Enjoy!
Also, I've found Penny's Nepal Blog (which is slow on updating due to various problems) but here is the link, check it out!
http://www.kirotv.com/station/18724775/detail.html
-Carey
Saturday, February 28, 2009
For those that are interested
Here's the good photos of the Himalayas that I got on our way out of Pokhara. They are better than the ones in the Picasa Web Album because I figured out how gradient masks work in Photoshop after I uploaded those. These are from my Flickr, and rather than re-upload them to Picasa, here they are.
Enjoy!
Also, I've found Penny's Nepal Blog (which is slow on updating due to various problems) but here is the link, check it out!
http://www.kirotv.com/station/18724775/detail.html
-Carey
Enjoy!
Also, I've found Penny's Nepal Blog (which is slow on updating due to various problems) but here is the link, check it out!
http://www.kirotv.com/station/18724775/detail.html
-Carey
Friday, February 27, 2009
Pokhara Post
At last! We've returned from Pokhara after a grueling 8-hour bus trip. I'll do my best to recount this two-night, three-day trip as briefly yet interestingly as possible.
The trip began early in the day, with one bus of Rotarians and one bus of DNC kids and Rotaractors. We were all headed to Manakamana, home of an enormous cable car ride. The cable car was, thankfully, engineered by Austrians and not, say, the Chinese. I should mention that that comment does not stem from racism, but merely from the fact that the Chinese imports Nepal receives are of an infinitely more questionable quality than those that the United States receives. And a questionable cable car is not an encouraging thought.
Anywho. The cable car is reached via stairs. Many of them. Prior to exiting the cable car at the top, there are also more stairs. There were kids with us from DNC who are unable to negotiate stairs, and that's where the Rotaractors come in. They are invaluable. This trip truly could not have happened without them. I was in charge of filming on the way up in light of Len's absence, and in spite of the difficult time the children were clearly having, it was also clear that they were having the time of their lives. They had gotten to ride on a nice tour bus and then a cable car up to a highly significant Hindu temple at the top of a mountain. Not a bad outing by any standards, but for these kids, it was truly magical.
We had a lovely lunch at the top and hung out for a bit, but the time eventually came to head back down and to send the children back to DNC, while the rest of the group and I pressed on to Pokhara. It had taken roughly 3 hours to reach Manakamana, and it was going to take at least 3 more before the journey was done.
I feel I should describe the road to Pokhara a bit. For those that have driven on Chuckanut Drive up to Bellingham, this is an easy task. The Pokhara Highway is to Chuckanut Drive as gorillas are to infants - rougher, smellier, generally more unpleasant to spend time with, and far more likely to kill you. It was apparent early on that I needed a seat at the front of the bus, and once I had gotten my seat with little argument from my fellow passengers, the drive passed smoothly for my stomach, at least, and when we arrived, we checked into our hotel (the Hotel Trek-O-Tel), wandered up the street for dinner, and then turned in after that. I should note, however, that our dinner came with live music, and Namrata knew a member of the band, and blessed us all with singing on stage with the group. It was wonderful!
The next day, the group arose bright and early to go on a boating adventure, followed by an hour-and-a-half hike up to Peace Stupa, led by Mitralal. I, however, had other plans. Instead of doing this whole 'boating' thing, I promptly hopped into a Jeep, drove to the top of a mountain, and jumped off a cliff.
I went paragliding, of course.
Paragliding was an absolutely tremendous experience. For those that have even the slightest inkling to do it, I highly recommend it. The height isn't frightening at all - indeed, I never felt in any real danger, either. The harnesses were chair-like, so it was really more like being driven around in a La-Z-Boy at 2,500 meters (I was riding tandem). In fact, the thermals were so good when I went, that shortly after we took off, we were climbing past our take off point.
Then, I started to feel airsick. Ugh. I can't do anything fun.
We landed a few minutes earlier than normal, and with me dangerously close to hurling. However, I had an AMAZING time, and would like to try it again sometime, or maybe learn how to pilot myself, as I feel that might help with the motion sickness.
Break time! Go look at pictures!
Okay. We're back.
The Rotary meeting that evening was excellent. It was not a usual meeting, and there were guests from Rotary and Rotaract clubs from all over the Pokhara area, and it had all been arranged only the night before. Amazing! My dad gave his talk, RR Pandey gave a talk, Jamuna gave a talk, and, well, so did everyone else.
The next day led off with a lovely bout of bus riding to Bandipur, which is on top of what the Nepali people would call a hill, but what most other sane people would call a mountain. There was a Rotary meeting there, and we had a lovely lunch sponsored by a Rotarian Santa Kumar who owns a resort up there, but what is by far most the most impressive thing about Bandipur is its cleanliness. It's almost an anthithesis to Kathmandu in this regard. In fact, the city prides itself on its lack of litter. I was quite taken aback.
Following Bandipur was a rather uneventful ride back, save for some lovely singing by Namrata, followed by a number of sing-alongs led by various people on the bus.
Anywho. That is all! Also, there are a few photos up on my Flickr that I did NOT post in the album here, and in addition, I've edited and adjusted the mountain pictures, and the ones on my Flickr look far better. Check them out if you like.
Til later,
Carey
The trip began early in the day, with one bus of Rotarians and one bus of DNC kids and Rotaractors. We were all headed to Manakamana, home of an enormous cable car ride. The cable car was, thankfully, engineered by Austrians and not, say, the Chinese. I should mention that that comment does not stem from racism, but merely from the fact that the Chinese imports Nepal receives are of an infinitely more questionable quality than those that the United States receives. And a questionable cable car is not an encouraging thought.
Anywho. The cable car is reached via stairs. Many of them. Prior to exiting the cable car at the top, there are also more stairs. There were kids with us from DNC who are unable to negotiate stairs, and that's where the Rotaractors come in. They are invaluable. This trip truly could not have happened without them. I was in charge of filming on the way up in light of Len's absence, and in spite of the difficult time the children were clearly having, it was also clear that they were having the time of their lives. They had gotten to ride on a nice tour bus and then a cable car up to a highly significant Hindu temple at the top of a mountain. Not a bad outing by any standards, but for these kids, it was truly magical.
We had a lovely lunch at the top and hung out for a bit, but the time eventually came to head back down and to send the children back to DNC, while the rest of the group and I pressed on to Pokhara. It had taken roughly 3 hours to reach Manakamana, and it was going to take at least 3 more before the journey was done.
I feel I should describe the road to Pokhara a bit. For those that have driven on Chuckanut Drive up to Bellingham, this is an easy task. The Pokhara Highway is to Chuckanut Drive as gorillas are to infants - rougher, smellier, generally more unpleasant to spend time with, and far more likely to kill you. It was apparent early on that I needed a seat at the front of the bus, and once I had gotten my seat with little argument from my fellow passengers, the drive passed smoothly for my stomach, at least, and when we arrived, we checked into our hotel (the Hotel Trek-O-Tel), wandered up the street for dinner, and then turned in after that. I should note, however, that our dinner came with live music, and Namrata knew a member of the band, and blessed us all with singing on stage with the group. It was wonderful!
The next day, the group arose bright and early to go on a boating adventure, followed by an hour-and-a-half hike up to Peace Stupa, led by Mitralal. I, however, had other plans. Instead of doing this whole 'boating' thing, I promptly hopped into a Jeep, drove to the top of a mountain, and jumped off a cliff.
I went paragliding, of course.
Paragliding was an absolutely tremendous experience. For those that have even the slightest inkling to do it, I highly recommend it. The height isn't frightening at all - indeed, I never felt in any real danger, either. The harnesses were chair-like, so it was really more like being driven around in a La-Z-Boy at 2,500 meters (I was riding tandem). In fact, the thermals were so good when I went, that shortly after we took off, we were climbing past our take off point.
Then, I started to feel airsick. Ugh. I can't do anything fun.
We landed a few minutes earlier than normal, and with me dangerously close to hurling. However, I had an AMAZING time, and would like to try it again sometime, or maybe learn how to pilot myself, as I feel that might help with the motion sickness.
Break time! Go look at pictures!
 |
| Pokhara in 34 Images |
Okay. We're back.
The Rotary meeting that evening was excellent. It was not a usual meeting, and there were guests from Rotary and Rotaract clubs from all over the Pokhara area, and it had all been arranged only the night before. Amazing! My dad gave his talk, RR Pandey gave a talk, Jamuna gave a talk, and, well, so did everyone else.
The next day led off with a lovely bout of bus riding to Bandipur, which is on top of what the Nepali people would call a hill, but what most other sane people would call a mountain. There was a Rotary meeting there, and we had a lovely lunch sponsored by a Rotarian Santa Kumar who owns a resort up there, but what is by far most the most impressive thing about Bandipur is its cleanliness. It's almost an anthithesis to Kathmandu in this regard. In fact, the city prides itself on its lack of litter. I was quite taken aback.
Following Bandipur was a rather uneventful ride back, save for some lovely singing by Namrata, followed by a number of sing-alongs led by various people on the bus.
Anywho. That is all! Also, there are a few photos up on my Flickr that I did NOT post in the album here, and in addition, I've edited and adjusted the mountain pictures, and the ones on my Flickr look far better. Check them out if you like.
Til later,
Carey
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Two birds and a stone
Hey everyone, we're getting off to an early start to Manakamana with the DNC kids tomorrow, so I'm going to do two quick updates in one...update. But I do have pictures! The internet has been kind to me tonight.
Our Shivaratri Day at DNC was a momentous success. Ruth Moen carried out the same art project that we did with the kids at Kavre School for the Deaf, and the kids loved it at DNC as well. In addition, we had the Nepali Blues Society band (several members are Rotaractors) come and perform for the kids as well, and I was priveledged enough to sit in on drums for a few songs. Overall, the kids had a wonderful time, I KNOW the adults had a wonderful time, and the whole day was just a triumph.
Today, we attended Swayambunath and Kathmandu Durbar Square. I took some notes during Mitralal's speech on the bus, so now for some fun facts!
Swayambunath
-Swayambunath Stupa is approximately 2500 years old, and is one of the oldest Buddhist monuments in the world
-It is locally known as "The Monkey Temple" for obvious reasons
-The stairs leading down to Kathmandu are 365 in number, representing 1 year.
-The tourist way up is 100 steps.
Kathmandu Durbar Square
-Most famous for being the location of the Kumari, or Living Goddess. This is a very young Buddhist girl, who is selected to be Kumari and then becomes Hindu. She is (obviously) a virgin, and when she reaches menstration age, she is replaced by a new girl.
-There is the Caste Mordab Temple (No idea about spelling) that was built in the 16th century from the wood from a single tree.
After our events, everyone went and had a nice Chinese food lunch, and visited the U.S. Embassy and got to meet the U.S. Ambassador to Nepal! She seems a very nice lady, and has had much prior experience in Nepal.
Following this, the group went back to the hotel to freshen up, and then to a large Rotary dinner hosted at the President of the Rotary Club of Patan's house. I missed this dinner, but I heard that a Nepali film star has agreed to help be a spokesperson for the NDACP! Wonderful news!
-Carey
P.S. I thought I'd also mention that I have a Flickr page where I do some post-processing to some of my very favorite shots, and upload them there. If you're interested, the site is:
www.flickr.com/photos/carey_rose
Our Shivaratri Day at DNC was a momentous success. Ruth Moen carried out the same art project that we did with the kids at Kavre School for the Deaf, and the kids loved it at DNC as well. In addition, we had the Nepali Blues Society band (several members are Rotaractors) come and perform for the kids as well, and I was priveledged enough to sit in on drums for a few songs. Overall, the kids had a wonderful time, I KNOW the adults had a wonderful time, and the whole day was just a triumph.
 |
| DNC Painting Day |
Today, we attended Swayambunath and Kathmandu Durbar Square. I took some notes during Mitralal's speech on the bus, so now for some fun facts!
Swayambunath
-Swayambunath Stupa is approximately 2500 years old, and is one of the oldest Buddhist monuments in the world
-It is locally known as "The Monkey Temple" for obvious reasons
-The stairs leading down to Kathmandu are 365 in number, representing 1 year.
-The tourist way up is 100 steps.
Kathmandu Durbar Square
-Most famous for being the location of the Kumari, or Living Goddess. This is a very young Buddhist girl, who is selected to be Kumari and then becomes Hindu. She is (obviously) a virgin, and when she reaches menstration age, she is replaced by a new girl.
-There is the Caste Mordab Temple (No idea about spelling) that was built in the 16th century from the wood from a single tree.
After our events, everyone went and had a nice Chinese food lunch, and visited the U.S. Embassy and got to meet the U.S. Ambassador to Nepal! She seems a very nice lady, and has had much prior experience in Nepal.
 |
| Swayambunath pt. 2 |
Following this, the group went back to the hotel to freshen up, and then to a large Rotary dinner hosted at the President of the Rotary Club of Patan's house. I missed this dinner, but I heard that a Nepali film star has agreed to help be a spokesperson for the NDACP! Wonderful news!
-Carey
P.S. I thought I'd also mention that I have a Flickr page where I do some post-processing to some of my very favorite shots, and upload them there. If you're interested, the site is:
www.flickr.com/photos/carey_rose
Monday, February 23, 2009
Thoughts
Today was Shivaratri day, a festival celebrating the Lord Shiva:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maha_Shivaratri
However, a more interesting fact that goes unmentioned in that Wikipedia article is that in Nepal at least, Shivaratri Day is the only day of the year on which it is acceptable (not sure about legal?) to smoke pot, and apparently, it's quite popular. Fortunately, for the sake of myself and my various lung conditions, we spent the day at DNC, where such heinous acts do not occur. I shall be posting up pictures again tomorrow when I have steeled myself to once again perform this task whose completion is often, to say the least, illusive.
In addition, there seems to be a great and intangible force that is working in stout opposition to my having a nice, hot shower. It comes in many shapes and forms. We may be out of water. The electricity may be off, so we cannot run the pump. The sun may not have been hitting the panels on the roof long enough to produce hot water. The shower may be cursed. All the water may have turned to blood. The water tank may be filled with dead pigeons, and so all that comes out of the tap are feathers. I cannot know for certain. All I know, as I'm sure you're all tired of hearing by now because you're so jealous, is that I'm becoming quite good at bucket baths.
-Carey
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maha_Shivaratri
However, a more interesting fact that goes unmentioned in that Wikipedia article is that in Nepal at least, Shivaratri Day is the only day of the year on which it is acceptable (not sure about legal?) to smoke pot, and apparently, it's quite popular. Fortunately, for the sake of myself and my various lung conditions, we spent the day at DNC, where such heinous acts do not occur. I shall be posting up pictures again tomorrow when I have steeled myself to once again perform this task whose completion is often, to say the least, illusive.
In addition, there seems to be a great and intangible force that is working in stout opposition to my having a nice, hot shower. It comes in many shapes and forms. We may be out of water. The electricity may be off, so we cannot run the pump. The sun may not have been hitting the panels on the roof long enough to produce hot water. The shower may be cursed. All the water may have turned to blood. The water tank may be filled with dead pigeons, and so all that comes out of the tap are feathers. I cannot know for certain. All I know, as I'm sure you're all tired of hearing by now because you're so jealous, is that I'm becoming quite good at bucket baths.
-Carey
Dhulikhel Trip Day 3 + Bhaktapur
Hi Everyone,
Still playing catch-up. I'll be quick about our last day around Dhulikhel, and may or may not get photos uploaded.
The day began with breakfast, and then a walk to downtown Dhulikhel, led by Mitralal. I didn't go. I don't remember why. But my dad took some great photos!
After this event, much of the group went straight to a Rotary meeting, and everyone else had a nice, relaxing afternoon.
When everyone had returned, we went to Sanjewani School and distributed talking watches to the blind students there, and were treated with singing performances by Namrata and a blind student at the school. Photos included!
Following this, we visited scenic (and touristy) Bhaktapur, City of Devotees. I've posted some photos of this as well, and they are far more interesting than anything I might describe in words here, especially given my current state of fatigue.
We then began the half hour bus ride back to Kathmandu, where each member of the group went to a different Nepali Rotarian's house for a traditional dinner, and I attended a jam session.
That's about it!
-Carey
Still playing catch-up. I'll be quick about our last day around Dhulikhel, and may or may not get photos uploaded.
The day began with breakfast, and then a walk to downtown Dhulikhel, led by Mitralal. I didn't go. I don't remember why. But my dad took some great photos!
After this event, much of the group went straight to a Rotary meeting, and everyone else had a nice, relaxing afternoon.
When everyone had returned, we went to Sanjewani School and distributed talking watches to the blind students there, and were treated with singing performances by Namrata and a blind student at the school. Photos included!
Following this, we visited scenic (and touristy) Bhaktapur, City of Devotees. I've posted some photos of this as well, and they are far more interesting than anything I might describe in words here, especially given my current state of fatigue.
We then began the half hour bus ride back to Kathmandu, where each member of the group went to a different Nepali Rotarian's house for a traditional dinner, and I attended a jam session.
That's about it!
 |
| Dhulikhel Trip Day 3 + Bhaktapur |
-Carey
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Ups and downs
Today hasn't been the best day. I've had on and off stomach pain and nausea since this morning, with occasional headaches and chills mixed in as well. I've spent much of the day sleeping, and much more of it attempting to upload photos from our second day at Dhulikhel, which have only just completed (perhaps ten hours after I first tried to upload them).
The group had a full program today, which I've quite obviously missed. However, I lent the camera to my dad, who will perhaps provide me with something to post up here, so keep an eye out for that.
Before I go any further, it occurs to me that some people may be somewhat hazy on the subject of Rotary International. Rotary International is a worldwide volunteer organization with massive philanthropic impact. And when I say worldwide, I mean it. Here in Nepal, there are over 70 Rotary clubs. Worldwide, there are 1.2 million Rotarians. Their motto is Service Above Self, and it shows. The men and women on this trip with my dad and I are paying their own way to be here and volunteer their help. Rotary International does not endorse a particular religion, nor is religion a guiding factor. The guiding factor is simply the will to make the world a better place, whether through selling ice cream at fairs to fund projects, tireless efforts made in the name of eradicating polio, or flying to Nepal to help a man on his mission to help those whom society will not allow to help themselves.
The less poetic and more information rich version:
http://www.rotary.org/en/AboutUs/Pages/ridefault.aspx
Which brings me to the final point of 'what are we doing here,' which may or may not be apparent by now. People who are disabled in any way in Nepal must live with a stigma attached to their existence, the stigma that they are suffering from a past life sin or curse. They constitute the lowest rung on the societal ladder. My dad is interested in changing this perception. It is not about changing the entire belief system of the country or changing religion in any way. It is about showing the people of this nation that those are believed to be useless may be an asset to society, and not a burden. It's about showing the people who are put down that they can make something of themselves. It's about going to the remotest of villages and helping those who may not understand what disability is to realize that their child may amount to great things someday. It's about getting the people of this country emotionally involved in this effort, and with the help of Rotary, giving hope.
Enough of my spiel. www.trifc.org
ON TO THE EVENTS OF DHULIKHEL DAY 2
We visited the Kavre School for the Deaf and got to work. There was a wonderful tent provided so that we could paint in the shade outdoors. Ruth, one of our volunteers, helped to describe the day's activity. She is a firm believer in the idea that "everyone can paint," and, though she is without formal training herself, creates wonderful works of art. Many (if not all) of the children had never painted before, at least not painted on something physical besides paper. In Nepal, if you want something painted, you generally hire a painter, and that's the end of that. It was immediately clear that these children had found a wonderful avenue for personal expression, and once they started painting, it was difficult for them to stop.
Following the painting session, my dad had hired a magician, who rather mundanely introduced himself as Adarsha. His last name is Limbu, and I'm fairly certain that his business would triple if he would simply change the name of his act to "Limbu the Great," or "Limbu the Magnificent," or even "Limbu the Somewhat Okay and Mediocre." The name Limbu speaks for itself.
With Balram translating into Nepali sign language, the children got another wonderful visual treat, and the looks on their faces were absolutely priceless. Yes, I've posted photos of that.
Following Limbu, there was lunch, which we ate in the traditional Newari style. Translation: We sat on the ground with woven leaves as plates and ate with our hand (the right one). It would take some getting used to, but really, your hand works just as well if not better than a fork.
Last on our program for the day at Kavre School for the Deaf was a number of dance and martial arts performances done by the children, which were fantastic. Remember these children are deaf, and cannot hear the music and beat, and yet, moved with remarkable unity.
After finishing up at Kavre School for the Deaf, the group attended a meeting of the Banepa-Kavre Rotary club, and was treated by the club to a wonderful dinner afterwards.
That's about it! Whew.
-Carey
The group had a full program today, which I've quite obviously missed. However, I lent the camera to my dad, who will perhaps provide me with something to post up here, so keep an eye out for that.
Before I go any further, it occurs to me that some people may be somewhat hazy on the subject of Rotary International. Rotary International is a worldwide volunteer organization with massive philanthropic impact. And when I say worldwide, I mean it. Here in Nepal, there are over 70 Rotary clubs. Worldwide, there are 1.2 million Rotarians. Their motto is Service Above Self, and it shows. The men and women on this trip with my dad and I are paying their own way to be here and volunteer their help. Rotary International does not endorse a particular religion, nor is religion a guiding factor. The guiding factor is simply the will to make the world a better place, whether through selling ice cream at fairs to fund projects, tireless efforts made in the name of eradicating polio, or flying to Nepal to help a man on his mission to help those whom society will not allow to help themselves.
The less poetic and more information rich version:
http://www.rotary.org/en/AboutUs/Pages/ridefault.aspx
Which brings me to the final point of 'what are we doing here,' which may or may not be apparent by now. People who are disabled in any way in Nepal must live with a stigma attached to their existence, the stigma that they are suffering from a past life sin or curse. They constitute the lowest rung on the societal ladder. My dad is interested in changing this perception. It is not about changing the entire belief system of the country or changing religion in any way. It is about showing the people of this nation that those are believed to be useless may be an asset to society, and not a burden. It's about showing the people who are put down that they can make something of themselves. It's about going to the remotest of villages and helping those who may not understand what disability is to realize that their child may amount to great things someday. It's about getting the people of this country emotionally involved in this effort, and with the help of Rotary, giving hope.
Enough of my spiel. www.trifc.org
ON TO THE EVENTS OF DHULIKHEL DAY 2
We visited the Kavre School for the Deaf and got to work. There was a wonderful tent provided so that we could paint in the shade outdoors. Ruth, one of our volunteers, helped to describe the day's activity. She is a firm believer in the idea that "everyone can paint," and, though she is without formal training herself, creates wonderful works of art. Many (if not all) of the children had never painted before, at least not painted on something physical besides paper. In Nepal, if you want something painted, you generally hire a painter, and that's the end of that. It was immediately clear that these children had found a wonderful avenue for personal expression, and once they started painting, it was difficult for them to stop.
Following the painting session, my dad had hired a magician, who rather mundanely introduced himself as Adarsha. His last name is Limbu, and I'm fairly certain that his business would triple if he would simply change the name of his act to "Limbu the Great," or "Limbu the Magnificent," or even "Limbu the Somewhat Okay and Mediocre." The name Limbu speaks for itself.
With Balram translating into Nepali sign language, the children got another wonderful visual treat, and the looks on their faces were absolutely priceless. Yes, I've posted photos of that.
Following Limbu, there was lunch, which we ate in the traditional Newari style. Translation: We sat on the ground with woven leaves as plates and ate with our hand (the right one). It would take some getting used to, but really, your hand works just as well if not better than a fork.
Last on our program for the day at Kavre School for the Deaf was a number of dance and martial arts performances done by the children, which were fantastic. Remember these children are deaf, and cannot hear the music and beat, and yet, moved with remarkable unity.
After finishing up at Kavre School for the Deaf, the group attended a meeting of the Banepa-Kavre Rotary club, and was treated by the club to a wonderful dinner afterwards.
That's about it! Whew.
 |
| Dhuikhel Day 2 - Kavre School for the Deaf |
-Carey
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Return to Kathmandu
As I might have predicted, our trip to Dhulikhel was not blessed with internet access, and so, as we've returned to Kathmandu, I'm faced with a backlog of information and pictures to post. I'll do so one day at a time.
Also, please do your best to forgive any typos. I will proofread, but it's about 12:15am (the lights came on at 12am) and I wanted to get a head start on uploading these photos.
Also, I spent such a vast amount of time photographing that these posts will be short on writing but complete with copious photographs.
Day 1 to Dhulikhel
Our trip started out well enough, with the usual minor chaos associated with organizing people in any way in a foreign country. We were headed to Dhulikhel, and first stop on our trip was HRDC Hospital.
HRDC Hospital (I don't know what HRDC stands for...sorry) is a hospital and rehabilitation center for children and individuals with physical disabilities. They perform corrective surgeries, and many children from DNC have been sent there to have operations funded by TRIFC and Rotary over the years.
HRDC has a wonderful positive feel about it. One can tell easily from this positive energy that lives change here. Many children who crawl in to HRDC are able to walk out under their own power.
After HRDC, we visited the Kavre School for the Deaf nearby, which was the location for the next day's program. That will be covered in a subsequent post.
Lunch that day, while delicious, was unsurprisingly a source of delay. It seems standard fare throughout Nepal for restaurants to be slightly understaffed and ill-equipped to deal with teams of hungry Rotarians, but I suppose we don't constitute their usual target market.
After this, we returned to the hotel and had some down time, during which I wished I had brought my guitar instead of leaving it, and then we had a wonderful dinner, and everyone turned in around 9pm so that they could see the sunrise in the morning. Photos of this to follow in the next post as well.
Also, I have more pictures showing members of the group doing random things, but they're not that interesting as, well, pictures. But if any of you readers are interested in seeing those, just let me know. The next post with the Kavre School has more photos that include the team.
-Carey
Also, please do your best to forgive any typos. I will proofread, but it's about 12:15am (the lights came on at 12am) and I wanted to get a head start on uploading these photos.
Also, I spent such a vast amount of time photographing that these posts will be short on writing but complete with copious photographs.
Day 1 to Dhulikhel
Our trip started out well enough, with the usual minor chaos associated with organizing people in any way in a foreign country. We were headed to Dhulikhel, and first stop on our trip was HRDC Hospital.
HRDC Hospital (I don't know what HRDC stands for...sorry) is a hospital and rehabilitation center for children and individuals with physical disabilities. They perform corrective surgeries, and many children from DNC have been sent there to have operations funded by TRIFC and Rotary over the years.
HRDC has a wonderful positive feel about it. One can tell easily from this positive energy that lives change here. Many children who crawl in to HRDC are able to walk out under their own power.
After HRDC, we visited the Kavre School for the Deaf nearby, which was the location for the next day's program. That will be covered in a subsequent post.
Lunch that day, while delicious, was unsurprisingly a source of delay. It seems standard fare throughout Nepal for restaurants to be slightly understaffed and ill-equipped to deal with teams of hungry Rotarians, but I suppose we don't constitute their usual target market.
After this, we returned to the hotel and had some down time, during which I wished I had brought my guitar instead of leaving it, and then we had a wonderful dinner, and everyone turned in around 9pm so that they could see the sunrise in the morning. Photos of this to follow in the next post as well.
 |
| Dhulikhel Day 1: HRDC Hospital |
Also, I have more pictures showing members of the group doing random things, but they're not that interesting as, well, pictures. But if any of you readers are interested in seeing those, just let me know. The next post with the Kavre School has more photos that include the team.
-Carey
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Prediction: Correct
The visit to Kokhana and Bangmati did indeed present MANY wonderful photographic opportunities, so really, I have very little to report verbally, but have uploaded an unprecedented 33 photos, which took a little over an hour of uploading, so I shall make sure the captions are adequate for those, and then let them tell the story.
Also, Today is Chandra and RR's 40th wedding anniversary, so I'll hope that you'll all join me in congratulating them! We had a wonderful dinner out and a great chocolate cake as well :)
The remaining Rotarians arrived today! We picked up Gina tonight, and greeted Judy and Katie as well. We'll all be heading out on another short trip tomorrow, so hopefully everyone won't be TOO jetlagged.
Anywho. If there's internet in Dulakhel, expect an update soon. If not, I'll see you all on Saturday...
-Carey
 |
| The Group Visits Kokhana and Bungmati! |
Also, Today is Chandra and RR's 40th wedding anniversary, so I'll hope that you'll all join me in congratulating them! We had a wonderful dinner out and a great chocolate cake as well :)
The remaining Rotarians arrived today! We picked up Gina tonight, and greeted Judy and Katie as well. We'll all be heading out on another short trip tomorrow, so hopefully everyone won't be TOO jetlagged.
Anywho. If there's internet in Dulakhel, expect an update soon. If not, I'll see you all on Saturday...
-Carey
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
The Rotarians Are Coming
As (almost) always, the morning today was excellent. I got to sleep in until 8:30am (which is sleeping in when you go to bed at 11:30), and I relaxed, read a book and played guitar.
After this, we picked up Suzie, Dave and Doug at the airport, the first three Rotarians to arrive! They were, understandably, a bit jet-lagged, and so we took them to the Hotel Himalaya where they hung out for the rest of the day.
After this, we were scheduled to visit DNC, but on the way, we stopped at a Bakery Cafe for some lunch. The Bakery Cafe is a great place, with great food and a 'young' atmosphere. It is also a wonderful place to hear some classic Western pop music, although it gets a bit weird here and there. Today I was treated to a very long techno remix of "Killing Me Softly," as well as a techno/rap/remix/medley of "Kung Fu Fighting" and "I Get Knocked Down" among others.
They also had the following sign on the table where we were eating:
mania |ˈmānēə|
noun
mental illness marked by periods of great excitement, euphoria, delusions, and overactivity.
Well, they certainly don't seem to exaggerating the name Momo Mania with events like beer and coke drinking contests and momo eating contests. I would imagine all the caffeine from the coke one would ingest would result in a high degree of excitement and overactivity, all the beer one would drink and all the momos one would eat would take care of the 'delusions' and the 'illness' part of 'mental illness.' Also, though I cannot make momos, I imagine it's a rather intensive process with one's hands, so that'd also take care of overactivity. This sounds like an amazing festival to attend, but not necessarily to partake in. I'd rather not contract diabetes, alcohol poisoning, obesity and carpal tunnel syndrome in one fell swoop.
We had a nice visit at DNC, and I'm going to look into getting their guitar fixed up a bit more, because as it is, it's still not very good, and I'm sure some of the kids would really enjoy it.
After that, I went out to dinner with Emily at Fire and Ice, and we walked around Thamel and hung out with some of her friends, all of whom are very cool and easygoing. I hope I get to see them again soon.
Well, that's about it! Very few photos today, but we're visiting a village tomorrow with the Rotarians that are present, and that's sure to present many a photographic opportunity.
-Carey
After this, we picked up Suzie, Dave and Doug at the airport, the first three Rotarians to arrive! They were, understandably, a bit jet-lagged, and so we took them to the Hotel Himalaya where they hung out for the rest of the day.
 |
| From The Rotarians Are Coming |
After this, we were scheduled to visit DNC, but on the way, we stopped at a Bakery Cafe for some lunch. The Bakery Cafe is a great place, with great food and a 'young' atmosphere. It is also a wonderful place to hear some classic Western pop music, although it gets a bit weird here and there. Today I was treated to a very long techno remix of "Killing Me Softly," as well as a techno/rap/remix/medley of "Kung Fu Fighting" and "I Get Knocked Down" among others.
They also had the following sign on the table where we were eating:
 |
| From The Rotarians Are Coming |
mania |ˈmānēə|
noun
mental illness marked by periods of great excitement, euphoria, delusions, and overactivity.
Well, they certainly don't seem to exaggerating the name Momo Mania with events like beer and coke drinking contests and momo eating contests. I would imagine all the caffeine from the coke one would ingest would result in a high degree of excitement and overactivity, all the beer one would drink and all the momos one would eat would take care of the 'delusions' and the 'illness' part of 'mental illness.' Also, though I cannot make momos, I imagine it's a rather intensive process with one's hands, so that'd also take care of overactivity. This sounds like an amazing festival to attend, but not necessarily to partake in. I'd rather not contract diabetes, alcohol poisoning, obesity and carpal tunnel syndrome in one fell swoop.
We had a nice visit at DNC, and I'm going to look into getting their guitar fixed up a bit more, because as it is, it's still not very good, and I'm sure some of the kids would really enjoy it.
After that, I went out to dinner with Emily at Fire and Ice, and we walked around Thamel and hung out with some of her friends, all of whom are very cool and easygoing. I hope I get to see them again soon.
Well, that's about it! Very few photos today, but we're visiting a village tomorrow with the Rotarians that are present, and that's sure to present many a photographic opportunity.
-Carey
Monday, February 16, 2009
I've failed to think of an imaginative name for this update, so I shall call it...Update
The past two mornings have consisted of bucket baths, which for those unenlightened few among you, means that I take a bath out of a bucket. Not altogether unpleasant, and I'm really getting quite good at it.
2/15/09
THE FOCUS GROUPS ARE DONE. Not that I was particularly stressed about it myself, but it'll be nice for my dad to be able to relax for the first time since we've arrived, and just nice to get the ball rolling on our baseline stats on the perceptions of people with disabilities.
After the focus groups and leaving Mahesh (Rotaract president) in charge of changing the video tapes for the focus groups, my dad, Penny and Nirmala and I went to Thamel to wander around. To be frank, I much prefer wandering around in locales that are NOT described as 'tourist hot spots.' This isn't because I have so much of a problem with the tourists, but just the people who are conditioned to sell things to tourists. I am very cheap, and fairly practical in my purchases (fairly). There are many things I don't need, and I feel terrible, but sometimes the only way to get someone to stop trying to sell you something is to ignore them outright and walk on.
That said, I bought a pretty B.A. hat. It's kind of wintery, and is impossibly awesome and somewhat silly. It was clearly a necessary purchase. And I bought guitar picks, which are among the few items that I've discovered in Nepal to be more expensive here than they are at home. I told the shopkeeper this, and he merely expounded upon their extraordinary quality, and left me somewhat mystified. Unfortunately, I actually needed them, and am a terrible haggler despite my Jewish heritage, so I grudgingly purchased two. The shopkeeper seemed rather put out that I didn't need more.
Other minor tidbits:
-We ate lunch at the Namaste bar and restaurant, which was very nice, had a rooftop view, and live music in the evenings (so we didn't hear it at lunch, but it may be nice to go back).
-Jim trained the Rotaractors on how to give a survey, and it was very well received. I videotaped the whole thing and am planning on making DVDs to distribute for those that missed it.
-Penny, myself, RR, Chandra and my Dad had a kind of drinks and snacks get-together at RR's house, and after that, we went to Masala Indian Cuisine, which was, unsurprisingly, quite good.
-After this, I was far too tired to update the blog.
2/16/09
The time is 3am. I awake in the midst of an intense sweating episode, and realize with much dismay that I not only have terrible terrible heartburn, but I also feel mildly like vomiting. I get up and take a swig of Digene (discount Pepto-Bismol) and a half hour later, I fall asleep again. And I wake up in the morning, and despite being tired, I feel completely fine. *bullet dodged*
Today my dad and I picked up Nirmala and went to Kirtipur to visit Namrata, another blind student my dad sponsored. We walked around Kirtipur and ate at a restaurant called Kirtipur Restaurant and Beer Garden. We were the only patrons.
The food was good. The wait staff was friendly. However, they seem ill-equipped as a restaurant to serve people in numbers greater than one. Our food came out in waves (almost as though it were a fancy multi-course meal, but needless to say, I don't think that was the intent), and my dad, on his way to the bathroom, glanced in the kitchen and saw our former waiter hard at work over a solitary pair of burners. All told, the meal couldn't have taken longer if the chicken in our chicken chow mein was hatched, raised and THEN cooked for us as we waited.
I then came home and had a wonderful hot shower, because there was water and electricity simultaneously. Yes. It was glorious in its magnificence, and magnificent in its glory.
My dad attended a Rotary meeting, but I was too tired from my temporary illness and stayed home, read about cars on the internet, played guitar, read a book, and thoroughly enjoyed myself.
-Carey
2/15/09
THE FOCUS GROUPS ARE DONE. Not that I was particularly stressed about it myself, but it'll be nice for my dad to be able to relax for the first time since we've arrived, and just nice to get the ball rolling on our baseline stats on the perceptions of people with disabilities.
After the focus groups and leaving Mahesh (Rotaract president) in charge of changing the video tapes for the focus groups, my dad, Penny and Nirmala and I went to Thamel to wander around. To be frank, I much prefer wandering around in locales that are NOT described as 'tourist hot spots.' This isn't because I have so much of a problem with the tourists, but just the people who are conditioned to sell things to tourists. I am very cheap, and fairly practical in my purchases (fairly). There are many things I don't need, and I feel terrible, but sometimes the only way to get someone to stop trying to sell you something is to ignore them outright and walk on.
That said, I bought a pretty B.A. hat. It's kind of wintery, and is impossibly awesome and somewhat silly. It was clearly a necessary purchase. And I bought guitar picks, which are among the few items that I've discovered in Nepal to be more expensive here than they are at home. I told the shopkeeper this, and he merely expounded upon their extraordinary quality, and left me somewhat mystified. Unfortunately, I actually needed them, and am a terrible haggler despite my Jewish heritage, so I grudgingly purchased two. The shopkeeper seemed rather put out that I didn't need more.
Other minor tidbits:
-We ate lunch at the Namaste bar and restaurant, which was very nice, had a rooftop view, and live music in the evenings (so we didn't hear it at lunch, but it may be nice to go back).
-Jim trained the Rotaractors on how to give a survey, and it was very well received. I videotaped the whole thing and am planning on making DVDs to distribute for those that missed it.
-Penny, myself, RR, Chandra and my Dad had a kind of drinks and snacks get-together at RR's house, and after that, we went to Masala Indian Cuisine, which was, unsurprisingly, quite good.
-After this, I was far too tired to update the blog.
2/16/09
The time is 3am. I awake in the midst of an intense sweating episode, and realize with much dismay that I not only have terrible terrible heartburn, but I also feel mildly like vomiting. I get up and take a swig of Digene (discount Pepto-Bismol) and a half hour later, I fall asleep again. And I wake up in the morning, and despite being tired, I feel completely fine. *bullet dodged*
Today my dad and I picked up Nirmala and went to Kirtipur to visit Namrata, another blind student my dad sponsored. We walked around Kirtipur and ate at a restaurant called Kirtipur Restaurant and Beer Garden. We were the only patrons.
The food was good. The wait staff was friendly. However, they seem ill-equipped as a restaurant to serve people in numbers greater than one. Our food came out in waves (almost as though it were a fancy multi-course meal, but needless to say, I don't think that was the intent), and my dad, on his way to the bathroom, glanced in the kitchen and saw our former waiter hard at work over a solitary pair of burners. All told, the meal couldn't have taken longer if the chicken in our chicken chow mein was hatched, raised and THEN cooked for us as we waited.
I then came home and had a wonderful hot shower, because there was water and electricity simultaneously. Yes. It was glorious in its magnificence, and magnificent in its glory.
My dad attended a Rotary meeting, but I was too tired from my temporary illness and stayed home, read about cars on the internet, played guitar, read a book, and thoroughly enjoyed myself.
 |
| Focus Groups, Kirtipur |
-Carey
Saturday, February 14, 2009
caught up
Today, I was rather rushed through my morning routine as we were in a hurry to attend the focus groups. I’m not sure I’ve ever actually had to drink oatmeal as I did this morning, but it wasn’t as altogether unpleasant an experience as it may sound.
Also, I showered by way of small bucket with cold water, moist towelettes, and a dash of creativity, though not without a certain nostalgia for, you know, a real shower. That will hopefully happen tomorrow morning.
For those that don’t know, Jim Hebert of Hebert Research has generously donated his and his company’s services to trifc.org and Rotary International so that we may gather baseline info regarding people’s perceptions toward those with disabilities, and then we can see what kind of impact we are having as the project launches and progresses. Jim showed the focus groups some of the concept boards I mentioned in a previous post, and gauged reactions. It was all captured on audio and visual recording equipment.
The focus groups were highly successful. The results were excellent, in that some were unexpected, and thus extremely helpful in refining these concept boards and finally deciding on which approach to use.
Afterwards, we had lunch at the Bakery Cafe, which is a restaurant that hires mostly deaf individuals for wait staff. Nirmala had the pleasure of interviewing the owner previously, who said candidly that he didn’t hire the deaf workers for philanthropic reasons. They simply worked much harder and better than the other employees who were not hearing impaired. Hm. Just goes to show what those with disabilities can do when they’re given an opportunity.
Oh. And the food was really good, too. I had fried buffalo momos.
Following lunch, I went to Swayambunath with Penny and Len. Swayambunath is a Buddhist stupa / temple area that overlooks much of the Kathmandu valley. I’ll leave it to the pictures for this one.
Len and Penny wanted to continue to be adventurous, but I had to return to go to dinner with Olga and everyone. Olga, for those that don’t know, is the person who got my dad started with his work in Nepal. He happened to see her in the newspaper, call her up and volunteer his photographic services, and as a result, changed his life entirely.
The dinner was very nice, RR and Chandra and my dad and Nirmala and Sita and myself went, and it was great to see Olga again. Olga is, near as I can tell, immune to the effects of the passage of time, i.e. she looks great. I also met Lynn and Laurie (I hope I spelled that right); Lynn has known Nirmala for a very long time. I also met Emily who just turned 21 and is from Colorado. She’s volunteering at a school here and teaching classes as well as designing the curriculum for those classes, which is pretty amazing. She’s come to Nepal alone, and definitely seems more outgoing and adventurous than I am, I must say. It's great meeting all these Rotary people and they're absolutely wonderful people, but it's also always nice to meet someone my own age.
Okay. Proofreading this post, I notice it's more...informative than entertaining, but I suppose I have to post something serious now and then. Anywho, it is late, and I’m up to date.
Check out the pictures though, they should be pretty good this time around.
Talk to you all soon,
-Carey
p.s. oh. my. god. there is a dog outside that will NOT STOP BARKING. BARK BARK BARK BARK BARK BARK. LDGSL:DKGHSD:LKfjS:LKHG:SLKFJ;slkfjad;slkfj
Also, I showered by way of small bucket with cold water, moist towelettes, and a dash of creativity, though not without a certain nostalgia for, you know, a real shower. That will hopefully happen tomorrow morning.
For those that don’t know, Jim Hebert of Hebert Research has generously donated his and his company’s services to trifc.org and Rotary International so that we may gather baseline info regarding people’s perceptions toward those with disabilities, and then we can see what kind of impact we are having as the project launches and progresses. Jim showed the focus groups some of the concept boards I mentioned in a previous post, and gauged reactions. It was all captured on audio and visual recording equipment.
The focus groups were highly successful. The results were excellent, in that some were unexpected, and thus extremely helpful in refining these concept boards and finally deciding on which approach to use.
Afterwards, we had lunch at the Bakery Cafe, which is a restaurant that hires mostly deaf individuals for wait staff. Nirmala had the pleasure of interviewing the owner previously, who said candidly that he didn’t hire the deaf workers for philanthropic reasons. They simply worked much harder and better than the other employees who were not hearing impaired. Hm. Just goes to show what those with disabilities can do when they’re given an opportunity.
Oh. And the food was really good, too. I had fried buffalo momos.
Following lunch, I went to Swayambunath with Penny and Len. Swayambunath is a Buddhist stupa / temple area that overlooks much of the Kathmandu valley. I’ll leave it to the pictures for this one.
Len and Penny wanted to continue to be adventurous, but I had to return to go to dinner with Olga and everyone. Olga, for those that don’t know, is the person who got my dad started with his work in Nepal. He happened to see her in the newspaper, call her up and volunteer his photographic services, and as a result, changed his life entirely.
The dinner was very nice, RR and Chandra and my dad and Nirmala and Sita and myself went, and it was great to see Olga again. Olga is, near as I can tell, immune to the effects of the passage of time, i.e. she looks great. I also met Lynn and Laurie (I hope I spelled that right); Lynn has known Nirmala for a very long time. I also met Emily who just turned 21 and is from Colorado. She’s volunteering at a school here and teaching classes as well as designing the curriculum for those classes, which is pretty amazing. She’s come to Nepal alone, and definitely seems more outgoing and adventurous than I am, I must say. It's great meeting all these Rotary people and they're absolutely wonderful people, but it's also always nice to meet someone my own age.
Okay. Proofreading this post, I notice it's more...informative than entertaining, but I suppose I have to post something serious now and then. Anywho, it is late, and I’m up to date.
Check out the pictures though, they should be pretty good this time around.
 |
| Focus sessions, Swayambunath |
Talk to you all soon,
-Carey
p.s. oh. my. god. there is a dog outside that will NOT STOP BARKING. BARK BARK BARK BARK BARK BARK. LDGSL:DKGHSD:LKfjS:LKHG:SLKFJ;slkfjad;slkfj
Playing catch-up
Well, given the rather sporadic and inconvenient allocations of electricity over the past few days, this post will perhaps be longer than most, and followed up with as many photo uploads as possible before I over-tax the router, which would most likely result in its combustion. This would, of course, be quite the problem given the recent water shortage as well, but alas! Such is life in Nepal.
Photos referred to in this post may be viewed here:
Friday, February 13 (That is the day that this post is about. Ignore the date above)
We had a wonderful, lazy, late morning. I had plenty of time to do some exercises, play guitar, eat too much breakfast, the usual.
After our relaxing morning, we made our way to Durbar Square to Adarsha Kanya Niketan school to do the pen pal project! For those that don’t know, this seemingly innocent project is actually rife with obstacles to its success. When I entered the project, we had just received letters and photos from the Nepali kids to their American pen pals, in all-digital form (meaning the Rotaractors had to scan 90+ letters). I had to print each letter, get prints made of each photo, match them up, stuff the letters, and write names on them. My dad and I then went to Meadowdale High School and Forest Ridge School to distribute the letters, videotape each kid, and then get a still photo. Then, we collect letters and print photographs (I had to sort for the Meadowdale kids, the teacher at Forest Ridge did this for us...whew) and stuff them into envelopes. Then I also have to assemble each clip into a cohesive video to show the kids here. Then, we have to actually assemble all the kids in one place here (they are from two different schools), procure a generator AND a projector to show the video, show the video, hand out the letters, and hope I haven’t screwed up something major. In the end, it was a vast success. Check the photos.
After the whole pen pal project, I went to have a meal and a beer with Penny and Len at a roof top cafe, and luckily for us, the mountains came out from the haze during our meal. On one side, we had the sunset over Durbar Square, and on the other side we had the Himalayas over Kathmandu. Absolutely fantastic. I posted some photos, but they obviously don’t do justice to the real thing.
After my dinner, I had a jam session near Sachin’s house, which is a different location from where we practiced before in Durbar Square. Sachin had electricity this night, so we could play with a full drum kit, two electric guitars, an electric bass and a microphone. Needless to say, I had a blast. Some songs we played:
-Roadhouse Blues
-Every Breath You Take (yes. by Sting)
-With or Without You
-Sweet Child O’ Mine
-Bombtrack
-Wicked Game (HIM cover)
So, a very eclectic (and excellent) selection of music. I might also add that Sachin has an AMAZING singing voice. He’s fairly soft-spoken and, you know, normal sounding, but he can sing and sound EXACTLY like Axel Rose. Photos of the jam have been posted as well.
Penny used the word ‘ensconced’ today, and I wrote it down, feeling that I should use it more often. Ensconced ensconced ensconced.
One short story I forgot to mention when it happened occurred the morning of the first trip we took to Durbar Square with Penny and Balram. Balram came to the house early to have a short meeting with my dad about the school for the deaf that he works at, and came by bike. We were all going to meet Penny at her house and walk to Durbar Square. The main problem with this is that Balram and my dad are both rather large (meant in the best way possible, since neither is fat), and would have trouble squishing onto Balram’s bike by themselves, let alone with me dangling off the back. But this is Nepal! The people here are nothing if not...space efficient.
And so, off we went, bottoming out over every pothole and scraping the ground over every speed bump. We received more stares than usual, and were twice outstripped by passing school children (no, this is not hyperbole). Annnnd that’s about the end of that story. Short, as I said. And that’s all for this day! But as the electricity has just come on, I shall be making another post immediately after this.
‘Til then,
Carey
p.s. I HAVE proofread this, but please look past any mistakes or mis-wordings. It's late and I'm tired, but I wanted to get this updated.
Photos referred to in this post may be viewed here:
 |
| Pen pals, Mountains, Jam |
Friday, February 13 (That is the day that this post is about. Ignore the date above)
We had a wonderful, lazy, late morning. I had plenty of time to do some exercises, play guitar, eat too much breakfast, the usual.
After our relaxing morning, we made our way to Durbar Square to Adarsha Kanya Niketan school to do the pen pal project! For those that don’t know, this seemingly innocent project is actually rife with obstacles to its success. When I entered the project, we had just received letters and photos from the Nepali kids to their American pen pals, in all-digital form (meaning the Rotaractors had to scan 90+ letters). I had to print each letter, get prints made of each photo, match them up, stuff the letters, and write names on them. My dad and I then went to Meadowdale High School and Forest Ridge School to distribute the letters, videotape each kid, and then get a still photo. Then, we collect letters and print photographs (I had to sort for the Meadowdale kids, the teacher at Forest Ridge did this for us...whew) and stuff them into envelopes. Then I also have to assemble each clip into a cohesive video to show the kids here. Then, we have to actually assemble all the kids in one place here (they are from two different schools), procure a generator AND a projector to show the video, show the video, hand out the letters, and hope I haven’t screwed up something major. In the end, it was a vast success. Check the photos.
After the whole pen pal project, I went to have a meal and a beer with Penny and Len at a roof top cafe, and luckily for us, the mountains came out from the haze during our meal. On one side, we had the sunset over Durbar Square, and on the other side we had the Himalayas over Kathmandu. Absolutely fantastic. I posted some photos, but they obviously don’t do justice to the real thing.
After my dinner, I had a jam session near Sachin’s house, which is a different location from where we practiced before in Durbar Square. Sachin had electricity this night, so we could play with a full drum kit, two electric guitars, an electric bass and a microphone. Needless to say, I had a blast. Some songs we played:
-Roadhouse Blues
-Every Breath You Take (yes. by Sting)
-With or Without You
-Sweet Child O’ Mine
-Bombtrack
-Wicked Game (HIM cover)
So, a very eclectic (and excellent) selection of music. I might also add that Sachin has an AMAZING singing voice. He’s fairly soft-spoken and, you know, normal sounding, but he can sing and sound EXACTLY like Axel Rose. Photos of the jam have been posted as well.
Penny used the word ‘ensconced’ today, and I wrote it down, feeling that I should use it more often. Ensconced ensconced ensconced.
One short story I forgot to mention when it happened occurred the morning of the first trip we took to Durbar Square with Penny and Balram. Balram came to the house early to have a short meeting with my dad about the school for the deaf that he works at, and came by bike. We were all going to meet Penny at her house and walk to Durbar Square. The main problem with this is that Balram and my dad are both rather large (meant in the best way possible, since neither is fat), and would have trouble squishing onto Balram’s bike by themselves, let alone with me dangling off the back. But this is Nepal! The people here are nothing if not...space efficient.
And so, off we went, bottoming out over every pothole and scraping the ground over every speed bump. We received more stares than usual, and were twice outstripped by passing school children (no, this is not hyperbole). Annnnd that’s about the end of that story. Short, as I said. And that’s all for this day! But as the electricity has just come on, I shall be making another post immediately after this.
‘Til then,
Carey
p.s. I HAVE proofread this, but please look past any mistakes or mis-wordings. It's late and I'm tired, but I wanted to get this updated.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Quick update
This update will be very quick, as I am rapidly running out of time to have electricity.
-I went with my dad and Joydeb to meet with Equal Access Nepal to further discuss the logistics of incorporating SMKK (Chatting with my best friend) into the Nepal Disability Awareness Campaign my dad is in charge of, and so far, it's looking quite good. They have a listening base far larger than anything we could hope to achieve in 5+ years, so we'll just save the time and go with them, I think.
-After that, I went with dad and waited two and a half hours at the airport for Jim Hebert to arrive, due to a miscommunication - the e-mail from his assistant detailing his revised itinerary hadn't gone through. Oh well.
-Had lunch at the Greenwich hotel where Penny's staying, although Penny was out. We were hungry, though.
-Jam session!
The jam session is more easily shown in pictures.
-Carey
-I went with my dad and Joydeb to meet with Equal Access Nepal to further discuss the logistics of incorporating SMKK (Chatting with my best friend) into the Nepal Disability Awareness Campaign my dad is in charge of, and so far, it's looking quite good. They have a listening base far larger than anything we could hope to achieve in 5+ years, so we'll just save the time and go with them, I think.
-After that, I went with dad and waited two and a half hours at the airport for Jim Hebert to arrive, due to a miscommunication - the e-mail from his assistant detailing his revised itinerary hadn't gone through. Oh well.
-Had lunch at the Greenwich hotel where Penny's staying, although Penny was out. We were hungry, though.
-Jam session!
The jam session is more easily shown in pictures.
 |
| Jam session photos |
-Carey
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Jam in Nepal
I think most of our day today is well summed up in the photos I've uploaded. So here:
The portion of my day that was not copiously photo-documented was quite good indeed. Sachin (I'll check on spelling) picked me up after dinner, and we rode his motorcycle over to his house to pick up a keyboard, and then road from his house back to Durbar Square and had a jam session with a bunch of his friends. He's a member of the Nepali Blues Society, and they play lots of different blues and fusion, and Sachin also plays a lot of alternative rock on his own.
I've already described how it was riding on a motorcycle through Kathmandu, so I'll say no more besides the fact that it was equally exhilarating the second time around.
As for the music, they seemed to like me well enough. I played the keyboard along with them for a few songs, and also picked up a guitar and played for them as well. They want me to come back and jam tomorrow night, and also jam on Friday and maybe perform with them at some restaurant. Unfortunately, I won't be able to jam on Friday (the only night with electricity at Sachin's place, the home of a drumset) but that's alright, I'm sure tomorrow will be fun.
The group consists of several people who play guitar, two singers, a bassist, and a drummer who plays the tabla drums (and is amazing). So. I am, understandably, pretty psyched. Not that I mind hanging out with dad and all the Rotary people, but it's nice to find some young(er) people to hang out with, and people with whom I have something in common.
'Til next time (which will probably be tomorrow),
-Carey
 |
| Durbar Square Sightseeing and DNC |
The portion of my day that was not copiously photo-documented was quite good indeed. Sachin (I'll check on spelling) picked me up after dinner, and we rode his motorcycle over to his house to pick up a keyboard, and then road from his house back to Durbar Square and had a jam session with a bunch of his friends. He's a member of the Nepali Blues Society, and they play lots of different blues and fusion, and Sachin also plays a lot of alternative rock on his own.
I've already described how it was riding on a motorcycle through Kathmandu, so I'll say no more besides the fact that it was equally exhilarating the second time around.
As for the music, they seemed to like me well enough. I played the keyboard along with them for a few songs, and also picked up a guitar and played for them as well. They want me to come back and jam tomorrow night, and also jam on Friday and maybe perform with them at some restaurant. Unfortunately, I won't be able to jam on Friday (the only night with electricity at Sachin's place, the home of a drumset) but that's alright, I'm sure tomorrow will be fun.
The group consists of several people who play guitar, two singers, a bassist, and a drummer who plays the tabla drums (and is amazing). So. I am, understandably, pretty psyched. Not that I mind hanging out with dad and all the Rotary people, but it's nice to find some young(er) people to hang out with, and people with whom I have something in common.
'Til next time (which will probably be tomorrow),
-Carey
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Random update
Hey all,
I don't have anything in particular to write about, so I figured I would ramble on about small tidbits of information that you may or may not find interesting, and perhaps post a photo or two. We have electricity until midnight, which is fairly unprecedented, so I figured I should take advantage of this opportunity.
-RR told an interesting story at dinner (and I subsequently read the story in the newspaper) concerning the fire-fighting capabilities of the fire departments in the Kathmandu valley. Throughout the Kathmandu valley, there are four fire engines. The newest fire engines were manufactured in 1976. The fire engines are never filled with water, and so they must first drive to Boda (sp?) through heinous traffic to fill up their tanks, and then back to the rubble that had once resembled the building that had long since been reported aflame. Also, there are limited fire hydrants city-wide, but even these are of little concern, because the water board has already cut water to them. There are also limited (if any) sprinkler systems in high rises throughout Nepal. No new firefighters have been recruited in the past 15 years, and so they call in additional help from the Armed Police Force, and the only training these people receive is on-the-job...meaning they train when there is a real fire. There is no money to retrofit a new water tank, no money for new fire engines, and the roadway system is inadequately designed for eight-foot-wide vehicles. Long story short: avoid an open flame at all costs.
-An individual wrote on my wall on Facebook informing me that it was snowing. I wrote back saying that that was utter madness, and given her posting time of 4am, I'd assumed school was cancelled. She wrote back saying that she had actually pulled an all-nighter working on art projects, and that I was the only one on at 4am so she decided to send me a celebratory message. I was about to write back expressing my glee that the strange time difference and electricity schedules here were finally convenient for SOMEONE, when the electricity suddenly went out and I was disconnected from the internet.
-I'm really excited about a new lens Nikon is coming out with when I get back in March. Yup, I'm a nerd, and do not really have very much money. But I'll probably still buy it, it's supposed to be cheap. It'll also probably be backordered, so I'll have time to save up anyway.
-We had a meeting today to narrow down concept boards for the disability awareness campaign. I took some photos, but predictably, I like very few of them, because taking photographs during a meeting is hard. Oh well, I'll upload some more photos later.
-We ate lunch at a place RR recommended called "Rice & Bowl." When RR said the name of the restaurant, my dad heard "Rice & Bowel," which I would imagine would be a far less popular establishment. Even so, "Rice & Bowl" proved interesting enough. There was good food, and there's always gonna be something special about a Chinese restaurant in Kathmandu that is also playing smooth jazz covers of songs like "Tequila" on the radio.
-After the meeting and lunch, we went back to the office being rented for the Nepal Disability Awareness Campaign program that my dad is running. We got some interesting photos on the way, and also Penny and Len interviewed the two paid employees at the office, Kedar and Jamuna. Jamuna was in a terrible bus accident when she was a child, and has lost both of her legs. Despite this, she climbs a flight of stairs up to the office to work every day, and is a great asset to my dad's campaign.
Photos now!
-Carey
I don't have anything in particular to write about, so I figured I would ramble on about small tidbits of information that you may or may not find interesting, and perhaps post a photo or two. We have electricity until midnight, which is fairly unprecedented, so I figured I should take advantage of this opportunity.
-RR told an interesting story at dinner (and I subsequently read the story in the newspaper) concerning the fire-fighting capabilities of the fire departments in the Kathmandu valley. Throughout the Kathmandu valley, there are four fire engines. The newest fire engines were manufactured in 1976. The fire engines are never filled with water, and so they must first drive to Boda (sp?) through heinous traffic to fill up their tanks, and then back to the rubble that had once resembled the building that had long since been reported aflame. Also, there are limited fire hydrants city-wide, but even these are of little concern, because the water board has already cut water to them. There are also limited (if any) sprinkler systems in high rises throughout Nepal. No new firefighters have been recruited in the past 15 years, and so they call in additional help from the Armed Police Force, and the only training these people receive is on-the-job...meaning they train when there is a real fire. There is no money to retrofit a new water tank, no money for new fire engines, and the roadway system is inadequately designed for eight-foot-wide vehicles. Long story short: avoid an open flame at all costs.
-An individual wrote on my wall on Facebook informing me that it was snowing. I wrote back saying that that was utter madness, and given her posting time of 4am, I'd assumed school was cancelled. She wrote back saying that she had actually pulled an all-nighter working on art projects, and that I was the only one on at 4am so she decided to send me a celebratory message. I was about to write back expressing my glee that the strange time difference and electricity schedules here were finally convenient for SOMEONE, when the electricity suddenly went out and I was disconnected from the internet.
-I'm really excited about a new lens Nikon is coming out with when I get back in March. Yup, I'm a nerd, and do not really have very much money. But I'll probably still buy it, it's supposed to be cheap. It'll also probably be backordered, so I'll have time to save up anyway.
-We had a meeting today to narrow down concept boards for the disability awareness campaign. I took some photos, but predictably, I like very few of them, because taking photographs during a meeting is hard. Oh well, I'll upload some more photos later.
-We ate lunch at a place RR recommended called "Rice & Bowl." When RR said the name of the restaurant, my dad heard "Rice & Bowel," which I would imagine would be a far less popular establishment. Even so, "Rice & Bowl" proved interesting enough. There was good food, and there's always gonna be something special about a Chinese restaurant in Kathmandu that is also playing smooth jazz covers of songs like "Tequila" on the radio.
-After the meeting and lunch, we went back to the office being rented for the Nepal Disability Awareness Campaign program that my dad is running. We got some interesting photos on the way, and also Penny and Len interviewed the two paid employees at the office, Kedar and Jamuna. Jamuna was in a terrible bus accident when she was a child, and has lost both of her legs. Despite this, she climbs a flight of stairs up to the office to work every day, and is a great asset to my dad's campaign.
Photos now!
 |
| 2-10-09 NDACP meeting and others |
-Carey
Monday, February 9, 2009
Len and Penny's arrival in photos
Hey everyone,
Penny LeGate from KIRO TV has arrived today, as has Len Davis, a cameraman she will be partnering with while she's here working on a story about my dad's disability awareness campaign. At my dad's request, I snapped a few photos on their arrival. Len is quite the character. Enjoy!
As for other news, my dad met this morning with representatives from an organization called Equal Access Nepal, which produces a radio program titled (as translated to English) "Chatting with my best friend." The show has a following of six million listeners each week between the ages of 15 and 30. On this program, they discuss matters that young people may be too embarressed to ask their families or peers about, or matters that are frowned upon by the elder members of the population. These matters include use of condoms, HIV/AIDS awareness, disability awareness, and so forth, and thus would make a wonderful partner to help out my dad's cause. Many of the issues are taken from letters that individuals write to the show. Also, the listener base has formed many listening 'clubs' all over Nepal, and these clubs are so dedicated to the show that they even go out into the rural areas where even radio may not reach, and teach what is learned on the show to those who would otherwise be left in the dark, so to speak.
When the program started out, many people complaigned and said that the station owner that was airing the show was allowing outright vulgarity to permeate the airwaves. Blessedly, the station owner recognized the need for such a show. Until the show began, talk of sexual matters was largely taboo in Nepali society, and thus many young people had nothing more to go on but rumors and hearsay regarding these and other matters.
Additionally, the organization puts out monthly pamphlets for various regions in Nepal as well as one quarterly unified pamphlet / magazine that highlights many of the issues, which helps the program reach those with hearing impairment, so that they, too, may benefit from this program's wonderful service.
Also, an acknowledgement to my photojournalism professor, John Harris, and some of his most useful advice that I didn't follow this evening and was kicking myself for. Always carry your camera. I had accidentally left the camera in the car and, in the midst of a Rotary meeting, Penny pointed out the red/orange moonrise out the window, which also offered a wonderful view of much of the city of Kathmandu, which was still bathed in just enough sunlight as to be visible with the moon. It would have made for a fantastic picture, even through a window. Sigh.
Penny LeGate from KIRO TV has arrived today, as has Len Davis, a cameraman she will be partnering with while she's here working on a story about my dad's disability awareness campaign. At my dad's request, I snapped a few photos on their arrival. Len is quite the character. Enjoy!
 |
| Len and Penny's Arrival |
As for other news, my dad met this morning with representatives from an organization called Equal Access Nepal, which produces a radio program titled (as translated to English) "Chatting with my best friend." The show has a following of six million listeners each week between the ages of 15 and 30. On this program, they discuss matters that young people may be too embarressed to ask their families or peers about, or matters that are frowned upon by the elder members of the population. These matters include use of condoms, HIV/AIDS awareness, disability awareness, and so forth, and thus would make a wonderful partner to help out my dad's cause. Many of the issues are taken from letters that individuals write to the show. Also, the listener base has formed many listening 'clubs' all over Nepal, and these clubs are so dedicated to the show that they even go out into the rural areas where even radio may not reach, and teach what is learned on the show to those who would otherwise be left in the dark, so to speak.
When the program started out, many people complaigned and said that the station owner that was airing the show was allowing outright vulgarity to permeate the airwaves. Blessedly, the station owner recognized the need for such a show. Until the show began, talk of sexual matters was largely taboo in Nepali society, and thus many young people had nothing more to go on but rumors and hearsay regarding these and other matters.
Additionally, the organization puts out monthly pamphlets for various regions in Nepal as well as one quarterly unified pamphlet / magazine that highlights many of the issues, which helps the program reach those with hearing impairment, so that they, too, may benefit from this program's wonderful service.
Also, an acknowledgement to my photojournalism professor, John Harris, and some of his most useful advice that I didn't follow this evening and was kicking myself for. Always carry your camera. I had accidentally left the camera in the car and, in the midst of a Rotary meeting, Penny pointed out the red/orange moonrise out the window, which also offered a wonderful view of much of the city of Kathmandu, which was still bathed in just enough sunlight as to be visible with the moon. It would have made for a fantastic picture, even through a window. Sigh.
Motorcycle + Kathmandu = Amazing
Yesterday, I had the great pleasure of dining out with my dad's friend Dhruba and his wife, son and nephew. We went to Fire and Ice, which is a pizza / ice cream parlor in one of the more 'touristy' areas of Kathmandu. The pizza was very good, if not completely authentic (the Hawaiian pizza had green peppers on it, but that just added to the charm). After dinner, Dhruba had to go pick up his car as it was being serviced, but it was in the opposite direction of RR's house, and so he offered me a seat on his nephew's motorcycle.
Many thoughts went through my head at this point in time, but all I could really do was smile hesitantly and say "Uh....sure, yeah. Sounds fine." He asked if I had a scarf to protect my lungs, and I didn't, so he suggested I grab a napkin. Luckily, I also had a coat. Unluckily, I had my camera with me and nowhere to stow it besides my neck.
My previous experience concerning two-wheeled transportation has been somewhat...limited. I've ridden on a scooter with Henry Bi (which was terrifying) and also driven a scooter that belonged to Erin's family (which was quite good fun). Of course, neither experience had taken place in Kathmandu, Nepal at rush hour.
The first few minutes were absolutely petrifying, and I clung on rather sheepishly to my driver while trying my best to keep up with his small talk. After that, though, I have to say that that motorcycle ride was one of the most fantastic experiences I've ever had.
While in cars and trucks being driven around the city, I try to pay as little attention as possible to how close we are to outside objects, and often cringe as we slip by a pedestrian or motorcycle, for fear of running them down. However, on the motorcycle, given that I could see the far extremes of the vehicle and precisely how close (or how far away) we were to other vehicles and people, I found myself unperturbed by my driver's aggressive nature, and even comfortable enough to attempt to snap a few photos as we drove along. I'll upload a couple, although they truly don't do justice to the experience as a whole. And they're pretty lousy as photographs, too, but hey. I was on a motorcycle.
Notes:
-I felt a twinge of discomfort in my stomach earlier today, and promptly took some tums. Luckily, nothing seems to have come of it, and I am feeling fine (although hungry) now. No massive puking yet.
-Penny LeGate and Len Davis (cameraman) arrived today. Len is a very nice and very interesting individual who is perfectly at home in Nepal and is also fluent in Nepali. He's staying with a friend from Kansas who has lived here in Kathmandu for a number of years with his Nepali wife and child. Len is 6'4" and has a long pony tail, so he is easy to spot in a crowd (which can be both a blessing and a curse). Penny is a very sweet individual with a knack for easy conversation and a gift for seeming perfectly at ease whatever her situation may be. These qualities also have an effect on those around her, and everyone seems comfortable in her presence. She is attending a Rotary meeting with us tonight, and joining us for dinner after that.
-My dad and I waited for Penny and Len to arrive at the airport golf course, which was very nice, if perhaps a bit too brown. RR's name is on display twice, once for each time he has made a hole in one at the course.
I'm very hungry and though our ride hasn't arrived, I fear this post is long enough already.
-Carey
Many thoughts went through my head at this point in time, but all I could really do was smile hesitantly and say "Uh....sure, yeah. Sounds fine." He asked if I had a scarf to protect my lungs, and I didn't, so he suggested I grab a napkin. Luckily, I also had a coat. Unluckily, I had my camera with me and nowhere to stow it besides my neck.
My previous experience concerning two-wheeled transportation has been somewhat...limited. I've ridden on a scooter with Henry Bi (which was terrifying) and also driven a scooter that belonged to Erin's family (which was quite good fun). Of course, neither experience had taken place in Kathmandu, Nepal at rush hour.
The first few minutes were absolutely petrifying, and I clung on rather sheepishly to my driver while trying my best to keep up with his small talk. After that, though, I have to say that that motorcycle ride was one of the most fantastic experiences I've ever had.
While in cars and trucks being driven around the city, I try to pay as little attention as possible to how close we are to outside objects, and often cringe as we slip by a pedestrian or motorcycle, for fear of running them down. However, on the motorcycle, given that I could see the far extremes of the vehicle and precisely how close (or how far away) we were to other vehicles and people, I found myself unperturbed by my driver's aggressive nature, and even comfortable enough to attempt to snap a few photos as we drove along. I'll upload a couple, although they truly don't do justice to the experience as a whole. And they're pretty lousy as photographs, too, but hey. I was on a motorcycle.
 |
| Motorcycle ride |
Notes:
-I felt a twinge of discomfort in my stomach earlier today, and promptly took some tums. Luckily, nothing seems to have come of it, and I am feeling fine (although hungry) now. No massive puking yet.
-Penny LeGate and Len Davis (cameraman) arrived today. Len is a very nice and very interesting individual who is perfectly at home in Nepal and is also fluent in Nepali. He's staying with a friend from Kansas who has lived here in Kathmandu for a number of years with his Nepali wife and child. Len is 6'4" and has a long pony tail, so he is easy to spot in a crowd (which can be both a blessing and a curse). Penny is a very sweet individual with a knack for easy conversation and a gift for seeming perfectly at ease whatever her situation may be. These qualities also have an effect on those around her, and everyone seems comfortable in her presence. She is attending a Rotary meeting with us tonight, and joining us for dinner after that.
-My dad and I waited for Penny and Len to arrive at the airport golf course, which was very nice, if perhaps a bit too brown. RR's name is on display twice, once for each time he has made a hole in one at the course.
I'm very hungry and though our ride hasn't arrived, I fear this post is long enough already.
-Carey
Sunday, February 8, 2009
DNC in photos
I've (finally) uploaded some photographs from our trip to DNC to supplement my dad's story. I took some of the photos, but many were taken by Sunil, a resident of DNC. Enjoy!
-Carey
 |
| DNC |
-Carey
Saturday, February 7, 2009
A Trip To Heaven
Yesterday we visited the Newlife Disabled Center (DNC) which is the organization for children with disability that we help both by Rotary and Rotaract means as well as through my own non-profit- TRIFC.org. What a reception we received! I had been waiting a full year for this day to come and it looked like they had too!
There are two new children at the center since our visit last year. Dhiraj is around 7 years old who, like another of the DNC children- Sanjay, lost both of his feet in the cooking fire in their home. You wouldn’t believe it, but he is very balanced and mobile even without his feet. Bimala who is 13 years old had to have one leg amputated due to burns received as a baby. Both of these children come from very poor families and DNC gives them both the medical and educational opportunities that would otherwise not be possible.
School runs six days a week here so Saturday is the children’s only free day. It was bath day for the younger boys and they were enjoying their open-air bath and then drying off in the warm sunshine. The weather in Kathmandu has been unusually warm for this time of the year and the temps have been getting into the 70’s during the daytime and while cool at night it isn’t cold. The kids kept Carey and I constantly busy during our five-hour visit. We played ping-pong with many of them, sat in the sunshine and gave a hug to others, distributed books and small gifts and just enjoyed spending time with each other.
Thanks to Alex Smith and family, we fund many programs at DNC through the Rotary and Rotaract Club of Kopundol. Through Alex’s funds and other funds that are donated through TRIFC.org we fund orthopedic surgeries, physical therapy, funds for college, tutoring and much more!
Later in the afternoon, we ordered “Momo’s” (Nepali chicken and vegetable dumplings) and juice so everyone had a full tummy to bask in the sunshine and relax. What a perfect afternoon….
-Rob.
There are two new children at the center since our visit last year. Dhiraj is around 7 years old who, like another of the DNC children- Sanjay, lost both of his feet in the cooking fire in their home. You wouldn’t believe it, but he is very balanced and mobile even without his feet. Bimala who is 13 years old had to have one leg amputated due to burns received as a baby. Both of these children come from very poor families and DNC gives them both the medical and educational opportunities that would otherwise not be possible.
School runs six days a week here so Saturday is the children’s only free day. It was bath day for the younger boys and they were enjoying their open-air bath and then drying off in the warm sunshine. The weather in Kathmandu has been unusually warm for this time of the year and the temps have been getting into the 70’s during the daytime and while cool at night it isn’t cold. The kids kept Carey and I constantly busy during our five-hour visit. We played ping-pong with many of them, sat in the sunshine and gave a hug to others, distributed books and small gifts and just enjoyed spending time with each other.
Thanks to Alex Smith and family, we fund many programs at DNC through the Rotary and Rotaract Club of Kopundol. Through Alex’s funds and other funds that are donated through TRIFC.org we fund orthopedic surgeries, physical therapy, funds for college, tutoring and much more!
Later in the afternoon, we ordered “Momo’s” (Nepali chicken and vegetable dumplings) and juice so everyone had a full tummy to bask in the sunshine and relax. What a perfect afternoon….
-Rob.
Some more thoughts, and brief news updates.
Greetings!
Brief update on the electricity situation:
RR Pandey: They are increasing power...
Rob Rose: Hey, that’s great!
RR Pandey: ...outages...
Apparently, one area wants electricity for 24 hours, or they won’t produce any electricity. So, we’re now up to 16 hours per day without electricity.
Although I may be the only person interested, it recently occurred to me that Nepal is the perfect candidate for demonstrating both positive and negative aspects of the diesel engine, which is largely absent from cars throughout North America.
The positive side is not only do the diesels here get excellent mileage (they have to), they are also terrifyingly rugged, and stand up well to the pressures of the climate, the unhealthy (to put it mildly) driving, and also a probable lack of routine maintenance. Also, while they are slower and more underpowered than your average Geo Metro, I largely view this as a blessing, as I have already grown accustomed to viewing 40 km/h as a frighteningly speedy pace on the once-paved roads in urban Kathmandu.
On the other hand, it is these diesels that are largely responsible for the interminable haze that has settled over the Kathmandu valley, and they are noisy and coarse-running. Mercifully, the three-wheeled, boxy taxis that rattle around and used to run on kerosene (and also used to pour out black smoke toxic enough to kill your average elephant in seconds) have been largely converted to electric power. However, this doesn’t stop the larger buses and diesel vehicles from spewing out black smoke of their own.
So, long story short, I look forward to the clean diesels that car companies are beginning to bring to the United States, as they represent the best of both worlds. It will be nice to someday have normal vehicles topping 60 mpg without the need for impractically heavy battery packs and hideous styling, and I plan to rub this in the face of everyone driving a Prius once that glorious day arrives.
I plan to do a story of some sort on taxis around town, so watch out for that in the future.
I’ve only recently discovered one of the more rarely publicized characteristics of Kathmandu, which is odd considering inescapable nature. City-wide, whether you be indoors or outdoors, most everything is coated with a fine layer of dust. This dust, which I can only assume is highly toxic in nature, is so ubiquitous that it almost blends in with the city’s ambiance, and becomes difficult to notice until you realize that not everything is naturally brown. Leaves are green under it, and walls are clean under it. I've oftentimes touched something and, horrified, realized I'd left a mark when really the mark is just a newly-created absence of the dust which was now transferred to my hand. Hm. I don't think that sentence makes sense.
I suspect this dust may not have the most positive influence on my asthma.
I have much news, but it’s not a terribly fascinating read, so I shall sum up in bullet points.
-I’ve been spoiled for breakfast every morning with fantastic oatmeal and /or eggs, toast and coffee or tea.
-My dad’s disability awareness campaign in Nepal has made some real progress. For those who do not know, to be disabled in Nepal is to be on the lowest rung of the social ladder, because everyone views you as deserving your fate due to a past life sin or curse. Of course, disabled individuals can be a valuable addition to society if society allows it, and my dad is working on just that - changing society’s perception of those with disabilities through a social marketing campaign. We have just viewed concept boards for different directions that the campaign may go, and will be attending a meeting on Tuesday to narrow them down.
-It’s difficult to justify spending 1,000 rupees on something, even in spite of the fact that 1,000 rupees is about $12.50.
-Went out to dinner at Chopstix with Rotaractors (young Rotarians) last night. Very neat place, very western...played lots of Jason Mraz, Maroon 5, and that ‘you must not know about me / you must not know what I mean’ song. Also, I shall be jamming with one of them, as he has a small music studio in his house and likes blues and rock. Excellent!
Sorry for the long update. Hope it’s somewhat entertaining!
-Carey
Brief update on the electricity situation:
RR Pandey: They are increasing power...
Rob Rose: Hey, that’s great!
RR Pandey: ...outages...
Apparently, one area wants electricity for 24 hours, or they won’t produce any electricity. So, we’re now up to 16 hours per day without electricity.
Although I may be the only person interested, it recently occurred to me that Nepal is the perfect candidate for demonstrating both positive and negative aspects of the diesel engine, which is largely absent from cars throughout North America.
The positive side is not only do the diesels here get excellent mileage (they have to), they are also terrifyingly rugged, and stand up well to the pressures of the climate, the unhealthy (to put it mildly) driving, and also a probable lack of routine maintenance. Also, while they are slower and more underpowered than your average Geo Metro, I largely view this as a blessing, as I have already grown accustomed to viewing 40 km/h as a frighteningly speedy pace on the once-paved roads in urban Kathmandu.
On the other hand, it is these diesels that are largely responsible for the interminable haze that has settled over the Kathmandu valley, and they are noisy and coarse-running. Mercifully, the three-wheeled, boxy taxis that rattle around and used to run on kerosene (and also used to pour out black smoke toxic enough to kill your average elephant in seconds) have been largely converted to electric power. However, this doesn’t stop the larger buses and diesel vehicles from spewing out black smoke of their own.
So, long story short, I look forward to the clean diesels that car companies are beginning to bring to the United States, as they represent the best of both worlds. It will be nice to someday have normal vehicles topping 60 mpg without the need for impractically heavy battery packs and hideous styling, and I plan to rub this in the face of everyone driving a Prius once that glorious day arrives.
I plan to do a story of some sort on taxis around town, so watch out for that in the future.
I’ve only recently discovered one of the more rarely publicized characteristics of Kathmandu, which is odd considering inescapable nature. City-wide, whether you be indoors or outdoors, most everything is coated with a fine layer of dust. This dust, which I can only assume is highly toxic in nature, is so ubiquitous that it almost blends in with the city’s ambiance, and becomes difficult to notice until you realize that not everything is naturally brown. Leaves are green under it, and walls are clean under it. I've oftentimes touched something and, horrified, realized I'd left a mark when really the mark is just a newly-created absence of the dust which was now transferred to my hand. Hm. I don't think that sentence makes sense.
 |
| From A Walk to Druba's (friend of my dad's) |
I suspect this dust may not have the most positive influence on my asthma.
I have much news, but it’s not a terribly fascinating read, so I shall sum up in bullet points.
-I’ve been spoiled for breakfast every morning with fantastic oatmeal and /or eggs, toast and coffee or tea.
-My dad’s disability awareness campaign in Nepal has made some real progress. For those who do not know, to be disabled in Nepal is to be on the lowest rung of the social ladder, because everyone views you as deserving your fate due to a past life sin or curse. Of course, disabled individuals can be a valuable addition to society if society allows it, and my dad is working on just that - changing society’s perception of those with disabilities through a social marketing campaign. We have just viewed concept boards for different directions that the campaign may go, and will be attending a meeting on Tuesday to narrow them down.
-It’s difficult to justify spending 1,000 rupees on something, even in spite of the fact that 1,000 rupees is about $12.50.
-Went out to dinner at Chopstix with Rotaractors (young Rotarians) last night. Very neat place, very western...played lots of Jason Mraz, Maroon 5, and that ‘you must not know about me / you must not know what I mean’ song. Also, I shall be jamming with one of them, as he has a small music studio in his house and likes blues and rock. Excellent!
Sorry for the long update. Hope it’s somewhat entertaining!
 |
| A Walk to Druba's (friend of my dad's) |
-Carey
Friday, February 6, 2009
There is electricity! And a massive traffic jam.
We were going to go visit the DNC (Disabled Newlife Center), which is a residential institution for disabled children, but unfortunately, the United-Marxist-Leninists (UML) party decided to have some sort of demonstration today, and has tied up traffic all over town. We did go on a walk and get to go to the supermarket, but unfortunately, there's not much else. In any case, I shall update the blog with some INTERESTING stories (and photos) the next time we have electricity.
Til then,
Carey
Til then,
Carey
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Side-note
How is the layout working for everyone? Is linking to a slideshow outside the blog working, or would you prefer I narrow photos down further and just embed them into the post itself? I welcome suggestions and constructive criticism, this is the first time I've done anything like this.
must sleeeeepppppppp
-Carey
must sleeeeepppppppp
-Carey
Cars and Kathmandu
We have arrived safely in Kathmandu, Nepal! Before I recap the day’s events from Kathmandu, a couple of notes I took during transit...
The flight from Seoul to Kathmandu was nowhere near as comfortable as the flight from Seattle to Seoul, but it was decent enough. There was less leg room and personal space, no personal screens, I still couldn’t sleep, and it was still too hot. Pah.
Also, I...think...there was a woman who spent several hours in the bathroom. I remembered her entering the bathroom, and then the next time I saw her coming out was quite a bit later. I did notice that her hair was styled differently on the way out than on the way in. I therefore came to the conclusion that she might be a superhero, although a lousy one at best, considering it took her several hours to complete the transformation from mild-mannered woman to mild-mannered woman with a slightly different hairdo.
It also occurred to me when we were flying over the more rural areas of Kathmandu that when I was traveling in Europe, I was never too terribly concerned with getting lost, and that it was part of the fun. Here, I have to admit the prospect of getting lost is a bit more terrifying.
Since arriving:
To describe the Nepali people in one word, that word would be ‘aggressive.’ They are aggressive in approaching you to start up conversations / ask for money, and are most aggressive as drivers.
The Nepali people are avid followers of a style of driving known as “nose-in” driving. This basically means that whichever direction you want to go, you just slowly nudge your nose into the...pedestrians, bicycles, oncoming traffic, or what-have-you...and then when you pass through wherever you’re trying to nose your way through, you go about your business. It’s fairly frightening. And it seems that no matter what you do, another person in another vehicle will never hit you. Ever. These people have more and greater knowledge concerning the size of their vehicle than I can ever hope to have about anything.
The electricity is on, but that is only a recent occurrence. Of course, I barely noticed until the sun began to set, and even then, it was fairly relaxing. Our hosts, RR and Chandra Pandey, have some sort of inverter-device that provides us with up to three hours of electricity when the city power is off. Unfortunately, the city power is off for twelve to fourteen hours every day.
Our hosts have a lovely home, and everyone has so far been extremely friendly. The food has been good and plentiful, and I have to say, despite my wretched fatigue, I’m having a wonderful time. I’ll leave you with a slogan I saw on an ad for Kia motors:
“The wait for the most awaited car is over.” Excellent.
I’ve also snagged a LOT of pictures. Please excuse the quality of some, as I took quite a few out the window of our truck when we were stuck in traffic. I’ll just put up two slideshows.
-Carey
p.s. interestingly enough, despite the excellent download times on this internet connection, the upload times aren't as impressive, so it's taking a while to upload photographs. As such, I'll be using a lower quality file when I upload, and unfortunately, it shows. Oh well. You get the gist.
The flight from Seoul to Kathmandu was nowhere near as comfortable as the flight from Seattle to Seoul, but it was decent enough. There was less leg room and personal space, no personal screens, I still couldn’t sleep, and it was still too hot. Pah.
Also, I...think...there was a woman who spent several hours in the bathroom. I remembered her entering the bathroom, and then the next time I saw her coming out was quite a bit later. I did notice that her hair was styled differently on the way out than on the way in. I therefore came to the conclusion that she might be a superhero, although a lousy one at best, considering it took her several hours to complete the transformation from mild-mannered woman to mild-mannered woman with a slightly different hairdo.
It also occurred to me when we were flying over the more rural areas of Kathmandu that when I was traveling in Europe, I was never too terribly concerned with getting lost, and that it was part of the fun. Here, I have to admit the prospect of getting lost is a bit more terrifying.
 |
| Korea - Kathmandu Photos |
Since arriving:
To describe the Nepali people in one word, that word would be ‘aggressive.’ They are aggressive in approaching you to start up conversations / ask for money, and are most aggressive as drivers.
The Nepali people are avid followers of a style of driving known as “nose-in” driving. This basically means that whichever direction you want to go, you just slowly nudge your nose into the...pedestrians, bicycles, oncoming traffic, or what-have-you...and then when you pass through wherever you’re trying to nose your way through, you go about your business. It’s fairly frightening. And it seems that no matter what you do, another person in another vehicle will never hit you. Ever. These people have more and greater knowledge concerning the size of their vehicle than I can ever hope to have about anything.
The electricity is on, but that is only a recent occurrence. Of course, I barely noticed until the sun began to set, and even then, it was fairly relaxing. Our hosts, RR and Chandra Pandey, have some sort of inverter-device that provides us with up to three hours of electricity when the city power is off. Unfortunately, the city power is off for twelve to fourteen hours every day.
Our hosts have a lovely home, and everyone has so far been extremely friendly. The food has been good and plentiful, and I have to say, despite my wretched fatigue, I’m having a wonderful time. I’ll leave you with a slogan I saw on an ad for Kia motors:
“The wait for the most awaited car is over.” Excellent.
I’ve also snagged a LOT of pictures. Please excuse the quality of some, as I took quite a few out the window of our truck when we were stuck in traffic. I’ll just put up two slideshows.
-Carey
 |
| First Day in Nepal |
p.s. interestingly enough, despite the excellent download times on this internet connection, the upload times aren't as impressive, so it's taking a while to upload photographs. As such, I'll be using a lower quality file when I upload, and unfortunately, it shows. Oh well. You get the gist.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Journey into the unknown…
Every trip to Nepal brings with it new hope and opportunities, as well as new and unique challenges. What will emerge from this year’s trip? As my 20 year-old son Carey and I sit in the airport awaiting our flight, our manic pre-trip preparations complete, there is time to reflect on what brought us to this point in time. The months of preparation for this moment fade away and I focus my attention on the ‘differently-abled’ of Nepal. I hope their lives receive the full impact of our Rotary Nepal Disability Awareness Campaign and we are able to bring them out of the darkness and into the light of education and opportunity!
A few highlights of this year’s journey will be the addition of Penny LeGate and cameraman Len Davis who be joining me for a three-week stay as they capture on video the impact of our programs and projects.
Jim Hebert from Hebert Research in Bellevue will be arriving on February 12th to work with the J. Walter Thompson marketing group on the Survey/Focus group work for the Disability Awareness Campaign. He’ll also be training Nepali Rotaractors on these issues, providing useful skills-training.
My wife Gina and a group of eight Rotary Volunteers will be arriving on February 18th for a two-week stay. We have some exciting volunteer projects for them to work on, so stay-tuned for those articles!
This has been a brief overview of what’s in store for this year’s trip. So many other events are scheduled to take place. Another exciting year that undoubtedly will have many unknown outcomes and consequences. That’s what makes it so exhilarating is that unknown element and interesting outcomes.
I’d like to give a big ‘shout-out’ to all of the pen-friends at Forest Ridge School in Bellevue and Meadowdale School in Edmonds. The simple act of writing a letter to make a new friend in Nepal will have unexpected and potentially exciting outcomes. Don’t underestimate the power of the pen to bring peace in our world.
With My Best Regards,
-Rob
 |
| From Some of Rob's photos |
A few highlights of this year’s journey will be the addition of Penny LeGate and cameraman Len Davis who be joining me for a three-week stay as they capture on video the impact of our programs and projects.
Jim Hebert from Hebert Research in Bellevue will be arriving on February 12th to work with the J. Walter Thompson marketing group on the Survey/Focus group work for the Disability Awareness Campaign. He’ll also be training Nepali Rotaractors on these issues, providing useful skills-training.
My wife Gina and a group of eight Rotary Volunteers will be arriving on February 18th for a two-week stay. We have some exciting volunteer projects for them to work on, so stay-tuned for those articles!
This has been a brief overview of what’s in store for this year’s trip. So many other events are scheduled to take place. Another exciting year that undoubtedly will have many unknown outcomes and consequences. That’s what makes it so exhilarating is that unknown element and interesting outcomes.
 |
| From Some of Rob's photos |
 |
| From Some of Rob's photos |
I’d like to give a big ‘shout-out’ to all of the pen-friends at Forest Ridge School in Bellevue and Meadowdale School in Edmonds. The simple act of writing a letter to make a new friend in Nepal will have unexpected and potentially exciting outcomes. Don’t underestimate the power of the pen to bring peace in our world.
With My Best Regards,
-Rob
Safely in Seoul
We have officially arrived in Seoul, South Korea! The flight here was, thankfully, hitch-free, although as always, I’ve found things to write about.
As I was packing my carry-on luggage, I was comforted by the thought that there was no possible chance of me being mistaken for a terrorist, or at the very least, needing my bags inspected, because my quart-sized ziplock container for liquids and gels was filled with copious supplies of asthma medication and acne cream. I think there were old ladies present that managed to appear more threatening than I.
I have to say that Korean Air is, quite simply, the bees’ knees. We flew on a Boeing 777, which was also the bees’ knees. In addition to a fairly generous amount of personal space (at least compared with domestic flights), we were also supplied with ‘refreshing towels’ and pouches containing socks, blinders, a keychain, and a toothbrush. Each seat came with a pillow, blanket and bottle of water on it, and in the back of every seat was a 12-or-so-inch touchscreen filled with TV shows, movies and games, all of which were complimentary. Yes. All seemed well. They even had the baggage handlers on the ground wave to the plane as we taxied down the runway, and fed us two complete meals with snacks in-between.
And yet, for all they’ve gotten right and for how far airplane technology has come, I’m appalled that the air conditioning on this brand-new Boeing 777 aircraft works about as well as the A/C in my 1991 Ford Escort (which is to say, not at all). I don’t usually mind sweating too terribly much, but I dunno, there’s just something helpless and unpleasant (and foul) about sweating for 10 hours straight because the thermostat’s broken. I should fly with sponges in my armpits.
But I digress, because the flight was, for the most part, fantastic. People generally had their sunshades down because it was sunny for the entire flight. All told, by the time we landed at sunset in Seoul, I had experienced roughly 18 hours of daylight, which was a bit disconcerting, I’ll be honest. Also, more disconcerting is that the time as I’m writing this is 8:30 pm and it feels like...not surprisingly...3:30 am, the local time in Seattle, despite all my daylight exposure.
The hotel we’re staying in is also, for the most part, very pleasant, although the careful observer will note, with some amusement, the subtle signs of general cost-cutting as well as various...eccentricities, if you will. For example, to the left of my bed is a set of double-doors, suggesting an opening to a lovely balcony with an equally lovely view. As you open the doors, you realize they were only mocking you as you are greeted with a fairly unsightly bit of wall and some a modestly-sized window, behind which lies a view composed of cement and brick not five feet away.
Also, this being the sixth floor, our room is naturally equipped with an escape device meant for use out the window. More disturbing, though, is the realization that this is a double room, with only one escape device that can only be used by one person at a time. Oh well. I’m not sure which is more frightening, a fiery death, or climbing out of a sixth floor window suspended by a length of rope attached to a garish hook in the wall.
I’ve posted a few photos of interest, mainly of signs in the hotel, and the captions shall explain why they amuse me.
In case you can’t tell, I’m actually enjoying myself immensely! I love to travel, and even more than I love to travel, I love things of some interest to happen to me while I travel. So yeah. While it may seem to some like these posts are really just rants and complaints, just understand that’s pretty much how I write, and it’s all in a (hopefully successful) attempt at some degree of humor.
-Carey
As I was packing my carry-on luggage, I was comforted by the thought that there was no possible chance of me being mistaken for a terrorist, or at the very least, needing my bags inspected, because my quart-sized ziplock container for liquids and gels was filled with copious supplies of asthma medication and acne cream. I think there were old ladies present that managed to appear more threatening than I.
I have to say that Korean Air is, quite simply, the bees’ knees. We flew on a Boeing 777, which was also the bees’ knees. In addition to a fairly generous amount of personal space (at least compared with domestic flights), we were also supplied with ‘refreshing towels’ and pouches containing socks, blinders, a keychain, and a toothbrush. Each seat came with a pillow, blanket and bottle of water on it, and in the back of every seat was a 12-or-so-inch touchscreen filled with TV shows, movies and games, all of which were complimentary. Yes. All seemed well. They even had the baggage handlers on the ground wave to the plane as we taxied down the runway, and fed us two complete meals with snacks in-between.
And yet, for all they’ve gotten right and for how far airplane technology has come, I’m appalled that the air conditioning on this brand-new Boeing 777 aircraft works about as well as the A/C in my 1991 Ford Escort (which is to say, not at all). I don’t usually mind sweating too terribly much, but I dunno, there’s just something helpless and unpleasant (and foul) about sweating for 10 hours straight because the thermostat’s broken. I should fly with sponges in my armpits.
But I digress, because the flight was, for the most part, fantastic. People generally had their sunshades down because it was sunny for the entire flight. All told, by the time we landed at sunset in Seoul, I had experienced roughly 18 hours of daylight, which was a bit disconcerting, I’ll be honest. Also, more disconcerting is that the time as I’m writing this is 8:30 pm and it feels like...not surprisingly...3:30 am, the local time in Seattle, despite all my daylight exposure.
The hotel we’re staying in is also, for the most part, very pleasant, although the careful observer will note, with some amusement, the subtle signs of general cost-cutting as well as various...eccentricities, if you will. For example, to the left of my bed is a set of double-doors, suggesting an opening to a lovely balcony with an equally lovely view. As you open the doors, you realize they were only mocking you as you are greeted with a fairly unsightly bit of wall and some a modestly-sized window, behind which lies a view composed of cement and brick not five feet away.
Also, this being the sixth floor, our room is naturally equipped with an escape device meant for use out the window. More disturbing, though, is the realization that this is a double room, with only one escape device that can only be used by one person at a time. Oh well. I’m not sure which is more frightening, a fiery death, or climbing out of a sixth floor window suspended by a length of rope attached to a garish hook in the wall.
I’ve posted a few photos of interest, mainly of signs in the hotel, and the captions shall explain why they amuse me.
 |
| Seoul Signs |
In case you can’t tell, I’m actually enjoying myself immensely! I love to travel, and even more than I love to travel, I love things of some interest to happen to me while I travel. So yeah. While it may seem to some like these posts are really just rants and complaints, just understand that’s pretty much how I write, and it’s all in a (hopefully successful) attempt at some degree of humor.
-Carey
Monday, February 2, 2009
First post of Nepal trip 2009!
My dad and I haven't left yet, but I figured I'd give you a brief update on how we're doing (translation: I want to test out a post on the blog).
My dad is, both predictably and understandably, stressed out, although I think as he gets more and more things finalized as we move closer to our departure, his stress levels drop slightly. We each have two 50-pound bags to check, as well as one carry-on and a backpack each.
I haven't been feeling too terribly stressed myself, but I also have an infinitesimally small role in this trip in comparison to my dad.
I've enabled comments on the blog so that anyone who is so inclined may do so. You DO have to do one of those thingies involving the deciphering of a wobbly word to prove that you're not an evil spambot, but I figure that it's a worthy concession.
In these comments, at least for this post, please let me know if you see any problems with the blog or if you think anything should be changed about it. It's simple and plain for two main reasons, a) we're a bit lazy, and b) it's clean, uncluttered.
I've also decided to post up a couple of test pictures as well.
Also, please keep comments clean of ...well, keep them clean.
My dad is, both predictably and understandably, stressed out, although I think as he gets more and more things finalized as we move closer to our departure, his stress levels drop slightly. We each have two 50-pound bags to check, as well as one carry-on and a backpack each.
I haven't been feeling too terribly stressed myself, but I also have an infinitesimally small role in this trip in comparison to my dad.
I've enabled comments on the blog so that anyone who is so inclined may do so. You DO have to do one of those thingies involving the deciphering of a wobbly word to prove that you're not an evil spambot, but I figure that it's a worthy concession.
In these comments, at least for this post, please let me know if you see any problems with the blog or if you think anything should be changed about it. It's simple and plain for two main reasons, a) we're a bit lazy, and b) it's clean, uncluttered.
I've also decided to post up a couple of test pictures as well.
Also, please keep comments clean of ...well, keep them clean.
 |
| Blog test photos |
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