I'm taking a break from blogging about prisons and instead will write about a lovely day that I had outside of Kathmandu today.
As you already know I first came to Nepal in 2009 to volunteer. I arrived at the beginning of January and was unpleasantly surprised to learn that it's frickin cold in Nepal at that time of year and that I would need a lot of gear in order to stay warm. I'm never very good at doing weather research before I go somewhere and often end up in a place in the worst season ever. Not only have I frozen my ass off in Nepal, but I've also gone to SE Asia and India in the hottest part of the year. I also chose to do a month of Spanish school in Cuzco, Peru, one of the highest cities around, which translates to colder than a witch's you know what. Anyway, you get the point; I'm not always the brightest crayon in the pack when it comes to preparedness.
But, in all fairness to me, the other 5 Canadians that arrived with me were as equally unprepared and so within a day of arriving we hit the tourist area of Kathmandu (Thamel) to buy some gear. Turns out that kind of stuff is a huge business in Thamel because of tons of tourists there to trek through the Himalayas. On a side note I'm sure that I am one of only a few people who have been to Nepal more than once and who have never gone trekking. It's too cold, I wouldn't like being dirty and wearing the same clothes for days on end and I'm lazy. I can admit it. So I figure why go for the sake of going, to say that I did, only to be miserable the whole time? And believe me, lots of people do it, such as Mt. Everest Base Camp cuz it sounds cool to have done. Not me. I march to the beat of my own drum! :) And so when the guys in the street trying to sell trekking tours ask me about it, I just tell them, sorry, I'm lazy, and they like that as it's not something they often hear.
Anyway I am soooo far off topic now I don't even know how to get back :) Ok so one of the first things I bought was a blanket; now not just any blanket, but a 100% Yak Wool blanket! The guy in the shop introduced himself as Light, which was different than the many others, he spoke great English, with a sort of British accent, and was quite charismatic. We could joke around with him in hopes of getting a good price. My friend and I each ended up buying blankets from him and chatting for awhile in the process. It was a nice shopping experience, we liked our blankets and thought we did pretty good price wise to boot.
I never saw Light again until my last week in Kathmandu. I ended up walking by his shop one day and there was no forgetting him. Compared to all of the other shopkeepers he simply stood out, and like I said, he had charisma, and character. So we ended up going for tea and having a chat before I left.
Kathmandu had been such an amazing time in part because the group of us Canadian volunteers had become like a family in our home outside the tourist area. The other big part was my connection to Teo. I had such a hard time leaving after 2.5 months, and I am sure never would have left had I not have booked a South India tour before I had left Canada. So off I went saying goodbye to some of my friends who were staying behind, bawling of course as I left in my taxi to the airport (poor taxi driver).
The first part of the India tour was tough as I was mourning leaving Kathmandu but after connecting with a few of my tour mates it got easier and allowed me to love all that I was seeing and experiencing there. But, I still yearned to go back to Kathmandu and that's exactly what I did when the tour ended.
When I returned I went to see Prakash again and for the next few weeks we hung out a lot, mainly in his shop which of course had the blankets and pashminas. Now that we were friends, Light, who I now referred to by his Nepali name, Prakash (meaning Light) filled me in that the blanket I had bought was not 100% yak wool. In fact all of the shops claiming to have 100% yak wool were all bogus. He showed me a real yak wool blanket and let's just say that I can see why it's not a bestseller. It's really rough and not at all something you'd want to cuddle up with. Instead people like me like the softer than soft blankets which they believe are yak wool, but which aren't. So this yak wool issue became a big joke between us; the fact that he ripped me off. He continues to assure me that I got a good price though, and I still do love that blanket, so really, who cares. Plus I got a friend out of it :)
So then I left again, as I was meeting my best friend Corrine in Cambodia. This time I didn't plan on coming back. But after Cambodia, Vietnam and a little time in Bangkok, Thailand, I was flying to Peru. And wouldn't you know I was going through India, so I thought hey, why not stop over in Nepal given it's just a hop, skip and a jump! So for the third time I landed in Kathmandu and for a few weeks, spent almost all of my days at the prison, with plenty of time hanging out with Prakash as well (who I had surprised this time). It was Prakash who introduced me to the word 'karuna' and its meaning in Nepali, and who helped me design the karuna tattoo which I got in Nepal to symbolize what my time there had been all about, and how I wanted to continue to live my life. He calls me Karuna to this day and I embrace it as my name while in this part of the world.
Since leaving in July 2009 Prakash and I have stayed in contact and become close friends. Two years ago he married Radikha; a wedding which I would have loved to have been apart of had he given me more notice. He is professor of journalism in college here, and continues to run one of the family pashmina businesses.
Fast forward to March 2012....One of the bonuses of going to India was that I was close enough to swing by Nepal to visit Prakash and Proscovia as well as other old friends. Prakash met me at the airport and placed a beautiful scarf around my neck as a welcome back to Nepal. It was a lovely reunion that I won't forget. He had rode his motorbike there to meet me but with my luggage I was going to need to take a taxi to my hotel. But after Prakash had a brainwave we sent my luggage with the hotel guy while I rode with him. He and I had gone on a couple day trips on his motorbike when I had been there in 2009 and I loved it. So it was so nostalgic and exciting to commemorate my return by riding in to the city on his bike. I was so happy to be back; just seeing all the familiar sights filled me with joy.
Since I've been here I've spent a lot of time catching up with Prakash in the shop. The same 100% yak wool blanket signs are up, as they are in every shop in Thamel. We still talk and laugh about it. I'm sure he won't like that I''m broadcasting the truth about the bogus yak wool blankets to all my peeps, but hey, it's not like any of you are going to start any campaign against the yak wool scheme. Plus, Prakash is still one of the most, kind, compassionate and good people that I know, fake yak wool and all :)
Over the weeks we've had endless chats about all that we've missed talking about in the last 3 years (some things you just can't talk about on Skype) and drank a lot of tea in the process. I've met his wife who is lovely and gone to their home for dinner, which was also lovely. Their home is on the edge of the city and huge as it is a joint family; his two brothers and their families each have a floor, while Prakash, Radikha, his mother and twin sister live on another floor. I got to meet his mother for the first time, as she moved to the city from the village after I left, and got to see his sister and brother again. It was a lovely evening..
Prakash is a busy guy with teaching and the shop so has little free time. But he wanted to at least take me out of Kathmandu one day, into the countryside, as we had done before. By the time we arranged the day I so needed it after more than 2 weeks in Kathmandu with its pollution and noise. I was finding that my patience was running thin with the horns, spitting, slow walking people, and that I needed to get away, see some green and take in some fresh air!
So today after a rooftop breakfast on a clear morning where we could see the foothills surrounding the city, off we went out of the city and into the beautiful countryside that makes up Nepal. I loved being on a motorbike again, and in particular once we were out of the city when I didn't have to wear a face mask, could smell the eucalyptus and see the green trees and hills. The sights were amazing to see again; the rolling foothills which turned into snow capped mountains as we went farther, beautiful rice terraces carved into the hills, traditional homes scattered all over, women walking along carrying baskets of grass on their backs, villagers herding goats, buses with young people riding on the rooftop as I had done and loved when I was last here....Besides the bumpy ride during which at one point I came down hard and chipped my tooth, it was simply lovely and soooo needed.
After riding close to 40 kms we headed off on a sandy, narrow road which circled around a hill leading to his sister's home. I couldn't help but sing "she'll be coming around the mountain when she comes..." :) Riding out to visit Prakash's sister and her family had been the plan all along as it was a beautiful ride and he could see his sister at the same time. The area had a lot of springs and as a result has a lot of trout farms. Many times along the way I had to get off the bike so Prakash could either manoeuvre the sand or small spring running across the road. It was remote! Finally we arrived, parked the bike at a neighbour's, tromped across their property and over the wheat that they were harvesting, to his sister's home.
Their home is two storeys, made of cement with some reddish mud used as well and with a tin roof. The bedrooms are upstairs which you get to by ladder, and on the main floor is the kitchen, storage room and another for goats. The family has cows, goats and farm wheat, rice, potatoes and mustard as well. They also have fruit in their yard like papaya and lime. Their home is on the edge of a hill full of terraces, trees and is simply beautiful. The upstairs bedrooms have window openings that look out on to this amazing scenery; quite the view to wake up to everyday.
When we arrived, Prakash's sister, brother in law and their adult son were beating the wheat that they had just cut. Prakash's sister would carry the bushels over and the men would beat them over a stone to separate the wheat from the stalks. Wheat was flying everywhere and it was all over the ground. After his sister got us some tasty green papaya, grilled potato and some delicious juice concoction, they went back to work. Prakash's brother in law continued to beat the wheat while his sister picked up the wheat that was laying on the ground and held it up in the wind which blew the husks away. It was a fascinating process really and during which I couldn't help but think about how different farming is in Canada. Lucky for them they get 3 crops a year versus our one but it's quite a hard life with physical labour being required for pretty much everything they do and eat.
Their son, Suman, who is studying on a full scholarship in Kathmandu to be a structural engineer, gave me a tour of the house and took me on a walk to the spring where they get their drinking water from. I saw the cracks in the rocks from which the water comes from. Suman has actually tested the water in a lab and found it to be pure, pure, pure. After hearing that I felt better about drinking the juice from which it was made!
We sat outside with me enjoying the peaceful scenery, took pictures (mainly of Prakash's young niece and her friend who very much wanted a photo shoot), played with the goats, and I tried to win over the cat who wanted nothing to do with me. Then after a great meal we were on our way. His sister wanted me to stay the night, but I wasn't prepared so told her next time!
After a few hour visit we went on our way, tromping through the neighbour's yard again during which I got another invite to stay. The ride home was even more beautiful I think and I savoured every sight and smell, especially during the many times I had to get off the bike, walk, and even push so we could get back up the road with its sand, rocks, and streams. Despite the beautiful scenery I was reminded again why I'm not interested in trekking :)
By the time we made it back, 10 hours after we had left that morning, we were both exhausted and our butts were killing us. As much as I love being on a bike, it kills the ass, even despite all the padding that I have! Back in Kathmandu we were reunited with the crazy traffic, barrage of horns and pollution. The mask went back on but I didn't care. The day had been exactly what I needed and was truly authentic Nepal and Nepali hospitality. I felt so lucky to have had the experience and am very grateful to a great saathi (friend) for the experience. Having friends in the places you visit is the best feeling and one that as you can tell by now always brings me back. Because really it isn't the place..it's the people. And with friends like Prakash here, I can guarantee that this won't be my last time.
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