Australian Camp-Dhampus Trek

Can't believe it's been a week since my last post.  Thank you so much for the encouraging comments, everyone!  I'd be lying if I said the first couple weeks here have been easy.  As I alluded in an earlier post, I have been dealing with quite a bit of culture shock which has made it hard at points to stay fully present and appreciate where I am.  But I'm trying to look at this trip as an opportunity for personal evolution, which doesn't happen all at once.  And sometimes the deepest form of personal growth comes through the toughest experiences--trial by fire.  I'll get over this hump yet!

The first few days after returning from Kaskikot were spent recovering from all the socializing (for us introverts, much recovery is sometimes needed!), exploring Pokhara, and teaching my first English class with the Gaky's Light students.  I will write more about all of these things in another post.  On Monday, I met Prem in Nagdada (a village about an hour's bus ride from Pokhara) for an overnight trek into the Annapurna foothills.

Meeting him meant my first attempt at navigating the Pokhara local bus system, something I've been dreading and avoiding.  The buses themselves aren't not standardized, so any vehicle larger than an eight-passenger van that stops at your (often unmarked) bus stop might be the local bus.  There is no way I can tell because all the writing on the side of the buses is in Nepali.  Thankfully, Gaurab came with me until my transfer so at least I knew I was on the right bus to Nagdada.

After hooking up with Prem and his client (Shu from Hong Kong), as well as another guide and his client from Tokyo, our little troupe of five hit the trail and--after an endless number of stone steps--found ourselves at Australian Camp, a guest house community perched at the top of one of the many foothills of the Annapurnas.  Our climb was rewarded with these views:

Yet another mind-blowing shot of Annapurna South

Sunset from Australian Camp

After the sun went down it got cold quickly so we all camped out around the woodstove in the dining hall, enjoying whiskey with hot water and raksi (Nepal's "local wine" made from millet, made in small batches in each individual village), and comparing travel tales.  I think raksi is an acquired taste...my first cup was pretty rough.  Don't worry Prem, I'll keep working at it.

First cup of raksi

Hot raksi and storytime

After a cozy night's sleep...

We got up in time to watch the sun rise on the Annapurnas and found a blanket of clouds covering the Pokhara valley below us. 

After breakfast we headed down the backside of the hills, through Dhampus.

All in all, a great little overnighter that restored my soul a bit and satisfied my craving to hit the trails.  Since we got back on Tuesday I've been putting in lots of time developing the Gaky's Light English curriculum, attending a great meditation class I discovered at a local Tibetan Buddhist meditation center near the children's home, and reading (for fun!!).  Incredibly relaxing and restorative, just what I've been needing.

Hope you all have been having a great week--if the power goes out tomorrow on the 21st I guess I'll catch you all on the flip side.

Love!

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!

Culture Shock and Attack of the "D"

As I'm sure any seasoned traveler will tell you, getting settled into a new place is a process full of highs and lows.  In Rolf Potts' book "Vagabonding," international travel is likened to becoming a toddler again: you can't understand what anyone is saying, simple life tasks like using the toilet are an enigma, your palate is being re-developed as you are exposed to new foods and flavors, and initially you may need lots of naps.  As the high of the initial couple days in a new place wears off, reality sets in and you realize just how different your life is going to be.  I have been dealing with this culture shock for the past day or two.  Not understanding what people are saying 90% of the time, not having access to good street maps (which wouldn't do much good anyway because very few of the streets are labeled), and not having a strong enough Nepali vocabulary to ask for information I need means I have been stumbling through pretty much everything: interacting with people, buying things, asking for directions.

In addition to the culture shock, I went to the  Pokhara Industrial Fair on Saturday with the Gaky's Light Fellowship Program students (the Eva Nepal program I am teaching English for),

Pokhara Industrial Fair

One of the many types of industry represented at the fair

Diesel-powered fair ride

I found out later the momo's we had at the concession stand did not agree with me.  All of this meant that I have spent 24 of the past 36 hours sleeping and fending off my first case of traveler's diarrhea (the big "D").  Thankfully, GI tracts are resilient and I'm feeling better this morning.  I just hope I haven't developed an aversion to the daal bhaat we eat at the children's home every day.

I know this "low" is only temporary and will pass.  It's just part of the deal.  And I'm also looking forward to heading to Kaskikot today (the trip was delayed a day, for which I'm very thankful since I spent the whole day sleeping).

Much love!