had a great conversation and decided to do a little sight seeing together. We went out today and decided to take a rickshaw (the three wheeled bicycle). Unfortunately, KC was no where in sight so we ended just selecting some random guy out in front of the hotel. Ryan (the Aussie) is about my size so the two of us together in this rickshaw was quite the sight and likely an unfortunate load for this poor driver that could not have weighed more than 120 lbs. He was a trooper though, and we only had to jump off twice to get up steep hills. In the end we paid him about 1500 Rupees….a small price for the hard work the poor driver did.

On a positive note….I did get my laundry back, and what a great day it was.

Reoccurring themes

Reoccurring themes: I don’t know if you might have noticed in your own life or in that of someone close to you, but it seems like some people have reoccurring themes that present in their lives. Some of these themes might be positive and others might be negative. We of course know people who have the most amazing luck, and again others that have the worst luck. My brother tells the story about this poor kid that had this long string of accidents that kept putting him in the hospital, and then I know a guy that can do no wrong when it comes to making money….he has the Midas touch and everything he touches turns to gold. These are just a few examples, but there are many more out there of how one person can have incredibly similar situations that constantly reoccur. It has confounded me for a long period of time.

An acquaintance once offered her opinion on the subject saying that it was her belief that “the universe” (whatever or whoever that might be) is offering up these lessons that we need to learn. And until we learn all that we need to learn from these repetitive lessons, we will continue to have them served up to us. In the end she believed that we all need to learn very different and very personal lessons for our betterment, thus explaining while some were becoming wealthy, while others were spending their days in a hospital.

That was all said as a prelude to this next comment......I am constantly putting myself in situations where my prejudgments of people and situations, my narrow-mindedness, and my wanting or expecting some unfair advantage over others comes around full circle to slap me in the face. For example one time not too many years ago I walked into the SLC international airport preparing to take a short flight to Reno in a small Skywest plane. There in the lobby of the airport was a very, very large individual. My first thought was…wow the sorry sap that has to sit by that person on a plane. Two hours later as my plane was preparing to depart and the isle seat next to me was empty, I thought wow….it is my lucky day I am on one of these tiny planes and I am the only one on the plane to not have someone sitting next to them. Then it happened…..I learned very quickly who the sorry sap was to be.

There are hundred such stories I could tell you of such experiences in my life. I even mentioned some in the last post about the bus ride. Well here is yet another one. Several posts back I wrote about the same gender affection that you see here in Nepal. Knowing that I would get crap from certain individuals about being open minded to it, I made a preemptive strike by saying something like….be narrow minded if you must. Yep, I did it again…… I was in Bharatpur the other day and was walking down the street with a group of doctors from the hospital, when one of the older doctors reached out and grabbed my hand and started to talk to me. The conversation distracted my attention from the fact that he was holding my hand, but when the conversation ended he continued holding it. I was so unprepared for it and I didn’t know how to react. It absolutely unnerved me. My first thought was to look around to make sure there were no Americans nearby. When I realized how ridiculous that idea was (even though I had already checked and ascertained that there were none) I took a deep breath and started working through the long list of prejudiced feelings, emotions and discomforts I was facing at the time. It was by far one of the most challenging experiences I have had in for quite some time. It forced me to go head to head with some of my own insecurities, prejudices and discrepancies in what I am truly accepting of. I really was okay with the idea that Nepali men openly express their appreciation, respect and concern for other men in this manner, but I was apparently not okay with it if it included me. The battle went on for what was like 5 minutes as we continued to walk…… then suddenly, as I walked down the street in Bharatpur, I came to realize that I was grateful that this man, who I had only met a few days earlier, felt comfortable enough to express those feeling towards me by holding my hand…..and everything was okay.

I hope that if her belief about these “lessons from the universe” is in fact true, that I hurry my dumb can up and learn the dang lesson already!

OR2K

Or2k: The inside cover of the menu says that OR is Hebrew for light and that 2k stands for the year 2000. Like I mentioned before….strange name, but great food! I need to cap how many times I allow myself to go there each week. Not only because it is expensive, but also because I need to branch out and try all the other amazing restaurants that this area has to offer. Hmmmm, I think I will start the cap tomorrow. I went there tonight. It is such a crazy restaurant, with crazy patrons. Even though I have a full beard and my hair has grown out a little, I am typically the most straight laced person in there. Most look as though they are right out of the 60’s or like they just spent 6 months on Everest. In fact tonight the guys sitting at the table next to me were planning their trek to Everest. It was cool to sit and listen to them talk and feel the mixture of excitement and trepidation as they discussed their trip….

The one downside to the restaurant is that a lot of people smoke in there. I am not sure what all is being smoked, as there are smells I don’t recognize. Mixed in with the unknown smells are several smells that I do recognize, and I know that it is not tobacco they are smoking. But if you can put up with the smoke, it is an amazing place…….. It is amazing how I always walk out of there feeling so relaxed and happy….it must be the great food.

Compilation of the last three days

I just returned from a three day trip to the Chitwan area of Nepal. This is the area that the hospital is being built. What an amazing trip. As I lay here on my bed with the fireworks going off outside the hotel (long story that I will attempt to explain later) I find myself almost confounded as to how to write a detailed narrative of the last three days. In the end I think I will refrain from trying to write chronologically and instead write about events that occurred and how the relate to other events that occurred. I hope it makes sense to you as you read it.

The bus ride: I was told that the best buses leave for Chitwan at 7:00 am. Tourists typically take these buses, and so the newer, more comfortable buses are used at that time. However, because I had only found out about the trip late in the evening the night before and since I didn’t bring a back-pack along with me (I had just planned to buy one here since you can buy a 70L North Face for $20.00), I decided I would just take a bus that left at 10:00am instead. This would give me time to buy a back-pack, make some last minute trekking arrangements for the Choice group which will be arriving next week, and to get my laundry back from the cleaners. I was able to get everything accomplished and I was on time to meet Kiran at the bus station at 9:45am. He helped me find the right bus and negotiated my fare which was a whopping 120 rupees ($2.00 US). I walked onto the bus and was delighted to find that there were only five of us total. This allowed for me to have the seat of my choice, and to keep my newly purchased back pack off the top of the bus. So I threw my bag on the back seat and sat in a bulk head seat where I was afforded a little extra leg room (which was none really to speak of). Kiran asked the bus drive if they expected many other passengers and how long the trip would take. The answers were “no” and “5 hours” respectively. Kiran then excused himself as he had to get home to work on the expedition. (Have I mentioned that Kiran is the in-country director for Choice Humanitarian? If I have not, that is who he is and he has gone above and beyond in helping me during my time here. He is a great man!) As I sat on the bus waiting for the 10:00 hour to arrive so we could get on the road I had time to observe the four other passengers. First and foremost was"smiley”....this guy was sitting directly across from me and every time our eyes met(which was often since sitting sideways in the seat was the only way my legs would fit) he got the hugest ear to ear grin on his face. I said hello and proceeded to ask a few questions in English to ascertain his speaking abilities, but quickly realized that "hello" and "no" were about the extent of his vocabulary. I could not help but smile every time he smiled at me. I was happy to be sitting next to him. Especially in light of the fact that the only other adult passenger was a man who picked his nose for the entire time we sat there waiting for the bus to depart. I will say no more. The other two passengers were a young brother and sister pair that were obviously headed to their home village for the festival (correlates with the aforementioned fireworks). They were cute kids that kept peering up over the seat to catch a glimpse at the big American sitting behind them. Awe, this was going to be a good bus trip….well as long Mr. Nosepicker would run out of things to pick! But alas, true to form, I jinxed myself once again. I always do that. The bus finally left the station at around 10:45am but we didn't get out of Kathmandu until 1:00pm. The bus must have stopped 50 times and four passengers quickly turned into about 50, and 10 or so had to stand as the seats were spent. Thus I understood why it is recommended that tourist take the earlier bus. Because I was in the bulkhead, there was a horizontal railing by the doors attempting to push my knees up to my nose. This horizontal bar was an obvious spot for a standing passenger to lean against. It didn't take long for me to end up with a guy essentially on my lap. He started out just leaning against the bar and before you knew it he realized that my knees were far more comfortable. As if his butt on me wasn’t enough, another Nepali man decided my shoulder was a good resting place for his tail bone. All I could think about was 5 hours; just 5 hours…Yep I did it again. No such luck with the 5 hours…it ended up being 7 hours. By the time I got to Bharatpur where I was to get off the bus, I was covered in sweat, most of which was not mine, along with quite a bit of dust…..and I was tired and a little bit irritable. As I was preparing to step off the bus a Nepali man asked me at which hotel I would be staying. I responded that none, I was there to meet a gentleman by the name of Dr. Harish and all I had was the name of a hospital where I would find him. The man smiled and said “ Dr. Harish is a good friend of mine and I will take you to him”……ah my faith in humanity was restored. He walked across the street, grabbed his motorcycle and away we went to the hospital…(yes Landon I did get on the back of a motorcycle with a perfect stranger.) Within 5 minutes I was face to face with the famed and illusive Dr. Harish. What a trip!!! Here is an aside to the above story. I was in Bharatpur with Bishnu Adikari who is also a Choice employee. He decided that we should fly back to Kathmandu instead of taking the bus. I agreed. I paid about 4,800 rupees ($75.00 US) for my plane ticket. We boarded the plane at 3:46pm and arrived in Kathmandu at 4:11pm. A little quick math tells you that the trip which took me 7 hours in a bus took me just 15 minutes in a plane. I will be returning to Bharatpur in about 2 weeks and I think I will take the same bus again.

Dr. Harish’s family: Dr. Harish invited me to stay with he and his family while I was there. In all my visits to Nepal I have never really been a guest in a Nepali family’s home. I was a bit nervous about fitting in and being sensitive enough to their culture and beliefs. When I arrived I was introduced to Ayush his son, Abhinash a cousin, Amisha his daughter, Grandma, and an as sundry of other people that I was eventually able to understand how they fit into the picture. Ayush and Abhinash are cousins and best friends. They both speak really good English and we had a great time teaching each other words and sayings in each others respective languages. I was grateful for them, as they helped me understand what was going on around me. Amisha is just a cutie. She didn’t speak much English, at least not to me, but we laughed a lot together. She did a Nepali dance for me the first evening of my stay, but I didn’t have my camera at the time to record it. Ayush and Abhinash both like to sing, and they were excited to sing for me, especially when I pulled out the camera. I will try to post video of it. Late that first evening Dr. Harish, his wife, and Bishnu returned from meetings. I was able to be formally introduced and we sat in the living room talking. While they were talking in Nepali and I was off in my own world, I witnessed the most moving events ever. Around the corner into the living room came an elderly gentleman. I immediately figured out that it was the grandfather. He stopped in the middle of the floor and the young kids in the room jumped out of their seats and went over, bowed down in front of him and put their foreheads on his feet, then arose and went back to their seats. (In Nepal many show gratitude and respect for something by placing to their foreheads). I was so taken aback by this. I have yet to see such a powerful display of honor and respect as this, and its impact left me little other to think about the rest of that night as they spoke Nepali and I was lost in my thoughts. I know then that I was going to enjoy my stay with this amazing family.

Ground breaking ceremonies: We awoke early the next morning to go to the ground breaking ceremonies for the new hospital. This would be my first formal introduction to the hospital and to the people involved. The morning was overwhelming. I had no idea how significant of a project was going to be. Not only in size, but in impact it will have on the people of this and other areas of Nepal. It is a 700 bed hospital (very significant) and will be a teaching hospital. It will have a medical school and a nursing school associated with it. All in the entire project will cost in excess of $10 million US dollars, and a good portion of the funding is already in place. There must have been several hundred people there for the ceremony, including politicians, religious leaders, community leaders, medical providers etc. It was an amazing ceremony, and where I understood very little about what was going on, it was a privilege to be a part of it all.

Hours of discussions: Where I will not bore you with the minutia of our discussions and what my involvement and choice’s involvement will be, I will say that I was pleased to have the opportunity to participate in discussions with very intelligent and open minded individuals pertaining to future goals of the hospital as it relates to care for the extensive population of poor in Nepal. Additionally, it was gratifying to be able to provide a potential solution to the problem of the shortage of doctors in Nepal. Currently there is 1 doctor for about every 64,000 people…an atrocious figure. I was told that greater than 50% of doctors that are trained here in Nepal leave the country pursuing higher paying jobs in more developed countries resulting in this disastrous shortage of medical providers in this amazing country. I was able to present the idea of a mid-level provider to a group of individuals who were very open-minded and accepting of such a solution. The wheels for implementing such a program into their medical university have started in motion, howbeit very slowly. I would be happy to see such a program be started here in Nepal. There is such great potential with this hospital. I would not be telling the truth if I said that staying in Nepal to be more involved in this incredible project has not crossed my mind hundreds of times this past couple of days.

The Festival: There is a festival going on as I type this. It is called Tihar. I would be lying if I said I understood what it is all about. This is what I know…..Yesterday they paid tribute to dogs. Most of the stray dogs around town had flower lays around their necks and a tika on their brow. Today, they are to pay tribute to cows. In addition, there are Christmas type lights and strands of flowers up all over the place…..it is amazing to see. Children then go around singing in people’s doorways and they are given money for their songs (something similar to trick or treating maybe). There are firecrackers and what must be M80’s or quarter sticks of dynamite going off all over the place. The mood is definitely festive. People are partying in the streets and store owners have decorated their shops to the hilt. I have taken some pictures and will include them with this post.

In addition to all of this, part of the festival is that they construct these huge swings out of bamboo and rope. The kids decided this morning to take me to one such swing not far from their home. I sat and watched as they stood on the seat and got themselves going so amazingly high in the air. They were then doing these crazy tricks and showing off. Well it was my turn. Me thinking that I am 19 still….I jump onto the swing and start going. I am contemplating as to what kind of a crazy little trick I can do to outdo these young guys….so I decide that I will in mid-swing step off the swing seat, kick my feet out and slide down the ropes until I am in a sitting position on the swing seat, then perform a flying dismount like we did in elementary school. I think I must have left my good-judgment in the USA or at least in Kathmandu…..as this idea was certainly doomed from its inception. The stepping off the swing seat part went well. The sliding down the ropes with my bare hands is where things went terribly wrong. Before my hands had slid maybe 6 inches they were on fire. I don’t know what that rope was made of, but I had the worst rope burn going. I knew instantly there was no way I could ever keep holding on…..next thing I knew I was on my back in the dirt with hands that were on fire. I looked up to see the laughing faces of all the kids who had gathered to see the big, dumb American have a go at the swing. Trying to save what small portion of my pride which was left, I jumped up and laughed with the kids a little, then jumped onto the swing doing everything I could to hold onto the ropes with hands that were ablaze. Now, twelve hours later I can count 14 blisters on my fingers and 5 on my palms. Seriously, what was I thinking?

Off to Chitwan

I got a call last night and I am to leave Kathmandu this morning to head to the Chitwan area of Nepal to meet with Dr. Harish. It is about a 5 hour trip on bus, and where that is not to appealing, I am looking forward to getting out of Kathmandu. A week here is a long time. The Thamel area of Kathmandu is very crowded, full of street merchants, and street beggars. Some time away from all this will do my soul good. Chitwan is a jungle area and has amazing animals like elephants, rhinos, tigers, etc. I don’t know if I will have the opportunity to go on tour to see these animals, but I have never been to this part of Nepal and I am excited to go.

I do not know if I will have internet there, so am not certain if I will have the opportunity to write in the blog…but I will try. I have a lot to write about so when I get the chance, there will be a long entry.