Back to Kathmandu

On Monday, August 20th, I flew to Kathmandu from Lhasa. In the airport as I was waiting for the flight in the terminal a man came over to me and asked how I was traveling along in Tibet. He is a gem buyer which is a job that has brought him all over the world. I couldn’t help but ask his side of the story when it comes to the cruelty inflicted on diamond finders. He admitted that everything in “Blood Diamond” is correct, except that the movie failed to illustrate the large part that governments have in supporting the industry.

Leaving Tibet after seeing the best and worst of it made the trip incredibly rewarding and disappointing. Many people I talked to during the previous ten days had said that we are lucky to have seen Tibet now, as things will only get worse there in the future with the Chinese occupation. After confirming with several young Tibetan in Lhasa that only Mandarin and English are taught in Chinese government schools, knowing that AHF supports many schools where Tibetan is taught made me proud.

Although children should be taught Mandarin so they can compete with Chinese for jobs, I believe the language is an important part of what will keep the Tibetan culture alive. AHF works hard to preserve the culture of Tibet that is slowly dying. Supporting medical clinics, building bridges to make a five hour trip to the store, one hour, and building schools in remote areas are some of the ways AHF helps people in Tibet. Those who have escaped that are in exile are also supported though projects such as elderly homes, settlements and schools in Nepal and India.

Thankfully, Raju picked me up from the airport where the humidity immediately hit me upon exiting the plane. On the way back, garbage was scattered on the streets and gathered in large piles as the garbage were on strike. They had gathered all the garbage from receptacles and then dumped it back from where they picked it up when they were on strike. Imagine the outrage is that happened in the US!

While settling into a new hotel room, I turned on the TV. Nepal is heavily influenced by India, especially pop culture. Out of 30 channels, most of them were Indian besides BBC World, HBO and local Nepali channels. I had fun watching Indian soap operas in Hindi that I couldn’t understand but it was the facial expression of the actor and the dramatic background music that told everything. Indian music videos seemed to be on every other channel. Most are from current Bollywood films, but some are just from music that is on the market. Many of the videos can be summed up quickly; guy chases girl, girl dances traditional Indian dances away from guy, guy and girl see how close they can get to each other without kissing. India is a conservative country compared to the States, which is deceiving considering what girls were wearing in some videos, so kissing on screen is a big faux pas. Bollywood film actors apparently score high on talent as they have to be able to sing AND dance AND act. Well, maybe not singing as, supposedly, many lip sync.

That evening I had dinner with Simone, Loes and Candace at the infamous Fire and Ice restaurant in Thamel, Kathmandu. The lamas from the Lo Mathang Monastic School in Mustang (remote area of Northwestern Nepal settled by Tibetans hundreds of years ago) wrote in a letter that they go to that pizzeria during the harsh winters when they stay in Kathmandu. I can understand why they wrote praises of the restaurant after enjoying fantastic pizza and ice cream which was a nice change.

My throat began to itch in Lhasa a bit, but Monday night proved difficult for me to stay awake due to the 2 hour and 45 minute time difference. A cold had settled in over night from the oscillating fan over head to downplay the humidity. While it was sometimes challenging to communicate with people in English in Nepal, speaking with a raspy voice was plain hard.

After being spoiled by having Raju drive me around Nepal with Bruce, I walked on the streets on Kathmandu for the first time on Tuesday. Nepal is a largely Hindu country; cows are free to roam the streets and mow grass. They hang out on the side of the road, walk through moving cars and stop traffic. Watching a cow take over the road still amuses me even though I’ve winessed over 20 episodes of bovine interference.

Walking through Thamel, the tourist portion of Kathmandu, takes almost as much skill as driving through Kathmandu. I create play books in my head when coming up to a tight spot to avoid beggars, roaming musicians selling instruments, Tiger Balm pushers, street children, women with babies begging for milk (that they sell back for money) and pot pushers while trying not to get my feet run over by motorcycles, rickshaws and taxis all while ignoring the “Namaste” greeting of shop owners that want to sell their trinkets. Thamel keeps the tourists on their toes, literally, as it’s hard to avoid these people who believe that just because we’re pale skinned that we have tons of money to spend.

On Tuesday, I ventured out of Kathmandu to visit Loes at the monastic school she had been teaching at for the past several months. The lamas were adorable and very serious about their education both in secular and religious subjects. It was refreshing to see pictures of HHDL in the meeting rooms and David Beckham on the walls of the lamas sleeping quarters. HHDL loves to learn about many different subjects and invites scholars from all over the world to teach him. Last May, AHF had a small event at a board members condo where I met a Nobel Laureate from Berkeley who had given HHDL lessons on the latest in physics. Apparently, the little lamas followed HHDLs example by learning, Tibetan, English and the human heart, among other subjects.

The donors of this monastic school had hired Swiss engineers to aid in the construction of the school. There were three or four cows in the “cows house” whose manure was collected for the formation of Methane (I think) to provide gas for the fire. At every corner of Asia where NGOs or smart donations were involved, a sustainable method was created to make the lives easier of those in need. Not only was this beneficial for the recipients, but also for the environment.

Not knowing enough about the political situation of Nepal, I can't go into great detail about what’s going on, but last year the king was kicked out of power by the people. Between the unrest without a parliament or constitution and the Maoists and other groups causing trouble, there is some tension in Nepal. Elections are scheduled for November 22nd but many have said that they are hopeful for change with a bit of hesitation as the elections will probably be postponed. Bundhs are strikes that could be potentially dangerous for locals who have been threatened by gun point by different groups. These strikes cause most to stay in doors, but Candace and I ventured out on the evening of August 22nd, a Bundh. Thamel was pretty much back to normal.