FYI, before setting off on this trip, I loaded up my iPod with movies and audiobooks thinking I would have a lot of down-time to kill. So not the case. I honestly have no idea where the time goes, but when you travel like this, chances are most of your time will be spent exploring/experiencing, in transit or doing admin. Yes, there is a lot of admin to take care of when away for so long….like figuring out what to do when Bank A cancels ATM card #1 and then ATM card #2 gets eaten by the ATM machine. Banks can go the way of mosquitoes in my book: let’s nuke ‘em!
So unfortunately, this is my only legitimate entry for Nepal. Which sucks, because Nepal is rad. Hot damn, I’d go so far as to say I love it. It’s a wonderful melting pot of all things Asian, Indian and Arabic that makes for a delightful and delicious stew.
Not gonna lie, I was majorly sad to leave Africa being that I spent the bulk of this trip traveling up, down and around its eastern front. However, as soon as I set foot in Kathmandu, I loved it. Most would think this city is a dirty, polluted, chaotic mess, to which I would say, “indeed,” however, it it’s the “good kind” of dirty, polluted, chaotic mess. At least according to me, but my standards have been significantly lowered over the course of the past 10 months.
I’m not the only one that has fallen in love with this place. I’ve heard from many people – tourists and Nepalese alike – that second, third, even ninth visits to Nepal are not uncommon. This does not shock me, as I could see myself coming back time and again. My initial plan of a few weeks’ stay quickly and sneakily turned into a nearly 2-month lovefest with this country and I only covered about 20% of what it offers. There are many other regions I have yet to explore of this place.
Except for the Terai. Who honestly wants to find themselves roasting alive in 110 degree wet heat and ingesting handfuls of mosquitoes with each inhale? Sure, the lure of potential tiger sightings outweigh these horrid conditions for many people who choose to visit Chitwan National Park, but after hearing that the rangers maybe see 1 or 2 tigers EVERY YEAR, forget about it. Suck it, Terai, nobody actually likes you (no offense to the peeps from down there, you guys are cool…especially that Buddha character).
Anyways, every place has their “red-headed step-child” – the Terai in Nepal, New Jersey in the States, Canada….(insert winky face to make Canada feel better)
Here’s what I got up to in the time I spent in Nepal…
Buddhist Monastery
My first couple weeks in Nepal were spent beaming from ear-to-ear. I, along with another volunteer, lived 24/7 with Buddhist monks in a monastery in the surrounding hills of the Kathmandu Valley. I was there primarily to teach English, but was also able to learn a bit about Buddhism straight from the source. I was nervous about what to expect, anticipating that I would inevitably yet unknowingly break a bunch of rules. Which I definitely did, but contrary to what the Hangover 2 would have you imagine, I was never beaten into submission with a stick. Not even close. I was given the utmost respect, hospitality and kindness from the monks than I was ever imagining or expecting. Many of the monks at the Namkha Kyung Zong monastery are of Tibetan lineage. Much of what I saw and learned stemmed from the Tibetan form of Buddhism. This included everything from the cuisine, traditional dress (the zhen), architecture, paintings, a bit of the language and a beginning level of Tibetan Buddhism. One of the most remarkable things I learned was the way in which traditions shape the building any Buddhist structure, be it a monastery, Buddha statue or stupa.
From the way in which you cut down the trees to the makeup and insides of each statue and stupa, it’s incredible how many intricacies exist. Case in point, our monastery had 3 giant, golden idols depicting different forms of Buddha at the front of the temple. Holding each statue up and supporting much of its weight is a specially carved beam of wood selected from a particular tree that had been felled in an equally particular manner. The plank spans the height of the statue from base to head, with carvings along each of the main chakras of the body.
Within the remaining space are thousands of scrolls with mantras handwritten by monks. Every cavity within the hollow statues is filled with these mantras, which are placed inside by a mini-monk all the way to the tips of the statue’s fingers. It’s truly astonishing. Even the hundreds of mini statues lining the walls of the temple are filled with mantras.
Separately, in a conversation with the brother of the monastery’s guru, I was inspired by one of the tenets of Buddhism in the acknowledgement of and desire to update with modernity. One such example of this is the recognition of English as a global language and widespread communication tool. The way they see it, learning to speak English will enable them to export Buddhism and its principles to the Western world, a region in which Buddhism has become increasingly popular. Secondly, many monks do not stay at the monastery for their entire lives. Many choose to leave to enter the “real world” in their mid-twenties. At such an age, they’ve potentially lost out on many years of traditional schooling. In order to make the transition that much smoother, they choose to study English to better prepare them for greater success outside the monastery.
That said, we spent most of our days teaching the monks to read and speak English, with off time following the schedule of the monks, shadowing them at prayers and ceremonies, and following their lead in the various practices of the monastery.
A day in the life:
04:00 – wake up
05:30 – morning prayers
07:00 – breakfast
08:30 – teaching: middle class
10:30 – teaching: older class
12:00 – lunch & misc
15:00 – tea & misc
15:30 – teaching: younger class
18:00 – dinner
19:00 – play “rocks” & misc …but mostly play rocks
21:00 - bed
The monks’ schedules looked very similar, but they would rotate between English, Nepali and Tibetan class and fill most gaps in time with prayers and/or prayer practice.
As I’ve said before, I’m not the religious type. I didn’t reach any kind of “enlightenment” while staying at the monastery, but I did gain a new appreciation for Buddhism. Compared with other major religions, it seems a bit more accessible and less reliant on a suspension of disbelief. I like the idea of individuals being in charge of their lives and actions without an ethereal being acting as babysitter. Anyway, that’s about as far as I’ll go on this topic…
All in all, I loved my time there.
Sight-Seeing
But I digress.
The people of Nepal are very colorful as well. Not only in dress, but in attitude and traditions. Kathmandu is one of the most lively places I’ve visited. There is a continuous buzz and flow of elders, parents, kids, babies and animals throughout the maze of streets. Paying a visit to the markets is well worth it to pick up some curious fruits and vegetables you never knew existed, check out the vibrant pattered fabrics and perhaps thrown down some cash for your own baby cow. Or in my case, a baby goat. Ok, I didn’t actually buy one, but I had to muster up some serious restraint not to.
Trekking
The amount of outdoorsy stuff you can do here is endless. The rafting and trekking alone is world-class. For as outdoorsy as I am, I never actually thought I’d willingly send myself off into the wilderness for any more than 5 days max. Turns out I ended up spending over 3x that amount of time trekking. Shit, I couldn’t have left Nepal without giving it a go.
The first trek was a “short” 5-dayer to Poon Hill. Hill of the Poon. Poon meaning nothing more than the name of the tribes found in that region, so don’t get all Urban Dictionary on me here.
The second trek was a 12-day venture into the Annapurna range of the Himalayas.
Both treks were awesome. Very different, but very awesome. Each had its own set of challenges in completing the circuit. Poon Hill was more a battle between the trail and your knees, as there is a whole day on either end devoted to ascending and descending a slate staircase. The Annapurna Circuit Trek was more varied, with most of the “easy” days at the beginning and the rough stuff scattered throughout. There were a few days in there where I felt a distinct sense of utter accomplishment and simultaneous physical and mental exhaustion.
The hike to Ice Lake and crossing Thorung-La Pass were the two hardest days. Think over 8 hours of hiking at extremely high, oxygen-deprived altitudes over steep terrain dodging mules, rivers, rocks and landslides. All the while trying to grit through various muscle and blister pains while convincing yourself that you need to slam more water to stave off AMS and getting emergency heli-evac’d to lower ground. So, yeah, it was definitely a doozy.
I’m SO glad I did it. I love a challenge, and that it was. It makes any success that much more sweet. Not to mention the reward of amazing Himalayan scenery. Truly breathtaking. There would be numerous mornings where we’d wake up, look out the window and shriek at the sight of majestic peaks before running outside for a better view.
Behold! Nature! I love it…
The end.
Next entry: my love-hate relationship with Thailand...stay tuned for that one…
