Activities of Daily Living - Adaptation

There are so many things we take for granted . Since arriving in Nepal Mark and I are having to adjust to the loss of many home comforts and learn and adapt to new ways of 'doing' or 'not doing'

Showering: Cold showers!

We have not had a hot shower since arriving in Kathmandu or Tamghas and it is unlikely that we will whilst in Nepal We have a wet area bathroom with a shower rose and taps underneath the rose with outlet as well. I have given up the sponge washing using a bucket and jug finally and have braved the cold water under the shower- Exhilarating, pore opening, hair raising ( off which there are many at this time) to say the least, A shower of very short duration as you can imagine and no shower 'buddy'!

Toileting: spray, douche or........ paper( latter I don't think so! )

This has been the biggest challenge of all. On the bus trip we stopped at small road side food houses – shacks and the toilet consisted of a separate outbuilding with Nepalese toilet : squat toilet inserted into the ground/ dirt where you squat and aim, splashing your shoes and your legs, if bare . In the ‘hotel’ and the centre we have a european toilet with a small hand held shower hose attachment beside the toilet that you use to wash down... ‘there’ . Havent quite worked out what to do after this- shake ? No toilet paper. In some places you get a tap beside the toilet , bucket and a cup or small jug to wash yourself - with your left hand . Oh we are so struggling with this practice!

Hairwashing:
Rather than standing under the cold shower I kneel on the floor and use either a cup and bucket of cold water

Dressing:
Shoes are removed at the door which is understandable when you consider the mud, dust and 'other ' things . Bare feet inside or 'house' slip- ons and bathroom jandels. All of the woman in the village cover their shoulders and legs. The young children and girls are starting to wear jeans and tee shirts . Handbags are a fashion statement

Sleep: - Oh my aching back . Sleeping is an endurance test most nights. Futon type bed , thin squab no mattress or sheets. Rock hard pillows . We have splashed out and purchased a sheet and 2 pillow cases . I have had to request several squabs .

Eating/ Meals :
Food is presented on a stainless steel round plate with separate sections for rice, curry and pickles. Works well and looks great ! Eaten with a spoon , and fork at times, or hands . Staple diet is dhal soup , rice, roti, cucumber , beans, pickles , chilli ( twice daily, every day! ), and occasionally chicken or goat . Drinks include sweet black tea and sweet milky Nepali tea.

We have enjoyed a meal in a local home today sitting on the very cleanly swept dirt floor on rice mats, in front of a smokey clay fire . Power cut - a small solar light provided the dim light , -warm and cosy. Warm Buffalo milk ( fresh from the buffalo in the yard) in a couldran on the fire , rice cooked in a pressure cooker over a gas ring on the floor, maze browned in the flames of the fire which you picked the kearnels off with your fingers , pickles and greens . All very fresh , home grown usually or local produce.
I wish I could have taken photos but I did not feel it was appropriate given we were guests .

Vacumming:( Ganga)

Womens Festival the "Teej" 11th September

The crowds.




The Teej festival ;

From the Lonely planet

“The festival of Women lasts from the second to the fifth day after the Bhadra new moon, and is particularly celebrated at Pashupathinath. The festival starts on the first day with a sumptuous meal and party , until midnight when women commence a 24 hour fast. On the second day women dress in their red wedding saris and head for the Shiva temples across the country to pray for a happy marriage. A ritual bathing ceremony brings the festival to a close.”

From Pauline

Nepalese woman have a special festival once a year to celebrate being a woman and being married . They travel home to theirs mothers village where there is dancing, laughter and sharing . The woman who are married dress in their wedding attire : a strip of red paint in their hair starting at the forehead , gold and red wedding bangles, and their red and gold wedding sari. Unmarried woman wear other coloured saris. They dance together in pairs , alot of fine hand and arms movements , turning around in circles , stepping from side to side. This happens on and off over several days . Warm smiling happy faces celebrating womanness , as well as their husbands and praying for a happy marriage.

I read an article in the local Kathmandu newspaper about this festival and the article was rather scathing about this festival to ‘celebrate women”. It was headed " Teej festival " A charade . The writer of the article was of the opinion that the festival was about celebrating marriage , being only source of happiness and future for woman .After being at the festival and participationg I feel this is a harsh modern view on a unique festival that unites woman in many ways .

I was invited to dance at the festival. ( see photos). The crowds gathered round , smiling and laughing . taking photo's. They would let me sit down. The drums played and clapping to the beat. Then it was Marks turn.

Meeting Rob Buchanan -MEND & Kamala-Singer & others

4th September. Lok, Rob and Ganga

Where do I start! Networking

Rob: born in Australia but has lived in Keri Keri for most of his life ! Lives in Nepal 5 months of the year and on a yacht when in NZ . Engineer by trade, film maker, fund raiser and probably alot of other hidden talents that we don't know about . A man with so many visions you are blinded, an ideas man . He sees a need and makes it happen for so many disabled people in Nepal. "Limbs for Life" -NZ engineering ingenuity making prosthetics from recycled aluminium cans.

(Click on the link MEND in a previous blog posting , to learn more and watch short video's on this man and the projects he is involved in.)

Rob is in Nepal before returning to NZ and he has been one of our contacts regarding the voluntary work we hoping to undertake on our travels. He has been the man behind the Hope Centre's ( Kashmir, Ghana and Nepal) There are 3 such centre's in Nepal. ( One up and running in Gulmi. The other 2 are in the developing stages, Chatara being one of these).

He throws ideas at you hoping you will have his energy and creativity, and direct approach at times, to move things along. Example: You ( meaning us) could oversee the ring fencing of the new piece of land where the centre in Chatara is to be built . He also suggested going to another centre currently being built, which is hours away in another direction to advise on the design and positioning of the toilet ! eg a squat toilet( Nepalese toilet) with a drop down seat for disabled people! No MOH or ACC funding for this or equipment company's to supply.

Kamala: a beautiful 26 year old Nepalese woman who is a triple amputee : bilateral below elbow and above right knee, as a result of electrical burns caused by a kite flying accident at the age of 10. After the accident she could not go to school, as she said to me "there are no special schools" . She lives at home with her family on the second floor ( no lift) . Since meeting Rob at the aged of 17 she has received rotary funding and was flown to Sydney to have 3 new limbs fitted . In the last few years MEND NZ have sponsored Kamala to become a singer at Do Re Mi Studio where Durga Lal Shrestha and Nhyoo Bajracharya have supported other disabled artists to make successful albums . As well as MEND supporting her one of her songs sponsored by the NZ Symphony Orchestra !
We sat on the floor in her home playing on Face book ( WiFi seems to be in many Nepalese homes ) enjoying milky Nepali tea, boiled eggs and biscuits , then listening to her album. Her parents who spoke little to no English invited us to stay the night and since meeting her again the following day the extended another invite for tea. Such welcoming people.

We spent the day following Rob around, meeting locals some of which had disabilities, others shop owners :

Lok- Nepalese film producer . Down to Zero- A film about a Nepalese mans life struggle. I sat next to Lok in the Internet cafe. He appearing somewhat emotional as he shared the film he had made. He explained to me that it was " psychology". There were scenes of a young boy bleeding from the nose, crying ( ? having been beaten) , and graphic war scenes in Nepal a few years ago ( the latter being real footage ,something Lok had witnessed/ experienced ) , loss of family land , displacement and finally death. The actors face painted in to signify the two sides of life , one side black and one side white, the black head scarf of ?communist oppression, the yellow forehead ( future hope?) and the red dot of the Hindu religion - tika .( this was my interpretation of the film combined with what I understood from the conversation I had with Lok......open to other interpretations )

Whilst walking through the Kathmandu streets a woman begging approached us. She had severe burns on her chest arms and face , contractures of the wrist and keloid scarring. From a gas bottle exploding ( Lok ascertained this ) . Rob informed about her about the "free hospital" services and surgery that may be available to her . She did not appear interested in this , money was her apparent goal, begging her occupation . From the look on Loks face he appeared to have an understanding of the woman situation . Mark and I standing observing . It makes you question- are we imposing our values ? What was her real 'need' ? Food for thought


Action packed day!

Arriving in Nepal- Culture shock !

After 26 hours of travel which involved a car ride to the train in Lison, SNCF to Paris,walk to the metro, change trains to the RER to Charles de Gaulle airport. Fly to Heathrow, catch the underground to terminal 3 , pack a tea chest( box) with half our clothes to send back to NZ, and check in to fly to Delhi. After a 8 hour flight , over night, no sleep and a curry we arrive and transfer to another flight ( Kingfisher , business class- what a way to go!) to Kathmandu. We arrive in Kathmandu , bus from the plane to the 'terminal' / shack, find out we need a photograph and $80 American dollars to get a Visa . No ATM machine in sight but thankfully someone to take your photograph for 460 Indian rupees ( thankfully we had taken some rupees out at Delhi airport) ! .We think...What now?..... immigration allow Mark to jump the queue, clear customs (not!) run downstairs to an ATM and the outside world, to get the money out. In another country he would have been arrested or shot by now. Alas...ATM machines both(2) not working! Mark spots Pauwan the young man who is collecting us from the airport( holding up a sign which has our names written on it or something like our names ) and informs him of our dilemma . Pauwan then hands over 18,000 rupees for us to transfer into US at the money exchange back upstairs in immigration! Wow...Mark was sweating by this time! Finally we complete the documentation, try to pay the money ( no one wants to take it after all this as we had been fast tracked in the queue and missed the person collecting the money! We give up trying to pay and eventually obtain the visa and leave to the outside world of Nepal.
When ride in Suzuki 900 with Pauwan and his 'taxi' driver friend through the streets of Nepal, dodging rickshaws, motor bikes, bicycles, pedestrians and other cars on single lane roads in the rain. Alot of tooting, near misses and times when I close my eyes and pray to Allah or Budha or whoever is out there. We arrive at our accommodation in the centre of Thamel ( tourist area) .
One hour after arriving there is a knock on the door of our room and low and behold it is the friendly immigration man asking us for our $80 American dollars ! He is very humble and friendly stating it is a months salary in Nepal ( which it is). We happily hand over the money rather embarassed and sit down in disbelief at the whole escapade! Welcome to Nepal .

Woof woof- happy birthday!

Alex and Richard (Photo) , friends of Jon's staged a birthday party for their dogs( 7 Brittany Spaniels if I recall ) . Friends, 20 people and dogs invited ( 6 other doggy friends ). We came into the category of people if you were wondering!



A sumptuous spread of barbecue food over a real fire; home made pates, pork sausages, chicken, roast pork and potatoes, followed by lemon tarts and chocolate flans. Yum!

Menu printed in keeping with the theme. Our menu not the dogs!



A french barn affair , 70's music, Richard shaking his booody and making grand speeches about his culinary skills and the huge amount of time he had spent preparing for the event......Delusions of grandeur from what I gather ! Alex had slaved away all day and probably the day before .
Alex flame throwing in the kitchen cooking potatoes which were golden and crispy while a young french girl and her mother made salad dressing...french of course .( maybe)


The dogs cakes on display with a platter of doggy treats. Luckily we didn't get the cakes mixed up in the dark of the night and after a few wines.



Happy birthday to you ....... in English and French, a huff and a puff , candles extinguished and dog bowls filled with dog roll gateau . Woof woof!