Our October and November Holidays

Hello everyone,
My computer has been experiencing technical difficulties lately. It won’t allow me to open certain documents now, including the last ongoing letter to y’all. So, I’ll condense as best as I can and perhaps at some point I’ll be able to retrieve and send it.
Everyday here still brings new and exciting adventures, hell, going to the market at the end of our alley can prove to be an adventure. We’ve been to the jungle twice now, we’ve gone trekking in the Khumbu Valley towards Everest and we are exploring the internals of Kathmandu itself.
I think Shannon sent a letter out about our first trip to The Royal Chitwan National Park with a group of 9th graders working with bio-gas, the cow dung type. We both really enjoyed the humanitarian aspect of helping the villagers develop their own fuel for cooking , for their health, and for the environment. It was so interesting to me that I’ve contacted the national bio-gas director and will be meeting with him this week hopefully. I’m not sure where that will lead, but after reading Three Cups Of Tea, I’m inspired. After spending some more time in Chitwan on our second trip it was even more obvious to me how much bio-gas can positively affect these villages. The main problem, as you can probably imagine, is funding. It takes at least a year’s wage of an average family to build one of these plants, therefore making it inaccessible to the majority of these folks. The wood source is becoming scarcer and there are increasing numbers of smoke related health issues. I’m looking forward to meeting with Mr.Chetri from the gas company. I’ve volunteered to work with him next spring if possible.
Our second trip there was over the Tihar (also called Deepawali) festival, it is the most important Hindu festival in India, and here it ranks second only to Dishain (I’ll get to that). Tihar is 5 days long, yeeeaaa Shannon got a school break! The festival honors certain animals, starting with offerings of rice to the crows which are sent by Yama, ‘the god of death’, as his messengers of death. There were banana leaves full of rice all over the streets and walkways and crows flying everywhere. It was a little spooky, especially considering Shannon had a dream the night before of crows. I think it was because we had been talking about her dog Anna that night. On the second day, dogs are honored with tikas (the dot of red & yellow on the forehead) and garlands of flowers. It is believed that in the after world it’s dogs who guide departed souls across the river of the dead. This is a little surprising after seeing the way dogs are treated here. It seemed the dogs realized this was “their” day, they all seemed to be wearing big ‘ol smiles. On the way to school that morning there were offerings of the mornings meals on banana leaves with candles lining the walkways to Lincoln School and packs of dogs wearing tikas and flowers around their necks. I thought about all of my dog loving friends that day with special reverence. Our cook, Shiva, brought garlands and tika to our house and we made a little shrine for Anna (her picture) and I put a tika on her. I felt a little odd placing red rice on a picture, but hey, when in Rome. Shannon was at school so I got the honor. Then Shiva and I decorated the house with garlands of flowers and butter lamps.

the holy cow!

the holy cow!, originally uploaded by craigeubank.

The next day, we were in Chitwan with some of Shannon’s co-workers, cows were honored this day. They received similar treatment as the dogs with garlands and tikas. Some were painted all fancy like. It was quite a sight seeing a white cow with big red handprints plastered on its’ sides. We saw one cow actually receiving its’ tika and blessing. It was a full on family affair, including the dog that was still showing its’ signs of being blessed the previous day. After the cow, bullocks are honored. I don’t even know what a bullock is all I know is I saw a lot more cows with tikas that day.
The third day, Deepawali, is the most important day of the festival. Lakshmi (Vishnu’s consort and the goddess of wealth) comes to every home that has been suitably lit for her presence. This day also falls on the new moon day, so the effects of all the candles is intensified.

Thanksgiving Mt. Bike Ride

Mountian view, originally uploaded by craigeubank.

Check out the mountains view from our bike trip over Thanksgiving. We rode up the hills and out of the Kathmandu Valley into this rural setting. The yellow in the fields is mustard growing; very pretty. Very long ride though.

dancing with the village kids

dancing withthe village kids, originally uploaded by craigeubank.

On the final day, sisters and brothers come together to exchange tikas and gifts. The brothers receive a tika and garlands and the sisters receive gifts. It was nice to see the sibling love, the old and the young.
During the last two nights there’s a lot of dancing and drinking. The entire group we were with got up and danced with the local village people that came to our lodge. The tradition is that kids will dance and sing in the streets and at your door, a bit like Christmas carolers, but you have to pay them to leave or in this case, to let you stop dancing. It was a blast, especially watching the little kids and drunk villagers getting down. Out of all the festivals we’ve experienced, Tihar has been the most fun.

look mom, they love me

look mom, they love me, originally uploaded by craigeubank.

We spent the days in the jungle riding elephants, rafting the rivers, and being pampered by our guide, who had a phenomenal amount of info about all the birds and animals. We saw four rhino’s, two moms and two babies. We got to wash the elephants in the river, including a 1 year old baby elephant. She was so cute, she wrapped her snout around my arm and then gave me a little head bump, I think she was digging me. We saw a couple of crocodiles, fresh tiger tracks, and gazillion birds, which, like I said, guide dude knew everyone of them.

up close to rhinos

up close to rhinos, originally uploaded by craigeubank.

The weather was outstanding. During the day it was above 80 and at night maybe 65ish. We went swimming one day in the frog pond; I mean pool, at the lodge. In the morning there were like a hundred frogs flopping around in there. It was one guy’s job to clean the frogs out every morning.
Over Dishain holiday was when we went trekking. Once again, we had fabulous weather, all though as soon as the sun went down the down went on. Hey, I like that. That’s a good one! We saw Everest up close and experienced the beauty of the Himalayas first hand. Their beauty and majesty can envelop your entire being. It wasn’t easy for me to come back down to KTM. We stayed in Naamche Bazzar for 2 nights in a great little lodge that served the local rice wine, Roxi, and really tasty Thukpa (thick noodled veggie soup with chicken broth, ummm!!)

Anna's stupa

Anna's stupa, originally uploaded by craigeubank.

Shannon was able to give Anna’s ashes a loving farewell to the winds of the mountains. She came upon a stupa that she felt was where “the four corners came together” that was between Tengboche, where there is a large Buddhist monestary, and Pengboche. The eyes painted on the stupa are looking directly up at Ama Dablam, my favorite looking peak, and Everest and Lohtse are gazing down on it. Ama Dablam has two prominent ridges draped with snow that part evenly half way down the west face, making it look like a mountain god with outstretched arms. I saw a face with two distinct eyes, a nose, and a beard, no one else had the vision that I did, but you know, some people just don’t have the “eye” for that stuff like me. Actually, everyone got so tired of me trying to show them they just kept rollin up the trail without me. I was excited that Anna was being welcomed into this guys arms, so excited that I said my goodbyes to her in Pengboche at the stupa directly below the Sir Edmund Hillary (1st person to successfully summit Everest) school. It was fitting that she be placed near a school and once again, in the arms of Sir Ama Dablam. Right after both of us had spread her ashes, crows landed on the tallest of the prayer flags on the stupas. They were playing “who can land on the flag and hold it the longest?” Her and Tuff are flying together in the skies.

Colorful

Pengboche, 3900 meters was the highest we got. We had to get back down to Luchla to get back to school a couple of days later. That last night we stayed at a lodge by the name of “Beautiful View Lodge”, which it did have of the whole upper valley and several of the major peaks. We met a crazy Romanian there that had insomnia and told crazy lies the whole time. One of our friends that stayed up there for a couple more weeks ran into this cat again and he had just bought a huge Tibetan sword and said he was going back to Romania to kill his parents, “whatever dude”. It was good to say adios to that guy.
In Lukla we had millet beer, They ferment millet, scoop it into a big metal schooner with a lid and a straw through it and serve it with warm water. You poor the warm water in and drink it through the straw so you don’t suck up the millet and choke. It’s kinda like a weak tasting cherry koolaid with a fuzzy effect. My friend Mark and I enjoyed a number of those together celebrating our first trek in Nepal.
We have been invited to a big Thanksgiving Day feast at the home of one of Shannon’s co-workers., Kathy. She’s been here for 30 years and she is, let’s say colorful. I guess her house is mansion that is exquisitely decorated and this is an annual blowout for her. Should be fun, but we’ll be missing all of our friends and family dearly.
The weather is reminding me of late summer in Billings, clear and warm to hot during the days and chilly at night, with the mountains visible everyday. On the morning bike rides I’ve been going on they’re especially beautiful!
I need to go meet Shannon at school and hopefully catch the sunset. She’s been working hard with all of her new courses, a lot of late nights and early mornings. Her hard work is paying off though, she seems to be connecting more and more with her students and she, of course, continues to smile and laugh with everyone.
We wish you all the best and we’ll be in touch soon.
Much love to all and peace to everyone,
Craig and Shannon