It's just so Nepal-ing!

Throughout our journey through Nepal we have had the opportunity to experience some amazing things: we witnessed the cremation of the dead on the banks of a river; we flew in a small prop-plane across the Great Himalayas to view the imposing Mt. Everest; we spent 3 days white-water rafting down the Seti River; we trekked Chitwan National Park in search of rhinos, tigers and the ever-illusive yeti; we rode bicycles, weaving our way around cars, motor bikes, cows and buffaloes in the streets of Pokhara; we have danced with school children in a park framed by snow-capped mountains; we have walked, climbed and hiked for days, and we have ridden in local buses winding precariously up mountain roads. It was been a wonderful ride, if not a bit exhausting. But what has really made our time in Nepal so exceptional are the people we have met along the way. That's who this blog entry is about.

Nepal is known for its hospitality and warm nature. The people of this country are known to be some of the friendliest in the world - and we would definitely have to agree with that. We have, of course, had our run-ins with some pretty awful people (i.e. boob-grabber), but overall we've had a great time with the Nepali people.

Nepal is a developing country and most of the people here live hard, basic lives. Like many developing countries, Nepal has had a pretty tumultuous history. Right now it's in the middle of a huge transformation. It was the last Hindu kingdom, but in May they booted out their king and are now in the process of forming a new democracy. The Maoists are in power. When asked about the new government most people react with nonchalance - "We'll see..." tends to be the general response.

Kathamndu, the capital, has been exploding with people moving in from the small villages either fleeing the fighting in the west (there are several militia groups that have been fighting for power) or in search of better jobs. Kathmandu is a huge urban center and the people here seem quite metropolitan. It's not until you start talking to them that you realize that most of them come from remote villages on far off mountains. Most Nepalese tend to be pretty laid back, in general (well, except for the woman we bought some Mandala paintings from - she was freaking us out!). And their humor doesn't really translate. But, boy, they sure are nice!

When walking through the villages, most of the people will smile warmly and greet you respectfully. Sometimes, if they speak a little English, they will ask you where you are going and where you are from. Every child knows how to say "Hello give one pen!" It's kind of like their mantra. Sometimes they will ask you to take their picture, but then they usually want money. We don't like to support that type of "begging", so we've never paid to take some one'sphoto (that's why we have no pictures of holy Hindu Sadhus). All the pictures we have of people were taken with their permission and then thanked graciously. And it's really all in fairness: when we were in the wonderful World Heritage town of Bandipur there was a school class of 16 year old girls there, visiting from Chitwan. There were about 15 girls and their teacher. One of the girls asked to take a picture with me, so of course I posed with her. But then the whole group wanted to be in the picture, too. So I posed with all of them for each of their cameras to snap the picture. Then they all wanted a picture with me individually. So I posed with each of them one at a time.

And then there was the Indian woman in Pokhara who wanted a picture with me. I guess she didn't speak English, because instead of asking me, she just stood in front of me, pulled my arm around her shoulders and smiled for a camera!

And right after that Michael and I were sitting on a bench (watching the sunrise from behind the Annapurna Range of the Himalayas) when we turned around to see a whole group of Japanese tourists taking our picture. So strange.

We did get to know some of the locals pretty well, and they told us their stories - these stories are made of the stuff people base books on!

Let's take our rafting guide Dil. He speaks great English, dresses really cool and owns a successful rafting company. All amazing feats when we learn that he grew up in a small village on a river in the lowlands of Chitwan. His father died when he was a child, so he lived with his mother and 4 sisters. When Dil was 11 he left home for Kathmandu (without telling his mother!). He arrived there with no money and no contacts. He spent 4 cold nights sleeping on the streets before finding work hauling bricks in a basket strapped to his head for a construction company that paid him with food and a place to sleep. It just so happened that the building that was being constructed was an office for a rafting company. The owner of the company - a single man with no children - took a liking to Dil and made a deal with him. The man paid for him to go to school and gave him a weekly allowance. In return Dil would stay off the streets and go work for him when school was not in session. Dil started rafting when he was 13 years old. He apprenticed for 4 years and became a guide by the time he was 17 (he's now 32).

And the guy we bought some antique Bhutanese tapestries from. Just 5 years ago they built a road to the village where he's from 80km east of Kathmandu. Now it's just an 8 hour bus ride and a 3 hour walk to his home. Before the road, his family had to walk 15 hours to get to Kathmandu (they would leave around 6 in the mourning and arrive around 8 pm - walking the entire day!)

The guy who fixed my dread locks, Suneen is 19 years old. He's studying business at the local university. He comes from a pretty "well-to-do" family. His brother moved to Colorado 4 years ago to go to university - and has not seen any of his family in all that time. Suneen will probably never get to travel abroad and even though he would love to live in America, he most likely will not. Only one child per family gets to study abroad (fair enough). It's now Suneen's responsibility to take care of his parents as they grow older. (He showed me photos of his family - his 88 year old grandfather has beautiful blue eyes!)

I wish I could transport you all here so you could experience Nepal for yourselves. My words and even our pictures (when I get them uploaded) don't do this country and its people justice. I think this has been our favorite country, so far. It hasn't been a perfect visit - there have actually been a few instances that were pretty awful that I haven't written about yet - but the diversity and beauty of the landscapes and the amiability of the people have made our time here really unforgettable!