I have heard it all….

I thought that after spending so much time here in Thamel that I certainly would have certainly heard every scam known to man, but today I heard a new one. What made it so shocking is that it was an older American woman dressed in monk’s robes doing the scamming…..She walked up to me and asked me if I was American. When I said yes, she showed me a handful of dollar bills that were all torn in half. After looking at the money it was apparent that no two halves matched to make a whole. She said that she needed rupees and that she would give me a torn half of a dollar for a dollars worth of rupees because I could take the torn half to a bank in the US and get a whole dollar in exchange. I was baffled and wondered if I had a sign on my back that said something like…I am stupid…or I am gullible….. Maybe I am completely wrong but I am pretty sure I can’t trade a torn half of a dollar for a whole dollar. I wish I could because I would be able to double my net worth immediately. Now that I have heard it all……it is time for me to return to the states.

Faces of Nepal

Saying Goodbye

I have spent the last couple of days saying goodbye to friends. I have had the opportunity to rekindle old friendship and make many new ones. I have been well taken care of here by many of those friends. Like I mentioned in the last entry it will be difficult to say good bye.

I had lunch yesterday with Ujjwal and his family. Ujjwal was one of the students in the school that we help build 6 years ago. He and I have kept in contact over the years and he is now preparing to finish officer training with the Nepal Army. Being an officer in the Army is one of the most prestigious jobs in Nepal, although it doesn’t pay very well. Ujjwal talked to me about the low pay and said it didn’t matter to him because his father had told him that having a son as an officer made him very proud…that is all that mattered to Ujjwal. He graduates in August and is currently at the top of his class. What a good guy.

Same, Same…but Different

This has become my favorite saying that they have here in Nepal. I hear it all the time and in the craziest situations. Last night I went to a restaurant and ordered a hot lemon with honey. When my drink arrived it was a hot ginger with honey. When I asked the waiter about it he said “same, same” then paused a few seconds and then in a softer voice said “but different” and walked away. They have t-shirts here with that saying on it…and I love it. It really is indicative of their kick back, easy going way of life. Most times the people here don’t get worked up over the small stuff (well except for that last driver who tried to kill us), and it is refreshing. On the other hand, a lot of time not much attention is paid to the details and that can be frustrating. So remember…no matter how similar…..or dissimilar two or more things are……same, same…but different.

One Week and Counting

I looked at the blog tonight and realized that I am about two weeks behind. I will be sure to get caught up today.

It hit me tonight how little time I have left here in Nepal. Next week at this time I will be back in the USA. It is certainly with mixed emotions that I have started packing and saying my goodbyes. My friend Jennie sent me a link to a blog being written by a doctor who is working in Guatemala. She had returned home to the USA for a short time for Christmas. She like anyone who spends time in a developing country aka “third world country” experienced the struggles of coping with the vastly different socioeconomic situations of the USA versus these developing countries. She said that it was challenging to see the vast wealth, spending, and indulgences without recognition of the injustice. Having been fortunate enough to travel quite a bit to developing countries, I have often felt the same. But I also know from past experience that I will gradually become desensitized to the “abundance” and slip back into my status quo of daily life….. a life where I spend on one meal what it would cost to send a child to school for a year in Nepal. It is a difficult balancing act to enjoy the bounties of life in the US whilst having the knowledge that there is so much poverty and need in a country you have grown to love. I have yet to learn how to find peace somewhere in the middle.

Over The Last Few Weeks

In an attempt to get “caught up” I will give you the readers digest condensed version of the past two weeks. Last I wrote I had just returned home from my trip to Badagaun. I was in Kathmandu only about 24 hours when I was off again. This time I was headed to Ganesh’s village with some Choice people too look at the potential of adding classrooms to the school there. As I wrote in a previous entry, there are more than 550 students in the school and they only have 10 classrooms. Some rooms have 65 students in them. Bekke, a friend of mine back in the USA read the blog, then emailed me and said she wanted to raise funds to help build additional classrooms. I went with Bishnu and Kiran to let them have the opportunity to evaluate the situation and make suggestions. It was a very productive trip and I think that we will be able to make a notable difference there.

I was back in Kathmandu only a few short days before I was supposed to head back to Besishahar for the inauguration of the school. During the short time in Kathmandu Lynn and I were able to go and do some shopping for Bharat. We found a great medical supply store that had most of what we needed. We were able to get him a year supply of catheters and sterile gloves, a back rest and several “doughnuts” to help with the bed sores, some dense foam pads to soften his wheel chair seat and back and then extra sheets and towels so he doesn’t have to be in constant contact with damp, dirty sheets, and then a myriad of other things to help make his life easier we hope. Finally we were able to have a triangle bar made that will be installed above his bed to allow him to do exercises and to eventually change positions by himself while in bed.

So after a few days of relaxing and getting caught up with some friends I was off once again with Kiran to Besishahar and then to Pasachaur. With all the recent travel, I have grown tired of traveling in overcrowded buses and vans. So I suggested to Kiran that we get a car and driver. Kiran was able to arrange a minivan and Kiran, his wife and sister-in-law, the school masters son and I were off. I can barely count how many times I have driven this same road since I have been here. I was hoping for an uneventful trip, but got something a little different. About 3 hours into the trip, the driver wanted to pull into a café to get something to eat. It is a café I have been to before and had no interest in eating there. Kiran and his family had eaten breakfast and they were not hungry either. The driver pushed the issue a little and then drove on. Suddenly he began driving erratically and very fast. He was accelerating into the turns, making crazy passes and downright scaring us. Kiran asked him to slow down a couple of times, but to no avail. He accelerated around a particularly sharp corner to find that a small landslide had left many rocks scattered on the road. Instead of slowing down like a sane person might do, he instead sped up hitting the rocks at a high speed. We made it to the other side of the rocks safely, but the van started making a horrible knocking noise. Again, a sane, normal person would stop to see what the cause of the noise was, but not this driver. We went for about 20 more minutes before pulling into a road side repair shop. It turns out that one of the rear shocks had been ripped from the frame by one of the rocks. As we waited for the van to be repaired we had a chance to talk with the head master’s son who was sitting in the front seat. He informed us that the reason the driver was driving so crazy was because we didn’t stop to eat dal bhat. Turns out the drivers get a commission from the roadside restaurants when they bring their passengers to eat. By us not eating, he missed out on about 200.00Rs or about $3.00US and that made him furious. The stupidity of that scenario baffles me. The funny thing is that because of his tempter, not only was he out the 200.00Rs he missed out on from the commission, but he also had to pay to get his van fixed. The good news was that during the time it took for the van to be fixed, he had clamed down and the rest of the drive to Besishahar was relatively mellow. He got even with us though later in the day when we asked him to drive us a short distance further than originally agreed, and although he was going in that direction anyway, he refused to give us a ride. The whole scenario was quite humorous looking back on it.

We made the quick 30 minute walk to Pasachaur to find the inauguration celebrations in full force. We had missed out on the dance competition and other events, but not too late to get involved with the celebrations. It was good to be with the people of Pasachaur once again. I wasn’t there even 2 minutes when I felt a tug on one of my fingers and when I looked down I found my little friend. He was my constant companion when I was in the village with the women and now again he was by my side. He doesn’t say much, he just looks at me and smiles a lot.

We were invited to stay in the home of the Bhandari family. They are a very kind young family who went above and beyond to make us feel comfortable. They have three children a daughter who is 16 and two sons one 14 and one 12. On my first visit to the village with the choice expedition the mother of this family came to us concerned because her 12 year old son had a severe headache. After talking with Saroj (the son) it was clear that he was suffering from a migraine. It was his first ever, but as classic as they come. Being a migraine sufferer myself I know how miserable this can be. I remember my first migraine. I am not sure exactly how old I was, but I think maybe 6. If my memory serves me right, it took my parents a while to believe me that pain was as severe as I said it was. But once they did they were great to take care of me when a migraine came on. My mom would massage my temples and keep a cool compress over my eyes. I was able to give Saroj some Tylenol and do for him the things my mom did for me. The next morning he was back to normal and his mother was of course very grateful that he was okay.

The Bhandari Family

The next day we spent the entirety of the day at the school for the inauguration. Much to my dislike I was one of the guests of honor and was treated with an over abundance of favor and attention. To make matters worse the local government officials and the directors of the other NGO involved in the school were all very late, so the villagers had only me to dote upon. Once all the guest had arrived the ceremony started. Little did I know at the time it started that it would last for 7 hours. The government officials in Nepal love to talk (sounds just like government officials in the US), and talk they did. Unbeknownst to me Kiran took a picture of me about 5 hours into the ceremony. I have the glazed over appearance of someone who has long since become bored and mentally detached from the moment….and that it how I was.

5 hours into ceremony…with all my garb

To make matters worse there were quite a few government officials present at the meeting. Right now in Nepal there are 7 recognized parties. They all have to be recognized in order for one party to not feel left out. This means that even the Maoist have to be included, which always infuriates me. I have been to quite a few ceremonies where the Maoists are present and I go out of my way to avoid them. To make matters worse at this particular ceremony, the Maoist leader was someone that Kiran knew.

About two weeks prior to this ceremony Kiran had invited me to a memorial service for a friend and fellow school teacher who was taken out of his classroom one day about 5 years ago by some Maoists, was walked up the hill behind the school, and was slain. I am not certain that I understand why, but the Maoists have a particular interest in school teachers and they go out of their way to harass them and extort money from them. If the Maoist even think that the school teachers do not support them or their cause, the will kill them with no second thought. Kiran was once a school teacher, but after the death of his friend and fearing for his life, he fled to Kathmandu to get away from the Maoists.

As the ceremony droned on, Kiran leaned over to me and told me that the Maoist leader that was sitting at his side was in fact the man responsible for the slaying of his friend 5 years back. I cannot tell you how badly that infuriated me. I could barely stay in my seat as I wanted to walk over and pound this pathetic little man as he sat there so pompous and proud. Knowing that it would not be in anyone’s best interest, I resorted to dagger stares and looks that could kill.

When the ceremony came to a close, we were once again invited to stay with the Bhandaris. We had originally planned only to stay one night in the village, but due to the length of the ceremony, there was not time for us to leave. Word quickly spread that we were staying another night and before long plans were made for singing and dancing. This was devastating news for me, because I knew it meant that I would have to spend my evening dancing, not just observing….and I can tell you that me dancing is not a pretty sight. Sure enough once the dinner of dal bhat was finished out came the drums and the villagers started arriving.

During our previous stay in the village with the choice expedition, the women and I were asked to dance over and over. The Nepali style of dance is VERY different from anything I have ever seen or done, and to be quite honest it is very difficult for me to dance. I usually start dancing Nepali style and before long and doing some retarded free style dance. During one of the dances the women and I started dancing the Macarena. One of the guys named Uttam came out and started dancing with us and before long had the dance down (not like it is a hard dance to learn).

Uttam and Kiran in the village. Note the tika powder all over Kiran

While we were away, he had taught it to some other people and now he wanted me to dance it with him. Had I known that he would remember it and like it, I would have found the music and brought it back with me. I have since found the cd and will send it back to the village with Kiran so he can experience the Macarena with the actual music and not just drums.

The next morning we departed the village and I headed for Pokhara and Kiran to his village. I wanted to go back to Pokhara for a few days to spend some time with Dilip and his family and recoup a little after being back in a village. Plus I needed to kill a couple of days before I was to meet the Tophams yet again in Damauli to go and visit Bharat and his family one last time and deliver some items that we had purchased (thanks to some money that Ben and Megan had sent) to help make his life a little more bearable and hopefully comfortable. My time in Pokhara was great. I was able to hang out with Dilip and his family and eat some good food.

Two days later I met up with the Tophams and we headed to Pokhari Bhanjyage with the back of the car full of items for Bharat. It was great to find him sitting outside in his wheel chair in the sun. He said he was feeling much better and actually stronger from the exercises we had taught him.

Bharat and his wife in front of their home

Bharat’s bed where he spends most of his days

We showed him the stuff we had brought and explained how it was to be used. If he uses everything we brought I am confident that he will be free of bed sores and UTIs, and that he will be far more comfortable in his day to day life. We then pulled his wife aside and talked to her about the idea of providing her with a micro loan to start a little store out of their home. She started to cry and said that she had wanted to do this, but she didn’t know where she would get the money to do it. She went on to say that there are two other stores within about an hour or twos walk from her home, but that both were closing down and the villagers need a store. It was almost providential. We talked through the details and picked a location to “build” a small room for the store off of their front porch. It will be idea as Bharat will be able to wheel himself right into the store and all the items will be within reach for him.

After talking to his wife, we went out and told Bharat of the idea and asked him what he thought. He too, got teary eyed and said that he liked the idea very much. He said it would allow him to help provide for his family and that made him very happy…which is exactly what we had hoped for.

We think it would take less than $1,000 US dollars to build the room and buy the inventory to get them started. Several people emailed me after reading the post about Bharat and asked if they could donate money. This would be a perfect opportunity for anyone to donate if they wish. You can email me at travel.pa@gmail.com if you would like to donate and I can give you the information on how to get money to Nepal Hope.

When we had finished talking with Bharat and his family I told them that I would not see them for a long while as I would be leaving for the US soon. Both he and his wife got teary eyed once again and I could not help joining them. They are amazing people and I am grateful that I was able to cross paths with them.

Someone pointed out the other day that
I dont have any pictures of me on the blog.
Well, here it is....

Me in the village with the Waterfalls

The teacher's wife preparing dal bhat















A teacher standing infront of the "greenhouse" where they are growing tomatoes





















The foundation for the woman's center





















A woman collecting water from one of the tap stands

Enjoying the morning sun





















The smiling baby buffalo
















Not sure what he is doing, but anytime I tried to take a picture of him, he put his fingers around his eyes





















contemplating the universe

Clouds pouring over the mountains surrounding the Kathmandu Valley








The Mirco bus being fixed the second time








Sunset from Badagaun

Badagaun and beyond

After a big meal of dal bhat we retired for the night. It was load shedding and so there were no lights. Kiran and I were shown to the small spare room which held three single beds. The beds here are different from what we use in the US. Here they have thin cotton mats placed on hardwood tablets. Often times I have woken up with bruises on my body from sleeping on these very hard beds. The beds Kiran and I were provided were better than most and we had a relatively comfortable nights rest. In the morning we were greeted with a breakfast of a hard boiled egg and some tea. I was grateful for the smaller meal, as I am not typically a big breakfast eater. After breakfast we took a tour of this small branch of the village. Choice and LDS charities had done a water project in this village previous to doing the school project. We were told that since the completion of the water project the villagers had started producing vegetables. They have been so successful in this endeavor that every household make enough money from the sales of the vegetables to be self-sufficient. We were shown their crops and their “greenhouse” where they grew tomatoes. They showed us the foundation for the new women’s center they are constructing. I was amazed at the ingenuity of these amazing people.

After our tour of the village we returned to the teacher’s home. Much to my dismay, the breakfast I had eaten earlier was only a snack and the real meal of dal bhat was awaiting us. I might not have mentioned before that the meal of dal bhat is not a small one. The rice is piled high and there is a more than sufficient amount of everything else. I have yet to eat a meal of dal bhat and not walked away feeling ready to explode. Upon finishing our second breakfast for the day we went back to the school and spent time talking with the teachers and the students. I was able to have a good conversation with Santosh about his studies and what he wants to do in life. He is a good person and a good friend. On our way back to Besishahar we stopped and talked with his family for a while. As one might expect, they are good people just like their son. I enjoyed listening to his mothers gloat about how much they love and appreciate him.

By the time we got out of the village it was late in the day and a trip to Pasachaur was out of the question for me as I was to meet the Tophams, Ramesh and the Christensens in Dumre the next day at noon. We decided that the next morning we would part ways and Kiran would go to Pasachaur to check on the school and I would meet the group in Dumre. Spending the night Besishahar is always an adventure. It lacks both a good hotel and a good restaurant, but meets the basic needs of food and shelter. We stayed once about 7 years ago with the Tophams and others from a choice expedition is a hotel that continues to hold the record for the worst hotel in which I have ever stayed. We have since found a hotel that is a fair amount better with a restaurant that is typically decent. That was up till this trip that is….It all started with dinner. I have always found that fried rice is a safe meal here in Nepal. If I am someplace where I don’t know the food, I go for the fried rice. Being a little extra hungry I ordered fried rice, french onion soup and garlic nan. The French onion soup came out first. The first spoonful was good. The second spoonful had a bug in it that looked a lot like a centipede. The third was the killer when it came out with whole raw egg yolk. Now I don’t mind the bug…it is protein, but the raw egg yolk was more than I could handle. I asked the waiter to talk to the chef and see what the deal was. The response was that French onion soup has raw eggs in it…..interesting eh? Well then came the fried rice….it was fried and fried again…until it was black. The kicker was the garlic nan...when it came out it was nan that cut open with chunks or raw garlic in it. It was by far the worst meal I have had in Nepal.

When it came time for bed I crawled under the quilt provided by the hotel since I didn’t have my sleeping bag. I immediately noticed that the quilt reeked of body odor. If I dared bring the quilt close to my face, I would start getting nauseous. Several times during the night I woke up feeling sick to my stomach and realized that I had pulled the quilt up to my face in an attempt to keep warm. The bad news is that is the best hotel in town and I will be there again this next week.

The next morning I caught a bus to Dumre to meet up with the group. We were headed to Pokhari Bhanjyage to check on the water project, but more importantly to check on Bharat. Like I mentioned before we were bring a physical therapist with us to teach Bharat and his family some exercises. We arrived in the village and were greeted by many of the friends we had made while staying in the village. It was great to see them all again. When we arrived at Bharat’s home his wife informed us that he was in bed sick with yet another UTI. Despite being so sick and feverish he was awaiting our visit and excited to learn the exercises. In addition we spent considerable time talking to his wife and son about the Foley catheter and how to reduce the number of UTIs. We learned that his wife was a village health care worker prior and as such she has quite a bit of experience talking care of sick people.

As the conversation progressed his wife opened up and told us of their mounting financial challenges. She told us that no matter how hard she works she just can’t seem to make ends meet. Bharat told us how he felt like a burden and a disappointment to his family. It was an incredibly difficult conversation to have with them. As we were driving back to Kathmandu we discussed in depth the need for Bharat to have something to look forward to in his life, something that would make him feel like he is a contributing part of the family and something that would help boost his self worth. We discussed ideas like making straw mats, or hats but this would require months and months of rehab on his hands before he would be able has such dexterity. We then came up with the idea of supplying a micro loan for him and his family to start a small grocery store out of one room of their home. In the villages the stores are small and typically occupy one small room of a home. They are stocked with the bare essentials needed in everyday life. The nearest store to their home is about a 20 minute walk, and right around their home are probably 30 homes. It might not produce a great deal of income, but enough to help and the greatest benefit would be giving Bharat something to occupy his time and something to help him contribute again. We determined that for as little as $300.00 they could convert the room and buy the inventory needed to get the store off the ground. Ramesh will present the idea to the family and see if it is something they might be interested in.

While the physical therapist and I were in talking with Bharat and his family, a relatively new born baby was brought to Lynn Topham. The baby was born with severely clubbed feet. Lynn’s heart melted and a now just a short time later she has already found a hospital and a surgeon to take care of the baby’s feet. Lynn is a great lady and she and Sam do amazing things here in Nepal.

After we had finished with Bharat and his family we were preparing to head back to Kathmandu when my friend Bishnu Thapa said that he had a gift for me. We had met Bishnu when we were staying in the village with the Waterfalls. He is maybe 23 years old and one of the hardest workers I have even seen. He has a huge crush on Liz Waterfall and tells everyone he has an American girlfriend. He is the epitome of a Nepali…he is kind, generous, industrious, and loves to sing and dance. He is one of the drummers in the local group of boys that plays music whenever dancing is going on. I walked with him to his home where he presented me with a drum that he and some of his friends had made for me. It is hand made using a hand carved hardwood for the ring and then animal skin as the cover. They then painted an “OM” symbol on the cover. It is an amazing gift that I cherish greatly.

The drive home was uneventful for us. We had decided to use Baudre, a driver that we know well and trust implicitly. We did however come across an accident that had just occured. A small pickup truck somehow lost control, slammed into a rock and cement barrier and hung precariously over the side of a cliff. The driver was standing in the road considering his quandary. He was lucky the barrier was there as it was the only thing that saved him from plunging 1,000 feet to the river below.

“Power Shedding”

It has become increasingly difficult access the internet here to post on the blog as the government recently increased its “power shedding” aka "load shedding" or rolling blackouts as we would call it from 6 hours a week to 36 hours a week. There is an extreme power shortage in Nepal and this is what is required to deal with it. There is talk of increasing to 11 hours a day in the next month or two. Amazingly people here take it in stride. Most businesses have generators and in the homes most people cook with either gas or wood. The hotel I am staying in has a generator, but it only powers 2 small lights in the room, none of the outlets. An additional challenge in posting is that there is no internet when the power is out. So, I will try diligently to get caught up over the next couple of days.

Two weeks and counting

It is amazing how fast the time has gone by. I will be returning home two weeks from today. It of course is with mixed emotions that I start the preparations for the trip back. Someone asked me last week why it is so hard for me to leave Nepal. I guess the simple answer is that I am afraid that when I get home I will get an eight to five job(which I haven’t had in…well I don’t think I have ever had an eight to five job that I can remember) and that I will get stuck in the grind and never get out. Traveling and humanitarian work has been such a big part of my life and I don’t know how to envision my life without it. There is a big part of me that would like to live here in Nepal and again getting into the grind might thwart that desire. So I guess that is the simple of “why it is with mixed emotions that I am returning home.”

Back in Kathmandu

I always love traveling with Kiran. We always do everything “Nepali” style and this trip was no exception. Last week someone mentioned that I need to add more details to the blog and that more pictures might be good also. So here is a detailed accounting of the trip to Badaguan, Pasachaur and then Pokhari Bhanjyage (the village where the Waterfalls did their water project and where Bharat lives). We were to leave at seven in the morning and planned to take a micro bus. Kiran had purchased the tickets the night before, but when we arrived we were informed that since they weren’t sure we would actually use the tickets we had purchased the night before, they had given our seats away. We waited for the next micro and by seven thirty we were ready to go. The concept of “purchasing a seat” apparently doesn’t mean what it might mean in the US. Indeed I had a seat, but on a seat that was made for 3 at the most, there were five of us. To only add to the discomfort is the fact that here in Nepal most people don’t have hot water in their homes and so showers don’t happen as frequents as they otherwise might. I was fortunate to be sitting between Kiran and a window, so there were no immediate odd smells.

In a van that was designed to seat ten, we at times had nineteen people inside and several on the roof. The road from Kathmandu to Besishahar is only about 100 Kilometers (62 miles), yet it takes about 5 hours to travel that distance. Although the road is the main highway that winds its way through Nepal, it is rough and narrow. I have never traveled the road and not seen at least two accidents.

I am constantly reading in the local paper about bus accident with massive fatalities. When all seats and standing room is gone in a bus, then passengers climb on top. This combined with the narrow, mountainous roads and the lack of enforced driving laws is a perfect recipe for disasters that are regularly seen. Last week I read a story about a group of young students who were on a field trip. During the time the driver was waiting to take the students back home, he decided to get drunk. When it was time to leave, the principal and the teachers realized the driver was drunk. They forced him to eat a slice of lemon, thinking that it would make him immediately sober. They then forced him into the driver’s seat and made him drive them home. The results were of course disastrous. A short time later they were involved in an accident and the principal, the teacher(s), and quite a few students were killed.

About three weeks ago I went to Pokhari Bhanjyage with Ramesh and the Tophams. We had rented a vehicle and driver for the day. It was a driver that none of us had used before and we immediately realized that he was not one of the better drivers we have had. Things were particularly bad on the return visit after we spent the day in the village. The driver was using extremely poor judgment and was all over the road. We came around one corner to see a group of people walking along side of the road with large loads of wood upon their backs. I noticed that he was getting very close to them and just as I was about to say something there was a loud bang that came from the rear side of the car. Fortunately, the car had just grazed the pedestrian and he was able to continue on unharmed. That was the second time during the day that this driver had hit a pedestrian. Both were fortunately minor, but concerning none-the-less We assumed at the time that it was due in part to lack of experience and part to driving in the dark, but later found that the driver had been drinking.

Aside from breaking down twice along the way, we arrived without incident to Besishahar. We grabbed a quick lunch and went on our way towards Badagaun. This is a village that I was fortunate to spend time in about 5 years ago. We were involved with the building of a four room school building. It is also where my friend Santosh lives. I was excited to return and see the completed school and also to see people that I had not seen for so many years. The walk into Badagaun is amazing. You walk through the country side winding your way through the century old terraces that the villages continue to use to grow their crops. As we were walking, Kiran pointed up ahead and said “look they are carrying someone to the hospital”. Coming towards us was a group of men carrying a stretcher followed by women and younger children. As they got closer I suggested that we offer help even though I did not have my first aid kit, I thought perhaps we could be of some assistance. Kiran insisted that it was better if we did not get involved. He said that if the man was to die, it would be us who would be blamed. One thing I have learned here is that you do not want to be responsible for someone’s death especially when you are the driver of a vehicle.

On another trip from Kathmandu to Pokhari Bhanjyage, we saw a group of people standing along the road looking over the steep cliff alongside. We knew immediately that a vehicle had gone over the edge. We stopped to see if we could offer any assistance, and saw that it was a large truck that was on its side about 200 feet down. Ramesh asked what had happened and was told that a day or two prior this truck had struck and killed a small child. The driver fearing for his life intentionally drove the truck off the cliff. He jumped out just before the truck went over and fled. The police eventually caught him. Later that day as we were returning from the village we came to a stand still in traffic. It turns out that the family of the child was protesting and had blocked the road. They wanted to meet with the driver face to face to negotiate a settlement for killing the child. The family ended up blocking traffic for 8 to 10 hours a day for three days. We were lucky in that we only had to wait about 3 hours on the last day and a settlement was reached. On many levels the driver was lucky to be in police custody as often time a driver that is responsible for hitting a pedestrian is immediately pulled from his vehicle and beaten by the local villagers. It is not uncommon for the vehicle to be set on fire and destroyed. As I have read story after story in the newspaper about such tragedies and about the ultimate settlements it seems that about 600,000rs is the going rate which is about $9,500us.

I decided long ago that I would implicitly trust the judgment of my Nepali friends like Kiran, Bishnu and Ramesh. And although it went against every instinct within me, I could only watch as the group carried this young, unconscious man down the long trail to Besishahar. As they passed Kiran asked what had happened and was only told that the man had fallen. Upon arriving to Badagaun we learned that he had actually tried to hang himself from a tree.

Upon arriving into Badagaun we were met by Santosh and the school teachers. The students had planned a big welcome for us, but because of the micro bus breaking down we were very late and school was over for the day. None-the-less there were tikas and flower leis aplenty. We spent a about an hour touring the school grounds and the building we had helped build years earlier and then were invited to stay the night in the home of one of the school teachers. After about a 30 minute walk we arrived at a cluster of homes which included the home of the teacher. We were given more flower leis and handfuls of fresh flowers and then invited to sit and talk with the villagers. We sat in chairs as the villagers sat on grass mats on the ground in front of us. I have always found it difficult to accept and am very uncomfortable with the near adoration that the villagers bestow on us when we are with them. They always provide us the best seats, the best food, the best accommodations, the warmest blankets and on and on and this trip was no exception. I was grateful that when it came time to eat dal bhat, I was invited to sit on the floor in the kitchen with the rest of the family.

Dal bhat is the staple meal here in Nepal. Dal is lentils and bhat is rice. So the main course of the meal is rice with a lentil soup poured over the top. There are then other items that most commonly go with the rice and lentils and include spinach, a curry of some sort, and a spicy dish called “pickle”. On special occasion there might be meat of some sort whether it be chicken, mutton or buffalo. Nepalis typically eat only two meals a day, one in the morning at about ten and another at night at about seven and it is typically dal bhat. I have asked many people what their favorite meal is and I have never gotten any response other than dal bhat.

To be continued…..

Hitting the Road

I leave tomorrow to first head to Badagaun, then to Pasachaur and then to visit Bharat and his family. Badagaun is the village that Santos is from. I told him when we were in Pokhara that I would come and visit him and his village. I have wanted to see the school that we worked on years ago. Kiran and I will go there first and spend the night and then move on to Pasachaur. That is the village that the women from the choice expedition and I spent time in. We will check on the progress of the school there and spend time with the villagers. On Friday I will meet up with the Tophams and Ramesh in Dumre to head back to visit Bharat. There is a missionary here in Kathmandu who is a physical therapist. He is coming with us to evaluate Bharat and to teach him and his family some exercises to help him regain his upper body strength. I will write more when I return on Saturday.

To Pokhara

Although we were well taken care of in the village, I think we were all about ready to leave when the time came. We had been 4 days without showers, we worked hard on the project and all the tall people had very sore heads. The villagers were beyond impressed with the amount of work that the Waterfalls had done while in the village. There were ditches and deep holes that were dug, rocks that were moved at the “source” of their water supply, and the meals that were cooked along side of the village women. A hot shower, a nights sleep in a relatively soft bed, and walking upright indoors awaited us in Pokhara.

On a previous trip to Nepal I had done a trek with some friends. We randomly walked into one of the hundreds of trekking agencies in Pokhara and were assigned a guide and ended up with Dilip, who is without a doubt the best trekking guide in Nepal. I have referred several people to him, and I know all would agree that he is amazing. Not only does he know everything and everyone associated to trekking in Nepal, he is ever aware of everyone’s needs before, during and after the trek and is right there to meet them. He did not let us down when it came to selecting a hotel for us. Except for the occasional cold shower (sorry Megan) and getting our clean laundry back a little smellier than the dirty laundry we had sent for cleaning the day before…..it was…perfect. A twin bed never felt as good as that first night at the hotel in Pokhara.

The next two days was spent preparing for the trek. We had decided to trek the Annapurna conservation area also known as the Ghoripani-Ghandruk trek. This is the same trek I did years ago. It is an absolutely amazing trek that takes you up and through the Annapurna Mountains. I was as excited to do the trek the second time as I was the first time. As I remembered back to the trek all I could think of were the seemingly never-ending steps the first and second days. The worst being from a small village called Tikheadunga to another small village called Ulleri. One map says there are 3,280 steps between the villages. That doesn’t count the steps prior to, or after, the two villages.

Three hours into the trek we came upon a Maoist check point. It is there that all passing trekkers must pay “voluntary contribution” to their organization. They deceptively claim that the money goes to support the local villages and villagers. It is nothing short of extortion and paying it angered me. The Waterfalls were kind enough to pay the expenses of having me tag along with them through Nepal including this fee….which on many levels made paying the Maoists even worse.

There is much I could write pertaining to the trek…. including the amazing views, the not-so-amazing tuna fish pizza, and the great company. And maybe some time I will, but for now I will only talk about spending Christmas morning high atop Poon Hill watching the sunrise. I doubt that I am capable of coming up with the words to justly describe the scene, but I can say this…..it was one of the most breathtaking scenes I have witnessed in my life and it was made even better being there with such good friends. For a brief moment that Christmas morning I didn’t miss my family and friends back home as I was perfectly content to be right where I was.

The short of it all is that we made it. There were times that we struggled, there were times we were able to relax and take in the amazing scenery, there were great games of GOLF (thanks Ryan and Shannon), there were great conversations along the trail, and there was laughter….and of course we made fun of Mark as much as possible.

For the second time on the trip I think we were all happy to head to Pokhara to recover. We spent just about 24 hours there eating good food and sleeping in a soft bed.

We flew from Pokhara to Kathmandu which was a great thing. It is a 6 to 7 hour drive to get from Pokhara to Kathmandu and a 25 minute flight to travel the same distance. As always for me returning to Kathmandu was like going home. There continues to be something about this place that draws me to it….

The Waterfalls had two and a half days left in Nepal. The Waterfalls had brought quite a few wood trucks and cars and dolls. They handed many of them out in the village, but saved some to give away at an orphanage in Kathmandu. Ramesh and the Tophams had worked with one orphanage in particular so we went there to spend time with the kids and to give them the toys. In all of my travels and with the fair amount of humanitarian work that I have done, I have never been to an orphanage. It was with incredibly mixed emotions that I sat there talking and playing with the children. On one hand I felt horrible that these kids were without families but on the other hand they were lucky that they had this place to live and people to care for them. One of the things that you will notice right away in Thamel is the number of homeless street children. It is heartbreaking to see these homeless children. Most have become addicted to “huffing” a myriad of different substances....maybe to keep them warm, or maybe to get them through another day not having to think about their plight…. At least these kids in the orphanage had food to eat, a roof over their heads, access to a good educations.

At one point some of the kids were singing and dancing for us. It was then that I felt a tap on my shoulder. A young boy, who was maybe 9 or 10 years old, took me by the hand and led me downstairs to what I assumed was his bed. He sat down and indicated that he wanted me to do the same. So I sat….. and for maybe 15 minutes we sat together on the bed his small hand clutching two of my fingers. Nothing was said, nothing needed to be. He would occasionally glance over at me and smile, and then he would go back to looking out the window. Then as if some inherent need was suddenly filled he stood up and led me back upstairs to join the group. We played for a while longer and then left to head to a children’s library that the Tophams started. The Waterfalls had brought children’s books to donate.

For their last full day in Nepal we did a city tour of Kathmandu. We visited the “typical” tourist sights and overall it was an uneventful day. EXCEPT for one event that about made me wet myself from laughing so hard. Let me start by saying that Ben is one of the toughest guys I know. He is constantly doing all these million mile bike rides, marathons, triathlons etc…. But at this moment he was anything other than tough…..Here is what happened. There is a temple high atop a mountain here in Kathmandu called Swayabhunath also known as ‘monkey temple’ (because of all the monkeys that call it home). As I always do I told the Waterfalls to be careful of carrying anything in their hands, especially food, as the monkeys are notorious for running up and grabbing the items and stealing them. I still am not sure exactly how the whole thing went down, but this is what I do know. Ben was trying to discretely move a snickers bar from one pocket to another (or something like that). The next thing I knew I heard a scream that resembled that of a terrified 10 year old girl, and I looked over to see Ben with a monkey latched on to his chest. Ben was dancing in circles tripping over a small monument trying to get away from the Monkey. The Monkey then jumped off Ben and scampered high atop a monument with the snickers bar in hand, carefully peeled off the wrapper, and proceeded to eat the candy bar bite by bite. It was without a doubt one of the funniest things I have ever seen. I still laugh about it every time I think about it.

Village Continued

The Village continued….

By far my favorite part of taking a group of Americans into a village to participate in a project is watching the relationships form between people from two different cultures, with two different languages, different religions, different taste in foods and most importantly different perspectives of the world. This trip was no exception.

The villagers went above and beyond to welcome us and accommodate us….and we in return felt right at home. We were invited into the villagers homes, we sat by the campfire at night and were entertained with singing and dancing, we were given endless gifts of oranges and bananas, and we had endless amounts of attention from kids in the village. That is not to say, that things were not sometimes difficult. The outhouse style bathroom with a ‘squatty potty’ toilet challenged even the most avid outdoorsman of the group. The creatures that came out at night and ran around the rooms where we were sleeping on the floor kept some awake…while Ryan just rolled over and smashed the mouse that was crawling on his arm. Then of course there were the meals that the villagers graciously and happily cooked for us that sometimes contained items that we are not accustomed to eating. But at the end of our stay those things were not important….instead addresses were exchanged, gifts given and tears were shed….so many close relationship created in four short days.

Bharat Thapa
One of the village ladies invited Megan to her home. It was there that Megan met the woman’s husband who was wheelchair bound. He had fallen out of a tree about 18 months earlier and suffered a spinal cord injury and is now a paraplegic. Megan being the tenderhearted person she is, was immediately taken with this man and his plight. She came back and told us that she wanted him to come down to sit by the fire with us later that night so he could at least be present for the celebrations. Later that night when we returned to get Bharat, he was laying in bed too tired and sick to join us. It was a heart breaking scene….this man lying on a hard bed, in a room with no heat, too weak to join us for the evening.

I had the opportunity to return to the village a few days after the Waterfalls left Nepal. Having discussed with Megan possible needs Bharat might have, we decided to bring some rudimentary exercise equipment so he could work his hands and arms as they are becoming quite atrophied. Ramesh and I went to his home to deliver the equipment. We found Bharat sitting in his wheelchair in the small area in front of his house. His wife was out gathering feed for the goats and his mother was sitting on the porch grinding corn by spinning one large stone on the top of another. I sat and listened to him tell the story of falling out of the tree and of how drastically it has changed his life. He is an intelligent man and was at one time one of the leaders in the village. He was respected by all and was an example to all. He was one of the first men in the village to suggest to his wife to participate in a womans group so the women might have increased independence and more of a say in the happenings of the village. He went back and forth between English and Nepali as he spoke and when he said something in Nepali I waited impatiently for Ramish to translate. He told us of how guilty he felt that his wife had to work so hard tending to the crops, feeding the animals, cooking, cleaning, taking care of their two boys, and on and on….

Just as he had finished telling us the story his wife retuned with a huge load of branches and leaves on her back. Once she got the goats fed and settled for the night she came and joined us as we sat in the late afternoon sun talking to this amazing man. We asked what we might do to help them….she quickly responded “nothing”. She said that so many people had already helped them and she had no idea how she would ever be able to pay them back. When asked what the greatest health challenge Bharat faces, she informed us it was the constant urinary tract infections from the catheter he constantly has to have in place. She told us that she had gotten training on how to change them herself, but that they could not change them as frequently as necessary because of the prohibitive cost of the Foley catheters. Ramish and I dug what money we had out of our pockets and offered it to her to help cover the costs for at least a few months….she refused to accept it. We finally convinced him to take it. We put the rolled up bills into his withered, semi-functioning left hand and promised him we would be back to visit again.

As we drove down the long dirt road from the village to Damauli, the town down below, the Tophams, Ramesh and I could talk of nothing other than what we could do to help this incredible man. I have thought about him often over the last couple of days. It is yet another one of those times when I wish I had an endless supply of money so I might help better this man’s life.

Bharat and his wife infront of their home

The whole group in Bandipur














Nancy being greeted by the villagers














The great Ben dancing his heart out

Views from Bandipur














The 'human powered' Feris Wheel














Nancy looking out of The Old Bandipur Inn















Some of the group in Bandupur

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

Let me start by wishing everyone a belated Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. I have wanted to write sooner, but my life over the past few weeks has been beyond busy, and also I have been in places where internet was not available. The Waterfalls have since left, and I have been back to the village where we did the water project and also down to Chitwan. I arrived back in Kathmandu yesterday making today the first day that I have had time to relax and to write. I am currently sitting at a small restaurant across the street from my hotel called New Orleans Café. They provide free internet, but charge for electricity if you use it. The food is great and the icing on the cake is that they have some indoor seating with a small gas heater to keep me warm.

Much has happened over the past two weeks, and as before, I find it daunting to write a detailed accounting of all that has occurred. I will attempt to write chronologically, focusing on the most significant, particularly funny, or strange occurrences.

Truth be told, the Waterfalls coming to Nepal is the main reason that I am here. I met the Waterfalls about 18 months ago while leading a group to Kenya for Choice Humanitarian. Scott and Nancy came with several of their children. It didn’t take long for me to feel a strong connection to this family. As we were leaving Kenya we talked about planning a trip to Nepal. That was the genesis of my trip here, and the timing was perfect for me to come early and spend more time in Nepal. It was then that I was contacted by Bishnu and asked to help out with the Hospital. Everything fell into place perfectly.

Organizing the Waterfall’s stay in Nepal was a huge undertaking that was only made possible through the help and support of friends, both long time friends and new friends, here in Nepal. I have been to Nepal on several other occasions and have been fortunate to keep in contact with many people I have met previously. I have been equally fortunate this trip as I have made new friends who have quickly become my protectors, my confidants and my supporters. As I look ahead to my departure, I am certain that it will be very difficult to say good-bye to these people.

In as much as I will mention these people as I write about the last few weeks, I will briefly introduce these people.

I have written previously about Ganesh. He has become a great friend and quickly became an important part of organizing the Waterfall’s stay here in Nepal. He took it upon himself to assure that they were comfortable, safe and happy while here.

Sam and Lynn Topham are an American couple that I met years ago here in Nepal. They came here first as missionaries, then since have started their own NGO called Nepal Hope, and live here 6 months out of the year. They are around 70 years old and are as active as someone in their 30’s. They have quickly made it onto my list of greatest heroes. They have a Nepali man by the name of Ramesh Adhakari who co-directs the NGO with them. He is one of those people that you can’t help but be drawn to. He is driven, smart and well respected by all.

Ruben, Ravi and Summit are three guys that I met one day while touring a historical site in Kathmandu. They work as tour guides there. I was with Rich and Nyge at the time and we decided to use their services. I have since become friends with them. They are good guys….a bit on the wild side, but they have helped me quite a bit. It is thanks to them that all our food, sleeping pads, pillows, and supplies for the water system made it to the village.

Dilip is a trekking guide who led our trek when I was here in 2003. He lives in Pokhara and is another one of those great people that I am very lucky to know. He has helped me out with several groups that I have taken to that area.

Waterfall’s arrival

Ganesh and I went to the airport to meet the Waterfalls. He was excited to be a part of this adventure. He has mentioned on many occasions that he would love to work for a NGO doing things to help his fellow Nepalis. So it seemed like to perfect opportunity for him to get involved with this whole experience...

The plane arrived on time, but the group took forever to make it through immigration and customs. In the time that we waited we befriended one of the police officers that guards the airport and controls traffic. I asked him about the automatic rifle he had slung over his shoulder and the conversation went from there. When he found that I was meeting a family of 11 from the US he told me not to worry about all the very aggressive taxi drivers and men that want to help with your bags…weather the help is wanted or not. He said he would protect the Waterfalls…. When most of the people from the flight had come out and the Waterfalls were no where to be seen, I grew a little concerned. He told me not to worry and ushered us into the airport so we could find them. We ended up finding them just coming out of customs and much to my surprise it turns out that all of their bags had arrived. It was good to be with the Waterfalls in Nepal after so many months of planning.

First night

After getting the group to the hotel, we decided to head out to do some shopping for sleeping bags. You can buy really nice down North Face sleeping bags here for about $40.00. After making our way through Thamel going in and out of the myriad of outdoor equipment stores (probably 5+ per block) we found a place that would sell us the bags for the best price. (it was during this time that I had the slight meltdown mentioned in the previous entry) The man informed us that he had to go to his warehouse to get all of the bags that we needed….10 or 11 I think. In the interim I decided to take the group to Or2K….what better way to welcome them to Nepal than to eat at an Israeli vegetarian restaurant. It was quite the scene….12 Americans sitting on the floor eating Israeli food. (Have I mentioned previously that you sit on the floor to eat there?) True to form there were some people smoking pot a few tables down from us…..I wasn’t sure poor Nancy was going to survive it all. But the food was good, the music was good and the company was great….

To Bandipur

The next morning the Waterfalls, the Tophams, Ramesh, Ganesh and I departed fairly early to head to a small resort type village high in the mountains called Bandipur. We stayed one night there before heading to the village where we would be doing the water project. I had not been their before but, at the recommendation of my friend Landon, we stayed in a small hotel called The Old Bandipur Inn. It was a really cool old building with amazing views across the valley to the Himalayas. As luck would have it we arrived in the middle of a festival. There was good food, a lot of loud music and dancing, and the craziest “man” powered Ferris wheel. The would load people into the seats and then two guys would climb to the top of the wheel to make it top heavy, so it would start to spin. They would then climb up from bar to bar to keep it spinning…..it was great!

To the village

Nepal Hope, which is run by the Tophams and Ramesh was the organization that found the water project. It is in a small village that is about an hour from a town called Damauli. It is there that we would spend 4 days working along side the villagers to improve an existing water system that had started to fail after 20 years of use.

The ceremony to welcome us into the village was an all day event. There was singing and dancing, tikas for all, and lots of amazing food. The lunch the villagers provided was one of the best Nepali meals I have ever had….and then there were oranges and more oranges…..the village had orange trees everywhere…..They were so good.

We were invited to stay in the home of one of the villagers. The family has one of the bigger houses in the village and they were kind enough to invite 12 big Americans into their small home. Let me just say….it was an experience…the ceilings with all the exposed wooden crossbeams were about 5’ 9” tall….all of us tall people had sore heads the entire time we were staying in the home….

To be continued............