Looking for a Job

October 25th


An other need to get away from Kathmandu, this time we literally jumped in India. We leave the house and we are early, as usual. The small and modest airport of Kathmandu welcomes us with less confusion than normal, there are holidays of Thiar, Dawali in India.

With us before the chek in there are groups of Nepali young men, they look fragile and seem to be disoriented. It's probably the first time they are out of their villages, not only the first time in an airport!  Some of them look for the check in in the wrong plane; all of tem have not the slightest idea how to fill the emigration form.
I am filling my family's forms and they ask  for help sitting near me and giving me their things: forms, passports, tikets and work permit as well! 

I write and write without stopping for at least twenty minutes. I fill forms coping names fulls of "K and H", at the end of each form I ask them to sign up, for someone seems to be a very hard job.
Someone copies the name from the form, someone writes a simbol, someone holds the pen as it was a hammer...
The all go to Doha, they are full of hopes, they probably won't  back home for a whole year.
They fly in our plane, they look like a frightened group of students.
As soon as they start to be confortable in the plane they start to stand up and go to the toilet, they disappointed the crew very much. Finally they are scolded by a stuart, perhaps they do not understand, but they follow the instructions: sit down and be calm.
The flight is very fast: lunch, one beer, and we are in New Dheli!
All of us! This big group of Nepali boys has to transit in New Dheli to go to Doha...but no one tells them what to do and they suddendly appear behind us at the  Indian immigration office.
Thanks to a Nepali lady they have the right information and they start walking like an oxen herd to the next plane.
Probably they are not engineers or doctors, but at least they will have a job.

Escape from Kathmandu

September, first weekend

It is well known: living in Kathmandu is not easy and requires a spirit of adaptation that not everyone has.

And even if you are adaptable as Canadian campers ... every now and then you have to get away!

 

Very happy to avoid the tiny taxi and travel in a comfy jeep, we packed our stuff.

After two hours of terrible roller coaster we reached the magic, peaceful, resort.

Taxi

jeep

Probably my car sickness did not know that it should not have been appeared, as we were traveling on a rather comfortable car. Despite our friend's expert driving and fastened seat belts, I bumped my head several times because of the deep holes on the road.

During the trip we had some breaks due to car and animal traffic.

Peaceful enviroment . Crazy climbing.

After a good night of tight sleeping, away from the sounds of the city, we all went out for a lovely walk.

A couple of hours of walking, uphill, but not really trekking. Everyone was happy to reach the temple, the goal for our pic nic. Pleasant walk, very nice company...the girl enjoyed the experience as well: she never complained for the fatigue!

When we arrived at our destination, we greedily shared the

food and hoped that the threatening rain would not come.

Rain that in the meantime has arrived, raising and making 

the trail slippery and muddy.

 On the way back it was fun to

 bet on who would fall again. 

It's a little less fun to take off 

the disgusting leeches that fast

jump on us.

Useless say that, once at the

 resort, we really appreciated the hot shower and the early

dinner we enjoyed together.

Unfortunately all our clothes and shoes were soaked:

impossible wearing them the day after...
On the way back.
Very ordinary house

Definitely non-ordinary



house

Football experience

The parent group of my daughter's school is definitely very active. They organize sporting, recreational and cultural activities for all tastes. The problem is that participation is not really total, parents who are working or who are lazy (the majority show both the issues), prevent being seen at school during activities. 
That seems to be the best strategy to avoid to be involved.

A group of moms, considering the coach's availability, has decided to organize an evening group to play football. So far all right. It sounds strange that women choose football as a first activity, but in school there is a beautiful well-equipped field, it's a shame not to use it.

Casually I was at school during a football workout, my daughter was having a test to enter the orchestra... of course they asked me to attend.
At that time I was not dressed properly, but I promised that if the child were to return for the rehersal, I would stop playing: the schedules coincide.

I love running, I love being in group, cheering and playing, it's usually fun. So the next week I was totally ready to join the mums.
Most of them are really fit, some are not, it doesn't matter. all are competitive and geared for battle.

The very first part of the training was nice, exercises, pratice kicks.
The funniest part was when, by wrong the exercise, we had to do ten push ups as punishment.

And up to half lesson, all acceptable. My nightmare started with the mini soccer game.

 I run a lot to get in the action, but I never got a shot. After a while I realized I was not considered good enough for the competition ... Yeah, these adorable moms all sporty sporty really takes the training game seriously. 

After twenty minutes of shots and useless races, I ended up doing the goalkeeper, to rest, then they had to blame me ... every shot was a goal.
Then I decided that football is not the right sport for me.

Bird ParK - Kuala Lumpur

Even though the gigantic city has wiped out the jungle, in the trees of parks, gardens, roundabouts in the streets, there are monkeys!
Especially within the "Bird Park" is full of monkeys looking for food from the visitor, literally begging it.
They are funny and sociable monkeys, accompanying children without any fears.

The bird park is a gigantic aviary, you could stay in a whole day, there are restaurants and shops. It is full of birds that are curious to discover the mysteries of visitors: "Why do they have worms on their paws?"

 "Why do they carry them around without eating them?"

This is definitely what the bird  asked to itself , that's why it decided to pull (using its long beak with strength and determination ) the laces of my sneakers.
And the action was successful: once the knot was loosened, I had to run away to prevent it from eating the laces!

The amount of tropical birds you can encounter at bird park is really big.


The park is closed by a network that delimits the great aviary, the city birds fraternize through the net with the park colleagues.

They are sociable, noisy and colorful. 

You have the realistic feeling of being in the jungle, but it is a set of trees in the heart of the city.

 Unfortunately we had to go back to the hotel to go to the airport in order to continue our trip, so we literally ran out of the bird park. 
Despite the expectations, I have to admit that it was a great experience and that the kid had a lot of fun.

We flew through the inevitable souvenir shop with temperatures and humidity close to zero, and we breathed with relief the umbreathable damp of Kuala Lumpur!

Kuala Lumpur -again

Malaysia is a Muslim country but tolerant, women are dressed, sometimes "undressed" western style, but wear the veil.
These are very "smart" veils: either ready  to wear as hats, or decorative headgear stuck by shiny brooches.

They are small, light, covering only the neck, rarely the shoulders. They often go well with the colors of clothes, sometimes they are a real offense to the style, but they have nothing to do with the Sudan's "cover". The muezzin calls regularly, once we have even managed to hear it. Life, however, continues, is a mix of machines and pedestrians, in a very silent and frantic complex, prayer is a background, not the day's refrain, as in Sudan.

The super KL tower is to be seen, a city observatory and a taller bridge, where the attraction is a 300-meter-high glass bullet. Really scary.

Truly the people who are queuing for the photos are hilarious. It's really funny to wait for the cleaning lady to take the rag to take away the people's footprints and leave the glass / floor transparent.
The jungle of skyscraper seems false. The incoming storm gave a dark look to the sky. Dark sky, glass and steel everywhere... everything makes you think of a cold feeling that is absolutely not here!
We are in a hot and wet weather.

Kuala Lumpur

April in Kuala Lumpur

Here we go for  holidays!

We are in Nepal, why don't take advantage of visiting some Asian countries? It is also a necessity, our daughter grows and in Kathmandu we cannot find decent clothes. We will go to China in Beijing, to visit the most touristic parts of the city, no pretense of exploration, but the necessity of transportation and convenience of the flight pushed to make the decision to stop in Kuala Lumpur. We do not stay much, just two nights.

The flight departs from the usual, boring and worn Kathmandu airport (I start not to bear it anymore). Once in the airplane the waiting starts ... yes we are all ready to go, hand luggage, raised seats, closed tables, phones and computers off and ... we wait. An announcement of the pilot explains that one of the passengers felt bad and the wait was due to the arrival of health care providers. I think of a panic attack and I hope the solution is quick, instead the wait goes on and goes on and we can not do it anymore. Finally the pilot still intervenes and explains that our travel companion was hospitalized and we can just leave the airport giving the green signal. Almost two hours delay.

Nice trip, all considered , fast, we arrive at a super mega luxurious airport and immediately strikes the contrast with the "country train station" that Kathmandu  looks like at the confrontation.
The problem at the departure meant that the suitcases were all unloaded, so a whole load of travelers looking for their own luggage, the ribbon flowing blankly and quietly between the murmur of the people. Many people, like us, had planned to stay in Kuala Lumpur for just a couple of days, all worried that their luggage would not arrive in time. I do not know how it went for the others, but our luggage arrived on the same day of departure. I understand the agitation of who had to go to another destination the next day.

The luxurious and orderly airport, the sense of activity and the frenzy that is perceived at airports usually, is here moderately moderate. Smiling small Asian people moving in small steps and fast in each direction. We are so comfortable in this situation of comfort and luxury that we decide to go to the hotel with the limousine. Memories of the Nepalese roads, let's try to get the best out of your holiday. In fact, it is not necessary, the road is so wide and flat that the machine literally saunts to the hotel,One hour in the street without hearing a single horn, without feeling stunned by the bumps of the road, it seems impossible.
The hotel is terrfic: modern, clean, big, silent... Normal, indeed. But coming from Nepal, normality is an exception. Our room is in a very high floor, the 23rd, but there are 38 floors.

We go to have a shower and sleep, after a quick dinner with dried noodles, now we know them well, they are our emergency meal. In Nepal if the premises are dirty, or if traveling by car does not allow you to have the full stomach.

Light dinner, abundant breakfast, tour in a shopping mall, essential shopping in a warm and very humid place.
It seems to always enter a greenhouse when you follow the nurseryman in search of the perfect plant, you will be happy to breathe the moist scent and you want to get out fast ... here you want to get in!

 Every place is fine, a hotel, a shop, a mall. Entering is indispensable to escape moisture, but after the first shakes, you want to get out. It's hard to find a good balance.

Yoga experience - Kathmandu Nepal

First day of holiday, I do not have any excuse: I should attend at least one yoga class!

Being in Nepal and have never followed a yoga class is like being in Italy and have never had a pizza.

So, today, after the school run , I followed a group of non-working moms.
They all were more than thirty-five, but there are some white heads, they all know each other and they look a bit '"mystical."
I must say that the only normal, "down-to-earth" and with the intention of doing some nice and relaxing exercise is my friend, the others appear to be close to a transcendental experience.

And the place is anything but transcendent: crowded little dressing room, bathroom nepali style (smelly and very small).
However I changed, I mingled with the group: I took a rug, a blanket, wooden blocks, rubber bands, a pillow ... I was really full of tools! With difficulty I sow the teacher behind the ladies, but each of us had enough room to stretch out the carpet and take a relaxed position while waiting for the lesson to start.
It begins breathing ...
Then slowly, slowly and not without difficulty I assumed different positions, starting from standing up, lying on the hips,bending my back ... I quickly lost track of the sequence of actions and let myself be carried by the voice of the teacher.
I did not understand everything she said, the young American teacher was very inspired and often whispered instructions. The positions' names, surely were  in Nepali because to me they were totally new. But I understood that I need to relax in each new position, breathing slowly and deeply. Which I did definitely good, because at the end of the lesson I did nothing but yawn. I was then overwhelmed by a very cold sensation, I had to use the blanket I had kept close to me till that moment with the other tools only partially used. During the final relaxation (although throughout the lesson had to do with relaxation) the ladies were beginning to take positions that looked at me anything but relaxing: lay with their legs crossed, in headstand position, in plank position... I covered myself and I used the pillow as pillow lying on the carpet, I was risky of falling asleep even though it was only eleven in the morning.

 Eleven! The lesson lasted nearly two hours, unbelievable!
I felt relaxed and I had the perception of having broader shoulders, deeper breath and more effective... perfect condition to go to the gym and have a good race!

Loving Nepal

Nepal is amazing! People are friendly and so welcoming and, generally speaking, I like living here, but there are some peculiar habits I'd like to share with you. Starting from the beginning...
Last night, talking to friends who are engaged in tourism in Nepal we have seen how difficult it is to find fancier places, or high accommodation standards, despite the natural beauty of this country.

If in Europe, or even better, in the United Arab Emirates, there were the highest mountains of the world, the breathtaking landscapes and unspoiled nature that are in Nepal ...

This small country in the middle of Asia would be very rich.

With the spirit of sacrifice and the predisposition to the hard work of the Nepalese, Nepal would become a tourist attraction for every citizen of the world, not only for climbers, ex-hippies or the yoga fanatics.
But the Nepali people, perhaps by excluding some wealthy younger ones, they have the spirit of sacrifice in the blood. Hot water? Why? They are already happy to finally have water in homes (almost all houses in the city have, coming from wells in certain specific situations and in the villages), they do not need to have even warm water .

THE SMALL BLACK SQUARE ON THE LEFT IS A WELL.

Why build wells detected with an edge, as they did in medieval European cities? Well, at last, is only a deep hole, just be careful not to fall into it when you let down the bucket ...
Why use a broom with a broomstick when the bunch of twigs is alredy a broom itself? 
 The lady who is cleaning is forced to be bent, but does not seem disappointed. This photos are taken from the window of my house, looking at the house across the street, but from every side I turn, I see in the morning bent ladies who clean the porch.
And the curious thing is that the "didi" (literally "sister" in Nepali, name wich is respectfully attributed to anyone who helps in a family) who cleans the stairs of the building, could easily use my normal broom, she knows she can take it... but her bunch of twigs seems to clean better!

Why use a bucket and a "washing board" as my grandmother did?

The Nepalese are so agile ... Very often you see people crouching like the man in the picture, it is the normal position to do laundry. 

Up to now it's been a year that I'm here and still do not understand.

POKHARA

Written February 18th

Sitting on the bus, waiting to leave from Pokhara. Early morning, Sunday. It seems to have been here for an entire week, but it's only three days actually. My husband made me happy with this wonderful surprise, it was long time I wanted to visit this place famous among tourists and Nepali as a holiday destination.

It was a real holiday, despite the brevity of the time spent, there were all the ingredients for a relaxing time, fun and enjoyable. As usual, the way out from the city is like a horrible rollercoaster. unpaved roads turn an ordinary trip into an adventure. A flat tire is a normal experience, remain still for hours in traffic, literally stuck between cars and trucks driven in every direction, it can become a habit in Kathmandu. What will never become a habit, it is the breathing dust ... the road is so dusty, the air so dry that breathing becames difficult, it gives you the sensation to fill nose and lungs of waste and stench. That's why, the first breaths ofthe lake's air were so invigorating and pleasant. 

The hotel was good, not exceptional, but good. Clean, tidy, very friendly people.  The child played with the receptionist every free minute, was always telling her with her proverbial excitement experiences she had done and that she intended to do. After two days she was friend of each employee, everyone greeted her by name and she was sad at having to leave.Although the weather was not the best, the mantle of pollution and clouds made everything hazy and foggy, we tried to see as much as was possible around the lake. 

Rejecting the proposal from the child to do paragliding and bungee jumping (as if she was brave enough, the little timid), we asked to cross the lake to go up to the temple of peace. The intent was, as always, to see the mountains, as well as to experience the peace and quiet of the Buddhist temple. The sailor who rowed for us was a characteristic type, English limp but very chatty. Like all Nepalese fond of children and smiling despite the fatigue.

 Stay on that boat was really scary, we did not dare move for fear of falling into the water. The water was like the typical mountain lakes lake, dark and ominous calm.The crossing lasted about half an hour or maybe even less, but we had the perception that never end. The climb to the mountain was pleasant and lonely even though finding the path was not so easy: we saw the temple on top but could not find access. Other tourists after we showed the same  difficulty. 

The little girl walked

 with enthusiasm and 

without complaint because

 it was driven by the idea 

exciting horseback ride that 

he would wait in the afternoon.

The temple really instills peace and serenity,

despite the mountains that should be 

framed on this show you are seen at all the problem of young people were Nepalese

 or Indian tourists who just

 could not respect the rule

 of silence: they chattered and laughed in order to make 

funny selfies.

The afternoon passed by
 having a drink in the
 lakeside, looking at the
 little girl who rode happy
 silhouetted on the colors 
of the sunset ... just poetry.

The activities around the lake
 kept in an almost magical stillness:
 the woman who washes clothes, 
the guy who takes pictures,
 the workers who carries his "doko" ...

 everything as if time had stopped, enclosed in these normal 
activities. And the bustle of the city seems light years away from
 here.The light dinner in the most famous restaurant in the village,
 go to sleep early in the morning because we expect the sunrise, 
all these activities we have
turned down in a real holiday.
After seeing the dawn light 
the mountains in the fog, and 
the mount fishtail turn pink 
in the gray sky, we agreed
that it was worth it to do
a early rising at five in 
the morning.
As if it were a football game, 
on the lookout at Sarankot,
 there were so many people,
 unfortunately, some of them 
really thought of being watching 
game and quacked or listened to
music. 
At the dawn moment, however, a chorus: "Ohhhhh !!!" 
 has silenced everyone. The kid also, nervous about
 waking up and climb to the top, took full beauty 
of the moment. The photos do not give a good idea.


After a quick nap in the hotel we went to vist the


 “International Mountain Museum”.
Interestingly, although the 
rooms are pretentious than in reality 
there is to see.Just to give an example:
 the part about the yeti that could be so
 interesting for children that many are 
inclined to visit the museum, consists
 of a panel with a photo and description
 of legends and a reconstruction 
(rather ugly) of the beast . 
That's it, in a sad and dark corner,
 


at the bottom of a dusty shed.
But we realized that, despite the 
great wealth in culture
and history of Nepal, the
organization of museums is not
 the best.


The Gurkha Memorial Museum,
which could attract the 
attention of many visitors,
the special view of these
 brave soldiers, is a building
 (naturally dusty) sad, with 
narrow stairways and dark
 halls. It often recalled 
the Naval Museum of Venice,
 but without presenting the 
same abundant historical path, so the museum's (the building
I mean) antiquities 
represents a message in itself.
The museum of gorka, the bravest of the brave, is interesting 
only to the insiders. Yet it is an obvious reflection of the culture
 and life of the Nepalese. Become a Gorka represents for a 
Nepalese boy a turning point in his life and in his family, 



earns much more than to do 
any other work, has a 
prestigious role in 
society and then, 
after just 16 years
of service is entitled
 to a substantial pension 
and his British citizenship. 
This is emphasized from 
the first room, sadly
 accompanied by the sound 
of gunfire and heavy moving vehicles ... makes it clear
what the price of a choice as prestigious as courageous. 
For the rest I found the museum very boring and I preferred
 to be chatting with the driver in the meantime he already 
knew all about the horseback ride that the child would have 
done in the afternoon. 


And and the next evening was
 pleasantly same as the previous, 
with drink on the lakeside while the
 girl was riding. Last round of shopping 
in fair trade that deal to employ 
disadvantaged women, dinner 
by candlelight, over vacation.
And here I am on the bus, waiting 
to face six hours (if it fits) of roads 
partially paved the Nepalese call it
 boldly highways ... the occasional 
presence of asphalt strips makes
 them different from the side streets, 
covered only with earth and boulders.