Boudha Jan24/09

Buddha and I walk to Boudha. She tells me about her life.

When we are walking up/around the big Stupa, a procession of people carrying a flowered seat circle it. Fortunately I find out from Buddha that it is a funeral processionbefore I take any photos. In the flowered seat the person's body is propped up.

After a snack at Saturday Cafe, we walk to the Lotus Guest House to inquire about rooms. The fellow must have overheard me talking about discounts as he seems surly and says that rates are posted.

The rate of 330 or 360 NPR is fine but they don't take reservations and can't guarantee hot water and lights with the power cuts.

On the way back, we stop at a friend's house. They make me tea although I tried to tell them no thanks. I don't drink it as I am afraid to get sick after the tea at the clothing shop. I feel that I may be offending them but am more concerned about getting sick.

I am anxious to get an email sent to a family member concerning my mail but the power doesn't stay on or it comes on too late.

I stay up late playing cards with the owners' son and his friends.

School Jan20-23/09

Breakfast is late so I have to rush to school. I take a wrong street and back track 3 times before I realize my mistake. Assembly is started by the time I arrive.

When Archana does roll call, I ask her to get the student to stand up and say their name so I can start to learn their names. I record their names in a notebook.

During Nepali class I look at the books that the Japanese volunteers created they are wonderful...very clever!

In the afternoon I do some research so I can talk to the students about Canada.

At a break period I play catch with one girl and eventually others join in. It becomes funny when I throw the ball under one leg or between both legs or fake it, then the girls try to copy me also.

I also tell the teachers about Netball and demonstrate some of the moves (although I can't remember all the rules).

At the hotel I manage to check and send some email. Jess suggests meeting one night for supper (via email) at Boudha at Saturday Cafe. I go up the street to use a phone and confirm our supper plans.

Another fun day at school. I talk to the students about Canada, show them the globe and map and compare the size of Canada to Nepal. For homework I ask them to write something about Canada.

I play catch (ball and frisbee) and Cat and Mouse (freeze tag) with some children. The "cat" gets to wear my scarf.

After school I meet Jess for supper, as I am early I go into a Monestary, it is very beautiful and ornate. Unfortunately I don't see Bicky the "shoeshine" boy.

We enjoy a tasty supper and then share a wild taxi ride back to our hotels.

I take a bunch of balls and skipping ropes to school and a pump to inflate the balls. I give them to the games teacher, so they may be used at games period.

After classes, there is a basketball game between our school and another. Our girls play competatively. I cheer and clap.

As little girls are crowded around me asking me questions, I don't see the end of the game but I show them photos of Canada and family and friends.

My First Day of School Jan19/09

(Photos taken last day of school)

I have a good breakfast of roti (Nepali bread), potatoes, califlower and coffee. I wear my burgundy/olive outfit.

I feel nervous. I am a bit late by the time I get to school. There are approximately 300 students (girls and boys)all dressed in brown uniforms. They assemble (line up in rows) in the courtyard. I feel that some of the children are eyeing me with curiosity.

After assembly I find out that I will spend the morning with Class 2 and the afternoon with Class 1.

Archana (pronounced Arch a na) is the Class 2 teacher. After taking attendance she asks them about vacation and for a project that they were to complete on holiday.

I introduce myself to them and tell them where I am from.

When Archana asks students to recite there 9 times table, some of them do not know it well and they seem nervous or maybe embarassed to stand up behind her.

Later I get to give them an art project. I try to explain to them that art is fun and that whatever design they make is right-that there are no mistakes.

They each show me their completed work and I express for each one that I like it.

Bouddha takes me to the canteen for lunch and tells me what is on the menu. I am conscious not to eat with my left hand so I don't offend anyone.

Class 1 is younger, livelier and less disciplined. I sit in class during their Nepali lesson with Hashna. The students really seem to like her.

Their class teacher Suryamaya (pronounced Soul ya maya) reviews english with them when capital letters are needed. Last class is library, they read at different levels so I end up reading to a few of the girls.

I look at some of their text books to see what they are learning. I discuss with Flora (the principal) preparing lessons in the library during their Nepali period.

My supper is an hour late.

The Shoeshine Scam Jan18/09

I take the quiet route to Boudha. Along the way I watch 2 boys playing a board game called "Cannon Board". It is like pool only with chips and you flick the chips in the corner holes with your fingers instead of a pool cue.

I didn't eat much for breakfast, I feel ill when I reach there so I sit for a long time and eventually have an omlette and some boiled water.

I go to the Lotus Guest House to inquire about rooms but there is no one there to ask about a discount for long stay.

As I am planning to look for the Dragon Guest House, a young man asks me if he can help, so he takes me there. Along the way he tells me that he is from India, he shines shoes but his box was stolen, his parents are dead and he supports his brother and sister.

Although I ask him I don't find out how he is currently supporting himself.

I want to give him some money for helping me to find the Dragon Guest House but he refuses.

I ask him about licensing for a shoe shine box and how much a box is. He leads me to a tent area and to a man that will sell him a box for $6000NPR. I tell him that I may loan him money but I can't loan him that much.

I ask if the man will take a deposit and let him earn to pay off the box. He will take 1/2 or 3100NPR.

We walk and chat. I ask him about repayment terms, how long it will take to repay me, how much he needs to live etc. I determine that he can start to repay me by early March. He seems sincere and I believe his story hook, line and sinker. So I get his email address and lend him the money. I also give me some money for food.

He tells me where he will be and that he will shine my shoes when he sees me.

At the end he asks me if I can buy some milk for his sister...it is only at this point that I wonder if I have just been scammed, as that is a common scam. However I hope that I haven't been and if I have been, I am out a bit of money.

I cook some noddles in my room as I am not sure what food the hotel can cook for me.

Hotel Arun Jan16-17/09

I have my last language class with Parbatti then head back to the hotel to pack up my things. I decide to leave my bike and most of my luggage at Hotel Ganish Himal. I take some photos of the staff and the lovely ladies that housekeep.

I pick up my laundry, a stove and fuel. I go back to Indra Chowk to look for some things, including a money belt.

At the pharmacy I pick up something for my stomach as it is still upset. After a tea at Roadhouse Cafe and stocking up some groceries I head back to the guesthouse. Rinku calls a taxi for me and ensures that they know where to take me.

At Hotel Arun, I talk to Amit (owners's son) to stress that my water must be boiled and that my food must be on wiped dishes so I don't get sick.

My room is okay but not very clean. It has a western style toilet and a shower in the bathroom.

When I go down to eat, there are Nepali guests sitting in the dining room which you enter from outside through a curtain. I ask a Nepali couple that is eating if I can join them-their food smells good. I show them pictures of Canada and they show me family photos on their camera. The husband has been working away for 2 years or more in Bahran as a baggage handler (without visits home) Their two sons are away in boarding school since they were 3 years old.

I think his wife likes me as she gets her husband to take a photo of us.

After a breakfast of toast and coffee I walk to the intersection to find a grocery store and check the price of bottled water. The store I locate does not have much for groceries.

I decide to walk to Budha along the main roads so I won't get lost, however it is not enjoyable as it is very busy and polluted from the exhaust from the vehicles.

Close to Budha I begin to see monks, locate the Gemini grocery store and see the top of the big stupa.

Although the admission is only good for one week, when I tell them that I am volunteering for 3 months, they do not charge me.

I have a snack at Saturday Cafe on the rooftop. It feels peaceful around the stupa compared to the normal bussle on the streets.

I plan to get a taxi back but as the street is very busy I decide to walk back on the quiet route. Despite one wrong turn, it is fairly straightforward. I bypass Pashupatti (large Hindu temples).

When I get to an intersection I am not sure if I am back to where I started so I ask a taxi to take me to the hotel but he doesn't know it, so I cross the street, as I am walking along the main street, I realize that I was already back to the intersection that I started at, so I go back to the hotel.

Nepali Classes Jan13-15/09

As Brad has left to do the Everest Trek, it is only Jess & I for breakfast. I leave early to make it to language class on time. Parbatti is a good teacher; the hour goes by quickly.

Afterwards I sit in a cafe and review my class notes.

After a snack at hotel it is too late to walk to the Monkey Temple (also I think I will get lost) so I go back to Durbur Square to do some sketching. I chat with a couple young men and practise some Nepali on them.

I change my sitting spot and some little girls come by. I ask them their names in Nepali. I show them my colour pencils and paintbrush and let them paint my sketches. They ask me to take their photo, so I do.

I walk back and then turn off to the shopping street Indra Chowk. I get lost so I end up back in Thamel then follow my usual route to get back to the guesthouse.

The next day I have a good 2 hour Nepali class. As the guesthouse charges per item for laundry I take most of my clothes to a laundry place 50NPR per 50kg.

I chat with an older man, Opi who invites me to come and talk with him.

I walk to the clothing shop to pick up my outfits. When I try them on they are too tight so I wait in the shop while they take them for adjustments. They offer me a tea, which they get from a local shop.

As the tea is very hot, I think that it will likely be okay to drink, however not long after I leave the shop my stomach starts to feel upset and I feel nausea...I head back to the guesthouse.

I lay down for an hour or two and finally vomit. My stomach feels very sore. I go downstairs to ask Puskar to have someone empty the wastebasket for me.

Jess comes by later, she didn't see my note so doesn't know that I am sick. She gives me some doctor advice, not to eat for a couple hours just to sip water. Shortly after she leaves I am sick again.

I feel quite miserable. After throwing up a third time with nothing left in my stomach I am able to fall asleep.

In the morning I manage to go to my class but it is difficult to concentrate for 2 hours. I have a snack when I get back to the hotel.

I look at stoves and end up buying a jute purse to wear with my school outfit.

As Jess has moved to Budha closer to her volunteer work, I have supper with a young Belgium woman...her name is Muriel but she calls herself Mukla??

Patton Durbur Square Jan12/09

Ming Ma doesn't show up for our language exchange so I head to the square to get some photos (5 minutes 250NPR) and then to Thamel to try to locate the language school that Jess had told me about. It takes a number of misturns to finally locate it, however the door is locked so I leave a note for the teacher, Parbatti.

I watch some children playing Ludo (what we call Parchessie).

As I arranged to join Brad on his tour of Pattan (Durbur Square) I go back to the guesthouse for a snack.

I get Angie to phone Parbatti for me and we arrange a lesson for 10:30AM the next day.

Brad & I leave to get a taxi, after the initial price of 300 we manage to get it for 150 which is what the guidebook suggested.

At Pattan, between the gate and where the temples start we get a bit lost, we make the mistake of veering off instead of walking straight. It is interesting seeing people in their daily life but we don't come across any temples.

We retrace our steps and Brad sees a temple so finally we end up at the right place. It is quieter than Kathmandu Durbur Square, we are not hassled and there is less traffic.

We walk around a bit and take photos and go to a rooftop cafe for lunch.

After I chat with a couple little girls (14yrs). I say something to them that makes them giggle.

We decide to try the walking tour and mange to see some interesting temples including the Golden Temple. On the tour one woman tries very hard to sell me something, she is nice, maybe she needs to sell something today, but I don't feel like shopping after walking around.

We catch a taxi back to the guesthouse. We find out that it is a good idea to have the exact fare as the taxi driver may not have bills to make change.

Jess, Brad & I eat together in the dining room.

Walking Tour Durbur Square Jan11/09

Jess & I meet at noon to do a walking tour to Durbur Square. As Jess read the descriptions from the Lonely Planet it is an interesting tour.

At Durbur Square we have to pay a fee but with a photo and copy of your passport you can extend it for the length of you visa.

At the square we go up to the rooftop to have lunch and take photos. We walk back into Thamel before returning to the guesthouse.

Newari dinner/dance Jan10/09

I have a note from Jess under my door suggesting that we go out to dinner tonight for a traditional Nepalese dinner-cool...I am up for it.

As Jess, Brad & I end up at breakfast together Brad will join us tonight as well. Jess is going by bike to tour Budha and Pattan.

I go back to Bag Bazaar to look for a sweather and dress shoes. I end up buying a sweather for 350NPR and showes for 500NPR. The current exchange rate is $1CDN=60NPR.

After lunch at the guesthouse I head into Thamel to look around. I pick up a Lonely Planet guidebook and look in the outdoor stores. At one store I meet a young Nepali man, Ming Ma that wants to learn English and I want to learn Nepali, so we agree that he will come to my hotel at 8AM on Monday to chat.

In Thamel I partially fall for one scam, a woman with a young child says that she needs milk formula for her child. So I go into the nearby grocery store with her, she picks up a huge container that is $1000NPR-I say no too much! A smaller one is still 350NPR-it is still too much, so I give her 50NPR and leave. It is after I leave that I think it is likely a scam as it seems very expensive for a grocery item.

As I am sitting outside Roadhouse Cafe to rest a young Tuk Tuk driver, Raj approaches me to see if I want a tour. At first I refuse but then when we agree on a price of 250NPR for an hour and lift back to guesthouse.

He looks young, he is 25 years old and has a wife and daughter.

He takes me to some interesting temples, through a big market area (Indira Chowk) and to a Thanka Painting shop where a woman explains the drawings to me.

At one temple it seems that there are 1000 pigeons flying around.

At the guesthouse we discuss which restaurant to go to. Rinku suggests one that includes entertainment so we agree and she phones to set it up for us.

At the restaurant we remove our shoes, receive a red tika on our forhead between our brows and sit cross-legged at low tables on cushions.

First we are served rice wine (that burns going down) then fried potatoes and then bean soup. Next is the main course of rice with different meats, veggies and a broth on the side.

During the courses musians play drums and flutes and different sets of dancers come out and perform including one dressed as a peacock which pecks our heads. The meal is 1100NPR plus drinks.

We catch a taxi back to the guesthouse. Jess and I will do a sightseeing tour tomorrow afternoon.

Maiti Nepal Jan9/09

As I made arrangements to meet Shikha at Maiti Nepal this morning, hotel staff drive me. My driver gets lost a number of times so fortunately to leave an hour early was a good plan. The traffic seems chaotic.

The offices for Maiti Nepal is in a nice complex. I sit in the waiting area. Shikha is a petite woman and warm-I like her. She shows me around and then takes me to meet the principal, Flora.

Flora asks me what I would like to do. I tell her teach english and perhaps do some art with the students. I find out that I will teach english to 8 years old as the younger ones won't understand my english so it will be frustrating for them. The first couple weeks I will sit in with the teachers in Class 1 and 2 to see how things run and hopefully get a better picture of what they want me to teach.

I find out that I must wear a "kourtasoulwal" a traditional long top and pants to school instead of my western clothes. As Hotel Ganish Himal is too far from the school, they will help me find a closer hotel.

I wait in the canteen and have a snack and coffee until someone is available that can take me to the hotel.

Buddha (20's) takes me to Hotel Arun and talks to the staff to confirm a price and that they will be careful with cooking my food so that I don't get sick. This is a hotel for Nepalis and only a 2 minute walk to the school. I agree to stay here starting on the 16th January so I have a couple days to get my bearings before school starts. The charge is 500 rupees a night.

She gets a taxi for me, gives them directions back to my guesthouse and negotiates the fare. I am very grateful to Buddha for all her help.

When I get back to the guesthouse I ask Rinku where I can easily find a place to buy a "kourtasoulwal"? She gives me directions to Bag Bazaar. It is straightforward but seems further than I think.

The first shop I go into, I sit down and the male clerks pull out various outfits for me different colours and materials, plain, glittery, etc. I mention the price range that Rinku had suggested.

I pick out 2 outfits to try on, one a light blue with orange, pink and green trim and one burgandy with olive coloured pants. It is fun and I like how both look on me. We haggle on the price. They give me a discount as I am a volunteer. They measure to make some alterations. The 2 outfits are 3000NPR plus 300 for alterations.

I can come back in about a week to pick them up.

At the restaurant, a young man starts chatting with me so I ask him to join me. He is Brad from Vancouver, here to trek to Everest Base Camp.

In the night I hear a dog yelping, it really sounds dreadful...I imagine that other dogs are attacking it.

Kathmandu Durbur Square Jan8/09

Although I get directions, I take a wrong turn and end up in a non-tourist area. As I cross a bridge a little boy seems fasinated with my camera. Along the way I see a couple goats beside the road.

It is interesting to see the loads that people carry on their backs or bikes. I return to the guesthouse for a snack before I venture out again.

This time I locate the square and walk around a little and take photos. A man approaches me to tell me about the temples. Initially I say no but then agree when he says that I can pay what I think it is worth.

We sit, he tells me about the gods of the temples and shows me the temple that is made entirely out of one tree. We go to a rooftop cafe and have a coffee and chips. He tells me about his family.

Everything is pleasant until I offer him 100 rupees and he says 1000 rupees. I tell him that if I knew he wanted that much I wouldn't have agreed to a guide. I offer him 150 take it or leave it...I am unsure what is an appropriate sum and as I feel guilty as it is far less then he requested I give him $1US as well. We part ways.

At supper I ask to join a woman who is sitting by herself. Jess is a doctor who is here volunteering. She is 5 months into 1 year travel and her fiance, Duncan is currently in Bangladesh volunteering.

I tell her about the incident at Durbur Square. She thought 100 rupees was also appropriate-I feel better. Jess lends me her Lonely Planet guide on Nepal. The book recommends that women don't hike alone or alone with a guide.

Kathmandu -Thamel Jan7/09

At 7AM from my window I see grey sky and buildings however the bright spot is a woman n a red sari tending to potted red flowers on the balcony across the alley.

Woman are hanging out laundry or washing clothes, people are passing in the alley on foot, bicycle or motorbike and dogs are barking.

As the sun comes out the grey burns off to reveal mountains around the city.

After I unpack and shower (once the water heats up)I go downstairs. As I see a couple in the courtyard I approach them to ask some questions to orient myself to Kathmandu.

The buiding with the prayer flags and the green courtyard is Hotel Ganish Himal.

They are Aussies, they provide some very useful information about banking, etc. and especially to get a good map as Thamel is a maze. I join a Danish man (Johanes) and his daughter (Kira) for breakfast in the hotel restaurant. She is volunteering for 5months at a children's home and he tells me about a trek that he did.

After breakfast I email Peter and a few family and friends to let them know that I arrived safely.

After getting directions, I venture into Thamel. I frequently turn around to take photos to try to have landmarks how to get back to the guesthouse. The streets are narrow, crowded with people walking, tuktuks, cars and motorbikes zipping along and frequently blowing their horns. It is chaotic. There are many little shops with items for sale.

My first venture into Thamel is okay. I eventually locate the Roadhouse Cafe, find an ATM that works and get a map and a few groceries.

I manage to find my way back to the guesthouse before dark.