Sunday, December 30, 2007

A New Year - Purposeful Reflection

A 'year' is a measure bounded by time, defined by calendars, and followed by billions. We use it to measure life cycles, births and deaths. We use it to remember and record historical events and natural disasters. We use past years to reflect on where we came from and future years to plan where we are going. With each passing year, I find myself in different countries, attempting to speak different languages and negotiating different cultures. So as another year comes to pass, I too reflect on what I've accomplished and the places I've been.

A year ago, I found myself ringing in the New Year with my parents, aunts and friends on Mt. Hood--snowboarding, watching movies, cooking and eating delicious food and playing games. This year I'll be ringing in the New Year with my family on a beach on the Bay of Bengal in South India--swimming in the pool, lounging in a hammock, dipping my fingers into a spicy curry and packing my bags because just hours after the clock strikes midnight, I'll be on a plane bound for London.

In the last year I've completed a year of my MA studies, finished a 3 year term in Japan and said good-bye to many friends there. I've traveled through Russia, Mongolia, China, Tibet, Nepal and India. I've traveled by trains, ferries, buses, planes and jeeps, sometimes for days at a time. I've swam in Lake Baikal in Siberia, puked Peking Duck in Beijing, argued with a Chinese imposter monk at Ganden Monastery in Tibet, climbed to 18,000ft in the Annapurnas of Nepal, made friends with Tibetan refugees in Dharamsala, visited old friends and family in Madurai, planted research seeds in Chennai and soaked up the sun at Ideal Beach (again). Looking back on the year--time seemingly passed quickly from one event and location to the next. But a review of the year reminds me about how much can be accomplished, seen and experienced in a year. Not to mention how many new friends can be made, how many different foods can be tried and how many different cities can be visited! I'm thankful for the last year and the adventures and experiences I've been fortunate to have. A year is a long time and should not be wasted or taken for granted! And perhaps doesn't need to be marked as such because time continues, life continues regardless of the date on the calendar.

I don't know what the next year will bring for me or my family, but I foresee more great adventures and therefore endless learning experiences! By visiting new places, meeting new people and challenging my own beliefs and values I feel real growth and learning takes place!

However, if a 'year' marks a time or phase in one's life, I'm not sure how relevant it is to me. People often ask me "When will you settle down?" or "When will you come back to the US?" But my life isn't marked by phases of international travel--my life incorporates travel, different cultures, meeting new people and exploring new places! The 'New Year' holiday does allow us all time for reflection and marks a change in the date...I'll be marking that date change by leaving one continent and arriving in another. However, ultimately our lives continue, the pause for reflection is but a brief moment...the adventure keeps going.

May your New Year holiday be both a time of reflection as well as a purposeful movement towards accomplishing and living out your life goals!

Thursday, December 06, 2007

Spending Time with Students

The highlight of spending 5 weeks in Dharamsala was getting to know so many wonderful people, especially the students I was fortunate to teach! I'm not sure how much I taught them, but they taught me a lot! Here are a few pictures of fun moments with students:


My one-on-one made me Tibetan thukpa, a noodle vegetable soup. Delicious! This was one of several meals made for me by MALE students! ha ha ha! Unconvinced that men can cook, I like to tease them into cooking for me to prove that they really know how to cook! It worked! I was fed well!



One of my parents students, a monk, had to leave before the end of the term to return to his monastery to prepare for the Dalai Lama's visit in January! We saw him off at the bus. I almost didn't recognize him because he travels in lay clothes! :)


After a few weeks, it was impossible to walk around McLeod Ganj without meeting lots of students on the street. Sometimes in just 5 minutes, I would see 5+ students!! This monk was one of my parents many favorites. He was nicknamed "Kris Krinkle" because of the way his nose crinkles up when he smiles.


Two of my students practicing the 'Pronunciation Poem' in class before the big demonstration!


A two-minute impromtu speaking activity! Inevitably, every day all the monks would sit on one side of the room and all the lay people on the other. I tried to get them to mix and mingle as much as possible!!

Monkeys in the Garbage

Everyday was a new adventure in McLeod Ganj--where to eat, where to check email, meeting friends on the street, shopping, planning lessons, etc. But regardless of our daily schedules and teaching life at Tibet Charity, there was always one constant--the monkeys!! They came through our neighborhood at least twice a day, sometimes they never really left. They would run up and down the paths, climb all over the houses, play in the trees, and try to steal food from anyone or anywhere they could. On two occassions my parents left the door to their apartment open and without fail, a clever monkey ran in and grabbed something. The first time my dad caught it and it got scared, dropped the item and ran out. The second time, it jumped up to the 3rd shelf grabbed the open package of spaghetti and made a quick getaway. Everyday we were blessed with many monkeys in all directions. One day we walked to the nearest dump to throw our trash. There were monkeys, cows and dogs picking through it all. But the monkeys are the fastest and they get to the best stuff first! At least the good stuff doesn't go to waste!



Making Tsampa

Tsampa, roasted barley flour, is one of the staple foods in a Tibetan diet. It is eaten several times a day in Tibet usually with butter tea and/or meat. While barley isn't a traditional food in India, the Tibetans continue their tradition by growing and roasting it. The family we rented an apartment from roasts their own, to ensure a pure rock-free quality. Here are a few pictures from their rooftop roasting operation:


The barley grain is put in a wok of sand. The hot sand becomes the roaster!



After a few minutes of heating the sand, the barley needs to be mixed in order to roast all of it. It sounds a little like popcorn popping.


After the barley is roasted, the sand is sifted out and reused to roast the next batch. The roasted barley then needs to be cleaned (de-shafted) and taken to a mill to be ground. It is a labor intensive process, but an absolute necessity for many of the Tibetans living in Dharamsala.

Saturday, November 24, 2007

Visiting Nobalinka

The Dalai Lama's summer home is on the roof of the temple.

A few weeks ago, my one-on-one student invited me to Norbalinka. It is located about 1 hour from McLeod Ganj by a jeep, bus and taxi combo. In India, Norbalinka is a cultural preservation center and houses many Tibetan artists workshops. It is also the Dalai Lama’s summer home, when he has the time to come home in the summer. Similarly, in Tibet, the Dalai Lama used to spend his summers at Norbalinka. The Indian version has been built as a replica. The Indian version is made up of beautiful gardens, streams and ponds. At the center is the temple and summer home. Luckily, my student has a friend who works in the Tibetan history research office at Norbalinka. He was able to leave his office for awhile and show us the different artists’ workshops as well as take us up into the Dalai Lama’s apartment-his office, his living quarters and even his bathroom! Pretty nice bathroom too! He has a western toilet, and there was even a shower curtain on the tub-the first one I’ve seen in India!

Standing outside the Dalai Lama's living quarters

After visiting the artists shops we went to his friend’s house for lunch of Tibetan noodle soup. After taking a post-lunch rest, we headed to the Karmapa’s Monastery down the road. The Karmapa Lama is probably the second most important lama in Tibetan Buddhism. He came from China less than 10 years ago and is heavily politicized because the Chinese also recognize him as an important lama. Unfortunately, the Karmapa Lama was out of town, but we were able to see the monastery and its grounds.

The Guyto Monastery, home of the Karmapa Lama

On the way back up the hill to McLeod Ganj, we stopped at the Tibetan Library which is housed on the grounds of the Tibetan Government in Exile. The library houses many old Tibetan texts as well as an English library on Tibetan Buddhism. It also houses a small museum of cultural relics refugees were able to bring from Tibet. Another one of my student’s friends showed us around.

Riding in style!

It has been interesting and eye-opening to live among one of the largest Tibetan refugee communities in the world for several weeks. I’ve heard many stories of people sneaking across the Himalayas trying to avoid the Chinese guards to have a chance at an education, to be able to study Buddhism freely and to see the Dalai Lama in person. They leave behind family, friends, relationships and often leave knowing they will never be able to return. Many of the more recent arrivals, young students seeking an education, hope to one day return either legally by obtaining permission from the Chinese government, or illegally, by crossing the mountains again. Yet, even through all their hardships and struggles, they are some of the most genuinely kind and compassionate people I’ve spent time with. I can see why it is easy to become a believer in Buddhism, the people I’ve met here, really do practice what they preach. And it has been an honor to spend time with them and learn more about their religion as well as their lives.

This afternoon I found myself sitting in a one room apartment furnished with two beds, a gas can for cooking, a few books, and a few photos of the Dalai Lama. The shared bathroom and cold shower is down the hall. My one-on-one student who invited me there, doesn't actually live in this room, he just stays here because he doesn't have a place of his own. He cooked and served me a huge bowl of thukpa, Tibetan noodle soup, and turned to me, smiled and said, "This is the life of a refugee."

Becoming Tibetan

There isn't much time for writing these days...lesson prep, one-on-one lessons, drinking tea with students, eating out, studying Tibetan, and planning for the next leg of the journey. But several weeks ago, our good friend and my mom's one-on-one student, invited us over for "fashion day". She dressed us up in her chupas, or Tibetan dresses. They are so comfortable and I think they are very attractive looking--of course not so attractive on foreigners. But the Tibetan women look so classy around town in their dresses with their multi- colored aprons. Tibetan traditions says only married women can wear the aprons. But for one day... I was allowed the honor! Perhaps there is a Tibetan guy out there for me? One that can throat sing, perhaps?


A Tibetan Thanksgiving in India


Boom Boom and Me in front of the lyrics for Johnny Appleseed

We couldn't let Thanksgiving go by without celebrating it in some way. Being that 4 of the current Tibet Charity teachers are American, we decided to have a little party for all the students. All the teachers made announcements in their classes and we coordinated with the cook and staff and asked them to prepare tea for about 50 people. My family ordered 4 pans of the best American brownies in town from Jimmy's Italian Restaurant. And the other American teacher was supposed to bring fruit. Unfortunately, there was a death in town on the day of Thanksgiving and in remembrance, all the shops and fruit stalls were shut down for the entire day. Not able to find ANY fruit in town, she bought 50 juice boxes! Similarly, all the photocopy centers were closed. I spent the afternoon running around, finally finding a copy center and made copies of a song called "Thank Someone", a Thanksgiving word search, and Thanksgiving bingo cards. At 3:30 we filled the main hall to capacity. It was standing room only!! We didn't do an official count, but there were probably over 70 people there! What a success! After my dad gave a brief explanation of Thanksgiving, we sang a few rounds of "Johnny Appleseed", taught them "Thank Someone", gave prizes to the top 10 who finished the word search, and played a round of Bingo with Thanksgiving words! It was a success and everyone seemed to really enjoy it!! At the end all the teachers served the students brownies and tea! I'm not sure any of them had eaten a brownie before, but there were NONE left at the end of the party!! It was lots of fun to share the spirit of Thanksgiving with the wonderful people we have met here at Tibet Charity. They are all so giving, friendly, and compassionate that I'm happy we were able to say "Thank you!"

Here are a few pictures from the event:



Students singing "Thank Someone" at the Thanksgiving Party


About 70 students attended our American Thanksgiving Day party. We weren't able to feed them a traditional Thanksgiving meal, but we did sing songs, play games, and serve brownies and milk tea.


Some of the super eager students!



After our party at Tibet Charity, the English teachers headed to Lhamo's Restaurant for a set Thanksgiving Dinner. They served pumpkin soup, spinach salad, mashed potato momos, vegetable momos, carrot or lemon cake and tea. It was a delicious meal and a delightful evening with colleagues.

Triund Trek

McLeod Ganj (1750m) - Triund (2850m) – McLeod Ganj (1750km)

9:15am to 1pm to 5:30pm

18 km


“The entire trek is most charming, enjoyable, and challenging.”
--Dharamshala Trekking Itineraries Booklet

After my first lesson with my intermediate class, a very serious looking monk approached me and invited me to go hiking. Happily surprised by the immediate invitation to do something, we briefly planned something for the following weekend, the weekend after the Dalai Lama was giving a two-day teaching. So, after class on Friday he followed me to the teachers’ room and asked me what he needed to go hiking. Apparently this was to be his first hike—EVER! So we went over the list: food, water, comfortable shoes and sun protection. Oh…and he said he would change out of his monk robs because they weren’t suitable for hiking. Yesterday we agreed to meet at 8:15am in the main bazaar of McLeod Ganj. After waiting an hour, I was about to give up, just when he walked up the road wearing jeans, a button down shirt and a baseball cap—no monk robs!

We had both promised to do some research before the big day. I had purchased an atrocious local map with some trekking itineraries and he, well, he showed up. I had a general idea of a direction we should walk, so off we went-up the hill to Dharamkot. After reaching that little village, we turned off and followed a trail through another little village and up to a temple called Galu. At Galu we turned off onto the real trail—surrounded by rhododendron, cedar and oak trees. Clear skies up above and a great view of McLeod Ganj and the Kangra Valley down below—the views were stunning!

And the conversations were interesting too! My student and new hiking partner is a student at the Tibet Medical College, as well as a monk. So, I learned a little about Tibet medicine and he pointed out some useful herbs as we were walking. I also learned more about Buddhism and the general Tibet situation.

About 1 ½ hours from the top, we stopped for tea, a much needed dose of liquids, sugar and caffeine to keep the body moving! From there it was a steep and rocky climb of switchbacks to the top. But the top was well worth the climb! It was a long flat boulder strewn grassy meadow. From this meadow ridge, you could see the Dhauladhar Mountain range with Mt. Indrahara (4320m) straight ahead. We sat on the grassy lawn in front of a rock painted with "Free Tibet" and exchanged lunches. I shared my peanut butter-banana-honey and peanut butter-jam sandwiches with him and he gave me his sen, a Tibetan grain porridge. He also shared his salty tea and fruit. It was a feast!


After a relaxing lunch in the sun, we headed back down. Going down is always the killer on my knees. We decided to take an alternate route down. It ended up taking much longer than our morning short cut, but in the end we ended up in the right place and said good-bye at TIPA (Tibet Institute for Performing Arts). Overall a fun little outdoor adventure with a monk!

I have plans to take two more of my students up there next weekend! All of a sudden I’m becoming the local trekking guide! Ha ha ha!

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Delhi to Dharamsala

Trying to avoid immediate lung cancer, my mom wore a medical mask whenever she left the hotel in Delhi.

What can one really say about Delhi? My advice: avoid it if and when you ever travel to India. Fly to any other major city, just don’t bother with Delhi. It is one of the most polluted and congested cities in the world. It’s miserable. One day of ‘sight-seeing’, if you can see through the smog, will leave the laundry water black when you rinse your clothes. If anyone wants to compare China and India, all they have to do is visit Beijing and Delhi to see the major differences. China is years ahead of India in mass-transportation and traffic control alone. The levels of infrastructure are so vastly different. India, as much as I love it, still has a long ways to go and maybe that is the difference between the world’s largest democracy and China—a communist state lacking in many personal freedoms. Anyway, the point is, we all couldn’t wait to get OUT of Delhi as soon as possible.

Don't let the spectacular buildings deceive you--Delhi is dirty and has filthy air!

Unfortunately, the journey from Delhi to Dharamsala requires a 12 hour bus ride. We bought tickets on the overnight semi-sleeper luxury VOLVO bus. But even then, we had to listen to a Hindi movie blaring over the bus speakers for over three hours, had to navigate Delhi’s horrendous traffic, and then had to climb into the foothills of the Himalayas on Indian roads. Even after taking 1 ½ Benadryl, my ear plus in, my seat leaned back, and my head resting on my feather pillow (courtesy of Malaysian Airlines) I couldn’t sleep much. Which means my parents didn’t sleep a wink!!

Luckily, arriving in Upper Dharamsala (aka McLeod Ganj) was a breath of fresh air—literally!! It is situated in the foothills of the Himalayas and without many roads, it drastically reduces traffic. There are some taxis, buses and rickshaws, but almost no private cars in town, except for the Dalai Lama’s entourage of course.

We have been here just over a week. We have settled into an apartment owned by a very generous and kind Tibetan family. We have the two rooms on the floor above their apartment. My parents are in one apartment with a kitchen, refrigerator, TV w/cable, and bathroom. My little apartment with a bathroom is next door and has room for a kitchen but nothing is hooked up. We are located a little above the main town. Well, 133 steps from the road to be exact. But all the roads are hills around here. That means my commute to school is 15 minutes downhill, probably 200-300meter descent and my commute home is 20 minutes of walking UP! It is good for me after the trek, but my parents are struggling a bit with the hills and steps. ‘Slowly slowly’, as the Nepali guides would say.

Enjoying Fresh Lime Sodas on one of the many rooftop cafes

Dharamsala, seems very safe so far. I have walked home alone after dark a few times and never been worried or felt afraid. The biggest nuisances are the large troops of monkeys that roam about and pass by our apartment balcony 2-3 times a day. This is also mating season and the males are especially vicious right now. But other than the wildlife, the town is pretty quiet. Walking around the main bazaar you see the same 10-15 beggars that sit in the same places everyday. However, none of these beggars are Tibetan, they are all Indian, and I heard a rumor that they are all South Indian. The first few days in town trying to negotiate and decide how to treat them were difficult. They see a foreigner and start whining for money. I don’t mean to sound heartless, but I don’t give to beggars. If I have food, I will sometimes give it, especially to children. But we were warned by some other teachers that many of these beggars will sell back food you buy them for money. And one woman who is missing all her fingers, probably due to leprosy, makes enough money to support her daughter through college. Great, good for her, but I refuse to support begging. So, instead of blatantly ignoring their greetings and pleas, my parents and I have started greeting them as we would anyone else. I say ‘hello’ or ‘namaste’ and ask them how they are and smile at them. They all recognize us now and know we won’t give money, but also know we will acknowledge them as humans. Most people don’t even do that much. I realize I’m not a saint, I’m no Mother Theresa, I pick my causes and like to give where I know it is going to a worthy cause. But everyone deserves to be treated as a human being and smiling never hurt anyone.

Tibet Charity, Dharamsala

My parents and I all started teaching at the Tibet Charity’s Multi-Education Center last week. I have an intermediate class for 90 minutes M-F. The class has about 15 regular students comprised of Tibetan monks, nuns and lay people. Many of the students have stories about escaping from the Chinese controlled Tibet (walking days in the mountains, being shot at by border guards, and leaving family & friends) so that they can get an education in India, where the Tibet Government in Exile resides. The school offers them free English, Hindi, and computer classes. There are also drop-in conversation classes they can attend. It is hard not to be overwhelmed by their stories and their desire for a Free Tibet. Yesterday one of my students, a young monk, gave a 2 minute speech entitled “Why I study hard”. He explained that he hopes to fight the Chinese someday, that the Tibetans HAVE TO fight the Chinese. But he doesn’t want to use guns or violence, he wants to use intellect. Therefore, it is absolutely necessary for all the young Tibetans to get an education and study hard. Only if Tibetans are educated can they outwit the Chinese someday! So everyday he attends English classes, science classes and his Buddhist studies class. He isn’t unusual, some students take 4-5 English classes a day and cheered when I asked them if they wanted me to give them homework!

All the students are extremely eager to learn, ask questions, answer questions, and participate. After teaching in Japan, it is shocking to see how motivated students can be. It seems the main difference is that Tibetans are learning English to save their country and culture. The Japanese view English as destroying their country and culture. And the Chinese seem to view English as the means to becoming the next major empire. As I travel and learn more about the motivations for learning English in different areas of the world, it makes me think harder about where I want to teach and who I want to teach. For example, I could never feel good about teaching in China, especially after living and teaching in a Tibetan refugee community. And while Japan pays the bills, I wonder if teaching innovation and research isn’t wasted on a community that is only learning English to function, not survive in the world. Unfortunately, teaching Tibetans or disadvantaged populations, the most rewarding teaching, isn’t sustainable for teachers unless they are supported by a large trust fund. Where is the middle ground? And how does my dream of teaching in the middle east factor into this?

The view from our balcony at 7:30AM

“Madam, what country is suffering because you’re here?”

We had planned 8 days roundtrip for the ABC trek. We were back in Pokhara after 6 ½ days. We tried to extend it as long as we could, but the trail finally came to an end and before we knew it we were back on a bus heading for Pokhara. Luckily, because we had an extra day there, we were able to do some laundry, although it came back smelling like all our dirty socks. On our free day we hired a boat to take us across the lake so we could climb to the top of a small hill and see the Peace Pagoda. The climb is supposed to take 45min-1hr. Even in our newly purchased hippy skirts (our clothes were being washed) and our flip-flops we did it in 30minutes! The view of the Pokhara valley was nice, but the pagoda was disappointing. We had tea and walked around up on top before heading back down to the boat. That night, as we were walking to the Punjabi Dhaba for dinner, we passed by one of 100s of Kashmiri shops that line the main tourist drag near the lake. The Kashmiri shopkeepers have a reputation for being sweet talkers and very persistent in their sales pitch. But one particular shopkeeper got our immediate attention when he said “Madam, what country is suffering because you’re here?” as we walked by. We all busted up laughing at his great command of a unique pick-up line! But we didn’t stop to buy anything! Although we promised another sweet talker that we would be back next year for a cup of tea. Ladies, have you bought your ticket yet?

The next day we were up early with our over stuffed packs and on a bus to Kathmandu. It was pouring and our bags were on the top. We had our rain covers on and there was a tarp over all the bags, with any luck our stuff would arrive only damp, not soaked! The bus ride is supposed to take 8 hours, but because of accidents, the rain and bad traffic before the big Nepali Daishan Festival, it took about 10 hours. Gyanu escorted us to our hotel and we agreed to meet the next day for our last DBT meal!

We had one day of sight-seeing and shopping before our last DBT meal together with Gyanu. He took us to a local Nepali restaurant and we sat and talked for about 2 hours eating snacks (chili chicken boneless, fried peanuts and momos) before we ordered dinner. We also drank a lot of beer which helped us all loosen up and ask questions we hesitated to ask before. Several of his friends came as well as his brother. It was fun to see him in his element and see part of his life.


The next day we had our final breakfast bakery meal together at the Brezel Bakery in Thamel. They took their last walk around our little neighborhood and said good-bye to Kathmandu.

It was surreal to see A&E off at the airport for our final good-bye. It is really hard to comprehend a month long adventure coming to an end. It’s hard to let it go and say good-bye to everything that had become our life:

the heavy packs

pumping water

porridge

DBT meals

cold group showers

mint tea

snickers bars

curling up in our sleeping bags at 7pm every night

sleeping 10-12 hours a night

trekking 5-8 hours every day

sucking on the group teat (water bag)

hand-washing all our clothes

backpackers laundry line (underwear hanging from our bags)

applying the 70 SPF sun cream

daily vitamin dose

cringing at the sight of suspension bridges

traffic jams of goats, donkeys and cows

‘namaste sweet’

‘namaste one rupee’

‘namaste pen’

Twenty-four hours after seeing off A&E at the airport, I was back at the airport to meet my mom. She had been traveling for 48 hours when she got off the plane and had spent 12 of those waiting at the Delhi airport overnight. Needless to say, she was thrilled to finally see a familiar face and settle in at the hotel. And it was great to see her after 10 months! She is a very eager listener and wanted to hear all about the trek and our adventures…perfect debriefing time for me!

We spent several days exploring Kathmandu: the monkey temple, Durbar Square, Thamel, Bhaktapur, and Patan. We hired Gyanu to ‘guide’ us around several of the places. It is so much better to be able to ask questions to a local then just wander around looking at things aimlessly. And of course it always helps to have a Nepali speaker negotiate taxis.

Sorry, couldn't flip it around. But check it out. Gyanu is carrying my mom's bag around Bhaktapur. He also hekped her up and down steep stairs and made sure to keep a close eye on her in traffic! He is the BEST GUIDE EVER!!

But after a few days in the capital, we packed up a small bag and got on the bus going to The Last Resort, located 14km from the Tibetan border. It is famed for having one of the highest bungee jumps in the world, about 160 meters. The bridge was enough to put me in a state of panic. There was no way I was even going to consider jumping off of it.

The Last Resort is a little oasis for adventure travelers. The land was originally rice terraces, like all the land that surrounds the resort. But after business break-up at The Borderlands down the road, one of the business partners, a world famous kayaker, opened The Last Resort and converted all the land to a beautifully landscaped resort. Another co-owner owns a rafting company in Japan. It was at his hostel in Hokkaido that I first heard about The Last Resort and promised to make a visit. Lucky for me and my mom, I kept my promise.

At The Last Resort all the guests sleep in safari tents and there are shared toilets and hot showers. There is a large open-air dining room/bar area where all the meals are served buffet style. There is a massage house run by a different company that only trains and employs untouchables. And of course, there are many activities to choose from: bungee, canyon swing, canyoning, rafting, kayaking, trekking, etc. We had planned a few days of relaxing and then a two day rafting trip down the Bhote Khosi, one of Nepal’s best white water rivers! But that wasn’t all that was in store for us. After we arrived, the adventure coordinator asked us if we would be interested in canyoning and sent the canyoning guide over to talk to my mom. The issue wasn’t if I wanted to go, it was if SHE wanted to go!

After an hour of explaining what canyoning involved, abseiling down waterfalls, my mom was almost convinced! It wasn’t that the guide was trying to sell her on an activity, he was trying to boost her confidence and explained all the risks as well as the safety measures they take. It was easy to tell that he was very experienced and trustworthy! And it was easy to feel comfortable knowing we would be putting our lives in his hands!

So the next morning, the sun was shining, and we met with our canyoning guide at about 10:30 to suite up. We wore a wet suite, a fleece, a spray jacket, a helmet, a harness and shoes of our choice. I only had my chakos with tread that is well-worn. Three of us, my mom and I joined by a solo Israeli traveler, set out with two Nepali guides. The stream and the 7 waterfalls were a 15 minute walk from the resort through a small village and rice terraces. The first waterfall was easy, the guide repelled us down. But after that it was up to us, we had to abseil—control the rope ourselves. The longest waterfall was something like 45meters. The biggest challenge was keeping my feet from slipping of the wet mossy covered rock face. Otherwise it was a lot of fun, even my mom thought so! It was something neither one of us thought we would do, but glad we did! I would totally do it again if the chance presented itself!

Our rafting guide, Sam, standing with my mom and Pat, the co-owner of The Last Resort and owner of Hokkaido Outdoor Adventure in Japan

The next big adventure: RAFTING! This was something my mom and I had really been looking forward to. As a family we all love rafting, and are always looking for a good river. When we travel, we like to find a good raft trip to coordinate our other plans with. So, since Nepal is one of the best places in the world for rafting, we had to get a good few days in. AND WE DID!! But perhaps we got a little more than we bargained for, or at least my mom did. The first day was fun but not overly crazy. There were some good floats in-between the class 3+ rapids. It was a good warm-up for the second day which we had been warned would be much more continuous and much more strenuous, was a little crazy. It was only the second post-monsoon raft trip to brave the river because the water was still really high. The first raft trip had flipped a boat in the first 10 seconds on the river! So we were in for some good rapids and good fun! It was everything everyone promised it would be…lots of big continuous white water. And at one point we hit a rock that titled the boat in such a way that my mom popped out. She tried to hold onto the boat, but the water was so strong she let go. Another guide threw her a lifeline, but with all the white water crashing in front of her face she didn’t see it just inches away from her. Luckily, the safety kayakers are great at their jobs and one came to the rescue. She grabbed on and he paddled her to shore. It took her some time to catch her breath and recover from the trauma of being in a serious rapid for about 20-30 seconds. But she jumped right back in another raft (we were on the other side of the river) and rode with them until we called it a day about 20 minutes later. I’m not sure if my mom will go rafting again, but she has a great story to tell and it is even more exotic because it happened in Nepal, a country most of her friends wouldn’t step foot, let alone go rafting or canyoning!

My mom with her safety kayaker and lifesaver!

We spent our last few days doing some more sight-seeing with Gyanu in Kathmandu and we went to Nagarkot for one night—hoping to see a Himalayan view. The real blessing in Nagarkot was the clear air and lack of traffic. The sunrise view was minimal. It was possible to see the outline of distant mountains, but the real view of the Himalayas was from our airplane window as we flew to Delhi where we met my dad and departed for our Dharamsala adventure!

The temples of Patan!

The view from Daramkot--can you see the spectacular Himalayas in the background??

Sunday, November 11, 2007

Annapurna Base Camp Day #4

ABC Day 4 (Oct. 11)

Machupuchre Base Camp (3700m) - Annapurna Base Camp (4130m) - Bamboo (2335m)

15km

6:45am to 4:30pm


We did it!! We made it to ABC and we saw fabulous mountain views. It wasn’t super clear but enough to see almost all the peaks. Stunning! At the top we drank mint tea, ate a snickers and bounty bar and snapped photos of the 360degree view of snow capped mountains. But not just any mountains—the Himalayas! We were all a little worried leaving M.B.C this morning because there was a thick cloud cover and it has rained during the night. But luckily after our 90min walk up, it started to burn off. Our new Korean friend, Lion, was up there. He took some great group photos of us. We got one while picking up Gyanu, similar to the photo we got with JP at Poon Hill. I think that surprised him!

I love getting reactions out of him. He is so funny! Glad we hired him as our guide! He has been invaluable! On the way back to M.B.C. we were asking him about his family. His family lives in a village in the Himalayan foothills. They have lots of animals-buffalo, goats, chickens, cows, etc. And they grow most of their own food—millet, rice, buckwheat, veggies, and fruit. Very cool! But it sounds like a difficult life. And now it is just his parents and one younger sister living on the farm. His other siblings, there are 6 total, are living in Kathmandu or with their husbands. He might go back in December to help with the harvesting.


--Water pump break—

We kicked ass today!! Not only did we go to A.B.C this morning (two days earlier than expected), but we cruised it back down. We had plans to stop and stay in Dovan for the night. But when we arrived there, all the rooms, in all the hotels (about 4) were full. It seems the trekking season has JUST started! There was one room available, but it was in a tin shed behind a hotel. It had 4 beds and no windows. One of the pillow cases had a big blood stain and cigarette burns. Gyanu had seen it and reported back to us “no” and when I went to confirm, I whole heartedly agreed! So, the decision was made to keep moving! It had started raining about 45 minutes before we got to Dovan. We pulled out our rain gear, put our packs back on and started walking. But with our sights set on Bamboo we really started running. Gyanu said it would take us 90 minutes, we said we could do it in 60 minutes. We arrived in Bamboo in 40 minutes. We were all shocked. We were booking it, even in the rain and on the muddy trail! Nice work team—high 5s all around!

We got a room at the first hotel and it came complete with a gas powered hot shower—delicious! We’ve got out act together now. We have managed to filter and treat our water BEFORE dinner—an accomplishment! So now we are sitting in the dining hall waiting for our DBT (dal bhat thakali) and drinking tea. Gyanu is sufficiently impressed with our speed, and so are we! If we keep this pace we could be done in two days! But I think we will take an alternate route from Chomrong which will make it last longer. Plus there is another hot spring on that alternate route—fabulous! So far the knee is ok going down, but we haven’t hit the severe steps yet. Tomorrow is a mix of UP/DOWN. Great! The ALL down days are the killer! I prefer going up!

Today’s highlight: the amazing views at A.B.C and informing a group on their way to Dovan that it was full—shocked faces all around! Low light: Seeing our only option in Dovan, a bloody pillow in a windowless room.


Oh, and let’s not forget the delicious Dearoli DBT. We had it on the way up to A.B.C and we stopped at the same hotel on the way down. It is the best DBT we have had on the trail! I wonder how tonight’s DBT delicacy will compare?

Go DBT team go! Let’s keep trekking forever!