Transition

Once again it’s been ages since I’ve posted.   Thank you so much to all of you who voiced your support and best wishes for Jonathan’s continued progress.  I just spoke with Gianetta, his mom, last night and his borderline-miraculous recovery is continuing.  He is now able to walk with the help of a walker, feed himself completely independently, and is even getting some sensation back in his left arm and fingers which have been numb for weeks and which the doctors said would never recover.  Clearly, Jonathan is a singular individual who is defying everyone’s expectations, and I continue to be awed by his progress. 

Thank you also for your kind words for my family about my grandmother.  My mom and aunts are working heroically to take care of all the necessary arrangements, and it is hard for everyone to prepare the family farm to be sold.  To mark that milestone, the entire Kemner clan will be gathering at the Farm over Memorial Day for one final weekend of celebration and remembrance.  I can’t think of a better way to honor Grandma and the place that has been so central to our lives.   

Since my last post I wrapped up my final two weeks in Nepal with dear friends Terra and Lindsay (more on that in a minute), survived the 24-hour flight back to DC, spent a couple whirlwind days in Alexandria with my parents, and drove back to Asheville to begin settling back in and looking for work.

The good news is that now I have access to Internet that isn't glacially slow, so the pictures will come fast and furious.  Here are a few from the two weeks Terra and Lindsay were in town.  Lindsay's flight was delayed by a day, so Terra and I bummed around Kathmandu waiting for her.

Terra is a trooper and hauls her bags to Pashupatinath

The best Indian food of the trip at Garden Kitchen. The saag (greens) are unreal.

The Vishnumati River through Kathmandu. Environmentalists, brace yourselves.

Swayambhunath (the "Monkey Temple").  See next picture for explanation.

 

Lindsay took the bus to Pokhara to participate in a Gaky’s Light class, and Terra and I came up a day later. We did a bit of sightseeing (site seen?) around Pokhara our first day in town.

Boat ride across Phewa Tal to hike up to the World Peace Pagoda

The Annapurnas from the World Peace Pagoda

The three of us survived the surprisingly strenuous three-day Poon Hill Trek, billed as the “second-best view in the world”…although no one knows what the BEST view is.  

Catching the early morning local bus to Nayapul to start the Poon Hill trek.  Americans are tall.

3,800 stone steps are brutal on the legs...going up AND coming down.

View from the rooftop of our guest house in Ulleri.  Annapurna South and Hiun Chuli in the background.

Water buffalo obstacle course

Sunrise at Poon Hill

We also visited Kaskikot and stayed with the ever-wonderful Aamaa.

Local bus from Nayapul to Naudada

Aamaa's water buffalo's calf greeting the morning

The one shot I've been wanting the entire trip

Lindsay, Gaurab, and Terra: sunrise on Annapurna South and Fishtail in Kaskikot

Breakfast at Aamaa's--my mouth is still watering for her dal bhat.

Perfecting the art of eating with our hands

Terra and Lindsay hauling water for Aamaa

Hauling water

Beautiful Aamaa with her American guests

After just five short days we hopped on the bus back to Kathmandu.   

Riding in the cab of the bus during the seven-hour trip back to Kathmandu.

Driver and company

This is the main road through Nepal. Note the dirt surface and pile of rocks--no wonder the drive took seven hours.

We spent one more day in the capital and visited Kopan Monastery, a beautiful Tibetan Buddhist haven overlooking Kathmandu.

Front of the gompa and Kopan Monastery

Altar inside the gompa

Tumbling monks at Kopan

Lindsay and I hopped on the plane home later that day.  Terra stayed one extra day before heading back to San Francisco.  It has been so wonderful to be reunited with my family and dear friends.  Re-entry has been very difficult, but in different ways than I expected.  First of all, I feel like I haven't been able to communicate even one tenth of my experience to anyone.  I have approximately 2,500 pictures to sift through and I don't want to subject anyone to a marathon "vacation slide show."  I have countless stories that I want to share but don't know where to start, and I know that I won't be able to make anyone fully understand what those stories mean.  Other travelers I have talked to have confirmed this is pretty much the way it is with long-term international travel.  You don't travel for others, you do it for yourself.  And there's just no way to help someone else fully understand what a place is like.  So I will keep trying, with that understanding.

Surprisingly, I haven't felt overwhelmed by the physical aspect of re-entry.  The pace of life in the U.S. didn't feel particularly shocking.  The thing I have noticed the most so far is how isolated Americans are compared to Nepalis.  For example, the smooth, pothole-free, lane-line-painted American highways with the cars flying along silently were a far cry from the moon-cratered, dusty, noisy, chaotic Nepali byways with everyone honking constantly.  This juxtaposition made me realize just how CONNECTED Nepalis are to each other, in every aspect of daily life.  From spending their free time sitting in front of the shops watching the street, to constantly communicating with at each other by honking or shouting at each other from across the road...Nepal is a social country.  Compare that to the U.S. where we barricade ourselves in our well-insulated houses, drive our giant vehicles trying not to make eye contact with the people driving next to us, and basically ignore those we pass on the sidewalk.  There are many aspects of life in the U.S. that I appreciate now more than ever as a result of this trip: 24-hour electricity, climate-controlled buildings, hot running water, ready availability of toilet paper in the bathrooms.  But I hope a lot of the little adjustments I made while I was in Nepal continue to stick as I re-integrate back here.

I plan to compile a photo gallery of “Nepal in 100 Pictures.” Stay tuned.  I hope you are all well. Lots of love!