Our first home...

As you know we got married just before coming to Nepal...and in case anyone was wondering, here are photos of our first home/apartment. It was really small but just right for us, but as everyone does...we have now moved on to bigger and better things!

Our old apartment was a 1.5 bedroom (the other room was real small so we made it a study/walk in robe), 1 small kitchen/dining room, 1 bathroom and 1 lounge room on the 3rd and top floor of a building.

Pics of new place to come...

Reasons why living in Nepal is like Camping...

1. There is no electricity (well barely any)
2. There are no shops (or none that are good enough)
3. You shouldn't drink water from the tap unless you want to get sick
   
4. While eating out the food just never seems good enough
   
5. At night during the summer, you will at least HEAR the buzzing of mosquitoes if not be bitten by one/some
6. Every morning you wonder if you will be able to have a hot shower
7. You may get bitten by the wildlife (one of the millions of stray dogs)
8. It's not safe to be out after dark
9. You may come home to find it's gone because of an earthquake, flood or landslide
10. There's always a hill to climb to get anywhere
    

Nepal & its religions

Last Sunday I did the touristy thing with a couple of visitors to our office and went to two of Nepal's most revered and popular places, Bodhnath Stupa and Pashupatinath Temple. Now, the difference between the two is that Bodhnath is Buddhist (stupa is temple for Buddhism) and that Pashupati temple, is well...a temple - for Hindu's. For some reason the rain didn't phase me, the temples intrigued me so much; their history, their intricate beauty and the fact that millions of people around the world visit them each year for religious reasons. But one thing baffled me, and continues to baffle me every single day whenever I hear my landlord's family ring a bell at sunrise and sunset to make an offering to their gods (which live on our roof by the way, in a cage - they let them out at sunrise and they go back in at sunset - my theory anyway), is how much people give to their gods: the rituals, the offerings and even the willingness to stay smelly for a week!

Now, I'm just giving you my basic thoughts - without any research or proper knowledge on Hinduism or Buddhism (which I will probably do after I write this), this is just my nonacademic-straight down the line- innocent observations since living in Nepal. Being a Christian, has probably skewed my thinking on this topic of effort in religion, but if I were an Atheist and I looked at Hinduism - I believe I would have my grounds for wanting to oppose religion. The amount of effort that goes into being a Hindu tires me just thinking about it.
So on our trip, we went to Bodhnath Stupa first. It was pouring with rain, so the place was empty except for the few devote monks who were spinning the prayer wheels. It was so peaceful. The stupa is surrounded by Tibetan Monastery's and special souvenir stores. Despite the patter of the rain, was the faint sound of humming, a relaxing rhythmic sort of humming which came from a theater-looking-thing at the center point of the circle of shops around the stupa. We went inside this little room in front of the stupa which had massive gold(?) wheels that were spinning - like a big prayer wheel, with people ringing bells around it. Maybe I'm weird but I found it to be a relaxing, holy and spiritual experience despite it going against my own religious norms. The monks smiled at me and I smiled back, they didn't hustle me, just directed me around with soft hand movements. It was nice, I left Bodhnath with a good feeling and of a yearning of wanting to return.Next stop was Pashupati. It is Nepal's most important Hindu Temple. Now I can't remember the reason for its importance, my simple brain only remembers important facts like that it is where they burn deceased bodies and that once a year they have a big festival where thousands of people from around the world come to worship at the temple and well...burn bodies by the river. It's all a bit morbid really! But maybe first impressions last, people were hounding us the minute we got there selling us things and beggars asking for money. Maybe it was the rain, but the temples didn't look very nice. I thought it was funny how the first place they directed us to was the riverbank where we could see a charcoaled corpse burning. You have to understand the caste system here in Nepal to fully comprehend the processes that they have, but basically there are specific stands for each caste to burn bodies on, and the brahmins (highest caste) get to burn under a cover - how nice. They believe that once they are burnt and thrown into the Bagmati river, they will then reincarnate into...something, like a cow - hence the don't-kill-a-cow thing.
The buildings were old and quite amazing, some of the little temple things apparently had holy men living in them (these men dressed in orange with scarily long dreadlocks), that made us pay for a picture. There was a larger temple which only Nepali's could enter and apparently in the middle of it is a golden calf, doesn't that remind you of one Biblical story involving a golden calf and a man named Moses? Personally, the place had an eerie feel to it, perhaps because people were burning bodies in the same vicinity as us, but I was relieved to get out of there.

I get Buddhism. I know it sounds weird but I do. Peace, harmony, pray to the god/s and live a life of spiritual enlightenment. I even pondered the thought of shaving my head and joining. But it makes sense, it's simple and you know what, the monks seem truly happy. Whatever or whoever their god is, they seem to have enough of everything they will ever need. You don't see them on the side of the road begging, do you?

In complete contrast, I don't understand Hinduism at all. I don't get why boys in the family must shave their head when a man in the family dies and why they can't wash for one week (I could be wrong, this could be something cultural not religious). I don't understand why they have to offer food to this statue in our roof, when it looks like to me that the statue is clearly not thankful for the food since he won't eat it and maybe it is much better off given to the beggars on the street or even the stray dogs! And wouldn't the idea of a person just being dead be better than thinking that your grandmother has reincarnated into a cow? How do you relate to a cow? And what happens when the cow dies?

I know I have written this with a lack of knowledge, and I'm sure my understanding of it all will grow the more I learn about all these religious and cultural taboos. However, it personally justifies my faith in my one God. A God that doesn't curse us, that doesn't ask for for food and rituals for the dead. All He asks for is to be remembered, to be a Father to us, to be acknowledged, loved and more importantly shared. He is a just God and all He wants is for us to be reunited with Him in Heaven.

This has not been written to offend. Just one's personal opinion based on limited information.

TIbetan Love

Lately I've heard alot about Tibet and considering how close it is to Kathmandu, only a 4 or 5 hour drive, I really want to go.

Today we visited the largest Stupa or Buddhist temple in Kathmandu and walking around the little shops that surrounded it I was in awe. The intricate Tibetan souvenirs were so cool (I tried really hard to find another word to describe it but I was taken in by their cool-ness!). So I stumbled upon these antique, hand painted wooden chests and jewelery sized boxes and pretty much fell in love. Unfortunately for me they cost over AUD$1000, but the man assured me that it would only cost an additional USD$400 to have it flown over to Australia.

Haha, yep...he totally convinced me...I'm just going to start saving my rupees right now...

Arniko Skateboard Store

So the opening of Nepal's first Skateboarding store has been a bit of a success. Please check out my other blog Things That Thrill My Heart... for more photos on the momentous occasion!

Only two things, Nepal...

There are only two things that I ask of you Nepal, and one of them isn't even decent shopping.

All I want is :

1. Hot water when I want it. I know I'm saving the environment by having solar hot water - but come on, isn't it funny that the sun doesn't come out til the afternoon? Therefore leaving me with cold water in the mornings? Actually you know what, water in the tap is even better than no hot water.
2. Reliable Electricity. If you say that you are giving me 20 hours of electricity a day, then give it to me. And give it to me smoothly. Maybe a schedule would help so I know when those 4 hours of no electricity is, instead of being paranoid that I need to charge everything - just in case.

That is all.

Just for giggles...

These pictures are a bit old, but I was meaning to share them...
I took them while I was at the Kathmandu domestic airport waiting for a flight out west, in the height of the trekking season. I would say that about 90% of all people (Nepali's+foreigners) were wearing hiking boots and that about 80% of the people were on a flight for the Everest Region. I just couldn't get over the amount of khaki, trekking boots and backpacks I was surrounded by! It blew my mind....I thought I was in some sort of outdoorsy shop...

and then...there was this lovely lady, who - like me, made up that 10% of people that weren't wearing trekking boots, but was however on the flight to the Everest Region. I didn't realise corked wedges were "in" up in the Himalayas...

my new wheels...

ohh the new love of my life! well second to my husband of course....she's soo pretty and shiny red! although i am hoping to paint her pink one of these days...

struggling with having to share her with my hubby though...can't wait till he gets his own bike!!!

bikey bike!

how sweet is this pink bike? i totally want it!! and i'm on the hunt for one exactly like this! i took this photo out in the western part of nepal called kailali...

i would have to say its my favourite thing that Nepal has inherited from India!

The most delectable thing i've ever eaten...

on saturday night my husband and i went for our usual dining out on the town and ventured to the 'roadhouse cafe' which has gourmet wood fired pizzas, pastas and other amazing yummy things. during our meal i announced that i was going to have dessert...and i was going to splurge. behind us there were some european's that had just cleaned up their meal and had something sizzling and bubbling served to them. my husband said "look at that" and when i turned around...i gasped and exclaimed "I'M HAVING THAT!"

'that' is a warm chocolate brownie with a dollop of ice cream on top, and placed on a hot plate with sizzling HOT chocoloate fudge! ohh dear me i think i went to heaven...i am going to have one at least once a week from now on...it is totally worth my waist line expanding!!

did i mention that it only costs $AUD3??