Christmas morning~

8 legged cow

this is considered to be the sacred 8 legged cow....although it only has 5 legs, and 8 hooves! hahaha because it is seen as sacred, it cant touch the ground, so its carried around in a carriage! what a sight....

walk to work....

during the week of the strikes, we were all told to walk to work.... it was surprisingly peaceful.. an hour and a half each way

Cold Mornings

In my neighborhood......

Bandhas

Yet again, the Maoists are putting Kathmandu to a halt with a 3 day strike. For kids it is a play day. For those with businesses its a burden and a financial stress. As I was walking home this morning, I ran into a Nepali friend, Babu, on the streets and he asked me to come and drink Chang, a Tibetan alcoholic drink...barley seeped in hot water. It was early, but it was Sunday, so I figured there was nothing else I really needed to do...hahaha
We ate, drank, and listened to Hindi music. Babu is like my Nepali brother who I met on my trek to Helambu. He kindness is incredible. During bhandas, there isnt that much to do but dodge the Moaists and walk the empty streets and relax. The city feels as though its in hiding. The Maoists patrol the roads, chasing down those who attempt to even ride their bicycles as a mode of transportation. Tomorrow, my boss is trying to convince me to "put my hiking shoes" on and walk to work. Somehow he thinks it will be worthwhile for me to walk the two hours each way just to make it to the office....

Yogis

I went to a yoga class yesterday and was glad that I had some previous experience seeing it was pretty intense. He told me to sit cross legged in front of him, leaving about 2 inches between us. He immediatly asked me, "What is yoga?" With as straight of a face as possible and as best as I could, I responded..grateful that I knew a bit about the philosophy. I suppose he has been pretty jaded by Westerners wanting to learn yoga, but only being interested in the physical part of it. We sat for about an hour and a half. He asked me about family, life, etc. and how I was really feeling after each breathing exercise. He told me to keep all I am feeling within me because its not to be shared...those are the fruits which we earn and need to enjoy within. So today I will go back am interested to see what it will entail.~ this will be experience in itself.

The Tibetans in Nepal

As I was walking home the other night, I came across this quiet and peaceful Tibetan gathering. There were hundreds of candles, families singing, photos of people missing, and a few small "Free Tibet" flags in sight. The Tibetans are terrified to make any real movement, seeing hundreds have been detained and sent to jail by the Maoist army who roam the neighborhood. I witnessed the gathering until a man with a loudspeaker came. Within minutes, everyone had dispersed.

I took this photo at a gathering at one of the newest monasteries in Kathmandu. The plates were endless and looked like silver melting.~

Nepal's holy river

Quiet Kathmandu

Woke up to quiet streets and a quiet Kathmandu. The Maoist are active again. This morning, I was trying to get home from a friends house and ended up taking a two hour walk home. All modes of transportation have been stalled. It was actually really peaceful. Not to say that I am in favor of the strikes, but it does cut emissions seeing not a vehicle is in sight... only a few lucky and daring motorcycles. Everything was shut down in fear that the Maoists will hassle them if one's business is open.

The blind

You feel complete compassion when you watch the blind trying to cross the main "chowks" or intersections in Nepal. Clinging to the side rails, looking in panic. It is as chaotic as one would imagine even with a set of eyes. I felt for this guy yesterday, he had no sense of direction, dodging motorbikes and mac trucks and hoping to hear all sounds around him for any sense of protection. You forget about the blind living in this city and how they probably become recluses because the city is just too much to take on. The bus drivers are known to be mad. Just a few weeks ago, a driver pulled right up on the side of the curb in a main intersection and killed a few innocent people who were buying some fruit and vegetables. They hit and ran. Soon a majority of the blue buses in the city (a sign of this bus company) were set in flames. This was their attempt to get any sort of revenge.

Jardin

The gardener at Wild Earth works hard producing as much as he can within our small plot of land~These flowers will be dried, crushed and ground into our soaps and oils~

A frightening sight....

I had to take this photo of my roomate.... we were in a taxi, going "out" bracing ourselves from the smoke and wearing our facemasks! In the beginning, I hard time getting used to them, but now its the norm.

Everyday Kathmadu~

Holy Cow

This is a "holy cow" I passed on my way to work the other morning, although not treated as so. You find these cows resting on highways medians, baking in the hot sun with nowhere to go, and slowly killing themselves as they eat the garbage which eventually ties up the inside of their stomachs. Sorry for the details.....

A great night....

Campfire, guitar, whisky.......!

Newar Rite of Passage Ceremony

Me at work.....

Newar Ihi Marriage Cermony

Before Newar girls reach puberty they are married to the fruit of wood-apple tree called Bel. It is performed at the girl’s odd age like 5, 7, 9. Ihi is a two-day ceremony commencing with purification rituals and ending with “Kanyadan” of the girl by her father meaning “giving away the virgin”. This Kanyadan ceremony performed in Non-Newar Hindu marriage. So Ihi could actually be taken as the first marriage of the Newar girls except for that they are married to an icon of Suvarna Kumar, the immortal God.

Temple in Ilam