Spring Break

  As per usual, my Spring Break was hardly your typical vacation. While I missed being on an Alternative Breaks trip this year, I’d say that being in Annapurna was a pretty nice trade off. For two weeks, we traveled from Kathmandu to Pokhara (about a 6 hour bus ride away) and intended to fly up to Jomsom (where all the trekkers start the Annapurna Circuit) and then trek to Larjung for a village homestay. Because we are in Nepal, things are pretty unpredictable:

            Our plane got cancelled because it was too windy.

As crushed as we were, I felt alright about avoiding being in a tiny aircraft flying up the deepest river valley in the world with huge gusts potentially blowing us into the nearby mountains. Plus, we got to spend an extra day in Pokhara where we grabbed a delicious lunch (SANDWICHES! Yum) and canoed to the other side of the lake where we hiked up to the World Peace Pagoda. We really enjoyed ourselves and tried to make the most of an unfortunate situation.

Seth, Deb, and Me Canoeing (Pokhara, Nepal)

Windy Days (Pokhara, Nepal)

The next day, however, we were trapped traveling by bus from Pokhara up into the mountains and the roads are…. Let’s just say a little less than enjoyable. Picture a one lane dirt road with falling rock cliff-like mountain to your left and a steep drop off into the rushing cold river below the entire way. That being said, sweaty palms aside, it was a breathtaking bus ride. As we ascended, it became obvious that we definitely were not in Kathmandu anymore where rushing cars, barking dogs, and trash-filled streets are. The snow-capped mountains loomed over our heads and the bright water rushed below. As we made it closer to Larjung the mountains became closer to eye level and I didn’t have to crane my neck against the bus window to see the white mountain tops. We stopped in a nearby village and trekked the rest of the way to our village and this is what we saw. Not to bad, eh?

Crossing the River (Larjung, Nepal)

Crossing Suspension Bridges (near Tatopani, Nepal)

Trekking and its Perks (Tatopani, Nepal)

Living in a village after being in the city had its perks:

-       no loud pujaa bells waking me

-       clean, crisp, and fresh mountain air

-       quiet streets

-       friendly people

-       more freedom to explore (nature)

-       a change of pace

-       adorable babies

Cheeks (Khobang, Nepal)

Sister Love (Larjung, Nepal)

Unikaa (Larjung, Nepal)

Kids on the Block (Larjung, Nepal)

Nani (Larjung, Nepal)

The village also had it’s interesting aspects:

-       dudh chiyaa

practically every household owned at least one cow (my didi and aamaa had 3) so fresh milk was always available. Too bad im mildly allergic.

-       Raksi

 Nepali for “alcohol” (yeah, it’s pronounced like Roxy!!!!! Love ya Rox! =D) raksi is made in the village and is a huge part of the culture. Its appropriate to drink a small cup socially and to share with family over a meal. However, it takes like rubbing alcohol mixed with a heavy dose of lighter fluid. I’m convinced that just like Dad’s coffee, this raksi would make hair grow on your chest it’s so strong.

-       Showering… or lackthereof

In the week we were there, I bathed once. While I wouldn’t say I smelled bad, there was definitely relief when all the girls and I ran to the nearby stream and felt the suds of shampoo on our scalps. It was definitely an interesting experience.

-       Size- we’re talking small

I could walk from one side of the village to the other in 3 minutes. That being said, there were only about 30 households. Basically, everyone knew we were in town. Reeking havoc? No. but certainly causing a few double-takes from being tall and American.

Didi and Aamaa (Larjung, Nepal)

My Kitchen (Larjung, Nepal)

-       Language

Villagers definitely speak differently than city folk. Most verbs that we attempt to conjugate in the city, we threw out the window because everything uses the same structure. Instead of: ma jaanchhu. tapaai jaanuhunchha, wahaa jaanuhunchha. haami jaanchhau, (I, you, he/she, we go) it was simply ma jaane. tapaai jaane. Wahaa jaane. haami janne. It was nice.

Though they speak “simply” they also speak with accents AND no English. So that made everything that much more challenging.

Batti (Larjung, Nepal)

My porch (Larjung, Nepal)

Beauty of Larjung (Larjung, Nepal)

Lakeside in the Rain (Larjung, Nepal)

Full Moon in Mustang (Larjung, Nepal)

Prayer Flags (Poon Hill, Nepal)

360 Mountain View (Poon Hill, Nepal)

We trekked out for 4 days and did an early sunrise hike up Poon Hill. It was breathtaking, though the crowds were ridiculous. I'm talking at least a couple hundred people heading up a steep mountain at 5:30 in the morning. All I could see was a trail of headlamps heading up the slope before me and the orange sun slowly rising behind me. Trekking was a reminder of how beautiful this country is and how diverse it can be. I also saw more "white people" than I had in the city and it was interesting meeting people and learning their stories and reasons for traveling.

Now, I'm about to head off and do my own research. For my ISP (independent study project) I'll be learning about development in Nepal and how, due to the political history and instability, there are a variety of strategies that organizations must take to create successful change. I'm choosing to look at Peace Corps in Nepal and find out just how much they have to adapt to the political landscape and also how they need to create development projects that are custom to Nepal. I'm super excited. Yet it also means that I'm entirely responsible for my work, money, travel, and food. (I'm not too worried about getting fed though, let's be honest).

I'm missing everyone back home terribly, but am excited and anxious for all that I've got ahead of me in my last few weeks in Nepal.