Buddhist Nepal

About 11% of the 29 million people in Nepal are Buddhist - the rest are 81% Hindu, with a small proportion of Muslim, Christian, etc.

The Buddhist centre of Kathmandu is the area of Boudhanath, part of the Kathmandu UNESCO World heritage site. The largest stupa on earth is the centre of Boudha, an important place of pilgrimage for Buddhists from all over the world. Buddhists and Hindus peacefully exist in this country and often you will see their temples side by side, the example being Swayambunath, the Monkey Temple. Fortunately, religious tolerance is a special trait of Nepali's. Hindus and Buddhists share beliefs in karma (the law of cause and effect), rebirth and some deities. (Vishnu is believed to be a reincarnation of the Buddha)

Boudhanath is surrounded by 26 monasteries many of which host international students, monks and nuns studying Buddhism. The stupa is 120 feet in diameter and 43 feet high and is said to have relics of the Buddha buried deep within. It has a kora (clockwise walkway), many shops selling thangkas, Tibetan prayer wheels, singing bowls, necklaces, music CD's and incense. Tibetan exiles, many of whom live nearby, walk the kora, run shops, and practice their daily rituals.

Pashupatinath - the Holy Hindu Temples

Pashupatinath have the holy Hindu temples not far from Boudha. Daily cremations occur on the ghats on the banks of the Bagmati river. Hospices next to the temples allow the sick and elderly to be near their gods upon death. This is also part of the Kathmandu UNESCO World heritage site.

The ghats are shown below...

Another morning in Nepal

It has turned cold in Pokhara, with rain 3 nights in a row. The locals are now wearing toques, and dressed in sweaters and jackets, bundled up in the cool air, complaining of the cold, saying winter is coming early. It is +20C!! I guess compared to the normal +28C in recent weeks, this is quite a change.

Walking the streets in the morning is an experience of the senses! The air is hazy, a slight breeze with smells of the earth, cows and goats, their droppings, garbage, exhaust, diesel fumes and delicious smells of food cooking. Motorbike and bus horns are endless, disruptive but necessary for navigation. Cows wander and chickens scratch freely in the streets, searching for another meal. I watch a small herd of water buffalo head for a yard under construction where they have just cut the trees, happily discovering something green to eat. You dodge gobs of spit, cow poop, speed bumps, orange peels and various food debris, and really need to watch you don't fall into holes, cracks or trip on pipes, rocks and people. There are women in front of small restaurants washing the breakfast dishes under hoses that come out of the ground in the gutters, rinsing them and tossing the water into the streets. Children as small as 3 up to class 10 are dressed in neat school uniforms clustered in front of schools, homes and colleges. The business of the city evident on the streets each day. 







Unfortunately the cool wet weather means the farmers cannot cut rice for harvest and must wait for warmer weather. They need about 3-5 days of dry weather after cutting to properly dry the rice. This is a staple crop for the people of Nepal. A late start to monsoons, a late finish and early winter have made it very challenging to farm this year.





There are lots of fruits and vegetables available in the market now. Potatoes (alu), tomatoes, radish (mula), zuccini, ginger (adwa), onions (piatz), escous, bitter gourd, cabbage (banda), spinach (saag), etc. are readily available, much of it grown in home gardens. An abundance of fruit is also available - bananas (keera), apples (seew), oranges, lemons, pumpkins, pomegranates, squash, pomellos, etc.


You now get the picture!

International Mountain Museum

Not many know of this jewel in Nepal - the International Mountain Museum in Pokhara. It is on a large section of land about a 30 minute walk east from Pokhara Damside through local farms. It costs 300 rupees (about $4). The entrance has a small chorten honoring those who have lost their lives in the Himalayas.

Inside there is a Tibetan gompa and many cultural displays of various areas in this part of the world, but oddly, they also have Austrian, Slovenian and some south American cultural costumes as well.

The main reason to visit is the well documented stories of climbing the highest peaks in the world - Everest, K2, Kangchenjunga, Makalu, Nanga Parbat, etc. There is a display of some of the refuse, used Oxygen tanks, equipment, etc. that a Japanese expedition made to remove the build up of garbage. (I remember Everest Base Camp (5300m) in 2006 being very clean, unlike some reports. Of course, some of the refuse remains higher on the mountain.)




Perhaps the most memorable displays are of some of the clothing and equipment past expeditions to the Himalayas have used. Very primitive crampons, down suits, mountaineering axes, leather boots and wool knickers. Other displays include the animals, flowers, trees and nature of Nepal. Often local school groups are in the museum on field trips. They are quite proud of this museum, and so they should be!

Peace Stupa

AS some of you know, I have been resting in Pokhara to give my knee a rest. I decided to test my legs and walk 3-4 kms to the Peace Stupa, up 350 meters in elevation on the hill above Pokhara. The last time I was there was 2006 when the Maoists were still demanding "donations" on the trail access to the Stupa. 

Om, the manager at the hotel, suggested I take his son, Kushal, with me for the experience and, since he had a day off school, he could practice his English. (He spoke very well and confidently.) We left around 9:30 in the morning. and made our way through the rice farms and up a new road that has been recently built. I heard there is even local bus service up to the stupa now. Progress?

We arrived at 1103m and what view over Pokhara, except it has been quite hazy in recent days. The stupa is in a prominent location on a ridgeline above the valley with an amazing view of the city. 

Teaching English

Several years ago, I completed a TESOL course(Teaching English to Students of Other Languages) with Oxford to use at some point in future overseas.

While out on a walk after Tihar, school was back in and I turned into a lane to check out a local school called L.P. Devkota English Boarding School. I met the teachers and the principal. The school has 580 students from kindergarten age to class 10. The principal invited me to lead the class 9 English class as the teacher had not returned from holidays. Great, so we read, talked, and spoke about things we like about Nepal and Canada. They were very curious, entertaining and open.




Next day I was invited to lead 2 classes of English with their class 10. I discovered that over 50% said their favorite book was Muna Madan, by Laxmi Prasad Devkota, the same name as the school! L.P. Devkota is Nepal's best known poet. The English teacher came that day and I had some difficulty understanding him. This is fairly common when Nepali teachers learn their conversational English in Nepal Universities. Their written and general comprehension is usually good, but unfortunately they do not have the best pronunciation.

I really enjoyed the opportunity and the principal has invited me to return any time when I am back in Pokhara. Another interesting experience in Nepal. 

Langtang trek Oct 2011

After arriving in Kathmandu, our group met at the hotel enjoying the craziness of the city with dust, dirt and diesel. Only one day to enjoy a Himalayan Java coffee, a walk through Thamel, we weighed bags, and boarded the bus to Dhunche. The roads were still wrecked from the monsoons, which had only quit a week or so before. They were the worst I've seen in the 4 treks I have done into the Langtang. We had to leave the bus several times to allow clearance for the undercarriage from rocks as well as allow the driver to take a run at a couple of hills. A few looks out the window down the steep hills was enough to convince us to walk a ways.

The trails were not so busy early on, but toward the end of trekking, there were noticeably more French, Israeli, British and European trekkers on the trail. Walking through bamboo forests, along the Langtang Khola, we made our way to the Langtang National Park.

Our wonderful porters were the best - friendly, strong, helpful and a huge support to our trek in addition to Gyanu, our guide. The hospitality in all the tea houses was amazing, wonderful foods - Tibetan breads, dal bhat every lunch, Sherpa stews, soups, muesli and hot milk, dudh cha (milk tea), lemon tea, etc. We were well fed.

Some views of this year's Langtang trek..

Morning in Pokhara

This was the view from the rooftop of my hotel in Pokhara. Annapurna South (7226 m) is the left, Huinchuli next to it and the sharp peak is Machhapuchhre, the holy Fishtail mountain) It rained yesterday in the mountains and this morning was fairly clear. My ABC trekking group called this morning to say they had some great views in Landruk. I know they are in for many more amazing views of this part of the Himalayas.

More later,
Neil

TIHAR festival 2011

 
Yesterday was the start of a great celebration for TIHAR (the festival of lights, same timing as Deepwali in India) here in Pokhara with lots of lights (like Christmas) candles, local kids dancing for money, singing at all the businesses. Families got together to sing, drink and dance. Very festive. Even at the hotel, the owner's relatives came and danced in the courtyard for a few hours. They even made me dance with them, but fortunately did not make me drink rakshee, the home-made wine! It is like turpentine, awful stuff.
 
I went to the Blue Planet lodge yesterday to check out the new lodge where we will have 3 nights in February for the Yoga retreat. Had tea with Ram the owner, and Sabine (lady from Belgium married to him) invited me to a Tibetan singing bowl meditation. About 15 people showed up and it was to celebrate the new moon, setting healing intentions, etc. Walked home in the dark and past many mandalas with candles, more singing and dancing. I would have missed some of this if I was trekking. Sabine said there may be a chance to join the family festivities on the most important day tomorrow on a local mountain called Sarankot, provided there is room on the bus. 

A wee update for you. After trekking 12 days on a sore knee in the Langtang, I developed an inflammation and numbness in my left knee. Went to the Westerner's clinic and they xray'd, and with consultation with an orthopedic surgeon, suggested Voltarin, an anti-inflammatory drug, physiotherapy, exercises and not to trek for at least a week. I was most disappointed to not be able to go with the group, so I am waiting in Pokhara for them to finish trekking. The doctor said I have Yoga knee (similar to housemaids knee - I said it must be yoga knee, then! It results from overuse and of course being on my knees so much in yoga. It is slowly getting better.

Namaste,
Neil