JapaNepal 2011

I am leaving for Japan on September 29 and arriving home from Nepal on November 19. This is the spot for my 6-week Asian experience!

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Episode two is done and done! #weare2peas

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A little shopping at night.

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Shiva Temple in Basantapur at night.

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He's packin' heat. Or something like that... I'm still not used to seeing guns out like that.

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No Strikes is Good in Baseball...

Day 33

You may never guess what I did today.

  Oh yes, I went bowling. Firstly, it was ten-pin, a rarity back home in Ottawa. Secondly, Meenu, with whom I ventured into Civic Mall, was the only girl at the lanes. Thirdly, everyone was huddled behind us, watching. They got a very poor show, unfortunately... but I was thoroughly happy to be bowling!

Except that the balls were dirty (I just typed that?), and the shoes were sketchy at best. Perhaps I’ll add it to “the things that haven’t yet killed me in Nepal” list.

The mall itself, which is has to be very new, is very modern and definitely influenced by Western malls. It has a food court, arcade, movie theatre (that supports 3D films), and escalators! You think escalators aren’t worth mentioning, but they are. Best of all, you can get a sneak peek of a mountain range from its upper floor! If only I had my camera because these are the only mountains I’ve seen here (I also saw them from the NRN convention site, it’s across the street).

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Now I know which way Canada is!

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Did you know Walmart had a Trekking shoppe in Pokhara, Nepal? I didn't, either.

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Top Pokhara Eats

Day 31

We made it to Pokhara from Kusma in a Jeep without incident. After staying there one last night, today, I made my way back to Kathmandu on a very comfortable tourist bus (shout-out to Mahendra from Holiday Trekking Shop for arranging that one).

I just want to take a second and say that the restaurants I went to while in Pokhara were all fantastic experiences! Sure, the cost was a lot higher than what it may be elsewhere, but tourists can afford it, and it’s still less expensive than it would be back home. And the quality is worth it!

Surprisingly, every restaurant is a smorgasbord of world cuising. You can get Thai, Indian, Mexican, Italian, and burgers and fries all under one roof. How can these chefs who mostly eat daal bhat, Michael and Tineke posed, create such a wide range of dishes that consistently taste amazing?

Tea Time: Not just for tea – they make pizza that rivals anything from back home that I consider excellent. The chicken tika masala is probably the best I’ve ever had. Their patio is very comfy too, it’s a great place just to chill out with a Gorkha beer and a couple friends.

  Olive’s: If you ever visit, tell Suriya I say hi. He’s the happy manager who will bend over backwards for you on a dime. On top of the company, the food is delicious! Breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert... it’s all good. As a bonus, they have a 31 Baskin Robbins inside the restaurant (and use any 3 flavours you want in a banana split)!

  Moondance: This Moondance is a popular joint! Between the hustle and bustle though, you get great service, and even greater food in surprising portions. Take for example this chicken sizzler I ordered, “chicken in gravy with vegetables and chips served on a sizzlin hot plate”. I wasn’t expecting half a chicken! Or, when I ordered a spinach-stuffed naan, I got a whole basketful of cut up bread. How I finished either of these meals is still a surprise.

You can get Canadian-style items here, it’s co-run by a Canuck.

German Bakery: If I could, I would bring a few dozen of their apple strudels home and eat them all. No sharing. They make killer iced tea lemonade – with ICE! I was so excited to have ice! The Bakery also has an outpost by Boomerang Restaurant that serves equally delicious danishes, apple pie, and cookies.

Cafe Concerto: This joint is Italian-only, and it has the longest, most detailed menu I’ve seen in Pokhara... The gnocchi I had was easily the best Italian meal I’ve had. It’s also the spiciest thing I had in Pokhara.

  Pumpernickel: Don’t go for breakfast. If you want croissants, go to the German Bakery. But for a view and nice seating, this place is pretty darned good.

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Nepali doughnuts. Donuts? Surprisingly delicious!

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Don't trust the goat!

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CFFN Community Centre Day

Day 29

Turns out, we’re only staying in Madi for the one night. The meetings we’re having today with the locals regarding the status of the community centre and a new farming project were over fairly quickly, and there’s little reason to stay around.

  We stayed at Pramod’s brother Megh’s home. His wife made excellent food. I have yet to find a corner of this country where the food isn’t short of amazing. They wanted us to stay another night, but by leaving today, we can stay in Kusma overnight, and make it back to Pokhara tomorrow. It breaks up the travelling time in a nice, convenient fashion.

The child care centre is a short but impressive hike up from Megh’s house. We went quickly in the morning and met a few kids who were waiting outside. The teacher arrived shortly thereafter.

  The building is a nice one, it’s built very strongly. Though it isn’t yet complete, it is currently being used for the kids (before the centre was being run from someone’s home). It still needs a bathroom, kitchen, and to be finished with paint, concrete floors, and cleaned building supplies removed from the outside. All this should have been done by now, but the community is energized to be finished within the next five months.

When we returned to have the meeting, there was a large group of kids playing with Duplo blocks and a ball. They were shy of me at first, but as soon as I started taking pictures and showing them, they became my best friends!

  Leaving Kusmesara – the hike is impressive in both directions – there were no Jeeps. We crammed inside a milk truck of all things to traverse that dangerous, muddy road. There were instances I thought for sure we were going to tip over on our side, and/or off the road! I didn’t sleep on this trip.

We stopped and picked up a woman with a huge basket of fresh oranges. She sat in the back with the milk. Crazy! She was nice though, she shared some oranges with the people in the cab. They were the freshest, juiciest oranges I’ve ever had!

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Enroute to Madi. Not a bad place to be!

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The woman is carrying a television, the man is carrying a really big piece of luggage. For hours! Impressive! And that's the kid with the weak stomach...

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To Madi, Bumpily

Day 28

Today’s the day we are off for Madi. Madi is where Canada Foundation for Nepal has helped build a Community Child Care Centre (for info, please visit http://4c.cffn.ca), and finally I’ll see it for myself rather than rely on photos and stories. Funny enough, that's how you've been following my Asian trip.

The morning started with an early car ride to the town of Baglung. I’d describe all the wonderful things I would have seen along the way had I not been sleeping. Either way, the exciting part of the trip was the Jeep ride from Baglung to Kusmesara.

Oh, it was exciting!

  The Jeep is “full” when it is carrying 13 people, but I think there were only 8 or 9 people waiting, us included. In order to save time and have more space, we paid for the extra absent bodies. I’m guessing as a result, the Jeep ride was one of relative luxury. But the road, man... I’d describe it as a rollercoaster, but at least rollercoasters are smooth! Though you’re rocking everywhere in every direction, I did manage to snooze on and off throughout the adventure.

One kid in the back didn’t fare to well with the constant bump motion. He got jeep sick. Unfortunately, my backpack was in the back, in front of him. Fortunately, my sleeping bag cover got the brunt of it, and he was given a few bags for the rest for the trip (which were needed – I saw him eating at one of the rest stops).

All the rain the area’s been getting has kept the dirt roads wet, and thus muddy, and with all the big, heavy vehicles that pass by, the roads are very much out of shape. One truck got stuck, so three vehicles (ours included) had to stop until it could be pulled out of the mud.

  That is a puddle in the road...

Funny, everyone is out at the scene, but only a couple of people are actually working at freeing the poor truck. At least it gave me a chance to stretch my legs and snap a few photos!

Once we made it to Kusmesara, we stopped for tea before walking the rest of the way. The small village doesn’t get very many tourists, I imagine. Everyone’s eyes were on me. People would come out and try to look into the restaurant where we stopped. I was an attraction! One brave boy said “Hello” and I think asked where I was from and where I was going. He didn’t notice when I asked, “hajur?”

  The two-hour walk to Madi was amazing! The hills (some over a kilometer high, yet are still “hills”) are covered in rice terraces – which right now people are harvesting. That’s a ton of work to do. I’m thoroughly impressed and humbled by what these countryside farmers do day-in and day-out. Anyway, walking down to near water-level, and crossing back up the other hill... it was quite the workout – for me. The locals just hop along in flipflops like it’s a walk across the street.

Unfortunately, I’m here on the wrongest of days, it’s still cloudy, which makes the area look less than awe inspiring in my photos, but trust me. You should see it in person.

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Maybe I haven't been able to see mountains, but I found one to climb!

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What's a yeti without a yak?

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I found a Yeti!