| Username |
Post |
| chipledhunga |
Posted
on 03-Oct-02 03:58 PM
Just thought I would start a new thread to share US bata Nepal farkinda ka anubhav haru.
As the flight approached Kathmandu, Cat Stevens ko geet "Kathmandu, I will soon be seeing you..I will soon be touching you" kaan ma hajarau patak gunjeko jasto bho.
Airport bhitra chirepachi I felt as if I had landed in liliput. Kasto phuchche manche haru, kasto dublo, ani kaam pani kasto bistarai garne.
As I exited the terminal building, kasto dherai dhulo hau.
I used to think hamro Ring Road ta gajab daami baato ho bhanera. Nope, it was full of pot holes and dust.
Tried to drive my dad ko Maruti car. He was constantly yelling at me, "Horn bajaa yesto corner cha, agadi khaldo cha hos gar, tyo cycle lai nahaan, pachadi bata motorcycle audaicha ali herera chalaa. How the hell am I gonna drive? His hands were always ready to pull the emergency brake in case some disaster was to happen. Agadi bata gadi ayo bhanera side dina khojyo, debre tira bata motorbike le swatta overtake garne. Ke gari chalaua sakeko hola gadi. Ani signal dina khojda wiper chalauna pugthay.
First couple of days ta ankha piro hunthyo dhulo le garda. Pachi ta baani paryo. I particularly enjoyed walking in the gallies as there was less dust.
Had picked up the habit of smoking while in the US. I had a 14 hr nonstop flight from Chicago to Seoul. Tyo no smoking sign dekhyo ki afno seat mathi ko, tal tal hunay. After landing at Seoul, smoking room ma gaera 3 wota sarasar tanay. Ani while in my neighbourhood churot khana man lagyo bhane, I used to go to ali tadha and bhitra galli ko pasal, in order to eliminate chances that ghar cheu chau ko le dekhera kurai kura ma mero parents lai "tapai ko chora lai ta teta churot khadai gareko dekheko thie" bhanlan bhanne.
Believe it or not, I had never been to Everest Momo before. One of my Nepali friends had told me, "ta yespaali Nepal janda tyaha gaera khainas bhane talai paap lagcha." Ma pani kasto rahicha ta tyo thau bhanera gae. The only thing to drink was kaalo na kaalo dekhine jug ko paani, tyo pani during the summer. After having a few momos, rushed to a cold store and had a coke to relieve my throat. Nope, I am never going there again.
Back in 1997, just after graduating from college, I had this urge: Ma pani afno homepage banauchu tara aru ko photo chorera wa postcard scan garera hoina, afai photo khichera. So I was in Basantapur taking pictures of the monuments. Several dudes approached me asking "Guide chahiye aapko?" Tyo bajjiya lai mardiu jasto ris uththyo, malai dhoti bhanthanyo bhanera. I used to reply "chahidaina." After a few such approached, mission aborted :)
Jasle pani "taan na hami lai teta tira pani", "khairi gf kati wota banais", or the elderly relatives would say "bihe kahile garchas, khairi ta bihe nagar hai" I jokingly once asked "teso bhae kali bihe garu ta?" They would reply with a mixture of fury and nervousness, "pardaina pardaina kaali saali lyauna, talai bhane jasto kt hami yahi khojdinchau."
Ate momo, choela, buff chilly (pae samma buff nai khanthay) as if there is no tomorrow. Not with untreated water though :) While I admitted with my parents about eating beef in the US, I never admitted eating buff as they would always tell me "tyo rangako masu ta nakhaa hai, pet dukla tero." Talking about untreated water, tyo Ratnapark cheu ko jammai pasal haru bhatkaeko cha. During my previous visitsto Nepal, I used to go for mixed chat at Valley Sweets even though I had heard that they use Rani Pokhari ko paani without treating it. Yespaali ta khana paienna tyo pani.
Yaha 6 mahina lauda phohor nahune jutta ek hapta mai phohor hune.
It was nice asking for "bill" instead of "check" in restaurants.
La aru pachi
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| Desh_Bhakta_Bhattarai |
Posted
on 03-Oct-02 05:17 PM
Lol chipledhunga!
~DBB
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| dry |
Posted
on 03-Oct-02 05:27 PM
k garchau chipledhunga..testai chha hamro pyaaro desh...its not only you who felt it..many people going back home says the same thing..then i would always ask them, "hora testo hunchha"..tara ahile timle bhanepachi chai sachikai honai rahechha jasto lagyo..tyo airport ma dublo, khana napako, kaale, kaam dhilo garne, fuchhe, chahi merai dai bhai jasto lagyo...dherai chhan airport ma kaam garne....
ok see ya next time..
till then stay dry...
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| kunjan |
Posted
on 03-Oct-02 05:34 PM
>>Kasto phuchche manche haru, kasto dublo, ani kaam pani kasto bistarai garne.
They are great people of nepal, who at least has not become maoist yet. If all of these people go to carry guns in the jungle, .....?
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| paramendra |
Posted
on 03-Oct-02 06:10 PM
Wonderful thread. I hope more people share.
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| Toilet Paper |
Posted
on 03-Oct-02 06:45 PM
I too had a similar experience when I went home for the last winter.
I was travelling alone, and when I had a transit in Bangkok airport, I saw another Nepali guy who had actually traveled with me from US in the same plane. He had a white blonde girl with him which I assumed was his girlfriend. Then while waiting in the waiting lounge for the plane to Kathmandu, four other Nepali guys studying in Thailand arrived. They saw the other nepali guy with a white girl, and started to gossip. "Herna, Kuhire pata yechha." The kept on staring the guy and the white girl while passing on comments among them. Ma ta te keta haru ley kura katey ko dekhera chhaka pare.
Then in the airport, everyone looked small. Even the ceiling of the check-in lounge was very low. Then when I went to get my baggage, I found out that my luggages had gotten stuck in Hongkok. So I had to file a complaint and fill out a form. I went and stood in the line to complain for lost luggages. There were many other people who had lost their luggages as well. So when my turned came and as I was about to say a word, a guy probably in his early 30's walked in front of me and started saying that his cousin (who was in the flight with me from Hongkok) had lost his luggage. I was so mad. I felt like tell him that there is a line and that he ought to be in it to be serviced. But my dad who had come to pick me up said softly, "chod dey. Yeti sano kura ma kich kich nagar."
When I was in Nepal I used to think that Pajero Jeep was huge, and fancy. But they were almost the size of some cars in US. Compared to SUV's in US, pajero was really small.
I had never had long hair in Nepal. So here in US I grew my hair. Then everyone at home was like, "oh ho, kasto kuherey jastai bhaye chha. Kasto lamo kapal, kuhrey ko jastai." If I had had my long hair when I was in Nepal, they would have said, "kasto awaara jasto bhaye chha. Cheya, kapal kati hal."
Since I live near Boudha, and that I had never spent a good amount of time being in the Stupa, I decided to visit it one day. Pasaley haru, ma kuherey bhan thane ra, "this Rs. 200 only, this Rs. 50 only bhandai, ghantee, dhup, khukuree bechna aayey." Ani mayley, "malai kehi pani chaidai na," bhanda kheree, te pasaley haru, laag ley khutrukka parera, "ey nepali po ray chha," bhan dai, afno pasal tera gaye.
Nanglo at Durbar Margh had always been my favourite restaurant. Even when I was In US, I used to tell people that Nanglo was such a good restaurant that even for American standard it would be highly rated. So I decided to go to Nanglo one day with my friend.
We ordered a plate of momo, and a plate of chicken chilli with some bothels of beer. Then our food came. ma ta khana dekh khe ra jilla parey. Kaso sano sano momo, tyo pani dus ota matra. Ani chicket chilli, hat ley khayo bhane, tin gaas ma nai sakey nay. America ma ta, order haru plate bharee hun thyo. Azha doggy bag pani magnu parthyo America ma. I always praised about nepali beer in USA. tara to beer ta kato patulo ho. america ma beer khaya pachi, mukh kaso beer ganau thyo. Ta nepali beer ta kasto patulo ra fikka.
The restaurant started to get crowded. Then I found out that Nanglo was celebrating its 25th anniversary that day. They were selling all the drinks at cost of what they used to be 25 years ago. But it was only from 5 p.m. till 6:30 p.m. Rs. 2 for cold drinks, and Rs 10 for a bottle of beer. There was also some bands performing. I had sat on the balcony part of the restaurant, and the stage for the band was set of the gound floor.
Music haru bhanda, vocal nai thulo. music system kasto naramro. ani vocal ley "sweet home Alabama," pura nepali accent ma "sweett home ala baama," bhandai katro thulo thulo swor ma gaye ko. Mathi balcony ma, dui otta, thul thulo speraker, yeauta yeauta kunna ma rakhe ko theyo. eyta kuna ma, speaker ko muni table ma, office jane pach chha jana budha (probabl in their 40-50's) haru baseka the ya. ani tyo speaker bata, tauko dhuk ney gare ra khai kun chai band ko singer lai gai rakheko theyo. feri sound pani kasto loud theyo. ani ta, tyo table ma baseka budha madhye, yek jana budha, bestarai woo thera, bestarai afno hath speaker ma lagey raa, sutukka speaker ko tar loose gari deyo. ani ta sound nai kam. tara sab afno afnai masta ma theya, kasaylee pani matlab nai garaye na.
nepali ma, sabai jaana, kasta khana napaka jastai, chausee, chausee, dekhyenee bhanya. pherai, dhulo garda ho ki sound/air pollution garda ho, sab ko mukh, hath haru kasto kalla kalla, ani sabai khau tey, khau tey.
Sabai jana, kati woota keti pattayes? kati woota lai bhayees bhandai tauko nai chatney. Ani euta keta lay ta, September 11 ma, plane haneko thau herna gais bhanera po sodha. Ma pad chhu, Alabama ma. Ajjha, ta ta tyo bulding dhaley ko bholey nai harna gais hola ni hainai ta, bhanera sodh yo. Ma ta acchma.
ani sabai sathi haru, "yaar mai lai ta, chat ma eyta keti bhetta chu, telai nai pattau chu," bhane yo. sabi jana haru, chat chat chat matra bhan neey.
Ani saba jana, ey mero chora pani bhara (12) sakauna lagyo, and ta telai pani america teri phathau nu parcha. yeso bhai ley us lai pani america tera bolau na." Key bolau bhanko ho, mai lai ta bhujhnai sakeene.
Anyway, there are so many experiences, some humorous, some pathetic, some serious. It was fun though, overall.
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| ruck |
Posted
on 03-Oct-02 08:52 PM
Plane Kathmandu airport ma land garda , kushi lei man gaj gaj bhayo, tyo luggage clearance garunjel pani kaati dheelo bhayeko hola jasto lagyo, baahira sabai jana kuri rahechan hola, aama buba bhai baini lai dekhda kasto huncha hola. Bahira niskera aama lai angalo halda, aasu rokna sakina. Ghara pugera aama lei pakayeko khada , kina feri farkera US jhante hola bhanne bhayo, school padne bela ma kheleka sathi haru lai bhetda, purna ek patak balyakaal samjhana ayo.. jhaha gaye nee nepali bolne manche bhetda, kasto ramailo hudorahecha.
maile nepal pugera kehi compare garna sakina, nepal ma bhayeka kati paye kura haru incomparable chan, aama buba ko maya, afanta lei jiskaune, tyo yaha khojera pani painna. Garna sakne lai nepal ma pani cha, ho yaha baseko baani lei garho huncha tara, aama sanga kohi pani daajna mildaina.
Nepal bata farkera yaha ko airport bata bahira niskanda, kasto eklo eklo bhaye, turho jasto bhaye, gayeri tyahi jahaj ma basera nepal gaihalu jastai bhayo. Aba ta dherai chaina padai sakina, nepal farkera, ghar ma sabai sanga basera, nepal mai kaam garchu, janmeko bela dekhi college padunjel tyaha base bhane, aba jhan yaha ko qualification liyera gayera , sabai jana base jhai ma pani baschu. Dui Char barsa yaha basera, yehi ko bani lei ghar jitna sakcha ra?
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| DHUMBASSE (DUMBASS) |
Posted
on 03-Oct-02 09:39 PM
Ruck ,
You Rock man!
mero aankha bata aashu jhardiyo yesle ta. ma america aayeko 10 barsha bhayo ahile samma yekchoti gayeko chaina Nepal.
Aba aaune Springma jau bhanera baseko , yo rucke ko kura padhera ta ahile nai jana man lagyo.
Hare Shiva! tyesto ati nai chahi na lekhnu ni! sabaiko pariwar ta sabai lai yaad aauncha ni!.
Tara aba tapaisanga tehi thiyo, tehi lekhnu bhayo , tyo pani bada marmik parle,
Maile Nepal chodda kheri tyesai gari aangalo marera rundai aamalai bhaneko thiye ' ma chandai pharkera aaunchu, Narunus! " Bhnaera aamako aanshu pucheko thiye.
Khoi !
ahile samma chorako phone aayo ki phone ma nai runa thalnu huncha, Ke garne ! Tehi phone bhitra haat chirayera aamalai chou- chou jasto lagcha, Mildaina!
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| chipledhunga |
Posted
on 03-Oct-02 09:55 PM
Paramendra, thanks for your compliments. It was actually your posting about first time US auda ko experience that prompted me to register with Sajha, share my experiences on that thread, and create this thread. I graduated from the same college as you did if you can guess who I am :)
Anyway, just thought I would add some more notes about my Nepal janda ko experience. Although jata pani paisa khana khojne kura was not something that I had not heard of, I happened to experience it only during my visits from the US. Incidentally, I happen to hold a foreign passport and therefore need a visa to enter Nepal, which I obtain upon arrival at the airport. Back again during my visit in 1997, I was on the line to aquire the tourist visa to enter the country. The visa fee was $15. As my turn came, I said to the clerk "la dai, malai ghar janay purji katidinus." The clerk, looked absolutely lost and confused, sluggishly scanned my face and passport several times and said "Anuhar herda Nepali cha tapai ko, passport bhane yesto cha." I said "achamma ko cha haina dai yo sansar?" It was time to pay the money so I handed him the $20 bill. He said "khoi paach dollar ta chaina jasto cha hajur." Guessing that he was trying to "chanchun paisa pach parna", I took out a $10 bill and managed to fish out 5 $1 bills and handed to him. Anuhar andhero parera bhanyo usle,"ye,rahicha ta hajur sanga chanchun paisa." Poor guy, sayad "udayo sapana sabai huri le" bhanne geet gunjyo hyola tyo likhure ko tauko ma. 57*5=Rs 285 le beer khaula, masu khaula bhanne dau thiyo hola tesko.
A few incidents happened on May 8,2002. I was bound to the Annapurna Base Camp with a Ukrainian fri4nd of mine. Many of you probably know that the army checks for tickets tyo ringroad bata modna sath. Tyo sipahi le mero ticket oltai poltai gari herera malai sodhyo "Kaha janay hajur?" Couldn't he read on the flight coupon that I was bound to Pokhara from Kathmandu on May 8, 2002 onboard Necon Air? He was a polite person and I really felt sorry for him. But the real devil was present just between the curtains in the domestic terminal, junga muthay police..hawaldar..ASI..ke ho kunni. His job was to frisk the passengers if needed, and stamp the boarding pass. As I passed the metal detector chamber between those curtains, the cop asked,"ghar kata paryo?" "Pokhara Gairapatan",I lied. "Chiya kharcha alikati pau na." "Chaina ma sanga ek paisa pani" alikati jhokkidai I replied. "alikati hola ni dinus na",he said. Paryo fasad, and just thought about pissing him off..see if it works. I pulled out a Rs 2 coin from my pocket and said "la yahi ho ma sita bhaeko." "la la rakhnus tyo tapai nai", he said. Thanks to one ofthe 330 million gods in the country of 23 million, that trick worked. I walked nto the dingy departure lounge "mareeja chor mora jungay dhiday" bhandai man manai sarapddai. At the same time, I thought about those of the same rank as him who were being targeted by the Maobadis as "bargasatrus." He should have been the one to be posted somewhere in Rolpa or Rukum instead of the innocent others,corrupt bastard! I thought.
Boarded the aircraft, found out that the right hand side window seat away from the propeller that I had requested in order to take some himal ko photo was occupied by some Nepali dude. I requested him "jhyaal ko seat ta mero ho, chodidinus na." He replied "ma yaha basisakay cheu mai basnus na." I requested him again, "maile photo khinchu parne bhaera jhyaal ko seat mageko, chodinus na." "Arko choti auda khichnus na",was his reply. Malai pani jhanakka ris uthyo, "tapai lai jhyaal ko seat chahiheko bhae check-in gardai bhannu parthyo, chodnus khurukka." Tyo sunera euti airhostess aera bhanin teslai in a light Nwari accent "Uha le jhyaal ko seat linu bhaeko, chodidinus na." Manche pani chwank thee, swor pani mitho thiyo tesko, and perhaps becuase of that he let me take my seat. I did take a couple of good shots of Ganesh Himal and Manaslu :)
Well, we had to take a Baglung bound bus to Nayapul, the starting point of our trek. After several peoiple who were at the counter after me got thier tickets, I realized that I was not in the US anymore. Maile pani tachadmachad gardai kinay, ticket to Nayapul for two. Paid euta gaida. Birethanti ma lunch order garera beer khadia garda my friend wanted to see Nepal ko bus ko ticket kasto hudo rahicha bhanera. All he could read was the ticket # and the letter "A" assigned next to the seat number, and a few "rules" on the back printed in grammtically incorrect English. He handed it back to me, and as I was ready to fold it and piut it back in my wallet, I realized that it was issued for Rs 37*2=74. Chabbis ruppya thagecha counter ko mora le.
We returned to Kathmandu on May 18, and it was on Necon Air again. The weaher was pretty rough but fortunately the flight was on time. The same airhostess happened to be on that flight, tara dahine galla ma duita pimples aeko rahicha mori ko which I had not noticed about 240 hours ago. "Aaja ta tapaiko seat kasaile liyena" she said smiling at me while offering the pre-departure cotton and candy. Later on the flight, there was some turbulence. She announced, "jahaj hallidai cha, kripaya seat ko peti badhnu hola."
More later.
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| sally |
Posted
on 03-Oct-02 10:39 PM
What a fun thread! Just the ticket after a stressful day :-)
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| ruck |
Posted
on 03-Oct-02 10:40 PM
Hello Dhumbasse Ji,
I wrote what I felt. I realize there's nothing better than being at home. There is violence everywhere in the world and Nepal is certainly no exception and that doesn't discourage me to live here all my life. You never know when will this world come to an end so whatever little time I have, I want to serve my parents, budeskall kal ma chora lei babu aama lai nahera kasle herne? yaha bata hariyo dollar matrai pathyera , tyo paisa lei seva dina sakdaina.. paisa chahinna haamilai, timi aye pugcha bhannu huncha buba !
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| chipledhunga |
Posted
on 03-Oct-02 11:40 PM
Toilet Paper,where the heck is this Hongkok?. Is this somewhere between Bangkok and Hong Kong? Tyo Cambodia, Laos or Vietnam ko kunai thau ho ki? Toilet paper kai kura garda, how was your experience of cleaning your rear end after getting rid of the dal bhat momo sekuwa,or whatever you ate the previous day? For the first few days, I used the pink Chinese toilet paper, undies ma gulafi daag l;agay lagos bhanera. Pachi ta dhara ko pani Nepothne ko plastic baltin bata ubhaera, ani Nepothne kai mug bata bayaa haat ma paani khanyaudai dhoidie, ani tespachi Liril sabun le haat dhoeko.
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| hyaterica |
Posted
on 03-Oct-02 11:51 PM
I find it ridiculous how someone is showing himself to be an bideshi ass kisser and others are blindly supporting his hatred towards nepal...
I love my home country to death no matter what.
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| Toilet Paper |
Posted
on 04-Oct-02 12:02 AM
Hyaterica,
Who is showing his/her hatred towards Nepal here? We are just giving our experiences while visiting Nepal after being abroad.
Yes, what Ruck saidwass the other part of the experience. You know, you can see a same thing from different angels.
And Chipledhunga, I did use the pink T.P. but as you said, I also went to the normal way of cleaning your rear in Nepal. And Hongkok, I am not sure where that falls in the map. Does it even exist? It was mistake. I meant Hong Kong. I was trying to write fast so I made a lot of grammatical as well as spelling mistakes.
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| Biswo |
Posted
on 04-Oct-02 01:28 AM
BTW, Chipledhunga, I spent a lot of my precious childhood time wandering around
Chipledhunga. Nice place that is!
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| DHUMBASSE (DUMBASS) |
Posted
on 04-Oct-02 06:54 AM
Ruck!, maile kehi naramro bhanna khojeko hoina, Malai ta jhan ramro lageko cha tapaiko kura
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| ruck |
Posted
on 04-Oct-02 07:25 AM
Dhumbasse Ji,
Didn't misunderstand you a bit. Today after hearing and watching about what happened in Maryland, makes me sick and wonder why am I here? anyway, the best thing to do is work hard here, ramri padne ani farkera jaane !!
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| Hellbound |
Posted
on 04-Oct-02 10:05 AM
This thread is getting very interesting!
Only thing I wanted to share with you when I visited Nepal in 2001 was about Nepali blanket “SIRAK”. Since it was nippy wintertime, I had to swathe myself with a weighty SIRAK. Every time I covered the body with SIRAK, I felt like somebody squeezing on my chest. I was frightened of having a nightmare that night till I fell in sleep. However, I eventually managed to get back to my original-self after 12 years of stay in the US.
I think it takes time to get back to your original-self. After that, cattles grazing in Tribhuban Int' runway ground won't surprise you!!
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| sally |
Posted
on 04-Oct-02 10:13 AM
"You know, you can see a same thing from different angels." Sometimes, there is truth in typos. The angel of the cup half-empty and the angel of the cup half-full, the angel of laughter and the angel of despair, the Angel of Pink Toilet Paper (scratchy or colorful? depends on how you see it) and the Angel of the Aluminum Bowl (the thing those corrupt officials should be given so they can do their work like HONEST beggars) ...
My husband has been back 3 times in 5 years (sadly, I haven't) and sometimes people say I'm "brave" to "let" him go. But Ruck, you're right; I'm no fatalist, but a person can be in the wrong place at the wrong time when there's a bomb at Bishal Bazaar, or while vacuuming out a minivan in Maryland. Perhaps the US is "safer," but safer yet would be a plastic bubble, and who would choose to live that way?
I think, to some extent, we make our choices in life based on the negatives we can shrug off, laugh at, and live with. Which do we prefer: a pothole-riddled Ring Road, or the Beltway? Neighbors who are friendly but gossipy, or neighbors who mind their own business but don’t even know us?
The other day I was at a talk by the author Rohinton Mistry. Someone asked him if he needs to go back to India a lot to get material for his books. He said, well, you can never go home again, and that’s as true if you’ve just moved from the village to the city as if you’ve moved from (in his case) Bombay to Toronto. Our eyes change: we see things the same, but differently. True?
Here's what I’m wondering: how long do people find it generally takes for eyes to--if not to see the same as they saw before–at least to “adjust to the light,” as it were? For those “kasto puchche maancheharu, kasto dublo” to start looking average? Are there some things that you adjust to quickly, and some things that always sort of rankle? I’m particularly curious to hear from people who haved actually moved back, or stayed for a very long time ...
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| Biruwa |
Posted
on 04-Oct-02 10:31 AM
ha... ha chipledhunga , Kya gajab!
Strange thing is that when coming to US we don't really notice people being tall and big but why do we notice ppl back home as "thin and kasto dublo" and lo--se? :)
Kuro ta barha aana satya garau timile.
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| chipledhunga |
Posted
on 04-Oct-02 11:59 AM
Sally and Biruwa, you both brought up some interesting questions. As far as "adjusting to the light" is concerned, I think this is a very personal issue. In my particular case, since I left Nepal in 1993, I have been back there four times and the lengths of my stays ranged from a little over two weeks to almost 3 months. The gaps between my visits ranged from 16 to 40 months. Certain things I could immediately get adjusted to while certain things I could never. The sluggishness of the karmacharis and bureaucracy were something I never got adjusted to. I did go and pay khanepani, phone, and bijuli ko bills several times, and certainly missed the convenience of mailing in the US. Oh, bill tirne kura garda jhandai 10 or 11 yrs aghi ko euta kura samjhana ayo. I was on the line to pay the bijuli ko bill. I overheard two dudes who were also waiting to pay their bills. "Sabai ko kaha bata time huncha yesto line ma aera basne, yesto kaam ta mail bata po garnu parcha." I was thinking ke murkha manche hola, mail garyo bhane ta haraudaina ki kya ho? Ke bhaa hola tesko khappar bhanera. Amrika aera dekhe pachi po jhasanga bhae ta :)
Anyway, adjusting to the rajdhani dhulo took me perhaps a week. The first few days, ankha piro hunthyo ek chin hidda pani, ani chasma fukalera heryo, dhulai dhulo. Pelera bato katne baani hatisakeko thiyo, took perhaps two weeks to get used to it. But whenever I was walking in the inner parts of the city, Ason galli for example, I felt that I had never left the country. I could stand inside the crowded local Tatas and minibuses without problem. I also travelled long distance on buses, no problem. Mugling ko bhaat which I used to hate so much in the past suddenly tasted so good. Ghar ma pahila pahila dal bhat khada khada wakka hunay, pachi ghar gaeko bela ta khana sakne bhae char maanaa khanchu jasto hunthyo, and that crave never died even towards the end of my longer visits. Sparingly using water was another thing that was hard to adjust to. Yeta thulo dhara kholera tato pani le shower linay gareko, teta ta dhara pani sano parnu parne, solar ko pani sadhai teti tato hunna thyo. Restaurant wa pasal janda ko fake smiles and hi, how are you bhanne ek thopa miss bhaena. I rather appreciated the no-nonsense kura service. At the same time, at many places, the lack of customer service irritated me as well. Last but not least, pahila keta sathi haru sanga haat samatera angalo halera hidne garinthyo, pachi janda ta aru kohi sathi le yeso kum ma choyo bhane pani jiu siringa hunay, ani aru haru tesari hideko dekhda pani kasto odd feel hunthyo.
Biruwa, timile bhaneko kura chahi I had never thought about. Now I am realizing something more. All my travels have been via Asian cities such as Bangkok and Singapore, and therefore certainly had to deal with Asian staff but never noticed them being phucheys although they are also shorter than the Americans we see here. Now I am wondering, why did it become noticeable only after landing at our Gauchar? Could it be due to their sluggishness? Ani yaha auda manche kina tall lagena? Tyo question ko answer chahi kehi sochna sakeko chaina.
|
| bideshi |
Posted
on 04-Oct-02 12:10 PM
For me,Nepal is always close to my heart as it is the place where I was born and where my parents r still there.I know,there is corruption in Nepal,roads r narrow and dusty,moreover trashes r seen everywhere,people r short and wrinkled.But I also know that I was born there,raised there,my lot of sweet childhood memories r all from there.Before I came to US,I was there and it's the most precious time of my life I still longed for.I want to go back to my childhood but I can't.It seems just like yesterday,but now it is far far away!The love of my parents and my siblings,the warmth we share, the fightings and moreover all those happy moments I can never forget and it happened there in Nepal.So,I love my country.I was born there,my parents r from There and even I am from there.I don't want to make fun of my country.I hate all those curropt leaders and maosists but that doesn't mean i hate Nepal and all those wrinkled neplease.I love my country,my family and hope one day will go back for good.
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| ruck |
Posted
on 04-Oct-02 12:15 PM
Sally, I agree with you. I am surprised how some people make fun of their trip to Nepal when it should have been the other way round. I thought people would share good memories when visiting home and how one felt about being with their very own people. Anyway, perceptions differ, you cannot blame people who get influenced by the materialistic world.. they find "Sirak" heavy, I wonder if they had found their aama's "kaakha" congested when they were babies.... "
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| chipledhunga |
Posted
on 04-Oct-02 12:59 PM
Ruck, and everyone who is feeling that way, by creating this thread I do not mean to make fun of Nepal. I created it simply to share experiences and like hyaterica mentioned earlier, kissing the bidesi rear is not my intention either. Knowing that Nepal is a poor country plagued by corruption and violence, knowing that Kathmandu is a very polluted city, I still go there whenever I can. It is because I grew up there, most of my family and friends including my dearest parents are there and I simply love the country. At the same time, one should not fail to admit the realities there. That is it.
|
| sally |
Posted
on 04-Oct-02 01:56 PM
Speaking for myself, I find this thread refreshing, not insulting. Particularly with all the heavy news lately! I just think it’s about stuff everyone can relate to, in one way or another, and then you filter it thru your particular “angel.”
I don't know if the guy who wrote about the heavy siraks really doesn't like them, in the sense of a value judgement, or if that's just something he noticed in his response to a Nepal Revisited ... that he had changed, and viewed things differently, and so the siraks had "become" heavy. Which is more self-reflection than criticism.
It's kind of like chatting about the quirks of family members you love but are not, ahem, perfect. That's not the same as making fun of them, and not the same as blindly praising and flattering them. Just our personal experience of reality, in all its humor and uniqueness.
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| Biruwa |
Posted
on 04-Oct-02 03:07 PM
Sally,
What's with angel?? Couldn't get the angle of truth behind angel : )
|
| dry |
Posted
on 04-Oct-02 03:40 PM
I Agree with Sally's excellent remarks. I have never been to Nepal in all these 3 years of my stay here and in that way, this thread is very absorbing to me. I shouldn't be poking my nose in between here but since being a Nepali myself thought could comment on some of the pros and cons of this exposition.
I am looking forward to being in Nepal myself and experience what others have perceived but my point is whether we see our fellow nepali counterparts as fuchhe dalle, my brother always told me, 'donot forget where you come from'. That is one of the very significant issue here I guess. Some of the friends here have made exceptional observation about the difference of livelihood in Nepal and US and I totally agree to what they have to say though Ruck's obervation to that was a little tilted towards trying to teach a lesson kind of thing. But that maybe my misunderstanding.
This maybe a merit to the Nepalese society. Atleast people have realized what Nepal is and how can it thus be improved with the cutting edge management technology and innovations, the knowledged gained from the highly rated institutions in US. I think just having realized what the experience is and posting in sajha is a step for working towards a better Nepal. 'chyaa kasto desh hamro' bhannu bhanda, I think we can take it to the next step.
Three cheers to Nepal,
Three cheers to all the Nepalese in Sajha..
|
| paramendra |
Posted
on 04-Oct-02 05:31 PM
Pandeji, LLCCMGMG! :-)
|
| ruck |
Posted
on 04-Oct-02 05:56 PM
Mr. Dry,
I am not at the least trying to teach a anyone lesson here, like any other people, I think I have the right to write what I feel, my own perception and view points. If this site is for "BASHING NEPAL" and people talking good about "NEPAL" then sorry all of you up there, I think I have landed at the wrong site. I don't u'stand what the problem is with people when one speaks his/her own mind. I didn't know I has to say yes yes and agree to what the majority of you have to say on any topic postes here, leave alone this!!
Cheers!
|
| chipledhunga |
Posted
on 05-Oct-02 12:27 AM
Let me add a few more notes here,kaso? Pahila pahila teti care nagareko kura haru ma ekdamai dhyaan janay ani kahile kahi US ma jun kura lay wakka bhaeko ho, tyahi kura ko pani craving hunay. In the case of the former, yes I did like momo and choela etc but I never craved for it. Nepal janda ta jati khae ni nupugne, tyo pani ranga kai khana parne. In the case of the latter, pizza miss hunthyo bela bela ma. Ek choti as I was wandering around the Mahendrapul area in Pokhara, suddenly pizza khana man lagyo. Saw this restaurant called "Open House" which was recommended by some of my friends in Kathmandu. Pizza ta ayo, kasto patalo ta patalo, and even that was not sliced. Katna khojeko khichadi jasto bho. I had a similar experience in Kantipur ko Naya Sadak.
I always had a passion of traveling but hardly cared about trekking. But with the exception of my first visit, I trekked in the Annapurna region on the other three visits and trekking will always remain as one of my priorities in my future visits. Addictive hudo rahicha ki ke ho yo?
Ani Chicago Bulls ko t-shirt kasto common ho? Testai gari Dallas Cowboys, Red Skin, Vikings,Lakers etc ko pani fairly common. Ani cap haru pani mostly featured either a US city or state name, or a sports team. Yahi kura ma two more funny incidents. Yespaali janda jun bus ko ticket linda thageko thiyo bhaneko thie ni, tesko conductoir was wearing a Budweiser shirt. Similarly, 1997 ma as I was trekking in the Kali Gandaki Valley returning from Muktinath,saw a bakhra gothalo wearing a Kentucky Wildcats shirt, the only one I have seen in Nepal. It was of particular interest to me as I had jsut graduated from a Kentucky college then.
|
| dry |
Posted
on 05-Oct-02 12:26 PM
Ruck, read your postings written to Sally above and you will see what I
mean. You said, "I am surprised how some people make fun of their trip
to Nepal when it should have been the other way around".
So you think people are making fun of their trip to Nepal when they
write their views, which by the way, is some excellent observations,
and
you are writing your views and expressions about what you felt is not??
I dont have any problem with that, thats actually a very good lesson to
be learnt. The only problem is what people write are also their own
mind and what they felt. If people feel that Nepal is not a good living
place, thats their own views and like you said in your above postings,
you shouldn't have any problem with that. Not to mention that those
people love Nepal like you do.
Donot take it personally. Your postings are admirable and would love to
read them continuously in Sajha.
Chill out brother...
|
| hyaterica |
Posted
on 05-Oct-02 12:38 PM
thank god, finally i see some who *do* like to talk in favor of their motherland. !!
|
| SITARA |
Posted
on 05-Oct-02 05:45 PM
I am going to say:
Nepal BATA Pharkinda ko kura:
I went to KTM this summer for 6 weeks; got drenched in the monsoon rain; collected rain water to wash my hands (the floods broke the water pipes), caught a massive cold and stomach flu, got spashed by unruly taxi drivers, got teased by many guys (roadside romeos ;)... Was not that bad!!!! :)
When I came home:
I missed the hustle bustle of the city.
I missed my mom bringing me morning tea.
I missed my mom's aloo achar.
I missed walking down the road and chatting with my neigbors.
I missed sharing little anecdotes with my family.
I missed picking up flowers from my garden.
I missed lying down in the sun with my eyes shut and thinking "I am home!"
I missed my school friends calling me up.
I missed the harmless catcalls of the young guys as I passed by.
I missed getting sick and being pampered.
Above all I missed the crazy concoction that my mom created: adhuwa pani, tulsi patta, besar , lwang sukmail......ithyadhi , ithyadhi
Stuff guaranteed to kill any flu virus!!!!!!!!!!!!! and above all served with love!!!!!!!!!!
Yes... I MISS NEPAL!!!
|
| Soleil |
Posted
on 05-Oct-02 06:58 PM
I am just amazed at how some people missed the whole thing. Thread originator, Chipledhunga, simply wrote his memoirs of his recent visit to Nepal. Neither was he showing hatred towards Nepal, nor was he being disloyal, as some of the hardcore patriots here in sajha thought. Not at any point did Chipledhunga made a fun of his motherland. He wrote the way he felt and the way he saw. Folks! he did not write about love and hate here. And friends, what are you doing? Aren't you discrediting Chipledhunga for what he wrote? Aren't you expressing your opines; how and what you feel?
Chipledhunga... I had exactly the same experiences. It was great reading yours too. Entertaining.
Peace All!!!
|
| WWW.Pokhara.Biz |
Posted
on 05-Oct-02 07:21 PM
Chipledhunga,
timi chipledhunga ko kata patti chou. mero pani chha ho euta sano
jhupadi around chiple dhunga. Bastola paryou ki mandar khalak? If not
koirala khalak? HAMRA ba le chaini bastola sanga chaini 100 rupiya haat ma
kineka re jagga, chhya kasto bhau badeko ni ahile ta ek haat ko 15lakh re.
Baru tyo gau ko sab bechera Bastola baje sanga chai sab kineko bhe chai
aaj nepal farkada chai kasto ramalo hunthyo ni ta.
Mahendra pool ko mathi basera suntala khadai, bokra tala seti ma khasalda
bilaudai gayeko tyo suntala ko bokra herda kati ramailo huntyo. I missed that, too.
Mahendra Pool, was originally called as Kothe Sanghu (Wooden Bridge).
Tyo fooooooooooooool (flower) tarne ekadashi ko din, kya ramailo thiyo ..
Wow, peoples used to come away from Begnas to Kaski kot. It was real
jatra..........
I also missed the purano tudikhel ma Chyangra kinna jane din. Fulpati ko din
bihanai dekhi naya kamez kattu lagayera, chhyangra kasti hola hai ko
imagination ma ..Struggling to find the size that matches pocket and the bargains
with the "Bhote Dai" ........ From north of Pokhara to south of Pokhara,
(1 way: almost 2 hours walk) tyo 10dharni ko chyangra ghichyau ghichyuda
kahile bui chadai ... kati ramailo huntyo... Now, peoples use TAxi, and
peoples missed the majja we enjoyed. Now, you can buy it via Internet.
So, disgusting. ............
Pokhara, Chipledhunga, tyo Pokhara restaurant ko Cell roti ....... Palikhe kahako
kitab pasal, Goshali ani Bastola baje kahako kapada ....... ma napase ta
mahendra pool gaye jasto hunnna thyo.........
We missed those things ......
WWW.Pokhara.Biz Guru
|
| Desh_Bhakta_Bhattarai |
Posted
on 05-Oct-02 07:25 PM
nfUb5
dnfO{ /dfO{nf]
|
| NK |
Posted
on 05-Oct-02 08:32 PM
After a long time someting caught my eye. Tried to post with a different nickname but somehow did not feel right. NK will do for now. Sally does not seem to mind...
I went for a visit and a bit of trekking after eight years living outside of Nepal. I had gone back once before while I was in the US. Yes, there were people who wanted to sell me fake "curios" in Thamel and people from taxi drivers to newly acquainted people who wanted my help to come to the US. What struck me most was the attitude of shop keepers in Kathmandu, especially in Thamel. You see, when I am in Nepal I prefer to wear salwar kameez and of course talk in Nepali. I was in this book store in Thamel one day and could not find the book I was looking for. I asked a gentleman if he h ad it. Then (!) he spends few minutes of his valuable time sizing me upand asks me how many I wanted. Now, I was quite puzzled and asked him," what do you mean?" "How many does one need when one needs to read a book?" He then told me the price of the book without telling me if he had the book. At this point I had lost my patient and started to tell him what exactly I thought about his attitude. I did not realize that I was not yelling at him in English. He then stopped short and stammered, "just a second I will get it for you (!)" He came back immediately with a copy of that book dusting it with his impeccable white shirt [ok that whit shirt bit was exaggerated :)]. ... in kathmandu I would hear here and there what a good job my "kuirey" husband had done teaching me such a good Nepali(!!).
In Nepal has it become a crime for a Nepali to wear "conservative" clothes and speak in Nepali? When did this change occur? The same thing happened to me over and over. I would be in a shop asking about something that interested me and as soon as tourist waltzes in ,this Nepali speaking, Nepali [well sort of, you cannot really expect me to wear a guniu cholo, would you?]outfit wearing Nepali is discarded as yesterday's newspaper.I never saw anything remotely attractive about cat calls and that feeling had not changed after so many years living outside of Nepal.
Trekking was much more fun. Not much discrimination. They would just tell me right on my face they would not charge me a "Nepali price" since I was married to a kuirey. Well, since my child won't be eligible for a Nepali citizenship since I am not married to a Nepali, the price [literally] I paid in my trekking route was not that outrageous.
|
| chipledhunga |
Posted
on 07-Oct-02 01:10 AM
Pokhara.Biz, mero jhupadi chahi Chipledhunga bata karib 200 km jati purwa cha. It is not because I am from Chipledhunga or even Pokhara that prompted me to choose this nickname. I was just thinking of using some thet Nepali naam and Chipledhunga came to my mind, so voila :) That said, you must realize now that I did not have the fortune to have those great times you described. However, I must admit that I am in deep love with Pokhara and its surroundings. I have my own good (mostly) memories about the beautiful valley. My fourth visit to Pokhara in 1997 occured as I was on my way to Muktinath with two of my foreign friends. That is when my love affair with Pokhara started and trekking became an addiction to me.
The approach to Pokhara itself is very refreshing. Going by bus, soon after crossing the Madi, the excitement of reaching Pokhara starts although it is still about 50 km further. The stone houses and the colorful attire of Gurungsenis mark the approach to Pokhara. Thau ko naam haru such as Tharpu, Kotray and Sisuwa hold a special appeal to me,they jsut sound so nice. Views of Ganesh Himal,Manaslu, and the Annapurnas makes getting there by chilgaadi equally exciting.
As for Mahendrapul, suntala ko bokra ta khasaleko chaina but did make an unsuccessful attempt to measure the depth of the gorge. Dhunga khasalera s=(1/2)gt^2 ko formula launa khojeko dhungo ta bilayo before we could see it dropping to the milky water. Going back there to see the gorge in 2001 was a disappoinment though. Pul ko peti bhari there were petty vendors, managed to find some space to look down the gorge just to find out that sewage and trash being dumped into the river. Yo barsa janda ta I did not even bother stopping by the bridge, I wish I were not forced to do so.
In general bhanda kheri entering Pokhara itself would be a relief. Kathmandu bata janda clean air and less traffic ani clear cha bhane ta najikai bata himal dekhine. Since my last three visits there were with foriegn friends, we were approached by touts but they were not as persistant as those in Kathmandu. With a few expcetions, if you refuse their offer for the first time,they would leave you alone. Ani of course after ending the trek, you are back to civilization. Ramro sanga niuhaera safa luga laera sanjh ma jaad ra dinner ko lagi hidinthyo. Ani bihana hotel ko chana bata himal ko darshan gari rajdhani tira ko bato laginthyo.
At the end of the first two treks chahi ali disappointing experience bho with restaurants. Back in 1997 again, we arrived Pokhara in the eveining after a 9 day trek to Muktinath. Tyo Lake Side ko Pyramid restaurant ma dinner khana gaiyo. We enjoyed the food, and after the main course my American friend was still a bit hungry so he ordered some fries. KHullai bottle ma ketchup lyayo, and as he pired some of it on his plate, an insect fell off the bottle. Well, that ruined the end of the trek dinner that we were craving for. It is possible that the insect may have made its way in the factory, but then there was a greater possiblity that it may have happened in the restaurant as the bottle did not even have a lid when we were served. So since then Pyramid restaurant has bcome a no-no to me.
Ani Hritik Roshan ko kura le Nepal banda bhaeko bela also I was on a short trek from Birethanti to Ghandruk, Ghorepani, and back to Poikhara via Birethanti. We welcomed the year of 2001 by watching the sunrise from Poon Hill where our eyes were glued to the changing colors of Dhaulagiri, Nilgiri, Annapurna South, and Hiuchuli. Everyone there were yelling "Happy New Year" and thousands of shots must have been taken by the few hundred trekkers present there. One Taiwanese lady who spoke "ali ali" Nepali offered to take a goup picture of us,and told us, "say koosee" as she was ready to take the pciture. I asked her what it means, and she said "happy." Khusi bhaneko rahicha :) The same day, however, was also ironically the first day of the two-day strike, first time in recent history when a strike of more than a day was called. It did not really bother the trekkers for the first day as it required walking anyway. SO we walked down to Birethanti and while my bideshi sathis went to sleep after dinner, I was chatting and singing with other guides diinking beer whle the Modi Khola susaudai tala bagdai thiyo just a few meters below us. This guide from Solu who was educated in Darjeeling and had adopted a strong DJ accent was telling dirty jokes where the main character was Birkhe, must have been the name he gave to Hamjaega.
We got up the next morning and an extra day's walk was waiting for us which should have been a 2 hours bus ride to Pokhara. One guide with two chwank Singapore ko kt haru had agreed that we could follow him to Pokhara as he knew the shortcuts. I never knew the names of those two Singaporeans but the guide called them jethi and maili, and were very friendly. We took the shortcuts upto Naudanda jsut croissing and/or following the highway at points and singing songs, and playing dhunga ko football. Left the highway and took the dirst road to Sarangkot and decended down to Sirse enjoying the Phewa ko view. It was late evening when we arrived Pokhara. Ani returned to the Jharana Hotel in Pardi where we had stayed prior to the trek and my friends had their luggage. Went to the Loss Time restaurant nearby, which turned out to be another disappointment. Not only it took for ages to get the food, including the beer which virtually did not require any preparation but there were also some drunk Japanese kids who were trying to light their cigarettes using the flint from the fireplace we were seated next to and scared us to death. For the inefficient service, Loss Time is out of my list for future visis.
The following morning, I dropped my friends at Prithvi Chowk where they took a bus to BHairahawa en route to India. I had a few hours to spend as I had a late afternoon flight back to rajdhani. Took a bus to Bhairabtol, visited Bidhebasini and took some beautiful pics of Machapucchre from the temple. Ani after a breakfast of puri tarkari and jeri at a nearby shop, walked down to Bagar and took a bus to see the caves. The Chamere gufa was amazing with so many bats and also the difficult exit. Bagar farkinda arko banda bhanne thaha bho. Apparently a taxi driver was beaten to death follwoing a drunken fight around Prthvichowk the previous evening and therefore all local public transportation was decided to be halted for the rest of the day. Oh well, more walking for me. Ani Nadipur ra Saghumukh ko bato Mahendrapul pugiyo where I saw the disappointing view of the Seti I described earlier. I suddently thought oftaking a bottle of Marpha back to the US. As I walked towards the airport via Prithvichowk I stopped at every possible store looking for that booze tara jaha pani chana or siddieko cha matrai bhanyo. Mustang Chowk samma pani napae pachi ek plate momo khae, and it was time for me to go to the airport.
Pokharabiz or anyone else familiar with the region, what is the big structure seen across the Seti from the Bagar area? Also Tudikhel bhaneko kaha nira cha. Pokharabiz, I have certainly heard of the legenday Gorkhapatra Bajay (heard about his demise too) and Palikhe pustak pasal tara tyaha gaeko chahi chaina.
NK,just out of curiosity, where did you go for trekking? On all my three treks around the Annpaurnas, I trekked with foreign friends and naturally I was mistaken for being a guide. I was inquired at virtually every lodge,"kun office bata sir" (office bhanna le trekking agency). I always told them the fact that I was not a guide and they were just my friends from abroad. Yet, I was offered discounts (usually no room charge and discounted food), "gora ko bhau ta yeti ho tara tapai Nepali lai yeti ma milaideko chu" bhanera. Oh well, that privilege does not seem to be available if you are married to a foreigner..ke garne.
Sorry for making it too long. I hope this did not bore you all. Pokhara ko samjhana yeso korchu bhanda bhandai lamo bhaecha. Aru pachi.
|
| Arnico |
Posted
on 07-Oct-02 02:13 PM
Actually Chipledhunga, I am married to a foreigner... and when we go trekking together in teh Kaski-Myagdi area I get offered commission on her food :-)
|
| kalankisthan |
Posted
on 07-Oct-02 02:24 PM
America bata Nepal pugeka koi koi le dekhauchan ni chartikala. ka ka na bata aaka jasta. Maile kalanki paani tyanki ko paani nakhole bajiya haru gu pusna ni paudainan. Haamlai aayera Angreji ma shaan dine.
The other day, euta bajiya, 15 barsha bha re america gaa, aaipugyo saauni ko pasal ma. Ma pani tyahi thiye churot tandai. Bajiya ta Nepali boldaina. Angreji matrai. "what, what, what" re. bole piche "what" re. Aba ti sauni le ke gai-khane bhasa jaanun.
Tyo bajiya aaipugyo sauni ko pashal ma kauli kinna. kauli lai dekhayera "what is this ?" re. malai chalyo ranka. arko choti what is this bhanya thiyo, maile ni Harrison Ford Style le Puraa angregi nepali ma
"Ke ko what is this? hijo asthi kaha this? khaana paaye palkinthis"
bhanya ta tyo bajiya le malai twalla heri ra. Tin lok chaudha bhuwan dekhecha bajiya le. Sochyo hola ni yellai ni angreji audo rahecha bhanera. Maile bhanya telle pyattai bujhena
ani he was like, "WHAT" re
maile ni "what what sisi pwatt" bhandya ta jhol ghoptiyeko anuhar lagayera sunargau tira bepatta bhayo.
Ho bhanya, atti huncha ni.. hehe
|
| chipledhunga |
Posted
on 07-Oct-02 02:47 PM
Arnico, lucky you :) Just out of curiosity, kati jati commission offer gardo rahicha? Also it seems like Nepali lai discount dherai lower region ma matrai dincha ki kaso? My first trek was from Jomsom to Muktinath and back along the Kali Gandaki. I was not given any discount before Kalopani. Indeed I did not even know that Nepalis were given discount. But after Kalopani, I was offered discounts virtually everywhere. Often I was asked who was paying my bill, and when I replied I was the one to pay, the bill significantly went down even when in many cases the staff knew that I was not a guide. Usually room was provided for free and the fooding cost was slashed often below half the menu price. On the sanctuary route, free tea and/or hot lemon seemed to be the norm but I was usually charged for the room and the discount for food was not as generous.
Kalanki, your comments are funny. Please do keep the water supply running.
|
| chipledhunga |
Posted
on 07-Oct-02 02:56 PM
Kalanki, just realized that I had missed the last lines of your posting, what? sisi pwaat. how? khutta ma ghau. Classic joke thiyo hami class 1, 2 ma hunda. Jhandai dui dashak bitisakecha tespachi.
|
| SITARA |
Posted
on 07-Oct-02 04:32 PM
Chipledhunga ji
Very nice narration about the trek. You make me feel very very home (trek-)sick. This summer, wanted to go trekking but was grounded by my mom because of the Maoist jagjagi!
:(
|
| chipledhunga |
Posted
on 07-Oct-02 05:31 PM
Sitara, I also initially had the same problem but I was so desperate to go to the Annapurna base Camp. After reading so many postings on sites such as Lonely Planet and Yetizone, I was convinced that safety was not a big issue. I finally managed to convince my parents to let me go but on the condition that I have some company. The problem was, noone from KTM dared to leave the valley. So I found a Ukranian dude to accompany me from Yetizone.
Pheri kasto nachahine halla nai badhi hau teta ta. About when in the summer did you go? It was the month of Baisakh when I was there, indeed I landed there just a week after the 5-day Maoist strike. There were rumours that they are calling a 10-day strike from the 1st of Jestha and 15 and 20-day srikes respectively from the 1st of Asar and Srawan. I would have been on the middle of the strike when I was scheduled to return from the trek. No such strike happened. Ani trekking garda I asked the lodge owners about the Maoist activity there. Those in Birethanti and Ghorepani admited that they would occasionally come for donations but otherwise there was no visible acitvity. Those at Hille told me that there is quite a lot of acitivity on the village though, just acorss the stream from there. The police stations and banks had moved away from several locations, and telephone was not available in Ghorepani as the Maoists had destroyed the tower there. I was expecting to see pro-Maoist slogans and pamphlets on the way but did not see any. Overall, I did not feel insecure at all during the entire trek. Tesaile halla ko pachi lagera kaam chaina.
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| chipledhunga |
Posted
on 08-Oct-02 09:01 AM
Sorry to overwhelm with trekking experiences but that has always been the highlight of my visits home. Just a little note on people you meet. Children follow you: hello sweets, hello iskool pen, hello mineral water, hello which country.
One middle aged man asked me: "Kaadi aa hoon yi gora haru..Japani hoon ki kaaka hoon?" I was with a Japanese and a Malaysian friend then :)
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| chipledhunga |
Posted
on 11-Oct-02 01:12 PM
Oho 3 din kasaile post nagarda 3rd page ma pugisakecha yo thread. Aru khasai lekhne kura ta kehi sochna sakeko chaina. Euta kura chahi, khudra pasaleys and ausadhi pasaleys could easily guess that I was on a short visit from abroad. I would try to scan the items on display to check if I could see anything that I was familiar with in the past. The I would ask the prices, sahuji yesko achel kati parcha bhanera. Bahira basera aunu bhaeko jasto cha ho? Sahuji would ask. Ani sayad ausadhi ko variety kinda pani pasaley le sodhihalthyo, bahira jana lagnu bhaeko jasto cha ho?
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| chipledhunga |
Posted
on 11-Oct-02 03:58 PM
Yeso mathi scroll gari hereko, Sitaraji le Nepal bata farkinda ko anubhav haru post gareko dekhera I thought I would add some of mine too. Let me rather start with the time when I was leaving home for the first time. It was approximately 1 pm on a cloudy day of Monday, August 23, 1993. The venue was our good old Gauchar. I was there clad in phool ko malaa and tika, and there was a pretty big crowd of my friends and relatives to see me off. To be honest, I did not feel any sadness of leaving home at that time. While my mother could barely stop her tears and my father had a serious face yet struggling to smile, I was smiling to my heart's content. I was very excited about flying on big aircrafts to reach the USA where I would begin a new chapter of my life.
Soon, my father looked at his watch and said "son, it's time for you to go", and I exchanged dhogs, hugs, and handshakes with all those present to see me off. My smiles were overpowered by seriousness. As I cleared the immigration, the stamp on passport marked my official exit from Nepal. As I waited at the departure lounge, I started feeling more and more lonely. Although officially out, I was physically still in Nepal but I already started missing it. I was not going to see my dearest parents for an unknown length of time. Neither did I know when I would be able to play paplu and deusi with my cousins, eat momo and gundruk, get off the Tata bus somewhere near Naubise and sip some tea, or ride my bicycle to Thapathali, Ason or anywhere around, or even hear my father yell at me to concentrate on studying instead of watching TV. Soon it was time to board the aircraft. I took a last look at the terminal building, and was in the clouds before I could even identify what part of the valley I was flying over.
In less than two years, I was back for a 3 month long vacation. Soon I felt as if I had never left home but then time seemed to pass so quick. It was time to start shopping for jeans, shoes and t-shirts to save my hard earned dollars as well as churpi and titaura ko awaken my taste buds. My mother started crying days before I was to leave. I started packing my suitcase the day before I was to leave, wondering when I would be back in my room again. I was not in a happy mood leaving home as I was before That time I was able to see the polluted dark waters of Bagmati, and mero ghar cheu ko area (of which i took a couple of pictures) before exiting the valley. I, however wished the exit were on a Tata bus and for a shorter time.
Similar experiences on my next visit in 1997. I was quite disappointed at the rudeness of the lady (or the b***h) at the Thai Airways counter. I could hear her talking nicely to the westerner in front of me but when my turn came and politely requested a window seat (in Nepali) I received a rude response in English that all window seats were occupied. Kasti marna naseki aimai rahicha man manai teslai sarapay. It was not a very nice farewell to me from my country. Was she feeling inferior to speak her own language? Was she feeling inferior to talk nicely to fellow Nepalis?
Due to bad weather, my departure was delayed by 32 minutes but I did not know that I was going to be away for the longest time so far. Tyahi bhaera hola, my stay was briefly extended. Not only that, my next visit was also the shortest so far. I was back there after over 3 years in December 2000 for only 18 days. Everyone looked so much older that before, I really started feeling my age. Ani amaa ko maya ta chadai cha. Soon after I had arrived, she was already crying realizing the fact that I was leaving soon again. All I could do was to console her saying that I would be back soon.
After 8 years, I had the opportunity to spend the night under a heavy sirak and have sandheko bhogate with piro achaar under the sun.
If any of you are going to Nepal during the non-monsoon period, I strongly advise you to take the mountain flight. It cost me almost Rs 5000 but was worth every futeko kaudi. It was my first time seeing Everest and I felt like punya prapti bhaeko jasto. Ani dui-tin din matrai ko bhae pani trekking garnu hola, it is such a great experience.
My previous visits were when I was a college student with almost full scholarship, living in dormitories, eating in the cafeteria and working very little. My only regret was that I did not own a car. That time I was there as a full time jageeray plus part time graduate student who had to cook, wash dishes, and take care of the apartment apart from professional and academic obligations. Coming back here, it took a while to get adjusted to the life that I had taken a short break from. Unlike before, I had been driving my own car for over three years. Tara instead of driving on Main Street or Broadway, I wish I were making that steep accent on foot from Syaulibazaar to Ghandruk. Instead of stopping at McDonalds on the interstate, I wish the Tata had stopped at Mugling and the "hotel" owner were calling passengers "la Koshi bus ko passenger yeta."
Aba asti summer ma pani ek mahina ko lagi gaeko thie. Kathmandu land garne bela ma I could identify some of the peaks including Everest, thanks to the mountain flight I had taken the previous year. Tyaha puge pachi ko usual routine ta chadai cha. You know, the amaa baa ko maya, meeting friends and relatives, eating momo sekuwa etc, and my third trek in my pyaaro Annapurna region. I stayed there for a month, about 2 weeks longer than I did last time. Farkinda kheri pheri tyahi airport. This time the Thai ko check-in agent was polite, and I got the window seat. There were a lot of Nepali laborers headed to Malaysia, waiting to check-in for the same flight. Ke garne garib desh, tesmathi khetbaari bechera ani rin kadhera man power agency haru lai kati tireka holaan yiniharu le, ani life kasto hola bidesh ma uniharu ko..I was thinking. Anyway, after receiving my boarding pass, I came back outside. After a brief chat with my parents, once again my father looked at his watch and said "la aba jaau." I could barely stop my tears then. "la tyhaha nira bhetula ni ta", I said pointing to the arrivals area, in an attempt to produce some humor. There was a weak laughter. After the dhogs and hugs, I went inside, and soon boarded the plane. It was a clear day. I could see Bouddha, parts of Patan, and the Indrawati valley. The plane circled again over the Kathmandu valley, albeit a bit higher. I could again see Boudda and the airport before seeing some hariyo some pahiro gaeko mountains and disappearing into the clouds.
Unlike 9 years ago, I can communicate with my parents more often, thanks to email and the instant messenger. Tara thaha chaina, tyo maile point gareko "tyaha nira" pheri kahile bhetine ho.
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| nuts |
Posted
on 11-Oct-02 06:20 PM
brought tears into my eyes, chipledhunga.. may be because i am all set to go there this december..
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| Arnico |
Posted
on 11-Oct-02 06:45 PM
I once did the crazy thing of going to Nepal from the US for just 6 days. Yet still HAD to go "trekking" witout being away from home too long... so I actually figured out a pretty decent 28 hour trip that covers the "highlights":
Fly to Pokhara (cost of a nice meal out in the US), take a cab to Naudanda straight from Pokhara airport (Rs. 250), hike along the ridgetop for 4 hours (stopping at chia pasals along the way, while watching the mountains on one side and Fewa lake on the other), spend the night in a lodge in Sarankot (50 rupees for the bed 60 rupees for great thakali daalbhat), wake up at 5 am, go to the Sarankot summit to watch the sunrise, then hike 2 hours down into Pokhara, have lunch at "Boomerang restaurant" on the lake shore,a nd go the airport to catch a 2 pm flight back to Kathmandu... in time for the eye doctor's appointment to get a prescription for new glasses that are cheaper than in the US...
Worked great, and the memory of sunrise over Machhapuchhare was worth a lot more than two meals out are for me in Boston...
anyway, need to run now. Keep the thread going Chipledhunga...
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| Yankees |
Posted
on 13-Oct-02 08:18 AM
hey arnico.
by any chance u from Arniko from Satdobato.
plz write back.
thanks
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| chipledhunga |
Posted
on 15-Oct-02 09:58 AM
Hey nuts, I don't mean to discourage you but just wanted to let you know that even before I left I would be haunted by the fact that I would have to come back. Anyway, I hope you have a great time there. Ani do me a favor, euta singai ranga barabar ko momo ra choela khaideu hai on my behalf. Oh, gham tapera bhogate sandeko dui char wota pani khaideu hai.
Arnico, interesting to read about your "crazy trip." While I have never made such a short visit or trek, there are some crazy things that I have done. Perhaps the craziest and most stupid thing I have done was flying without fastening my seatbelts. Kura paryo pheri 1997 ko. I was flying to Jomsom from Pokhara for a trek to Muktinath on Everest Air. By the way, just two days before our flight (and a day before we left for Pokhara), Everest Air kai arko similar aircraft (Dornier 228) narrowly escaped a major accident. A flight bound to Bhadrapur (I think) reported a landing gear failure and had to return to Kathmandu but only after circling the valley for two hours to exhaust its fuel and land on its belly on the foam-coated runway to avoid fire. So one out of the three aircraft of the airline had to be grounded. While I had to keep this news a secret to my foreign friends to avoid any possiblity that they might panic and choose not to fly, I was fearing that our flight may be cancelled due to aircraft shortage. Fortunately the flight did leave. I had my seatbelt fastened but once the airhostess checked for belts before departure, I came up with this crazy idea of making the roughest landing in my life. So there came off my seatbelt :) After flying over the Kali Gandaki Valley, we overflew the Jomsom airport, made a turnaround with perhaps a 45 degree tilt (because the valley is too narrow to make a normal turn) and made a rough and bumpy landing at the airport. Kasto dhulo udeko as the plane landed. Anyway, I did manage to get there without injury :)
Talking about the same flight, apparently the cabin was not properly pressurized. Shortly after take off, we were given a pack of peanuts and frooty. When I was handed the peanuts, the pack seemed to be full of air but it contracted as we landed.
So after a flight of barely 20 minutes, we were at an altitude 1800 meters higher than Pokhara, in a completely different world behind the Himalayas. The landscape was dry apart from sparse pine tree and it was windy (remember the song Jomsomai bazaar ma bara bajay hawa sarara?). It was intersting to see bicycles and tractors in Jomsom. After brunch at the Dhaulagiri Lodge (right across the street was Jimi Hendrix Lodge :), we followed the Kali Gandaki for a while to Kagbeni, and decided to stay there for the night. It was an interesting town with narrow streets and an almost entirely Tibetan population.
We settled at a lodge. There were seven guests from seven coutnries. I myself was a Nepali with a Japanese and an American friend. The other four were from New Zealand, Ireland, Germany, and the UK. Anyway, those four were going out paalai paalo from the dining hall saying "its so nice out there" and then ordering lots of food after coming back in a few minutes. It was dark, cold, and windy outside. The three of us were wondering, what was so nice about it, and how come they can eat so much. Later we found out that they were smoking marijuana outside :)
The next morning we made the steep ascent to Muktinath via the interesting town of Jharkot and settled at the Shree Muktinath Lodge, just across the street from Bob Marley Lodge and Reggae Bar :) and later visited the temple complex and fulfilled my much desired wish to visit Muktinath. Alternating with my left and right hands, I managed to touch the water of all (107?) water spouts, it was freezing cold. Did not have the guts to shower from all spouts like a devout Hindu, paani choerai kaam chalaiyo.
Bholipalta we started our long trek back to Birethanti. Just a short distance below Jharkot, there were three Indian sadhus sitting on a rock and smoking marijuana. One of them said to us "we three poor people, you three nice people, ten ten rupees please."
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| SITARA |
Posted
on 15-Oct-02 12:00 PM
Chipledhunga ji,
As always, I feel so nostalgic when I read your excellent description of the trekking experiences.
Thank you...appreciate it for continuing :)
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| chipledhunga |
Posted
on 17-Oct-02 09:24 AM
Sitara, thank you for your encouragement, tara budeskaal ma dherai kura birsisakay. One thing I can recall is the popularity of Resham firiri with so many variations. If you recall my previous posting where I had described the walk to Pokhara due to Hritik Roshan ko kura le garda bhaeko Nepal banda, this is what the guide was teaching the Singaporeans:
resham firiri resham firiri
motor chaina hidera jaunla resham firiri
Ani yo barsa trekking garda a guide was teaching his Belgian client:
resham firiri resham firiri
somebody trekking somebody rafting resham firiri
La aru pachi.
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| yatra |
Posted
on 18-Oct-02 09:49 PM
Memories of Treks are simple wonderful. Kudos to Chipledhunga for generating a nostalgiac thread.. i still cherish the memories of the trek to Tato pani along Myagdi khola..and the final rest point in tato pani myagdi was great.. no sauna can beat it.. all my exhausation evaporated with the water.. hoping to make some trip when I go home again in dec.
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| chipledhunga |
Posted
on 21-Oct-02 10:17 AM
First of all, I would like to express my hardik kritagyata to those who have been encouraging me to continue this thread. Dherai jana le patak patak malai aru kina nalekheko, write more about trekking etc bhaneka thie tara khoi trekking kai ta aru ke lekhne khasai samjhina sakeko chaina. Ani this thread was originally created not only to share trekking experiences but to share Nepal farkinda ko any experience. Tesaile aru le pani contribute garu na pahila jastai. Kehi lekhu bhanera suru ta gariyo tara ke lekhne khoi..la hidne kura matrai kati garne ek choti udne kura pani garu na, kaso?
Kuro pheri 1997 ko. As I was booking my ticket, the travel agent asked me if I wanted to take RNAC or Thai from Bangkok. Ek choti hamro rastriya dhwoja bahak nai try garu bhanne sochay. At the same time, I knew that its flights were subject to frequent delays and cancellations, ani I was also aware about the chaos of jet leases. Ticket ta book gariyo, yet I was frantically calling the RNAC office in the US (1-1800-26-NEPAL, ajhai samjhinchu tyo number) to make sure the schedule had not changed. RNAC bankrupt hune ta hoina tyo bela samma (although I booked my ticket only about two months in advance) bhanne pani dar lagthyo. Je hos flight ta time mai bhayo. As I reached the boarding gate, our Karnali was waiting. Nepal ma tyo RNAC ko 757 dekhda ta kyaa tagada lagthyo, particularly compared to its older 727s and Indian Airlines ko 737s. It looked so tiny compared to 747s on the adjacent gates. Yet, I was so happy that I was making my first international flight on our airline.
Plane bhitra pasiyo, there were signs in both English and Nepali, and so were the announcements. Ani Nepali patrika haru pani padhna paiyo. Airhostess haru pani some were wearing the Sherpa style dress, some were wearing saris with laligurans patterns. Ani menu ko cover page ma pani laligurans ko picture thiyo. Such a great way to enter Nepal. I must also admit that the food was one of the best airline meals I ever had.
There were a few embarassing things about the flight though. During the meal time, I requested some red wine. The stewardess came back with the wine but only with about one third of the plastic cup filled. She apologetically said, "sorry hai hernus na yeti matrai banki rahicha." Ali ali laaj pani lagyo, haaso pani uthyo. Ani later on toilet janu paryo, one of the two toilets in the back was out of order. As I was waiting on the line, I noticed in the adjacent galley, tyo crew haru le afno jhola ma coke, beer etc ko can haru kochdai thie. Then I wondered, wine saachikai sakieko ho ta? Toilet haluka ganaune rahicha, and there was a sign in red Nepali letters "kripaya flush garnu hola."
Ali ali pahadi drisya dekhepachi plane gauchar ma jharyo. Plane ko dhoka bata bahira niskina sath ananda ayo, bharyang bata tala jharera Nepali bhumi tekda jhan ananda ayo.
Lau aru kehi samjhay pachi lekhula.
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| jira |
Posted
on 21-Oct-02 10:44 AM
Kuro tyastai 95 tira ko ho. After being here for few years, it was my first visit to my homeland. I landed at TIA, police seemed chess ko kalo pyada to me. Sabbai kikartyabimoodh, agadi baudhney thawun nai nabhako jasto. Cudos to my self-ego, I thought why would somebody get scared to these freaking kalo pyada haru ? Just to add little more egoism, they even looked foolish rather than police. I came to baggage checking section. My baggage was being thouroughly investigated by one topiwala dude and his chamchas, I guess. "CD cassette ni lya raicha", he uttered looking at Sting's CD. "Aru kati wata cha ?".."Ke", I got angered. "Yo CD chakka", he was trying to be more specific.
"Sir madey ayo", his assistant hurriedly pointed towards other direction. I looked where they looked. Before I regained my original position, they were gone leaving my half-opened bag. Ma ta phasnur layera luiwn luiwn aiidie bahira.
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