Miss Laxmi's Wedding

When KC and I returned from Katmundu, we heard the great news about the house's tutor, Laxmi. She was getting married in two days!!! The wedding was taking place at Badhrakli Temple in Pokhara on Monday and the reception was on Tuesday.

KC and I were invited to both. We were very excited to take part in the celebration and see a Nepalese wedding. It required that we have the proper attire. Laxmi requested that KC wear a sari, so Sunday it was off to one of the many fabric stores. The store owner pulled down several long pieces of red silk with various sequence designs. KC selected a fire truck red silk sari with red sequences. . . watch out!! The tailor promised it would be done on Tuesday afternoon in time for the reception.

Badhrakli Temple sits on top of a hill looking out to Fishtail Mountain. The setting was majestic and the weather was fantastic. Laxmi looked gorgeous in her red sari with gold detail. A red veil covered her face until later in the cermony. Several other weddings were taking place around us as it was a popular day for weddings. After the ceremony, KC and I were invited to the groom's house for a smaller party. We enjoyed conversations with many of the children and a meal of daal bhat and sel roti (fried bread).

The reception took place a restuarant. It was quickly filled by 200 people. We said hello to our friends from the ceremony and groom's house and it was soon time to go home. All the didis attended with much joy. It was a big social event and required much fanfare. KC and I could hear the didis talking about who was there and what people were wearing until late in the evening. The same as any good American party.

I would be remiss if I did not mention the number of accidents KC almost caused on the way to both events. KC, in her traditional Nepalese attire, is stunning. Both men and women do not hesitate to stop in their tracks and stare.

Enjoy the pictures below.

Laxmi and Dil during the wedding ceremony. Dil has the traditional wedding garlund and red tika, made of vermillion and rice.

Laxmi and Dil enter the temple with a cloth tied with two knots to symbolize their unity.

Dil, Laxmi, KC and I after the ceremony's completion.

The views of Fishtail Mountain for the temple are incredible.

Dinesh, Bin Bin, Rekha, Ritesh, Laxmi, Dil, Dil's mother, me and KC at the reception.

Both ladies looking good!

Keeping the Kids busy

KC and I have been doing our best to come up with activities for the kids. Two weeks ago, we thought we would give watercolors a shot. Many of the children are great artists. Amrit and Babit lead the crew when it comes to drawing but I think they have some stiff competition when it comes to watercolors.

Its interesting to watch the children. Bishal is almost as prolific as Picasso when it comes to number of works. I can bearly give him a piece of paper and his is coming back for another. Sarita enjoys making sure the entire piece of paper has color on it. Bishal will do 50 in the time it takes Sarita to finish one. Momata and Pratima are meticulous about the cleanliness of their water. Amrit often turns to the wildlife books to find inspiration while Suraj already has an appreication for abstract art.

We took a collection of painings, one from each child, and made a quilt. Its now hanging in the main entry room. The children like to point out their masterpieces to the other children. It was only two days later and they were begging to paint again. They are improving quickly.

I have recieived a c0uple requests for more painting tomorrow, Saturday, because there is no school. Its the best opprotunity for them to paint because like all kids they tend to make a mess plus it keeps them occupied. Its great to see them enjoy another form of art although I don't think we will be moving onto oils anytime soon.

Pictures below:

Starting in the left corner; Kiran, Pratima, Suraj, Sarita, Maya, Meena, Binita and Pooja don't even notice the camera as I steal this photo. Its rare that I see them with a camera before they see me.

Here is a quick sampling of some of their work. Looking good kids!!

Back in Pokhara

Hello All,

KC and I are back in Pokhara after a week of visiting several of Nepal's finest sites. The trip started last Sunday with a flight to Katmandu. Upon arrival, we were off to see the sites. The Katmandu Valley is famous for its religious and cultural sites. The majority of the sites are located in the once powerful and wealthy city states of Katmandu, Patan and Bhaktupar. They are located within a 40km radius and are all known for different crafts. Each city has a town center called Durbar Square. This area is filled with Hindu Temples devoted to one of the 33 gods. We spent a lot of time learning about the different gods and the symbolism associated with these animals and plants that decorate the pagodas. We also visited two important Budhist Stupas, Bodhnath and Swayimbunath. We soaked up the Budhist culture while visiting these sacred sites and a monastery.

After four days in the big city, it was time to relax. The next stop was Royal Chitwan National Park about 180km south of Katmandu. This park borders India in the plains below the Himalayas. The park is famous for Royal Benegal Tigers, One-Horned Rhinos, Gangetic Dolphins and Gharials. The other main attraction to the park (932 sq km in size) is elephant back safaris. The jungle is extremely dense and vehicles can not be taken into the majority of the large park, so elephants are used to give tours and transport materials. Animals also tend not to be scared of the animals because they are used to having the massive beasts in the environment, unlike trucks.

After three three days of elephant safaris, nature walks, canoe trips and village visits, we had not seen our rhino. The resort manager asked how we would like to spend our final afternoon. KC and I looked at each, the pool sparkled in the midday heat but I could not pass up a chance to see our rhino. Within moments, we were back on the 46-year old female elephant with two guides and a Nepalese couple. I was sitting directly behind the elephant driver and KC behind me. It was 15 minutes into the safari that our guide jumped off the elephant to inspect a pile of dung, he yelled to the driver, the hunt for a rhino was on. The guide disappeared into the brush and as the elephant driver yelled commands to the elephant, it uprooted a small tree from the groud to create a new path in the jungle for us to pass. This continued for 30 minutes, the elephant ripped through the jungle as the guide attempted to track the rhino. As branches, vines and nettles ripped across our open carriage, my watch strap was broken off, the cameras lense cap dissappeared and the Nepalese woman shed tears. If this was not entertaining enough, we emerged in a small opening to see a living dinosaur. The one-horned animal was massive with thick folds of skin and a large horn. It looked back at the elephant grunted and tore off through the jungle. We attempted to chase but the whimpers from behind me became louder than the rhino's grunts and footsteps. Our rhino hunt was over but an incredible success.

The culinary treats were a delight. Several of our favorites were:

• Tibetian Tea, made with yak butter and salt
• Tibetian MoMos, flour dumplings filled with chicken, vegetables or buff
• Newari Pancakes, made with lentil flour served with tarkari
• Bhaktapur yogurt, especially sweet becasuse of the local milk

Other highlights included:

• washing the elephants
• attempting to get Chinese and Indian visas
• friends we made along the way
• watching the different trades (pottery, paper making, wood carving)

Pictures below:

KC and I give a three year old elephant a good scrubbing in the Rapti River near the resort. We thought we were just watching birds when the elephants showed up for a bath. We had to help. It was truly a memorable experience.

The baby elephant and I check each other out. He was trying to stick his trunk in my pocket. I was not prepared, I did not have any treats.

KC took the helm for a short while and led the elephant safari. . . not to bad for her first time.

Our lone rhino sighting. I did my best to get a better picture but between the branches, leaves and bugs flying, this was about the best I could do. These are huge beasts, bigger than the 1975 Toyota Corolla taxis that fill the streets of Katmandu.

There are peacocks thr0ughout the jungle. This one jumped up a branch and posed for a few photos.

KC and I at Bodhnath, the largest stupa in Nepal. This is a center of Tibetian culture in the Katmandu Valley. There are several Budhist Monastaries surrounding the stupa dating back tlo the 13th century. This picture is taken from a small monastery's roof.

KC and I in Bhakatpur about 35km outside of Katmandu. The once powerful city state does not allow cars to enter the town to perserve the architecture and allow for a peaceful walk. We were able to observes local crafts throughout the town. We are standing in front of the tallest pagoda in the Katmandu Valley.

KC and I in Patan about 10km outside of Katmandu. Langang (one of the eight hightest mountains in the world) looms in the distance over KC's left shoulder. The Gorkha Himalayas are to my right.

Weekly Pictures

KC and I have made our weekly trip to Lakeside and can post pictures. Here are some highlights from the previous week. We have also added pictures to Chef Gordon and KC (previous post). Hope you enjoy. Thank you.


Santosh made funny faces.





















We celebrated Binita's birthday with a cake, slices of mango, cucumber and sweets. She loved the attention and the kids loved singing a varied version of Happy Birthday (it threw KC and I for a loop). Binita was very sweet in hand delivering all the adults several sweets to enjoy as well. She forgot no one.

















You can see excitement on her face, Happy Birthday Binita!
















KC and Susma posed for a quick shot as the kids finished getting ready for school.















Sandeep rejoiced as the kids left for school. He had KC and Gordon all to himself.












Fishtail Mountain looms over Pokhara. It is a sight to see.

And then there was light!!!

A huge thanks from Sam's House to the group of donors who made the solar panel package a reality. There is no more eating, cleaning and cooking in the dark. Play time now includes reading because the children can see. This is a renewable source of electricity for the house that will be used for many years to come. Due to the great response, we were able to go with an upgraded battery. The package includes six 40 watt lights, a battery and solar panel. The best part is the package has been installed. The house has been reaping the benefits for a week already. We cannot say thanks enough.

FYI, the government has increased the number of hours of no electricity a week to 36. The schedule is supposedly set to 6 days a week, 3 hours in the morning and 3 hours in the afternoon.

Chef KC and Gordon

That's not Chef Gordon Ramsey . . . its Chef Gordon Friedrich (stirring KC's sauce).

Look at that smile, that sauce was made with love.

Sarita is excited to try our creation, Saran doubted anything Gordon cooked.

The big boys (Dhiraj, Amrit and Babit) take care of cleaning duty for the night. There was no rice on the floor for the first time in a long time.

Rina tells Gordon that she doesn't want him to cook anymore.

He agrees!!

KC and I tried our hand at making 20 kids and 5 didis snack and dinner on Thursday night. We thought we would go with typical American meals.

For snack, the obvious choice was PB and J. It was the first time many of the children have had peanut butter. They all flew threw their two sandwiches and came back for more. We did not want to spoil their appetite for dinner.

For dinner, it was pasta in a bolognese sauce. We made two trips to the main shopping center (about a 30 minute walk) to get our supplies. The first trip was 4 1/2 kg bags of pasta, 8 cans of crushed tomatoes and tomato sauce, a kg of mozzarella cheese, oregano and peanut butter. The second trip was another 2 bags of pasta more tomato sauce and minced mutton. We stopped at a local food stand for vegetables. There are local food stands throughout our neighborhood. We bought several carrots, three heads of garlic and a kilo of onions for $1.30. . . not bad. (A large majority of the vegetables are grown locally and organically.)

Now it was time to cook. The PB and J assembly line was easy. KC, Sushma and I knocked out 50 sandwiches in under 15 minutes (2 per child plus didis). The pasta meal was more complex. Most kitchens consist of two gas range tops hooked up to a gas tank outside. Only the very wealthy have an oven or appliances installed into their counters, very uncommon. So, it starts with the sauce. Luckily KC asked if there was a can opener in the house 10 minutes prior to commencing the prep. Sushma pulled out a small metal can opener like the ones used to open large cans of fruit juice. KC and I smiled and I was out the door to find a can opener, I had 10 cans to open. After stopping at 6 stores locally, I accepted the fact that food in Nepal does not come out of a can. Its made fresh. . . so it was time to go home and come up with another solution. Luckily, my brother gave me a Swiss Army knife for Christmas and it of course has a can opener (way to go Youngester!!). It took longer than normal and drew lots of inquisitive looks from the kids and didis but all the cans were opened in no time.

KC had the cooking under control so I followed orders of cooking the minced mutton and seasoning. Before we knew it, the pasta was on and dinner was being served. The response was mixed. It was the first time many of the children had cheese. About 50% came back for seconds, not to bad.

We considered the cooking to be a success. The children were enthralled by the ingredients, flavors and textures and the didis got a well deserved night off cooking.

Friday Whites and KC's Kurta

On Fridays the kids where white pants and skirts instead of the typical white. If it were up to the didis, the kids would not wear any white. . . ever. Its funny to see the little boys with all white pants but brown knees and behind. No soap can get that kind of dirt out. Here are a couple pictures as they get ready for the day and line up for the school bus. Bishal is getting his daily dose of cold cream, yes it keeps his face silky smooth and ever so soft. I would know, he loves to rub his cheeks against my beard.

Looking good Babit.

Good form kids.

KC and Susma are picking up her new kurta (typical Nepalese dress) from the tailor. The silk embroidered fabric cost 1600 rupees (about $26) and the tailoring cost a whooping 120 rupees ($2)!!. Take note of the big bins next to the tailor, it was filled with chicken parts. The three piece kurta looked incredible on KC, everyone was impressed.

The kids loved seeing KC in her new Kurta. KC also got new bangles, a necklace, a tika (red dot) . . . all these things are what a married Nepalese woman wears. Saran was so excited he picked up a chair.

Sandeep wouldn't let anyone else hold him for the remainder of the day. He has a new found love for KC.

Tara, KC, Susma and Asuna show off their new kurtas.

Tired, Cold Hands

KC and I are always amazed at the amount of work the didis do. We do our best to assist with the cooking and cleaning and try not to add to the their workload at the same time. KC and I decided to help by doing our laundry...usually they will do it for the volunteers.

It did not seem like a monumental task as we set out, little did I know. We started with placing our clothes in buckets of water with a little Tide (Tide is a recent addition of process). After letting the clothes soak for an hour, the kneading begins. We filled up another set of buckets with water. The didis never sit but get into a crouch position. We worked our clothes garment by garment then used a special soap on spots. I had to take breaks to let the lactic acid release from my calves and shake the icicles off my fingers (just kidding but wow is it cold). Then it was dunking, rinsing, dunking, rinsing, ringing out and to the clothes line. Thank goodness the didis helped us.

The didis are always amazed how Americans have a machine for everything.

Tara washing the dishes in the early morning.

The kids brushing their teeth and washing their faces out back. Its time to get ready for school.

Dinner in the Darkness

KC and I have been learning about different aspects of life in Nepal. One part of life I had read about but was not sure of the impact was load sharing. Load sharing is the government turning off electricity across the country to conserve energy. Currently, there are 25 hours a week when the country does not have electricity. This number is expected to grow to 36 hours. The hours are not published on a regular basis creating even greater challenges.

So. . . what does that really mean. It means:

• a child needs to use the bathroom at night and there are no lights
• the children are watching TV and it goes out
• the didis are cutting vegetables for tomorrow's meal and have to resort to candlelight
• the children are eating and we have to find candles so they can see their food

It means that there is no certainty that there will be electricity at any point during the day. It is a monstrous inconvenience for everyone.

Dinesh, KC, Chris and I were discussing possible solutions the other day. Dinesh made a recommendation for solar panels to power reserve lights so there would at the very least always be light. After investigating several options, Dinesh found the best deal was four solar panels with a reliable battery that can power six lights for 40,000 Nepalese Rupees (current conversation rate is 61.02 to the USD). This works out to be about $650. This was not an expected cost so we looking to raise $650 for solar panels that will supply the house with inexpensive, reliable electricity.

If you are interested in donating, please visit the Sam's House website at http://www.sams-house.org/Help/youcanhelp.html. If you have additional questions, please post to the comments. I will gather additional information if necessary to answer any questions you may have. Thanks for your support and generosity.

In the meantime, the didis will continue to use our headlamps for cooking and cleaning. They get a big kick out of the halogen head lamps. KC uses hers to help children go to the bathroom before bed.

Pictures as promised

KC and I took a cab to Lakeside for faster internet connections. All internet is not equal.

The following pictures are highlights thus far:

KC handing out gifts to the kids, hair barrets for the girls and matchbox cars for the boys).

Sabita and Sandeep dance while the others sing.

Gordon with the kids in the morning.

The kids get ready for their walk to the bus. Its not all smiles because its exam day.

Rina watches as the others prepare for the bus. One more year and she will be a teacher's troublemaker.