May 2, 2011
When I looked out my window this morning I saw a Nepali woman doing some laundry. She had two buckets - I believe one to be a wash basin and one to be a rinsing basin. She stomped around in the rinsing basin and then pulled out the soaking wet clothes that were then hung up on the line to dry. I suppose this is the same sort of laundry experience I should expect when cleaning my clothes in the house we will be living in shortly.
The cleaning standards here are quite different than ours at home, but they also seem to oddly prioritize. In the lobby, everything is scrubbed to perfection. Windows, floors, walls, even the reception sign are disinfected. But, in my room the blankets weren't the cleanest, there was garbage under the bed, and the walls could use a good washing. Oh well! I brought my own pillow case, so that makes things a little more homey.
The people at the hotel are super friendly. They want to carry your bag, and help you in any way possible. And, unlike many other people we've met in tourist areas, are not expecting any sort of tips in return. I wonder if this relates to the Nepali people's friendliness, or their desire to maintain a thriving tourist industry.
Fun fact: Nepal has the only non rectangular flag in the entire world! The original flag is combined with the newer flag to make their current stacked triangle flag.
Driving here is very very interesting, there are no road signs, traffic lanes, or sidewalks. There are no posted speed limits but they seem to vary between 5 km/h and 50 km/h depending on congestion. There is a lot of honking...one honk generally suggests that you need to stop, and multiple mean that it's good to go. However, a lot of honking happens. So my general thoughts about what honking means is, "I am doing something on the road, please be aware that my actions will affect you in one way or another." It's a little crazy. There are licensing laws, and all commercial drivers have a "helper" that aids in navigation. When I say navigation it's less, "turn right, turn left" and more, "yes, you have 5 mm of extra space between you and that motorcycle."
Fun fact: In Nepal it is seen as repulsive when you blow your nose with a tissue. Instead, you must dig for gold, the more enthusiastically, the better!
So today was an incredibly busy day. After blogging, I hung out in the lobby while we waited for Gocool, Patti, and Robin to be ready for our seminar. We learned that on Monday and Tuesday we were experiencing the cultural sites of Kathmandu. On Wednesday, we are moving into our house and having a tour of our new neighbourhood. On Thursday we are going to tour the practicum sites and possibly start our practicums on Friday. On Sunday, we are going to the college in Kathmandu. They are very proud because they are the only college that offers a Social Work and a Masters of Social Work degree. We're going to get a tour of the college in the morning and then get to sit in on their Civics class in the afternoon.
We walked into Thamel to have a quick tour. We saw a ton of jewellery, scarf, and bag stores. Very amazing all around. Gocool led us through bustling streets teeming with people, cars, buses, scooters, motorcycles, and rickshaws. The buildings are beautifully made, with intricate details and carvings but are very dirty and falling apart in many places. There are very few, if any traffic rules other than, "don't hit and don't be hit".
For lunch, we stopped at The Yak Restaurant. I am in love with Nepali food. Over half of their menu was vegetarian....sooo many options. I have never had so many options. I decided on a vegetarian korma on rice. Best ever! We had anise seed as a post meal treat. It tastes like licorice and is served instead of those gross licorice candies we get at home!
We continued walking out of Thamel and headed towards Kathmandu Durbar Square. Durbar means palace (there are three in the Kathmandu Valley, I will visit 2). Along the way we saw many electrical wires wrapped around the metal utility poles. Apparently,when one breaks/stops working, they just wrap a new one around it. Don't touch the poles. We also saw many shrines along the way to the different Hindu gods. Marigold flowers have a religious significance and are delivered to these sites by those paying their respects.
There are many temples and religious sites around this area. I'm not sure what role they play in religious practice. They are large buildings with red roof tops and red decorations. They are intricate carvings alll around every edge. No foreigners allowed inside. We were approached by MANY people trying to sell us little trinkets. They were quite persistent. The buildings in the square are all from the 12th to 18th centuries. It is there that Kings are crowned. We climbed up the stairs of the Maju Dega temple, it overlooks the whole square and it was built in the late 17th century. We also saw the Kal Bhaairah stone interpretations. It was originally found in a field north of the city, but moved to its current location by King Pratap Malla. Fun fact: It is used by the government to have people to swear to tell the truth.
We also went to see "Kumari- The Living Goddess". She is believed to be the incarnations of the goddess Taleju. She is chosen around age 4 from a specific bloodline and she must meet a criteria of "42 perfections" to be chosen. She is then taken from her home and moved to Kumari-Ghar. She only leaves her temple during special parades and events. Apparently, her feet are never to touch the ground and she is waited on completely. She is required to step in (carried-in) to view once per hour to see her admirers and so that they can see her.
I saw and heard numerous dog fights today. The group dynamics of the dogs are crazy they're quite territorial and team up against stranger dogs. They also fight each other if things are running smoothly.
For dinner, we went to the hotel restaurant and had a buffet of delish curries from the Nepal area. Yummy!
Namaste
When I looked out my window this morning I saw a Nepali woman doing some laundry. She had two buckets - I believe one to be a wash basin and one to be a rinsing basin. She stomped around in the rinsing basin and then pulled out the soaking wet clothes that were then hung up on the line to dry. I suppose this is the same sort of laundry experience I should expect when cleaning my clothes in the house we will be living in shortly.
The cleaning standards here are quite different than ours at home, but they also seem to oddly prioritize. In the lobby, everything is scrubbed to perfection. Windows, floors, walls, even the reception sign are disinfected. But, in my room the blankets weren't the cleanest, there was garbage under the bed, and the walls could use a good washing. Oh well! I brought my own pillow case, so that makes things a little more homey.
The people at the hotel are super friendly. They want to carry your bag, and help you in any way possible. And, unlike many other people we've met in tourist areas, are not expecting any sort of tips in return. I wonder if this relates to the Nepali people's friendliness, or their desire to maintain a thriving tourist industry.
Fun fact: Nepal has the only non rectangular flag in the entire world! The original flag is combined with the newer flag to make their current stacked triangle flag.
Driving here is very very interesting, there are no road signs, traffic lanes, or sidewalks. There are no posted speed limits but they seem to vary between 5 km/h and 50 km/h depending on congestion. There is a lot of honking...one honk generally suggests that you need to stop, and multiple mean that it's good to go. However, a lot of honking happens. So my general thoughts about what honking means is, "I am doing something on the road, please be aware that my actions will affect you in one way or another." It's a little crazy. There are licensing laws, and all commercial drivers have a "helper" that aids in navigation. When I say navigation it's less, "turn right, turn left" and more, "yes, you have 5 mm of extra space between you and that motorcycle."
Fun fact: In Nepal it is seen as repulsive when you blow your nose with a tissue. Instead, you must dig for gold, the more enthusiastically, the better!
So today was an incredibly busy day. After blogging, I hung out in the lobby while we waited for Gocool, Patti, and Robin to be ready for our seminar. We learned that on Monday and Tuesday we were experiencing the cultural sites of Kathmandu. On Wednesday, we are moving into our house and having a tour of our new neighbourhood. On Thursday we are going to tour the practicum sites and possibly start our practicums on Friday. On Sunday, we are going to the college in Kathmandu. They are very proud because they are the only college that offers a Social Work and a Masters of Social Work degree. We're going to get a tour of the college in the morning and then get to sit in on their Civics class in the afternoon.
We walked into Thamel to have a quick tour. We saw a ton of jewellery, scarf, and bag stores. Very amazing all around. Gocool led us through bustling streets teeming with people, cars, buses, scooters, motorcycles, and rickshaws. The buildings are beautifully made, with intricate details and carvings but are very dirty and falling apart in many places. There are very few, if any traffic rules other than, "don't hit and don't be hit".
For lunch, we stopped at The Yak Restaurant. I am in love with Nepali food. Over half of their menu was vegetarian....sooo many options. I have never had so many options. I decided on a vegetarian korma on rice. Best ever! We had anise seed as a post meal treat. It tastes like licorice and is served instead of those gross licorice candies we get at home!
We continued walking out of Thamel and headed towards Kathmandu Durbar Square. Durbar means palace (there are three in the Kathmandu Valley, I will visit 2). Along the way we saw many electrical wires wrapped around the metal utility poles. Apparently,when one breaks/stops working, they just wrap a new one around it. Don't touch the poles. We also saw many shrines along the way to the different Hindu gods. Marigold flowers have a religious significance and are delivered to these sites by those paying their respects.
There are many temples and religious sites around this area. I'm not sure what role they play in religious practice. They are large buildings with red roof tops and red decorations. They are intricate carvings alll around every edge. No foreigners allowed inside. We were approached by MANY people trying to sell us little trinkets. They were quite persistent. The buildings in the square are all from the 12th to 18th centuries. It is there that Kings are crowned. We climbed up the stairs of the Maju Dega temple, it overlooks the whole square and it was built in the late 17th century. We also saw the Kal Bhaairah stone interpretations. It was originally found in a field north of the city, but moved to its current location by King Pratap Malla. Fun fact: It is used by the government to have people to swear to tell the truth.
We also went to see "Kumari- The Living Goddess". She is believed to be the incarnations of the goddess Taleju. She is chosen around age 4 from a specific bloodline and she must meet a criteria of "42 perfections" to be chosen. She is then taken from her home and moved to Kumari-Ghar. She only leaves her temple during special parades and events. Apparently, her feet are never to touch the ground and she is waited on completely. She is required to step in (carried-in) to view once per hour to see her admirers and so that they can see her.
I saw and heard numerous dog fights today. The group dynamics of the dogs are crazy they're quite territorial and team up against stranger dogs. They also fight each other if things are running smoothly.
For dinner, we went to the hotel restaurant and had a buffet of delish curries from the Nepal area. Yummy!
Namaste
Wow - your writing really brings everything alive. The sites and sounds must be incredible (not to mention the smells).
ReplyDeleteD - Tina's mom
Hello Tina!
ReplyDeleteI was volunteering at the Himalayan Helpless Child Academy the same time as you. But I stayed four month at the school.
You made some mistakes in your blog. The school is run by an austrian NGO not an German NGO . Austria and Germany are not the same.
Men are normally not playing with children. That is why the children where fascinated by Gerry.
Best Wishes angela