Of Nepal... Chapter Two

1. Of checkpoints

Level of security at checkpoints intensified with each day I'm there. Has gotta do with the Maoist movement. We got stuck in Pokhara an extra day cos the maoist declared 2-day strike, roads were closed. When we travelled back to Kathmandu a day later than scheduled, we got stuck mid-way cos apparently 10km ahead, was a clash between the maoist n the army!! a bus was bombed.. saw the bombed out bus and another bombed out depression on the road (the day earlier) later when we were finally allowed to pass hours later. BUT I DIGRESS.... lol... see... checkpoints are everywhere... in the beginning, at checkpoints, the army police merely popped in his head into our vehicle and inspect the passengers... Later part of my trip after the insurgence, all the locals who were travelling would have to get down their bus/whichver vehicles and have their baggage searched, followed by a body search. I am not talking abt major airport baggage search. its just any other road... but yes, there are these searches.... and i've neva gone thro such thorough search in airports before... at the airport... i was frisked thrice! (the last one just before we board the plane on the apron!)...had my hand carry thoroughly searched as well!! i was ticklish.. so the security officer who frisked me the second time round at the apron area recognized me. once she saw me.. she laughed... *chuckles*

2. Of simplicity and choices

On the mountains, life is simple. You reach your destination for the day, either relax (if early) or just have your dinner. The sun sets at 5.30pm. Thereafter, there'll be nothing to do. I try to read in my room by the candle, until the cold forces me to stop reading as even my gloved fingers are frozen stiff. Choice of food? Not much. But I liked that. When we finished the trek, back in more 'civilized' areas, I was suddenly slapped with choices... so many choices!! Choice of food... choice of activity... choice of which shop to go into.... choice of what to buy.... Suddenly I was at a loss.... confused... :) I miss my simple life... :)

3. Of sherpas and others

Clearing a misconception. People think that all mountain guides are sherpas. They are not. Sherpa is just an ethnic group. Perhaps why pple mistakenly relate guides/porters with sherpas has got to do with the first man who mounted Mt Everest Sir Edmund Hillary did it with a sherpa? But no, they can include other ethnic groups as well. :) Malang, my mountain guide for example is a Tamang. My two nice porters, Puchong and Nima, however, are sherpas.

4. Of traversing the mountains

According to Lonely Planet (i cannot locate the page), trekking in most mountains means going round the mountain and up. In Nepal however, trekking in the mountains, means trekking UP and DOWN the mountains, LITERALLY. To get to the other side, means I have to go all the way down, and then up. I have no idea how many mountains we've gone up and down. But the most testing one was on Day 2 of trek, from Pottana, 1900m, we went down to approx a 1000m high valley, followed by a seemingly endless ascend (may i emphasize, steep) to approx 2000m peak for rest. I was just glad that wasn't repeated everyday of the trek. *laughs*

5. Of a modern & strong Nepali lady

I met this lady..She's 28, but has seen more than enough of the ugly world a 28-year-old should have seen. At 15, she was married as her husband threatened to kill her parents. Given that her husband was of a lower caste than her, she was ousted out of the house. Now, she's divorced, with two children. Husband used to beat her up, and now has a new wife. She cldn't return home. Worked hard for her children. Just embarked on a new form of 'employment' selling tibetan jewelry so that she can be home at nite for children. Still, inexperience and the fact tt she's sincere and not a tibetan, its difficult in this line. All she wanted, was good education for her children. She may come from the village, not be educated, etc. But the way I see it, the way I hear her, she is definitely a modern, strong and beautify lady...

6. My name is not called 'pen'.

Kids in the village are used to trekkers giving them pencils, pens, chocolates, sweets... so it is not uncommon to have kids passing by greeting you 'Namaste pen?'
'Nameste sweet?'..... I din like wat i see... seriously... wat have we done to kids? anyhow, i only gave away pencils to those who did not ask for it, those who are sincere is just greeting. ... but den again, am i going to be a guilty culprit causing this one child i've given a pencil start going 'Namaste pen?'... i hope not... :(