Kaskikot

Thanks for all the well-wishes for my GI tract, everyone!  I am feeling 100% better and will be a bit wiser about choosing fair fare next time.

Prem and I just got back yesterday from two days in Kaskikot, a small village about two hours north-northwest from Pokhara.  I had seen a picture or two (including the one in my first post), but those didn't prepare me for what a tranquil haven it is!  The past two days have been surreal.

The trip started out with Prem working his magic within his seemingly-infinite network of contacts to get us a taxi to Kaskikot after we discovered the bus was full.  After a lot of body shuffling, I found myself wedged into the back of a VB Beetle-sized taxi with five other Nepali men.  One of them, Tika,  kept me in stitches the entire 45-minute ride with descriptions of his desire to find a nice American woman with a "big butt and a big wallet." The problem is that the consulate seems determined to keep him from coming to America.  His experience with trying to get a U.S. visa made me realize just how easy we Americans have it when it comes to travel--we don't (usually) need a sponsor and proof of assets just to travel for pleasure.  Anyway, despite Tika's colorful humor, the conversation was also peppered with his wise comments ("we are not rich in money, but we are rich in friends").  At the end of the bus ride Prem, Tika, and I stopped at a roadside stand for a cup of milk tea before starting the hour-long hike the rest of the way to Kaskikot.  We were joined by two other men--I had no idea who they were (this was to be a frequent occurrence over the next two days).

After tea we hit the road.  The road is so rough it's faster to walk than take the bus.

We arrived at Aamaa's (Prem's mother-in-law) just before dark.  It's an incredibly beautiful, serene homestead tucked into the mountainside amid terraced farmland with the Annapurna mountains as a backdrop.

The kitchen, complete with indoor cookfire

My bed--shared with the resident "mouse" (read: rat)

Hauling water for Aamaa

After a dinner of water buffalo milk (!), daal bhaat, spinach, and pickle, we tumbled into bed early.  When the power goes off it’s pitch dark and sleeping is the best option, despite the resident rat who made a nightly appearance on my bed.  Prem and I woke up early the next morning to hike to the top of the hill behind Aamaa’s house to watch the sunrise.  I FINALLY caught my first real glimpse of the Annapurnas, which had been hidden by smog and clouds of the past week.  There are no words.

Machhapuchhre (Fishtail)

Annapurna South

The rest of the day was spent visiting, drinking tea with new friends (five cups that day), and wandering the main road through Kaskikot.  Mid-day we stopped at one of the primary schools in town and watched a program of the Kaskikot Oral Health Care Project (KOHCP), another initiative of Eva Nepal and its partner organization, VisionNepal.  The theater was top-notch, the kids were adorable, and it was great to see a public health prevention program in action!  KOHCP has resulted in every kid in Kaskikot brushing their teeth at the beginning of every school day, and doctor's visits due to tooth problems have decreased since the program started. 

The school, with Annapurnas as a backdrop

The actors

Pre-game entertainment

After the program, Prem, Bibak (one of many new friends), and I struck out to do some hiking in the hills above town.  We saw some great (albeit hazy) views.

Prem and Bibak

Catching our breath

Sweaty but happy (note the Carrboro Bicycle Coalition shoutout)

We also explored a few Hindu temples...

Shenanigans with Shiva's Trishul

Temple to Lord Shiva

...and finished the day back at Aamaa’s.  The next day before heading back to Pokhara, we participated in Bala Chaturdashi, a Hindu festival during which those wishing for blessings in the next life toss corn, rice, and marigolds into the woods to feed Lord Shiva (who took the form of a deer).  After the long, grueling hike up to the mountaintop just outside of Kaskikot,

 the afternoon was spent decorating and praying at the temple, playing and dancing to music, visiting, and watching a performance featuring none other than Shiva, Parvati, Ganesh, Krishna, and other Hindu gods.  

 

 

Shiva, Ganesh, Parvati, and Krishna gettin' their groove on

Watching the gods dance

Bibak, Prem, and Gobinda

I got my first scam-free tika, and even got a mention over the loudspeaker as "Emily ma amaarica."  Who knew being the only foreigner at this event would have been so noteworthy?

After the festivities Prem and I hit the road for the walk back to Pokhara--a trip that usually takes 4-5 hours but that we accomplished in just over 2 because we were practically running down the mind-bendingly steep hillsides.  My legs are yelling at me today for it.

I'm still trying to absorb everything from the past few days.  Kaskikot is very special place and I can't wait to get back there soon!