A Few Days In Kathmandu
Hi Everyone. I’ve been shooting a bit here. Here are some notes.
Some days I walk to the World Education office and some days I go to a local coffee shop to work on the suitcases. Coffee Escape in Lazimpat has really good wifi and an interesting view of Kathmandu traffic out the front window.
I almost always see these dogs while walking from the hotel to Coffee Escape. They hang together and sleep wherever they want. Today, a security guard at one of the nearby businesses was chasing them away from their usual spot. They were back by the time I returned though.
This is Ramesh Mainali. His business is Shrawan Handicrafts and it is where we go to buy pashmina. He is a great fellow and was introduced to us by his childhood friend Narayan Thapa who works the desk at the Hotel Tibet.
Narayan often stops by for a chat on his way home from work.
I have never been to Nepal during monsoon and it is amazing to see all the flowers, fruits, and vegetables in the shops. It hasn’t rained much at all since we got here, but India is apparently getting hammered. There was some flooding in Kathmandu before we arrived, but it hasn’t even rained every day. When it does, it’s nice as it keeps the dust down.
There are shrines to Hindu gods everywhere. Here is a little shrine to Hanuman. When ever you see him, he is dressed up with clothing.
We are kind of obsessed with dogs here. This guy (and I wrote his name down somewhere; if I can find it I’ll update) was hanging out at the amazing Saturday Farmer’s Market at the LeSherpa restaurant. As I have mentioned before, you can’t really mess around with them, but this fellow had a collar which indicates that he belongs to someone. He was totally trying to cage some cheese from the cheese booth and he sat there like a statue. Everybody seemed to know him and he was super friendly and was open to being pet.
We bought a couple bottles of achar pickle from these folks; lime and radish. Their business is called AMĀKO, and the samples were amazing.
I bought a couple of these cookies and they were amazing.
Amazing breads too.
I am guessing that this is some kind of kohlrabi, but it is hard to know. You can see the corn to the right. Lots of sweet corn here and you can see people roasting it on the streets for sale.
I had read an article about the market in one of the local English language newspapers and they were touting the “Say No To Plastic” campaign. This market was so wonderful and would rival many that I have been to in the US.
My friend Katie Harhen was asking about the 2015 earthquake and how the country is recovering. Here is a (rather disorientating, I am standing on the pavement looking up) shot that shows what one still sees around Kathmandu. There is a building boom here, but most of the new structures are commercial in nature and fairly big. Some of the temples in the city have been rebuilt, but there is still evidence of the quake.
I love walking around the city looking in shop windows. This business was (among other things) a shop that made trophies. Football, dancing, basketball, tennis!
We always go to Bodinath to walk around the stupa. I posted about it last year.
This year was totally different for us. First of all, it was jammed with people. I have mentioned before that the area is an interesting mix of religion and commerce. It is such a peaceful and comfortable place.
This room is up a flight of stairs and has always been closed off to the public on our previous visits. We were invited in this year (not sure why, really) and were encouraged to walk around and check out all the Buddhas. Lastly we were encouraged to sit on the mat in front of the monk on the left, where he chanted and blessed us. It was strangely moving, and felt like something very important had just happened.
On Sunday we had a bit of shopping to do so we went to Thamel. I’m always on the lookout for shrines to Ganesh. Here he is being protected by a couple of Naga.
We had told our friends Ken and Kitty that we would buy a carpet for them, so we went back to our favorite shop to see what we could find. The guys at Carpet House are so nice and helpful. Lovely shop and fair trade too!
We had also promised our friend Suzan that we would get her a lungi (check out this how to video!). The one we bought started out as a single piece of cloth that was not sewn closed. The woman in the orange sold it to us in her shop, but said that she knew a tailor that could sew it up. She escorted us up the street, but couldn’t find him right away. After asking a bunch of different people she led us up a steep flight of stairs and introduced us to this gentleman with his treadle sewing maching. Sorted it out in 5 minutes. His shop had been at street level, but was leveled in the quake, so he moved across the street and upstairs.
Here is a happy Cris outside of his shop.
Thanks for following along. Sometimes I feel a bit like the neighbor back in the 60’s who would travel and then drag you over to his house to show his (always the dad in the family) slides from some “exotic” vacation. Anyway cheers everyone.
Kathmandu Walk
Cris and I usually walk to and from the Hotel Tibet to the World Education office, but since it is monsoon and has been raining in the mornings we only walk back at the end of the day. It takes about 45 minutes and, while it can be a bit sweaty and dusty, I really look forward to it. Yesterday I stopped to take the picture below and then this young man shot me this lovely smile.
It is interesting to be in a country where so much work is still done by hand.
Thanks for following along.
Nepal Again
Hey everyone! We are back in Kathmandu and that means one thing. Masala paper dosa time. Cristine’s favorite food. I love ’em too.
I will attempt to post regularly here and will almost certainly post daily on my instagram site @jonkcrispin.
Cheers and thanks for following.
Symbols
Whenever I am here in Nepal I always keep an eye out for bricks, as seeing them makes me think of my good friend Richard Pieper. Most buildings are adorned with them, and the walls surrounding the Royal Palace are all brick. On our daily walk to the World Education office we pass by a large section of the Palace wall which is undergoing a post earthquake renovation. I saw this pile and noticed the markings and didn’t think much of it at the time, but the next day I stopped and took this picture. It is not at all uncommon to see the swastika used as a symbol in various ways around Nepal. It got me thinking about how we in the West are so conditioned to see the obvious negative aspects of it. I went to the wiki page and learned a lot of interesting facts about its history and usage. I would encourage anyone interested to check it out. What got to me especially was that under the section of the wiki that showed the varieties of swastikas, the Hakenkreuz (second row, bottom left) gave me a visceral reaction.
We head back to the US on Sunday. I have managed to pick up a bothersome cold and have been a bit less active than I would like, but Cris’ work ends today and we will have some time to goof around tomorrow and Sunday morning. Thanks for following.
Boudhanath / Full Moon
Last night was the full moon and Cris thought it might be a nice idea to go to Boudhanath Stupa and have a stroll around. We have come here quite often, but always during the day.
It was a beautiful evening, the temperature was perfect, and the feeling was very peaceful and relaxing.
This giant prayer wheel spins constantly and is just inside the doors of the little temple on the site.
The area is really interesting. One enters the main gate at 6 on a clock face and everyone strolls quietly around in a clockwise direction. The stupa is on the inside of the clock and is surrounded on the outside by restaurants, guesthouses, and smaller business enterprises. Dogs and pigeons are everywhere.
Nepal is so interesting in terms of religion. The culture here blends Hinduism and Buddhism in what seems to me a beautiful way. I have talked to Nepali friends about this and it seems quite natural to them. If you think about religion in the West, there isn’t so much crossover. The closest I can think of to this is Unitarianism, which is how I was raised, and seems to encourage people to take the best of all religions and build a personal philosophy around what you find useful. One year my Sunday School was called “The Church Across the Street” and we spent the entire time visiting just about every church and denomination in Meadville. I loved the Holy Rollers.
Because one walks in a circle around the stupa it is easy to just keep going without realizing where you entered, which I eventually figured out is one reason for the visit. I just had the feeling that it would be possible to walk all evening and not feel the time passing. It was a lovely experience.
Dosa at Angan, Lazimpat, Kathmandu
Coming to Kathmandu always means getting quite a few paper masala dosa over the course of our stay. We go to Angan in Lazimpat which is about a 5 minute walk from the Hotel Tibet. (Crossing the street is the most difficult part in getting there.) In the middle of that rice flour crispy pancake is an amazing mixture of potato and spices. I really think Cris could eat these every day, and at times I think she has. That is Darrell Earnest on her left. Darrell does the early grade math portion of the World Education/Unicef project on which Cris does the reading component. (I hope to write a post soon about the work they are doing here; it is really amazing.)
Just outside the door of Angan is this telephone switching box. I think this is one of the most perfect logos that I have ever seen.
Nepal 2018
We tried something different this year on our trip to Kathmandu. Instead of going through Dubai we opted to fly Qatar Airways through Doha. It was a nice long flight and the Doha airport is wild. Here is the giant teddy bear with a lamp on its head. Quite bizarre.
The flight to Kathmandu from Doha was 4 1/2 hours and I was getting a bit tired and bored.
It is always great to get off the plane and be in Nepal. You can deplane from the front and back just like in Long Beach!
They have renovated our usual room at the Hotel Tibet. Brilliant sunset last night from our window. / We have today to goof around before Cris starts her World Education work tomorrow. Cheers and thanks for following.
Back in Nepal / Eye
Cris and I are back in Nepal where she continues her work on the UNICEF funded early grade reading project through World Education.
It has been an interesting trip. I developed a problem with my right eye when I landed in Dubai, and by the time I got to Kathmandu last Tuesday evening it was clear that something was really wrong. Cris took me directly to CIWEC travel medicine clinic where they set me up with an ophthalmologist early the next morning (Wednesday). Dr. Meenu is a cornea expert, but she wanted me to see the retina guy at the Triphuvan Teaching Hospital. She immediately put me in her car and drove me there. Dr Pratap examined me and saw two spots on my retina that were torn and bleeding. He immediately took me into the laser room and repaired as much of the damage as he could. I saw him this past Monday for a follow-up and he was really happy with the results. Since this whole thing started I have had huge black floaters in the middle of my right (shooting) eye, but they should begin to resolve in the next few months. It was all a bit unsettling, and I am so grateful to Dr. Pratap for caring for me.
Here he is on the left with some of his students.
And with a patient.
I learned pretty quickly that Nepal has a great reputation for eye treatment in the developing world.
Dr. Pratap’s notes.
Here’s the clinic. Officially the B.P. Koirala Lions Centre for Ophthalmic Studies. Note the word “Lions” in the name. The Lions Club is famous for it’s support around eye issues, but I had no idea their reach extended as far as Nepal.
I debated with myself a long time about posting this. Blogs like this are by definition self serving and ego based, but I have always tried to steer away from having it be about me, per se. But weird things can happen when one travels, and I wanted to share my good fortune in getting such prompt and excellent treatment, and to give thanks to all the people here who have helped me. Cris has been a brick through this whole thing and so patient with my worries. I also really want to thank Peggy Ross for getting on the phone and setting up an appointment with my ophthalmologist in Springfield soon after I get back to the States. Her skills at getting through bureaucratic systems are unmatched.
Sanphebagar Schools / Nepal
I have been all over the place this summer and posting here has been irregular. Nepal was a while ago and I still have photos to share, but it is difficult for me to play “catch-up”. I like being able to post immediately and when I put it off, I often lose interest. But I do want to share some of this.
Our second full day in the Western Hills started in Sanphebagar. We visited two different schools and it was amazing.
There are two types of education in Nepal; public and private. Kids who go to the public schools wear blue uniforms.
This young fellow is at the Khaparmandu Primary School (Sanphe municipality-2, Goyal Pani, Achham).
I often had to quietly enter the classrooms because the kids were very interested in my presence. I didn’t want to disrupt the lessons, but there was always at least one kid who wanted to see what I was up to.
They eventually got used to me though. This little girl was especially connected to what was going on in the classroom. She was really paying attention to the teacher and seemed to have an answer to any question that was posed.
Males in Nepal often have a comfortable physical association with each other. It is really nice to see this kind of connection.
I like this photo of the bus. It doesn’t really fit into the narrative, but here it is anyway.
The second school we visited was the Saraswoti Lower Secondary School (Sanphe Municipality-2 Loli, Achham).
The classrooms are only illuminated by window and door light, and it is amazing what digital cameras can record in such low light. This is a pretty typical room with fabric covering a dirt floor.
Everyone leaves their shoes outside.
The classes featured a bit of participation by the kids. Often, one child would come up to the front of the room and be asked to recite a lesson.
The kids were so sweet. As I noted earlier, they were very interested in us, and quite open. It is likely that they haven’t seen any Westerners at their school before. Sanphebagar isn’t particularly on any trekking route, and especially during the recent Maoist uprising there wasn’t much contact with outsiders.
The monsoon began in earnest as we were heading back to Dhangadhi. Driving is always interesting in Nepal, and in these conditions was quite thrilling.
There will be one last post on the trip, which I hope to get up soon. I spent a day in Sindhupalchowk, which was devastated in last year’s earthquake. There are some very interesting projects there that World Education Nepal is supporting and I am eager to share them here.
Thanks for following.
Dadelhura to Sanphebagar
One of the things I like best about this site is the immediacy of being able to share images. It is always a bit difficult for me to put up a post if more than a few days have passed since I took the photographs.
But I have been very busy editing the photos that I took for World Education, and I have had a bit of a hard time getting back into a routine since we returned. Fortunately I made fairly good notes while we were in the Western Hills. / Before we left Kathmandu, I looked up Achham on the internet and came across this Wikipedia entry. I was a bit baffled by the phrase “sporting a non-functional domestic airport”. That is it in the photo above. Apparently it is non-functional because the Maoists blew up the control tower during the recent conflict.
Here is a view of the Seti River. At that point of the trip, the monsoon hadn’t really kicked in so the rivers were still a bit dry.
I spent a lot of time shooting out the front window of the car since we had a lot of ground to cover to get to the first school.
I felt guilty asking the driver to stop, but the scenery was so exotic that I couldn’t resist shooting as we drove.
It had started to rain as we got closer to Achham and the roads became interesting.
There was a lot of water running down the hillsides which made driving a bit hazardous.
At one point we ended up in a line of cars and busses that were stopped by this slide. But a front-end loader was just finishing up clearing up the debris and we didn’t have to wait long.
That’s Nanda Ram, the driver, holding the umbrella with Jagdish on his right and Sukha Ratna on his left. Jagdish is the early grade maths guy and Sukha Ratna works on reading and did an amazing job organizing the trip. Cris and I first met Nanda Ram when we were in Nepal in 1992 just after he had started driving for World Education. He is amazing behind the wheel and such a lovely fellow.
It was really interesting how quickly the rains started. We would be climbing up one side of a hill with blue skies and as we would start our descent into a valley it would be foggy and rainy.
Here is a footbridge over the Budhi Ganga.
We stopped in this town for a bite to eat (I think it might be Doti). More dal bhat if I recall correctly.
Since we had had such a long drive to get to the first school, the students had left for the day, but the World Ed staff met with a large group of teachers and administrators to talk about the Early Grade Reading / Maths project. Every school we visited gave us flowers and put tikas on our foreheads. It is such a nice way to be welcomed.
Here’s Cris with some of the teachers from the Saraswoti Higher Secondary School in Bardadevi V.D.C. (Village Development Committee).
And here’s Mamta Joshi who teaches at the school.
Here’s a group shot of the World Ed staff with teachers and administrators after the meeting. That’s a goat in the background.
Darrell Earnest is UMASS faculty member who is working on the early grade math part of the project. He was a fantastic travel partner and he and Cris really had a ton of fun working together.
Thanks for following along. More soon.
Jon Crispin's Notebook 
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