Don't worry, chicken curry!

Namaste everyone!
Doug and I just finished trekking in the Annapurna Sanctuary and are now spending the day in Pokhara. We decided at the last minute to go there after all, rather than to the Everest region, where we had been before. Pokhara, the resort town 20 minutes away from Kathmandu by flight, is where trekkers start their journeys to the Annapurna region. It is a beautiful town, with grand mountains towering over it and a big lake to relax by. Although there was some unrest here in Pokhara, it did not pose any risk to us. And what can I say about the trek, it was great! Beautiful scenery, lots of thunderstorms, monkey, pheasants, great company, etc, etc... Our guide Pasang and his brother Sonam were with us and Pasang kept us on the right path. Whenever we had a question or concern about something, he would set us straight, and then say "don't worry, chicken curry". Sonam served as our porter and was happy to carry our light bag, a mere 16kg! The maximum is 30kg for porters. This kept him fresh at the end of the day, so he could check out the town and visit with bahinis (younger sisters), ahem... We stayed in teahouses along the way and met some nice folks as well. Because of the bandh (strike), there were a lot less tourists than usual in the region, so less crowded overall (good for us, I cannot imagine what it would have been like with more people trekking!). We were fortunate to spend a couple of days in the town of Ghorepani celebrating the Nepali New Year (the greeting "Naya barsako, subha kamana" - Happy new year!, was said often on this trek). We got to watch the Gurung people do the yearly fresh yak blood drinking to give them strength for the year. There are many ethnic groups in this region, but mainly Gurung and Magars in the areas we were in. The only yucky part was having to walk from Pokhara to the trailhead in Phedi - 5 hours away, due to the nationwide strike (and not to mention Doug's stomach bug that started that day and lasted another day and a half - until he took some azithromycin - the wonder drug!). We hoped that the strike would be over before we were done with our trek, but it is still continuing, which meant we had to walk back from the trailhead to Pokhara, but this time only 4 hours because we started walking at four in the morning while it was still cool and pass the time chatting with some lamas heading into Pokhara themselves. The walk was a minor inconvenience to us compared to what the citizens of this nation have had to endure since the 6th of April - no work, no school, diminishing supplies of food, etc. No one knows when the strike and the curfews will end, but it is apparent that it will continue indefinitely until the king makes a move to give up absolute power and restore democracy. I must say it makes me grateful to be US citizen despite the problems we have there (in fact, many Nepalis who asked me where I was from would comment on how lucky I was to be from the US, interesting,eh?). I am looking forward to returning home. Doug and I plan to leave on April 29th, with a stopover in Hawaii to visit family. Well, gotta run, so pheri betaungla (until we meet again!)and don't worry, chicken curry!-
Peace and Namaste, Jackie

Wish for Peace

Greetings everyone,
Not sure if it has been in the news there, but there has been unrest here in the capital city of Kathmandu and other areas of Nepal as a result of the general strike imposed by the pro-democracy Seven Party Alliance and the Maoists, and in addition to the day-time curfews imposed by the King's autocratic government. Many people have been defying the curfews with pro-democracy rallies and protests. There have been some fatalities, although even one fatality is too much. These events have really made life difficult for the average citizen as many are unable to leave their homes to go to work (if they are not working, they are not paid), to buy food, to go to school, etc... Doug and I (foreigners in general) are safe and staying put in the tourist district of Thamel. We were supposed to fly out to Pokhara tomorrow where we were to launch our trek of the Annapurnas, but instead will probably fly to the Everest region as Pokhara is experiencing much unrest. The Everest region is not affected by the insurgency at this point, and being that there are no roads in the area, it is not affected by the strike. Our plan at this moment is to take the safest option - that being trekking in the Everest region, unless the strike is miraculously called off in the morning, a highly unlikely event.

On a more pleasant note, we were able to leave the tourist district early this morning to visit Swayambunath, which is one of the most revered religious sites in Kathmandu. We had a few hours before the curfew was imposed and it was nice to be out in a peaceful area, near a beautiful forest, just chilling out. We shared a donut that puts Krispy Kremes to shame and fortunately, the donut was eaten before it could be snatched by one of the temples many monkeys. Doug lit some butter lamps and with that he was able to make one wish - a wish for a peaceful resolution to the current situation here. Let's hope his wish comes true.

Peace and Namaste,
Jackie and Doug

Coming of Age

Greetings all! Despite being done at the Disabled Childrens Center, it has been a busy week. On Monday, I attended two Hindu Bratabanda (coming of age) ceremonies for adolescent boys usually between the ages of 8 through 18, although the most common age for the ceremony to be held is around 13 years old. The boy is put through a series of rituals and a puja (prayer ceremony) is held for a few hours. One sign that the boy has had his Bratabanda, is the ceremonial shaving of his entire head, with a small tuft remaining on top. Although it is a serious ceremony, it is overall a very fun time for the boy because after the ceremony, he is showered with many gifts and there is always a wonderful feast for family and friends who have attended. Being there for the entire ritual is not compulsory, so you can still enjoy the food even if you weren't there for the ritual! Yum!

Doug arrives in a few days and as I mentioned earlier, Kathmandu will be experiencing a general strike. We hope it will be peaceful and for the most part, I think we will be safe... Gotta go now, my time is up.

Peace, Namaste,
Jackie