Following the temple day, Jenna and I were to accompany Dr. Dangol, the resident botanist of ISER, to a Forest User Group meeting at a local community forest. Apparently, this FUG is well organized and very competitive. They are interested in collaborating with ISER to implement several development/environmental projects funded through the Small Grants Program of the Global Environment Facility. Dr. Dangol was going to present some of the features of this program in order to keep them interested. After the presentation, Dr. Dangol took some time to show us many different plants in the community forest and he described the various ways indigenous healers used each plant. He is a wealth of information. Unfortunately he may be the most unpunctual person I have ever known. Not only was he at least a half hour late to the presentation (although the FUG was not ready for him anyways) but he also talked so long about plants that Bamdev, our cook, called several times to ask where we were for dinner. Dr. Dangol continues to be a wealth of information and continues to never be on time.
Following the presentation in the day, everybody (Cynthia, Jenna, Krishna, Bamdev, Rishi, Vishnu, and I) got loaded up into the truck to go to the city of Sauraha which is the main tourist entrance point into Chitwan National Park. We arrived in Suaraha that evening and dropped our stuff in the room at the 'Rhino Lodge Hotel'. The Hotel had gorgeous landscaping with gardens and gazebos, etc. A man names 'Sam' ran the place and was good friends with Krishna. We walked a couple hundred yards to the Rapti river bank which looked across at the open jungle of Chitwan National Park. I kept hoping for a Tiger to come out of the jungle, jump into the water and swim across. Alas, no such thing occurred. It was just about sunset when we sat down at a table with reclining chairs that faced the river. Everybody (especially our Nepali friends) seemed to be good spirits because they wanted to order snacks and beer from the nearby restaurant even before our dinner plans a little later in the evening. So when we had a good time drinking beer and sharing Universal Truths about our two different cultures. We had an especially good laugh at the fact that people learning a new language seem to speak noticeable better when a little inebriated. This was the case for Bamdev who after having a few drinks starting spewing a good deal of continuous english. He then got a call from his wife who was apparently unaware that he was going to Sauraha that night and probably was not too keen to speaking to him while inebriated. After he hung up he starting saying something that was almost completely gibberish about how everything in his life is his wife...the water, the clouds, the birds, the beer. It did not make any sense but it was still funny nonetheless. Finally, at around 8PM we went to see the Tharu Cultural Dance show. The Tharu are considered the indigenous people of the Terai (lowlands). They have been around since the 1300 century and are considered robust, hardworking, old-fashioned farmers. They are also said to be immune to malaria hence the reason they were in the Terai when no one else was or wanted to be.
The show seemed to be a local attraction. It was crowded with about 90% Nepalese and 10% foreigners. Remember that it is not tourist season. The first part of the show showcased several different group dances by men. Actually all of the dances were by men. One of the dances had a flaming pole that was spun around. The most unique portion was of a man in a giant peacock costume that dances all around and had a long peacock head that moved around and picked money up off of the ground. All of the Nepali people loved that one. The whole show Sam, Hotel manager, kept saying that Jenna and I would be dancing soon. I did not understand what he meant but I had a lurking suspicion that they were going to drag us out on the stage and make us dance. Fortunately, it was nothing so embarrassing and in fact it was a lot of fun. The announcer said that the final portion of the show was a free for all and anybody was welcome to join in the circle of dancers on the stage. Bamdev (still a little drunk) did not even wait for the drum to hit before he was on the stage. He was followed by his cousin, Rishi, Krishna, and I. It was a hoot! We just dropped around and clapped our hands while more people kept coming up on the stage. Jenna got a front row seat and took several pictures. We had a good sleep that night.
The following morning Jenna, Cynthia, and I had breakfast on the gazebo in the front of the Hotel. Then we met everybody else and went to the elephant loading dock. It was awesome to see our elephant walk up the hill from behind the jungle trees. It had huge tusks (although they were trimmed) and lumbered to the 2 story loading dock. Cynthia got in first. She had to straddle one cornerpost of the saddle apparatus. Then Jenna got in beside her and straddled the other cornerpost. I was next and then Rishi. He and I were facing the back and got a great view of the elephant's butt the whole time. Then our elephant began to slowly move away from the loading dock. It was surreal for a while. Her we were in Nepal on the back of an elephant! We crossed a little river to go into the National Park proper. Almost immediately we saw a rhino taking a nice bath in the river a little ways down. We got up close to the rhino and took lots of pictures. Then we continues further into the forest. Along the way we saw several more rhinos including mother and baby. We also saw Sambar, the largest deer in Nepal and also a prime prey species for tiger. We say a wild hair and several monkeys. The elephant was great. It would pull branches and trees out of the way that had grown over some of the paths. We rode the elephant for about 2 hours and our rumps were definitely sore after the ride.
After the elephant ride we rushed to see the elephant breeding center just a few miles away. I had thought that it was going to be some magical place where we could touch and pet the baby elephants. It was actually a little depressing. It was just a row of fenced-in enclosures with elephants of different ages chained to the central posts. We could not walk up to them and I could not believe that these wide-ranging intelligent species were too happy about their conditions.
After that, we went back to the hotel. Before we left we did some shopping at some nearby vendors. We spent a good deal of time at a vendor that had locally made products from women's groups. We left Sauraha and made a final stop before returning to the ISER guesthouse at a dress shop managed by Vishnu's (data manager for ISER) wife. Jenna had been looking forward to Nepali dress shopping. What she was not looking forward to was a group of anxious men staring at her as she tries to dress shop. I asked them to run some errands and fortunately Krisha perfectly understood. Unfortunately, that left us without a translator. The following 2-3 hours was a little brutal. Vishnu's wife, Dipa, and her assistant, Buma, began to pull practically every dress off the shelves to show Jenna in the hopes that Jenna's eyes might light up. However, anyone who knows Jenna knows that she can be a bit indecisive and much more so when people are pressuring her. Eventually, she was able to pick something out and get it tailored within 30 minutes (they didn't have to do much). We then waited for everybody to return. We realized as we waited that there had been no mention of a price. We even asked Dipa and she seemed to not respond. Then Vishnu came back and I realized why she did not quote us a price. She did not know how much to charge us. With everybody standing there, Vishnu put a price on a calculator and handed it to me...not Jenna. This was clearly men's business. I took the calculator and immediately handed it to Jenna. He was asking for a lot but we had no way to know what the suitable price for such a thing was. I was also in no mood to start negotiating price with a colleague with everybody standing around. At any rate, after we returned back to the guesthouse Jenna seemed really happy with her purchase and that is what really matters.
Monday, May 26, 2008
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Appendices
So, I realized after reading some of the previous posts that I did not finish some of the stories.
First of all, I should clarify what happened with the apple given to us by the old woman from the community forest in Chitwan. After we finished our conversation we held the apple slices until we got to a special blessing tree for the village just outside her home. Ram told us it was perfectly appropriate to place it at the base of the tree as a blessing to the gods. At the base of the tree there was also a little statue of some Hindu significance with flowers and colored rice all over it. I felt much better about placing it there than just throwing it off into a field somewhere.
Secondly, I forgot to explain why so many young people were at the stair temple. Krishna told us that lots of young couples meet at that temple without their parents knowledge of the rendezvous. They ask their parents if they can go to the temple and of course a parent would not forbid their child from going to a religious site! Then they meet up with their friends or their girlfriend/boyfriend and can walk around on the stairs or in the forests surrounding the temple relatively unbothered. Krishna said that the couple that took a picture of us probably got a kick out of the idea that their was an American couple probably doing the same thing that they were -- sneaking out to the temple to meet. Also Bamdev told us that the staring was good. He described in his broken english how if a picture looks good (he held up a book and looked at the cover) then people want to look at it but if it looks bad (he threw the book on the couch and looked away) then people do not even care to look at it. He backed up his claim by saying he overheard a group of young girls say that Jenna was very beautiful and looked like an actress because she was tall and fair. I think that Jenna was relieved to hear this.
Regarding our health. Jenna has probably been the best off of all three of us. Cynthia got a nice little bit of the diarrhea within the first few days. She did not sleep that night because she had to keep going to the restroom. Jenna mercifully gave her some Immodium. I have had several half-day bouts. Usually after a certain meal I find that I have stomach pains and then for a couple hours at least I am running to the restroom. Fortunately, it usually goes away by the next day. Jenna has had a couple bouts but nothing serious. So far, neither Jenna or I have actually been sick. That is great. I would hate to be sick here. I would just feel like I am wasting my time sitting in bed.
First of all, I should clarify what happened with the apple given to us by the old woman from the community forest in Chitwan. After we finished our conversation we held the apple slices until we got to a special blessing tree for the village just outside her home. Ram told us it was perfectly appropriate to place it at the base of the tree as a blessing to the gods. At the base of the tree there was also a little statue of some Hindu significance with flowers and colored rice all over it. I felt much better about placing it there than just throwing it off into a field somewhere.
Secondly, I forgot to explain why so many young people were at the stair temple. Krishna told us that lots of young couples meet at that temple without their parents knowledge of the rendezvous. They ask their parents if they can go to the temple and of course a parent would not forbid their child from going to a religious site! Then they meet up with their friends or their girlfriend/boyfriend and can walk around on the stairs or in the forests surrounding the temple relatively unbothered. Krishna said that the couple that took a picture of us probably got a kick out of the idea that their was an American couple probably doing the same thing that they were -- sneaking out to the temple to meet. Also Bamdev told us that the staring was good. He described in his broken english how if a picture looks good (he held up a book and looked at the cover) then people want to look at it but if it looks bad (he threw the book on the couch and looked away) then people do not even care to look at it. He backed up his claim by saying he overheard a group of young girls say that Jenna was very beautiful and looked like an actress because she was tall and fair. I think that Jenna was relieved to hear this.
Regarding our health. Jenna has probably been the best off of all three of us. Cynthia got a nice little bit of the diarrhea within the first few days. She did not sleep that night because she had to keep going to the restroom. Jenna mercifully gave her some Immodium. I have had several half-day bouts. Usually after a certain meal I find that I have stomach pains and then for a couple hours at least I am running to the restroom. Fortunately, it usually goes away by the next day. Jenna has had a couple bouts but nothing serious. So far, neither Jenna or I have actually been sick. That is great. I would hate to be sick here. I would just feel like I am wasting my time sitting in bed.
Friday, May 23, 2008
adventures at temples
After going in the field Jenna and I needed a day off to collect our thoughts and also cool our bodies down some. So on Friday we just stayed around the guesthouse and did some work but mostly read our books. We had plans for the weekend made for us. On Saturday we were to go to a temple in the hills right outside of Narayanghar. I think the temple is named Rammundid but I do not think the spelling is right because I can not find it online. Apparently the major 'attraction' of this temple is that you have to haul yourself up something like 1500 stairs up the mountain to the temple.
Jenna, Cynthia, and I all started to travel up the stairs at about 7:00AM. We were immediately aware of how crowded it was. A lot of people were walking up and we also noticed that there seemed to be lots of young people, mostly high school students. We did not think much of it then but we found out more about the age discrepancy later. We were taken on this day because it was a special holy day and many people would be going to that temple to pray and have their problems solved. Bamdev, our cook who was accompanying us that day, explained as best he could that people with any 'big problem' come here on this day to pray for its resolution. In the morning it was cool and the stair climbing was refreshing because we had not actually been doing that much walking up to that point. However, as the day wore on and the sun peeked out the stair climbing became increasingly uncomfortable. Meanwhile, groups of 80 year old woman are briskly coming DOWN the stairs from the early morning visit to the temple. I was struck by how maladapted my body was to this kind of heat. I must have several times more sweat glands as well because I felt as if I were actually soaking my REI shirt specially designed to wisk sweat away. We finally reached the top of the temple. It was a practical looking temple and was not the grand spectacle that you may expect to see after such a climb. I have a feeling that there is some greater historical significance of the temple and I will continue to look for it online to discover any more information about it.
Almost as soon as we arrived at the actual temple and sat down to catch our breath a young couple came up to Jenna and I and without saying a word took our picture with a cell-phone. They were all smiles. Then the girl sat down next to Jenna. In fact, I had to move over a little to let her in on the bench. The boy then took a picture of them. Finally, he sat next to me and had the girl take a picture of us. Then they showed us the pictures on the phone and with a single word of 'thanks' they walked off apparently pleased with the pictures. Jenna and I had no idea what just happened. I was trying to piece something together. As we had been walking up the mountain almost everybody looked (stared) at Jenna. They did not pay me much attention. It had something to do with her. Earlier that morning Jenna was concerned about wearing a tank-top up to the temple but she was more concerned about how hot she was going to be and so decided to wear it regardless. At first, I was afraid people were staring because they were offended by the outfit. However, why would that couple have wanted a picture of us? I was perplexed.
Bamdev bid us to the temple and said we could enter. I am not sure if I mentioned this earlier but you can not wear shoes into the temple. I think there are probably two reasons for this. One, I think the temple can stay much cleaner if people do not drag their muddy shoes but also it has to do with leather in most shoes. Cows are, of course, holy and so wearing their skin inside a temple is offensive. I saw a sign which explicitly requested people take their shoes off at a temple in Kathmandu for just that reason. We entered the small room and a Hindi priest put a 'tika' or blessing on me and then Jenna. He then put a red ribbon over my head and handed my half of a coconut. I do know the significance of any of these things. However Bamdev was insistent that we not dispose of the coconuts. He put them in a bag and I do not know what eventually happened to those coconuts. Bamdev also told us that the ribbons the priest put over my and Jenna's head were especially significant for us because it strengthens the relationship. After exiting the temple I was given another reason why I am not adapted well to this climate. The 'tika' composed of red-dyed rice was melting immediately and streaking down my nose making me look foolish. Of course, none of the Nepali people had that happening just sweaty me. All of us sat back down on a bench. We were approached by 4 or so young boys. They spoke to Jenna and asked if they could take her picture. It was awkward but we did not know what to say. Bamdev stood up and began interrogating them like a father would the boyfriend of his young daughter. I heard him repeatedly ask them why and apparently their answer was not sufficient because he literally shooed them away. It was pretty cool. Bamdev is short and a little rotund but I personally think he has a tough looking face. I would not want to mess with him.
When we started walking back down the stairs he told us that it was alright for a couple to take pictures of us but that a group of boys was not appropriate. I thought that might be something like a Universal Truth.
After that temple we were taken to another temple nearby. Actually we went to the Devghat area which is a collection of temples and is apparently (I found out on Wikipedia) one of the most holy places for Hindus. We crossed a huge footbridge that spanned the Narayani river but when we got to the other side all the energy needed to walk to the temples seemed to dissipate. So we never saw the temple on the other side. Instead, we walked back over the bridge and explored a little neighborhood directly on the other side of the river that looked at the temple on the other side. We were told that this neighborhood is sort of like an old folks area. The people that live there are very religious and have moved there to practice there religion 24/7. Ancient temples are interwoven in the neighborhood. As we walked around we heard the deep drumming and chants of some Hare Krishnas. We also saw this huge statue of Hanuman, a human with a monkey's head. Of course, it is more complicated than that. On wikipedia it says that Hanuman was made famous in the epic story about Lord Rama of ancient India. Hanuman is a follower and plays lots of crucial parts in the story.
That night, Bamdev and Rishi bought a couple hindi movies for us to watch. I set up my computer to the projector and started the movie but it did not have any english subtitles. Not that it made any difference because 'Bollywood' movies are these eccentric musicals where it is not difficult to get the general outline of the plot. In fact, this movie, Vivar, was probably easier than most. The subtitle was 'a journey from engagement to marriage'. It was very Disney. Everybody was fairly wealthy and happy. The beautiful daughter that has been very deliberately kept away from boys by her mother is now at the marrying age. A son from another family is also ready to marry. So, very naturally, the fathers arrange a marriage! Then the journey of love begins...
Jenna, Cynthia, and I all started to travel up the stairs at about 7:00AM. We were immediately aware of how crowded it was. A lot of people were walking up and we also noticed that there seemed to be lots of young people, mostly high school students. We did not think much of it then but we found out more about the age discrepancy later. We were taken on this day because it was a special holy day and many people would be going to that temple to pray and have their problems solved. Bamdev, our cook who was accompanying us that day, explained as best he could that people with any 'big problem' come here on this day to pray for its resolution. In the morning it was cool and the stair climbing was refreshing because we had not actually been doing that much walking up to that point. However, as the day wore on and the sun peeked out the stair climbing became increasingly uncomfortable. Meanwhile, groups of 80 year old woman are briskly coming DOWN the stairs from the early morning visit to the temple. I was struck by how maladapted my body was to this kind of heat. I must have several times more sweat glands as well because I felt as if I were actually soaking my REI shirt specially designed to wisk sweat away. We finally reached the top of the temple. It was a practical looking temple and was not the grand spectacle that you may expect to see after such a climb. I have a feeling that there is some greater historical significance of the temple and I will continue to look for it online to discover any more information about it.
Almost as soon as we arrived at the actual temple and sat down to catch our breath a young couple came up to Jenna and I and without saying a word took our picture with a cell-phone. They were all smiles. Then the girl sat down next to Jenna. In fact, I had to move over a little to let her in on the bench. The boy then took a picture of them. Finally, he sat next to me and had the girl take a picture of us. Then they showed us the pictures on the phone and with a single word of 'thanks' they walked off apparently pleased with the pictures. Jenna and I had no idea what just happened. I was trying to piece something together. As we had been walking up the mountain almost everybody looked (stared) at Jenna. They did not pay me much attention. It had something to do with her. Earlier that morning Jenna was concerned about wearing a tank-top up to the temple but she was more concerned about how hot she was going to be and so decided to wear it regardless. At first, I was afraid people were staring because they were offended by the outfit. However, why would that couple have wanted a picture of us? I was perplexed.
Bamdev bid us to the temple and said we could enter. I am not sure if I mentioned this earlier but you can not wear shoes into the temple. I think there are probably two reasons for this. One, I think the temple can stay much cleaner if people do not drag their muddy shoes but also it has to do with leather in most shoes. Cows are, of course, holy and so wearing their skin inside a temple is offensive. I saw a sign which explicitly requested people take their shoes off at a temple in Kathmandu for just that reason. We entered the small room and a Hindi priest put a 'tika' or blessing on me and then Jenna. He then put a red ribbon over my head and handed my half of a coconut. I do know the significance of any of these things. However Bamdev was insistent that we not dispose of the coconuts. He put them in a bag and I do not know what eventually happened to those coconuts. Bamdev also told us that the ribbons the priest put over my and Jenna's head were especially significant for us because it strengthens the relationship. After exiting the temple I was given another reason why I am not adapted well to this climate. The 'tika' composed of red-dyed rice was melting immediately and streaking down my nose making me look foolish. Of course, none of the Nepali people had that happening just sweaty me. All of us sat back down on a bench. We were approached by 4 or so young boys. They spoke to Jenna and asked if they could take her picture. It was awkward but we did not know what to say. Bamdev stood up and began interrogating them like a father would the boyfriend of his young daughter. I heard him repeatedly ask them why and apparently their answer was not sufficient because he literally shooed them away. It was pretty cool. Bamdev is short and a little rotund but I personally think he has a tough looking face. I would not want to mess with him.
When we started walking back down the stairs he told us that it was alright for a couple to take pictures of us but that a group of boys was not appropriate. I thought that might be something like a Universal Truth.
After that temple we were taken to another temple nearby. Actually we went to the Devghat area which is a collection of temples and is apparently (I found out on Wikipedia) one of the most holy places for Hindus. We crossed a huge footbridge that spanned the Narayani river but when we got to the other side all the energy needed to walk to the temples seemed to dissipate. So we never saw the temple on the other side. Instead, we walked back over the bridge and explored a little neighborhood directly on the other side of the river that looked at the temple on the other side. We were told that this neighborhood is sort of like an old folks area. The people that live there are very religious and have moved there to practice there religion 24/7. Ancient temples are interwoven in the neighborhood. As we walked around we heard the deep drumming and chants of some Hare Krishnas. We also saw this huge statue of Hanuman, a human with a monkey's head. Of course, it is more complicated than that. On wikipedia it says that Hanuman was made famous in the epic story about Lord Rama of ancient India. Hanuman is a follower and plays lots of crucial parts in the story.
That night, Bamdev and Rishi bought a couple hindi movies for us to watch. I set up my computer to the projector and started the movie but it did not have any english subtitles. Not that it made any difference because 'Bollywood' movies are these eccentric musicals where it is not difficult to get the general outline of the plot. In fact, this movie, Vivar, was probably easier than most. The subtitle was 'a journey from engagement to marriage'. It was very Disney. Everybody was fairly wealthy and happy. The beautiful daughter that has been very deliberately kept away from boys by her mother is now at the marrying age. A son from another family is also ready to marry. So, very naturally, the fathers arrange a marriage! Then the journey of love begins...
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
In the field in Chitwan
For our first day in the field we were designated an assistant who was familiar with the area and the people. His name is Ram. I am pretty sure that is a name of a Hindu god but I am not sure what the significance of the god is. Several of the people working here have Hindu god names. For instance, Vishnu the data manager, Krishna our guide, and finally Ram our field assistant. Ram's english is...so-so. He can speak pretty well if given enough time but he has difficulty understanding our questions. For instance, I might ask him "How far have these people walked to get this grass" and he would say that roughly 1500 people use this community forest.
Anyways, Jenna and I set out without much of a clue as to where we going or whom we would see. That has sort of been the Modus Operandi. We are told very approximately what our activities will be for one day but we do not have any details. I have been trying to determine if that is a cultural thing or just the individuals that we are interacting with. For instance, Krisha will tell us on one day that we will go to explore community forests. We are told when to have breakfast but that is about all we get. Then the next day all sorts of things change or are modified. For a type A personality (like Jenna) it could really start to drive you nuts. I, myself, am not a planner but it still starts to get frustrating feeling like cattle.
Where are we going specifically? When should we be ready by? Oh, you need us ready in 5 minutes. Etc. etc.
The first thing we did was go to Belsher community forest that falls within the Buffer Zone of the National Park. The idea of the buffer zone is that forests immediately surrounding the Park should be managed for multiple purposes. First and foremost, the forests should be conserved as best as possible so wildlife could spill over into those forests without running into a wall of people and creating human/wildlife conflict. The second objective of buffer zone forests is to also provide communities living in them with essential forest products like fodder for livestock, fuelwood, and thatch grass for buildings. The reason Ram took us to this particular community forest was because it sat right on the Rapti river looking at the boundary of the National Park. I had told him that I want to examine attitudes to tiger presence from people living as close to the Park as possible. He obliged. In fact, a portion of Belsher had been turned into a protected area (with requisite restaurant and lodge) for tourists to stroll through while looking at the National Park across the river. We walked across Bamboo bridges and watched people crossing the Rapti from the Park side towards the community forest with backloads of grass. That is illegal. More on that later. Towards the end of our stroll we met an old couple who lived in the forest. They asked us to sit down and Ram began to ask them questions about tigers and the forest. They said that they had not seen tigers for a long time but that they frequently see Rhinos. In the middle of the conversation, the old women changed her blouse right in front of us while she kept talking about the forest. Afterwards, she brought us a slice of apple. Now, Jenna and I were faced with a dilemma because we were explicitly told not to eat fruit if it had been washed in unfiltered water. This fruit literally had dirt smudges still on it. The old woman told us that this apple represented a blessing from god. We just held on to them and smiled a lot at her. The old man also said that members from the local community meet in a meeting hall next door every Monday. I have some survey questions that require forums and so I asked the old man (through Ram) if we could attend. He said absolutely. I am looking forward to that experience.
Then we walked down to the Rapti where we saw a steady stream of people walking with thatch grass on their backs from a forest on the National Park side. Ram explained that people here still consider the island of forest as their community forest. This is because several years ago it was until the Rapti river moved and created an island of forest which was then put under National Park jurisdiction. I do not know if this is because the Rapti represents the Park boundary or if it is for some other reason. Anyways, the people are not buying it and just continue to use it. The funny thing is that when we walked up to the River Ram told Jenna that she should not take pictures of the women crossing the river. This is because they had to pull their skirts up just above their knees in order to cross. Mind you, that their backs are loaded with grass. I thought it was so interesting that women do not appear to be modest about their breasts (old woman undressing among other examples) but are absolutely modest about even the slightest amount of exposed leg showing. After speaking to several women about how often they get grass, how far they walk, where they get their grass, and finally if they have ever seen tigers we went to get lunch back at the Belsher restaurant.
The next day we went to several more community forests. The first community forest we went to was Bandebi community forest right about at the junction point of Barandibar forest and the National Park. The Barandibar forest is particularly interesting to me. The south half of the North-South oriented forest is considered buffer-zone, whereas the north half is a mosiac of community forests. The areas directly east and west of this forest are considered heavily cultivated and are not good wildlife habitat. Very recently, thanks to good forest management, several tigers have been reported moving out of the National Park and into the Barandibar forest. This obviously presents a double edged sword. Several enterprising community forests have incorporated the notion of resident tigers into tourist packages. Revenue from these tourist packages would go directly back into community development. Not bad right? However, more tigers always means more conflict with humans. They eat goats, cows, chickens, and even sometimes attack or kill people. The Barandibar forest is also interesting precisely because of the different types of forest management that occurs within it.
Ram did a lot of the same. He talked to local passersby about any tiger sightings and the structure of their community forest. The things I took out of these conversations was that 1) people have not seen tigers at all, 2) Rhinos used to be a big problem because they raided crops but that 3) after building an electric fence the Rhinos are not as bad a problem and that people generally feel safe collecting forest products and grazing their livestock in the forest. We also briefly visited '20,000 lake' within the Barandibar forest. Apparently, it is a great site for bird watching but I was not impressed by it's aesthetic beauty or anything. After that we went to visit Devnagar community forest that was further down along Barandibar forest and we also visited a subcommunity of Belsher. The subcommunity was new because the Rapti several years before had flooded so much that it engulfed their old homes. The community appeared very poor and we witnessed people making fishing nets. Also, two girls were infatuated with Jenna's skin and kept touching her arm. So I took a couple pictures of all of them. Finally, we went to a village called Bisendranagar(sp?). Their we spoke with an old man. Ram asked him how he felt about tigers living in the nearby forests and said that he did not have any opinion. Somehow, I did not really believe that.
The third day with Ram was the most interesting. He had planned for us to meet with a person that was attacked by a tiger. Unfortunately, in the early morning, Jenna got very feint because of the heat and we took her back to a room attached the restaurant that we were going to eat at later in the day. The room was part of a guesthouse used in the past I believe where researchers would stay. Ram and I went to the village with the attackee and found his house but then there was some strange commotion. A man walked out right past Ram and stood in the street for a couple seconds not really looking at anything or anyone. He was also having a hard time standing. He then broke out into Nepali song. No one really seemed to pay him much attention as if he were the local alcoholic. Ram came up to me and we started walking away from the house. Ram said that the attackee was that immensely drunk man. It was 10:30 in the morning. Ram said that we would go to the Buffer zone office nearby ask some people in there some questions and then return to speak with the attackee's family about the incident. We returned and attackee had had his clothes changed and he was beckoning us into his little covered patio. He told us that he was a game scout for the Park for some time. He went out one day with 3 other game scouts to do their rounds. The tiger attacked one man two others ran away and the man we were currently spoke to stood his ground. Then was clawed on his back and shoulders. The tiger then left. He told us it had cubs. That makes some sense. This is where the story goes south. He then said that as he was waiting there bleeding for an hour and a half he saw Durgha the goddess of power appear from her hiding place in the jungle bushes. She bestowed power from the tiger onto him. He was picked up and taken to the hospital. He was a bitter man. He said that the Park promised him some compensation but that they never made good on their promise. He said that if he wanted to he could go into the jungle and kill tigers just with his 'power'. Not physical strength but with his power. When asked if he thought there were more tigers now than before he said that he thought their were less. He said because of his power and his discontent that tigers were dying in the forest. Keep in mind that this whole time is still clearly inebriated and is slurring, talking loud, and talking very close to Ram's face. He was a sad sight to see. After this meeting we got lunch and Jenna felt well enough to continue on with us.
Ram got news from the Buffer zone office that there was another man in the vicinity who had been attacked by a tiger. We met him. He was accompanied by several of his friends. I have noticed that in the middle of the day lots of people just hang out in shaded areas. He was sober and completely normal. We asked about the event. He said that a tiger came into the farm fields and that a group of men tried to shoo him away. The tiger got frightened and clawed his forearm. The tiger then disappeared in the field. Then a park ranger came and shot into the air to scare the tiger away but it did not work. Finally, they had to shoot the tiger because it was just too close to the village and did not want to leave. That was sad for me.
Anyways, Jenna and I set out without much of a clue as to where we going or whom we would see. That has sort of been the Modus Operandi. We are told very approximately what our activities will be for one day but we do not have any details. I have been trying to determine if that is a cultural thing or just the individuals that we are interacting with. For instance, Krisha will tell us on one day that we will go to explore community forests. We are told when to have breakfast but that is about all we get. Then the next day all sorts of things change or are modified. For a type A personality (like Jenna) it could really start to drive you nuts. I, myself, am not a planner but it still starts to get frustrating feeling like cattle.
Where are we going specifically? When should we be ready by? Oh, you need us ready in 5 minutes. Etc. etc.
The first thing we did was go to Belsher community forest that falls within the Buffer Zone of the National Park. The idea of the buffer zone is that forests immediately surrounding the Park should be managed for multiple purposes. First and foremost, the forests should be conserved as best as possible so wildlife could spill over into those forests without running into a wall of people and creating human/wildlife conflict. The second objective of buffer zone forests is to also provide communities living in them with essential forest products like fodder for livestock, fuelwood, and thatch grass for buildings. The reason Ram took us to this particular community forest was because it sat right on the Rapti river looking at the boundary of the National Park. I had told him that I want to examine attitudes to tiger presence from people living as close to the Park as possible. He obliged. In fact, a portion of Belsher had been turned into a protected area (with requisite restaurant and lodge) for tourists to stroll through while looking at the National Park across the river. We walked across Bamboo bridges and watched people crossing the Rapti from the Park side towards the community forest with backloads of grass. That is illegal. More on that later. Towards the end of our stroll we met an old couple who lived in the forest. They asked us to sit down and Ram began to ask them questions about tigers and the forest. They said that they had not seen tigers for a long time but that they frequently see Rhinos. In the middle of the conversation, the old women changed her blouse right in front of us while she kept talking about the forest. Afterwards, she brought us a slice of apple. Now, Jenna and I were faced with a dilemma because we were explicitly told not to eat fruit if it had been washed in unfiltered water. This fruit literally had dirt smudges still on it. The old woman told us that this apple represented a blessing from god. We just held on to them and smiled a lot at her. The old man also said that members from the local community meet in a meeting hall next door every Monday. I have some survey questions that require forums and so I asked the old man (through Ram) if we could attend. He said absolutely. I am looking forward to that experience.
Then we walked down to the Rapti where we saw a steady stream of people walking with thatch grass on their backs from a forest on the National Park side. Ram explained that people here still consider the island of forest as their community forest. This is because several years ago it was until the Rapti river moved and created an island of forest which was then put under National Park jurisdiction. I do not know if this is because the Rapti represents the Park boundary or if it is for some other reason. Anyways, the people are not buying it and just continue to use it. The funny thing is that when we walked up to the River Ram told Jenna that she should not take pictures of the women crossing the river. This is because they had to pull their skirts up just above their knees in order to cross. Mind you, that their backs are loaded with grass. I thought it was so interesting that women do not appear to be modest about their breasts (old woman undressing among other examples) but are absolutely modest about even the slightest amount of exposed leg showing. After speaking to several women about how often they get grass, how far they walk, where they get their grass, and finally if they have ever seen tigers we went to get lunch back at the Belsher restaurant.
The next day we went to several more community forests. The first community forest we went to was Bandebi community forest right about at the junction point of Barandibar forest and the National Park. The Barandibar forest is particularly interesting to me. The south half of the North-South oriented forest is considered buffer-zone, whereas the north half is a mosiac of community forests. The areas directly east and west of this forest are considered heavily cultivated and are not good wildlife habitat. Very recently, thanks to good forest management, several tigers have been reported moving out of the National Park and into the Barandibar forest. This obviously presents a double edged sword. Several enterprising community forests have incorporated the notion of resident tigers into tourist packages. Revenue from these tourist packages would go directly back into community development. Not bad right? However, more tigers always means more conflict with humans. They eat goats, cows, chickens, and even sometimes attack or kill people. The Barandibar forest is also interesting precisely because of the different types of forest management that occurs within it.
Ram did a lot of the same. He talked to local passersby about any tiger sightings and the structure of their community forest. The things I took out of these conversations was that 1) people have not seen tigers at all, 2) Rhinos used to be a big problem because they raided crops but that 3) after building an electric fence the Rhinos are not as bad a problem and that people generally feel safe collecting forest products and grazing their livestock in the forest. We also briefly visited '20,000 lake' within the Barandibar forest. Apparently, it is a great site for bird watching but I was not impressed by it's aesthetic beauty or anything. After that we went to visit Devnagar community forest that was further down along Barandibar forest and we also visited a subcommunity of Belsher. The subcommunity was new because the Rapti several years before had flooded so much that it engulfed their old homes. The community appeared very poor and we witnessed people making fishing nets. Also, two girls were infatuated with Jenna's skin and kept touching her arm. So I took a couple pictures of all of them. Finally, we went to a village called Bisendranagar(sp?). Their we spoke with an old man. Ram asked him how he felt about tigers living in the nearby forests and said that he did not have any opinion. Somehow, I did not really believe that.
The third day with Ram was the most interesting. He had planned for us to meet with a person that was attacked by a tiger. Unfortunately, in the early morning, Jenna got very feint because of the heat and we took her back to a room attached the restaurant that we were going to eat at later in the day. The room was part of a guesthouse used in the past I believe where researchers would stay. Ram and I went to the village with the attackee and found his house but then there was some strange commotion. A man walked out right past Ram and stood in the street for a couple seconds not really looking at anything or anyone. He was also having a hard time standing. He then broke out into Nepali song. No one really seemed to pay him much attention as if he were the local alcoholic. Ram came up to me and we started walking away from the house. Ram said that the attackee was that immensely drunk man. It was 10:30 in the morning. Ram said that we would go to the Buffer zone office nearby ask some people in there some questions and then return to speak with the attackee's family about the incident. We returned and attackee had had his clothes changed and he was beckoning us into his little covered patio. He told us that he was a game scout for the Park for some time. He went out one day with 3 other game scouts to do their rounds. The tiger attacked one man two others ran away and the man we were currently spoke to stood his ground. Then was clawed on his back and shoulders. The tiger then left. He told us it had cubs. That makes some sense. This is where the story goes south. He then said that as he was waiting there bleeding for an hour and a half he saw Durgha the goddess of power appear from her hiding place in the jungle bushes. She bestowed power from the tiger onto him. He was picked up and taken to the hospital. He was a bitter man. He said that the Park promised him some compensation but that they never made good on their promise. He said that if he wanted to he could go into the jungle and kill tigers just with his 'power'. Not physical strength but with his power. When asked if he thought there were more tigers now than before he said that he thought their were less. He said because of his power and his discontent that tigers were dying in the forest. Keep in mind that this whole time is still clearly inebriated and is slurring, talking loud, and talking very close to Ram's face. He was a sad sight to see. After this meeting we got lunch and Jenna felt well enough to continue on with us.
Ram got news from the Buffer zone office that there was another man in the vicinity who had been attacked by a tiger. We met him. He was accompanied by several of his friends. I have noticed that in the middle of the day lots of people just hang out in shaded areas. He was sober and completely normal. We asked about the event. He said that a tiger came into the farm fields and that a group of men tried to shoo him away. The tiger got frightened and clawed his forearm. The tiger then disappeared in the field. Then a park ranger came and shot into the air to scare the tiger away but it did not work. Finally, they had to shoot the tiger because it was just too close to the village and did not want to leave. That was sad for me.
Friday, May 16, 2008
In Chitwan!
So, we have already been in Chitwan for about a week. We have seen a lot and done a lot. I will try to recap.
The trip down from Kathmandu was jarring and quickly became uncomfortable. Especially, because we had three people in the back seat. The driving in general in Nepal is sort of like a non-stop game of chicken. Everybody honks at everybody and no one really wants to slow down. The first portion of the drive was through Kathmandu to the only major road ("freeway") that goes across Nepal from east to west. That part of the drive was insanely crowded and the air quality was abysmal. But we finally made it through the congested city traffic and made it to more open roads. The only major interesting aspect of the trip down (it was down the whole way to Chitwan because Kathmandu is at about 4500 ft.) was the trucks that we saw constantly coming up from the Terai -- the lowlands of Nepal. The trucks were bringing up resources from the lowlands or Terai. But unlike our semis these trucks were brightly colored and had goofy sayings on them like "speed control" and just had a dash of uniqueness to each one.
We got down to the lowlands and drove through Narayanghar, the major city in the Chitwan district. Krishna, our guide, lives near there. Then we went straight to the Institute for Social and Environmental Research guesthouse. The guesthouse and ISER office stood out like a sore thumb from a mile away because it looked new and well kept and generally important. Most of the buildings that we had been passing up to that point were just small homes and shops. The premises of ISER are gated and they have gardens lining the inside of the property. We were greeted by our cook Bamdev and his cousin Rishi. They are the caretakers of the guesthouse. We had to take off our shoes when we entered the guesthouse and I must say that I have become a fan of that custom. First of all, the floors are marble like and super clean. It is refreshing to just slip off your sandals at the door and immediately walk on clean cool floor and then when you need to leave you can just quickly throw the sandals back on and be on your way. We were then taken up to our rooms. The rooms are fantastic especially given the standards of this poor area. We are definitely being well taken care off. Our room has a fan, closet, double bed, desk, and most importantly...a newly installed air conditioner. They had to get a separate generator to power the fans and air conditioners.
The very first thing we did was meet the people who work for ISER. These are local Nepali people who have been hired to conduct surveys, handle computer issues, and perform other tasks. The executive director, Dirgha, introduced us to everybody. It was awkward and a little uncomfortable but what are you to expect with the language and cultural divide. Plus, everybody in the room knows that the awkward feeling is temporary. In the meeting we briefly mentioned what are plans were while we were here. Then we went back to the guesthouse and got our bearings. I don't think I mentioned that our room also has a balcony. The first few minutes Jenna and I were in our room we stood on the balcony. It was a gorgeous late afternoon because a storm was coming in off the Mahabharat hills (foothills of the Himalayas). The storm came quickly, blew lots of wind, dropped a few rain drops, cooled the air, and left almost as quickly as it had come. Then we were beckoned for dinner. Bamdev and Rishi outdo themselves for every meal and our first was no exception. They catered to our every need and fed us like pigs. They prepare and serve all the dishes and then constantly ask if you want more food while you are eating. Joining Cynthia, Jenna, and I for our first meal was Dirgha and Krishna. The plan for us the next day was to just explore the study area of Western Chitwan and soak everything up. The study area is just north of the Chitwan National Park and rests in between the Narayani river (also National Park land) and the Barandibar forest that juts almost straight out of the Park. More on that later.
The trip down from Kathmandu was jarring and quickly became uncomfortable. Especially, because we had three people in the back seat. The driving in general in Nepal is sort of like a non-stop game of chicken. Everybody honks at everybody and no one really wants to slow down. The first portion of the drive was through Kathmandu to the only major road ("freeway") that goes across Nepal from east to west. That part of the drive was insanely crowded and the air quality was abysmal. But we finally made it through the congested city traffic and made it to more open roads. The only major interesting aspect of the trip down (it was down the whole way to Chitwan because Kathmandu is at about 4500 ft.) was the trucks that we saw constantly coming up from the Terai -- the lowlands of Nepal. The trucks were bringing up resources from the lowlands or Terai. But unlike our semis these trucks were brightly colored and had goofy sayings on them like "speed control" and just had a dash of uniqueness to each one.
We got down to the lowlands and drove through Narayanghar, the major city in the Chitwan district. Krishna, our guide, lives near there. Then we went straight to the Institute for Social and Environmental Research guesthouse. The guesthouse and ISER office stood out like a sore thumb from a mile away because it looked new and well kept and generally important. Most of the buildings that we had been passing up to that point were just small homes and shops. The premises of ISER are gated and they have gardens lining the inside of the property. We were greeted by our cook Bamdev and his cousin Rishi. They are the caretakers of the guesthouse. We had to take off our shoes when we entered the guesthouse and I must say that I have become a fan of that custom. First of all, the floors are marble like and super clean. It is refreshing to just slip off your sandals at the door and immediately walk on clean cool floor and then when you need to leave you can just quickly throw the sandals back on and be on your way. We were then taken up to our rooms. The rooms are fantastic especially given the standards of this poor area. We are definitely being well taken care off. Our room has a fan, closet, double bed, desk, and most importantly...a newly installed air conditioner. They had to get a separate generator to power the fans and air conditioners.
The very first thing we did was meet the people who work for ISER. These are local Nepali people who have been hired to conduct surveys, handle computer issues, and perform other tasks. The executive director, Dirgha, introduced us to everybody. It was awkward and a little uncomfortable but what are you to expect with the language and cultural divide. Plus, everybody in the room knows that the awkward feeling is temporary. In the meeting we briefly mentioned what are plans were while we were here. Then we went back to the guesthouse and got our bearings. I don't think I mentioned that our room also has a balcony. The first few minutes Jenna and I were in our room we stood on the balcony. It was a gorgeous late afternoon because a storm was coming in off the Mahabharat hills (foothills of the Himalayas). The storm came quickly, blew lots of wind, dropped a few rain drops, cooled the air, and left almost as quickly as it had come. Then we were beckoned for dinner. Bamdev and Rishi outdo themselves for every meal and our first was no exception. They catered to our every need and fed us like pigs. They prepare and serve all the dishes and then constantly ask if you want more food while you are eating. Joining Cynthia, Jenna, and I for our first meal was Dirgha and Krishna. The plan for us the next day was to just explore the study area of Western Chitwan and soak everything up. The study area is just north of the Chitwan National Park and rests in between the Narayani river (also National Park land) and the Barandibar forest that juts almost straight out of the Park. More on that later.
Monday, May 12, 2008
Thursday, May 8, 2008
First post -- impressions and experiences
This is my first post on my first blog on my first trip to Nepal. I should probably start by describing some of the drama that unfolded several days prior to my trip. My girlfriend, Jenna, and I were trying to book a hotel in Delhi, India through an AAA travel agent. We had a lay-over of 15 hours in Delhi prior to our last leg to Kathmandu. We received a shock when we were told that we HAD to have a transit visa prior to traveling or that we would be deported right back to where we came from. This conversation took place on 05/02/08 and we were departing to Kathmandu on 05/05/08. Definitely not enough time to obtain a visa. After many distressed calls to American Airlines employees, Delhi Airport employees, and even my Uncle who worked in the American embassy in Delhi several years ago I felt somewhat reassured that we could stay in the transit lounge to pass the time until we needed to board our flight to Nepal. By the way, the Delhi airport received the 2006 poop airport award from the website www.sleepinginairports.com. We had a lot to look forward to. In addition, I did not feel particularly comfortable about traveling through Delhi with a $10,000 GPS unit so I carried it on the plane.
After 15 hours we finally arrived in Delhi from Chicago. The airport was under renovation. We were reassured that our luggage would be safely held in the Delhi customs warehouse and then delivered to the gate of our departing flight 15 hours later. We paid some money and stayed in a pretty decent lounge where we had complimentary food and drink. However, no matter how many free sodas you can get 15 hours seems like a lifetime after a 15 hour flight. Our airport 'assistant' had not given us our boarding passes by 12:00 and we were scheduled to leave at 12:55. We could see the huge security line and we were afraid that after waiting patiently for so many hours we would somehow miss the flight and have to wait another god-awful amount of time until the next flight. However, our assistant came flying into the lounge with our passes and escorted us through a short security line where my GPS unit managed to not set off any warnings whatsoever...go figure. It was not until we arrived to the hotel in Kathmandu that we realized that all of the clasps/zippers on our luggage had been tied closed with some metal wire (lead?). I had to spend an hour with my leatherman to tear them all away.
I was worried when we flying on the 1.5 hour flight from Delhi to Kathmandu because Jenna had said that she was not feeling well. However, that seemed to pass once we arrived. The airport was a little disorganized, not so clean, and the staff weren't particularly friendly but we were so glad to finally be in Kathmandu. As soon as we left the airport we were bum-rushed by taxi drivers but then we heard our names from a man holding two lays. His name was Krishna and he placed to marigold lays over our heads. We had a car and a driver dedicated to taxiing us around the whole time we were in Nepal. We went straight to the Hotel Himalaya. The hotel was fantastic. It had a pool, restaurant, bar, garden, and even a temple dedicated the living goddess. In the evening we went to a nice restaurant on the roof of a two story building with a giant rhododendron tree growing right up through the middle of it. We enjoyed some local Nepali beer called Everest and had some good food.
Our first full day in Kathmandu was eventful. We went to the Patan Darbar Square where the Kings of Nepal used to live. It was old and covered in Hindu symbols. In that same area we saw where the local people collected their drinking water. The water came out of these gigantic spouts shaped like animals that were inset into a large subterranean square. Kids and grandmas had big jugs to collect the water. Directly next to that water collection area was a secondary school. It was chaos once school was let out. Then we were taken to a temple where there was a ritual taking place. We were told that Hindu priests came to the square in front of the temple and blessed those that requested it. After we visited the temple I asked Krishna, our unofficial guide, if Jenna could be blessed. He took us back and both of us were blessed. After the blessing the priest asked us for a dollar bill. After we gave it to him he said that he would keep it with him forever. Our guide told us that we were very lucky because that meant that he would think of us forever and that would be likely be blessed for a long time as a result. Then we went to another temple called Hiranayavarna Mahavihar (golden temple). This temple also had a ritual taking place where the mothers blessed their children. The children were about 5-6 years old. The fathers stood around with cameras and video cameras. Some things are cross cultural! After this Krishna dropped us off at the Pashupati area so he could go pick up another University of Michigan student from the airport. This was an interesting and special place. It is the sight where Hindus believe that the Lord Shiva was born. As far as I know there are 3 major gods in Hinduism. These are Shiva, Brahma, and Vishnu. Keep in mind that all of these temples have images of cows everywhere. In addition, there are cows roaming the streets everywhere...in the capital. I was told that they are considered so holy because the Lord Shiva was carried on a golden cow.
It is hard to describe the Pashupati area. Through the middle runs a major river that eventually terminates into the Ganges. Here people take their deceased loved ones to be cremated and then dumped into the holy river. There are sometimes as many as 25 cremations a day and yes they are public to everyone! We witnessed a couple of them. There were also monkeys that walked everywhere. No one really paid much attention to them but Jenna and I got a kick out of them and took several pictures. An interesting thing is that the temple is a sight for cremations but is also a place for couples to go to increase fertility. There are small buildings, statues, etc. with phallic symbols inside rings where couples go to increase their chances of having a child. A single site for rituals of death and birth. After seeing the temple, Krishna met up with us with Cynthia the student from UM. That evening we went to a Nepali/Newar restaurant. Newar is a locat ethnic group. We had to sit on the ground and throughout the dinner dancers came by and displayed a different regional dance. It was really cool.
After 15 hours we finally arrived in Delhi from Chicago. The airport was under renovation. We were reassured that our luggage would be safely held in the Delhi customs warehouse and then delivered to the gate of our departing flight 15 hours later. We paid some money and stayed in a pretty decent lounge where we had complimentary food and drink. However, no matter how many free sodas you can get 15 hours seems like a lifetime after a 15 hour flight. Our airport 'assistant' had not given us our boarding passes by 12:00 and we were scheduled to leave at 12:55. We could see the huge security line and we were afraid that after waiting patiently for so many hours we would somehow miss the flight and have to wait another god-awful amount of time until the next flight. However, our assistant came flying into the lounge with our passes and escorted us through a short security line where my GPS unit managed to not set off any warnings whatsoever...go figure. It was not until we arrived to the hotel in Kathmandu that we realized that all of the clasps/zippers on our luggage had been tied closed with some metal wire (lead?). I had to spend an hour with my leatherman to tear them all away.
I was worried when we flying on the 1.5 hour flight from Delhi to Kathmandu because Jenna had said that she was not feeling well. However, that seemed to pass once we arrived. The airport was a little disorganized, not so clean, and the staff weren't particularly friendly but we were so glad to finally be in Kathmandu. As soon as we left the airport we were bum-rushed by taxi drivers but then we heard our names from a man holding two lays. His name was Krishna and he placed to marigold lays over our heads. We had a car and a driver dedicated to taxiing us around the whole time we were in Nepal. We went straight to the Hotel Himalaya. The hotel was fantastic. It had a pool, restaurant, bar, garden, and even a temple dedicated the living goddess. In the evening we went to a nice restaurant on the roof of a two story building with a giant rhododendron tree growing right up through the middle of it. We enjoyed some local Nepali beer called Everest and had some good food.
Our first full day in Kathmandu was eventful. We went to the Patan Darbar Square where the Kings of Nepal used to live. It was old and covered in Hindu symbols. In that same area we saw where the local people collected their drinking water. The water came out of these gigantic spouts shaped like animals that were inset into a large subterranean square. Kids and grandmas had big jugs to collect the water. Directly next to that water collection area was a secondary school. It was chaos once school was let out. Then we were taken to a temple where there was a ritual taking place. We were told that Hindu priests came to the square in front of the temple and blessed those that requested it. After we visited the temple I asked Krishna, our unofficial guide, if Jenna could be blessed. He took us back and both of us were blessed. After the blessing the priest asked us for a dollar bill. After we gave it to him he said that he would keep it with him forever. Our guide told us that we were very lucky because that meant that he would think of us forever and that would be likely be blessed for a long time as a result. Then we went to another temple called Hiranayavarna Mahavihar (golden temple). This temple also had a ritual taking place where the mothers blessed their children. The children were about 5-6 years old. The fathers stood around with cameras and video cameras. Some things are cross cultural! After this Krishna dropped us off at the Pashupati area so he could go pick up another University of Michigan student from the airport. This was an interesting and special place. It is the sight where Hindus believe that the Lord Shiva was born. As far as I know there are 3 major gods in Hinduism. These are Shiva, Brahma, and Vishnu. Keep in mind that all of these temples have images of cows everywhere. In addition, there are cows roaming the streets everywhere...in the capital. I was told that they are considered so holy because the Lord Shiva was carried on a golden cow.
It is hard to describe the Pashupati area. Through the middle runs a major river that eventually terminates into the Ganges. Here people take their deceased loved ones to be cremated and then dumped into the holy river. There are sometimes as many as 25 cremations a day and yes they are public to everyone! We witnessed a couple of them. There were also monkeys that walked everywhere. No one really paid much attention to them but Jenna and I got a kick out of them and took several pictures. An interesting thing is that the temple is a sight for cremations but is also a place for couples to go to increase fertility. There are small buildings, statues, etc. with phallic symbols inside rings where couples go to increase their chances of having a child. A single site for rituals of death and birth. After seeing the temple, Krishna met up with us with Cynthia the student from UM. That evening we went to a Nepali/Newar restaurant. Newar is a locat ethnic group. We had to sit on the ground and throughout the dinner dancers came by and displayed a different regional dance. It was really cool.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
