Getting Out There!

Photos: Along the Ganga Trail

cruzensuzan — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 06:00:00 GMT

Along the Ganga Trail

cruzensuzan — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 06:00:00 GMT

Trekking through the foothills of the Himalaya is for sure an enlightening experience coming from the confines of the United States and my sheltered little life. Mixed in with the beauty and awe of the mighty Himalaya were villages and people, straight out of the old issues of National Geographic that my folks had when I was growing up. I'm not sure I expected what I found. I felt like I was back in time- a time I never knew and only read about. Walking along with my Trek Mates, each of us would point, or exclaim out loud about something we'd see that we wanted to share with the others, or ask our guide about. I remember saying, "what's that smell?" I knew it was familiar but I couldn't put my finger on it. Later I would realize that it was because it was out of context- the smell. I mean we were walking through these villages and farms high in the mountains in a land so far from my every day city life back home. All of a sudden it hit me, about the same time I looked up and spied a great big, tall, brilliant green Ganga tree. (Notice I said "tree", not plant). Oh my, that's when I realized we were walking along the Ganga trail. The smell was intense! I had my Trek Mates also exclaiming and pointing - cameras clicking. I got a few snickers due to the fact I had actually smelled it and alerted to it before any of the rest of them had figured it out. It was so odd to see it just growing everywhere, and SO tall! At one point one of my Mates spied one of the women working near us in her garden, and she called out to the woman, "do you smoke this?" The woman was tall and beautiful, proud in her colorful dress and shawl. She stood with her hand woven gathering basket in hand. She waved and gave us a great BIG smile without saying a word. My Mate at that point was pointing to one of the Ganga trees as she spoke to the woman. The woman smiled again proudly and nodded. We continued on our journey, smiles on our faces and quiet thoughts of our own as we carefully navigated down the slopes of the Ganga Trail.

Photos: The Colors of Nepal

cruzensuzan — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 05:47:00 GMT

Photos: Nepali Life

cruzensuzan — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 06:28:00 GMT

Nepali Life

cruzensuzan — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 05:29:00 GMT

Beautiful people, spiritual culture both Hindu and Buddhist, laughter and pride amoung the poorest of poor, incredible scenery and landscapes, and a strong work ethic make Nepal a delight to visit. At every turn I witnessed hard working people with the desire to please, if also to sell you something in hopes of making a little extra money for their families. There was very, very little begging where I went, except for the children who have obviously learned that the Trekkers carry "choco let". Evidenced by the strewn candy bar wrappers along the trail in the mountain villages, you know that the children have been successful in their quest for sweets. It is hard to ignore the big eyes, bright smiles, and the softly spoken "namaste" they utter before asking for the chocolate. The women, both fairly young, and the very old work hard all day long in the fields harvesting rice, carrying the loads back to the village on their backs, or endlessly doing laundry in a pan next to a small outlet from a stream or mountain spring. The men, well, the men work too. They play cards and smoke together in groups, do the business deals, heard the goats, and stack up the drying hay and rice into large domes to dry and store. In the cities, it's mostly the men who run the shops, wait the tables, and do the restaurant cooking. The men bathe first. And eat first. The driving is left to the men as well, except for the motorbikes. There is no distinction with who rides motorbikes in Nepal. Bicycles and motorbikes are fair game; cars and busses are for the men. Power outages are the norm, called "power shedding" to conserve electricity. Most people in the hills don't have electricity. They rely on solar. At the end of a long day trekking, in the tea houses along the way - you are very lucky if you get a hot shower. In the cities, generators are the rule when they turn off the electricity. The familiar hum of the generators can either lull you to sleep, or cause you to wake up your roommate and beg for a pair of earplugs. The food in Nepal is delicious, if you enjoy a diet based high in starch. Breads, potatoes, noodles, and rice make up the bulk of their diets supplemented by lots of Dahl (lentil soup), curried garbanzos, and for the brave - bits of chicken. I found the food quite to my liking, as it was a blend of both Northern Indian and Tibetan, both of which use all the spices I really find interesting. I never went hungry as the staff was always gladly refilling your plates as long as you kept eating. As poor as they are, they feed you and feed you for pennies (few rupees). The Nepali lifestyle is generous and hospital, and always warm and friendly. From my perspective, they live in a country of abundance, and they seem quite happy with what they have. And what little they do have they are more than willing to share! Shangrila?

Photos: The Slog Up Poon Hill

cruzensuzan — Wed, 7 Nov 2012 02:25:00 GMT

The Slog Up Poon Hill

cruzensuzan — Tue, 6 Nov 2012 14:29:00 GMT

How many steps can you climb in an hour? I suppose until you attempt it, you wouldn't know would you? From our tea house in Gorpani, which sits at 9100 ft, or thereabouts, we climbed around 3200 steps in the cold and pitch black at 4:30 am. I think we were all delirious with anticipation of the view of the Annapurna range at sunrise. What we found instead, was 100's of other climbers with headlamps flickering in the misty darkness in search of the same promise only to be disappointed to land in the clouds with no view of anything but each other! As the sky lightened, we got small peeks of several mountaintops in the range. It was a sight to behold after such a long day the day before getting to Gorpani in the first place. All told, I think we must have climbed over 7000 steps to reach this moment. We were now standing at 3200 meters, about 10,500 ft. Was it worth it? What do you think after looking at the photos yourself? Would I do it again? Would you?

Photos: The Many Faces of Nepal

cruzensuzan — Fri, 2 Nov 2012 07:28:00 GMT

The Many Faces of Nepal

cruzensuzan — Fri, 2 Nov 2012 02:39:00 GMT

Traveling through the villages and countryside of Nepal has been a wonderful and eye opening experience. Around every bend in the road or trail, there has been a beautiful face that has captured my attention. Life in Nepal is casual and friendly, and usually not in a hurry. In the hills and mountains there is a curiosity with foreigners, as we trek past and through their land and homes. They watch us with great interest, and acknowledge us with a slight nod and "namaste". I have truly felt the gentleness and hospitality of these amazing people as I have made my way around the countryside and mountain communities. There is a peacefulness that resonates here despite the fact that most people have so very little in the way of luxury as I know it. To have water, shelter, land to grow food, a few chickens or goats, makes for a good life here. You can see the pride in their eyes as they carry their heavy loads on their backs- not sorrow. To have a load to carry means they have something to trade, sell, or take home to their families. I will forever be humbled by these beautiful and proud faces that have smiled or nodded at me as I have passed through their beloved country.

Photos: In Chitwan National Park

cruzensuzan — Thu, 25 Oct 2012 12:50:00 GMT

Photos: The Road to Chitwan

cruzensuzan — Mon, 22 Oct 2012 11:00:00 GMT

The Road to Chitwan

cruzensuzan — Mon, 22 Oct 2012 10:53:00 GMT

After a 7 1/2 hour rickey bus ride on what seemed to be a one laned road, I arrived at the park entrance. I was greeted by a nice Nepali man who showed me my jeep which would then bounce me along another very bumpy and dusty road to the lodge. We passed workers separating rice in the fields for harvest.

The ride out of Kathmandu itself was astounding. The people in the city where we passed, live in extreme and gross poverty. Poverty that I've only seen safe on my couch at home watching Nat Geo. The ride was long, and hard, sandwiched amoung families with little ones, and no window seat to take pictures. The busses seem to have a "manager" on board, who promptly made me move from my first selection which was near a window. I sat in the first row, aisle. Soon to find out he would sit on the rail directly in front of me blocking my view out of the front of the bus. Luckily a nice young man sitting at the window next to me turned out to be curious about my traveling alone, and started up a conversation. "Nirab" my traveling companion for the rest of the ride. I think he looked after me from that time on, as when we made stops where we could get off, he schooled me "yes or no" depending on my needs. ;-). He is studying law in Delhi, and hopes to practice in Singapore when is licensed.

The scenery was mixed between mountainous lush vegetation, much what I'm used to at home, and dirt roads filled with villagers surviving daily life. It is the women you see carrying the large loads on their backs to the markets. Nirab says the men play cards during the day. I can't get over the amount of dogs everywhere! And they appear to be one breed- mutt, that looks much like the Shiba (sp) with the husky like upturned and curled tail. They are everywhere, mostly laying sleeping in the streets. I'm told they are "street dogs" that belong to no one in particular, but that everyone throws their garbage to. Speaking of garbage; it is acceptable to throw your garbage off the bus through the door as it opens, or your window. Not only acceptable, but appreciated by the manager. If a person left the bus without his garbage that was deposited on the floor, the manager would scowl and throw it off the bus after they has departed. I noticed the manager keeping a close eye on me most of the time, and was especially curious of Nirab's and my conversation.

There seems to be one rule for driving here in Nepal; drive as fast as possible, and down the middle is even better. When you want to pass move in position to the rear of the bus, car, or motorbike ahead. About 5 feet is good. Then honk furiously and go like heck. Oncoming traffic yields. Simple as that. Actually it works quite efficiently here. ;-)

I recommend you come to Nepal sometime for a very interesting, and eye opening bus ride to the Chitwan. You'll never be the same! Although I was put on the wrong bus (long story for another day, and at times worried about several things; especially my backpack disappearing from the hold where I could not see it, I wouldn't trade it now for the air conditioned, reclining seats, and comfort of the Tour bus I paid for. ;-). What an amazing journey!

Today I am off to join the others on the backs of our elephants into the jungle in search of the rare one horned rhinos. Helping to bathe the elephants after lunch - I don't know yet. I may choose cold beer in the shade instead. I've been on the go so much, some down time would be nice.

Photos: I've Arrived!

cruzensuzan — Sat, 20 Oct 2012 05:06:00 GMT

Arriving in Nepal

I've Arrived!

cruzensuzan — Sat, 20 Oct 2012 01:21:00 GMT

After 24 hours, I finally touched down in Kathmandu. The mountains were a sight to see through the plane windows, and there she was- Everest! That's when I knew I was really here! I'm staying in the Thamel district, and it's nothing like I imagined at all. Absolutely mind boggling, and that does not even cover what I'm feeling about my first impression of this magnificent country. I can't wait to get a full nights sleep and get out there and explore!

Getting Here

cruzensuzan — Fri, 19 Oct 2012 08:59:00 GMT

So far, I'm just very happy and excited if I can get a few winks of shut eye! The flight to Seoul was 13 hours, and I hav e a 7 hour flight to Kathmandu ahead of me. I'm happy and well but bleary eyed for sure. The weather is supposed to be fairly clear heading into Nepal so I hope I get some great views of the mighty Himalayas on the way!

Photos: 9 Months of Anticipation

cruzensuzan — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 04:01:00 GMT

Preparation for Nepal

cruzensuzan — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 20:46:00 GMT

It has taken me from 9 months ago until today to organize this trip. Lol.. I'm still organizing. Leaving day after tomorrow and I am experiencing monkey mind. If I get the blog working then all I have left is to put my piles in the bags, make my PBJ, and hitch a ride to the airport. I think I can....