I've never considered myself to be particularly interested in watching animal sacrifices but since I am here in Nepal and the festival going on this week embraces them, I thought I'd grin and bare it to see what the stir was all about.
During the month of Kartik in the Bikram Sambat calendar (late September and early October), the Nepalese people indulge in the biggest festival of the year, Dashain. Dashain is the longest and the most auspicious festival in the Nepalese annual calendar, celebrated by Nepalese of all caste and creed throughout the country. The fifteen days of celebration occurs during the bright lunar fortnight ending on the day of the full moon. Throughtout the kingdom of Nepal the goddess Durga in all her manifestations are worshiped with innumerable pujas, abundant offerings and thousands of animal sacrifices for the ritual holy bathing, thus drenching the goddess for days in blood.
Today I witnessed two water buffalo get sacrificed by having their heads taken off in one fell swoop from an ancient sword by a man decorated in Nepalese clothing. A very disturbing scene (no details required) and I can honestly say that this will be a once in a life time occurrence as I felt my stomach get VERY queasy! None-the-less, I did it, I saw their ritual and have witnessed a new culture's way of celebrating freedom and life.
One thing is for sure from this point on however... I want to know where and how my meat gets prepared before I sink my teeth into it. There is a very good chance now that I will ask more of these questions and will probably need to pay more for a higher quality cut!
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Nepal - Week # 1
I left off from my last blog telling you that I was going on a rafting trip outside of the Kathmandu Valley. This turned out to be no regular trip...
The launch point for rafting is located about 110km's from the city of Thamel, Kathmandu's main area for people. The river we went down was called the Trishule and it's host to class 3+ rapids with some 4+'s along the way. After a few S-bends, steamrollers and large rocks known as Upsets (flipping your boat is a 50/50 chance) we finshed the first day off with a wicked car ride back to camp. We rode in an old Isuzu pickup truck with all our gear, 13 people and some wobbly back tires a whole 18km's back to where we were staying for the night along the highway at a local village. My buddy and I had to sit on the roof of the truck as there were no seats inside the cab or in the bed of the truck, just on the steel cage welded to the box. The kid sitting next to us brought out his MP3 cell phone and started playing some James Blunt then some Bryan Adams and we began belting out the lyrics as we sped down the highway!
The launch point for rafting is located about 110km's from the city of Thamel, Kathmandu's main area for people. The river we went down was called the Trishule and it's host to class 3+ rapids with some 4+'s along the way. After a few S-bends, steamrollers and large rocks known as Upsets (flipping your boat is a 50/50 chance) we finshed the first day off with a wicked car ride back to camp. We rode in an old Isuzu pickup truck with all our gear, 13 people and some wobbly back tires a whole 18km's back to where we were staying for the night along the highway at a local village. My buddy and I had to sit on the roof of the truck as there were no seats inside the cab or in the bed of the truck, just on the steel cage welded to the box. The kid sitting next to us brought out his MP3 cell phone and started playing some James Blunt then some Bryan Adams and we began belting out the lyrics as we sped down the highway!Speaking of the highway, this isn't like hwy 1 in Vancouver, nor is this like a fire access road up to Cypress Mountain - imagine the road to be similar to the old Sea-to-Sky highway but sharper corners, potholes the size of storm drains and nothing but dirt, all the while being no less than a 500 foot sheer drop if you fall off the edge! So with the music we tried to put that out of our minds and be at ease...
The family we stayed with cooked dinner and breakfast for the 3 of us as well, made up out tents beside the river for the night. A few bottles of beers later and off to bed. Day 2 of rafting took us down the same river but since it rained the night before, the water was heavier and faster! Each section we hit the day before was twice as big today making for a really fun ride. After the raft, we were about 125km's from Kathmandu and needed to get back to the city to the hostel. Back onto the sketchy road and off for another adventure.
As the busses in Nepal are hop on hop off, we waited on the side of the highway for one that could fit the three of us, out guides and their gear. About 30 minutes later we got one and were on our way. Fast forwarding to the people on the bus and the drive itself... If a 10/10 for scariest driving experiences meant that you crashed and were dead, this bus ride was about a 9.5/10 ! In this country their roads are like raceways - very little rules and a horn honking system that lets the car/truck in front of you know that you're passing. The bus that we were in (and all cars for that matter) pass at every possible chance they get. Up hill, on blind corners, on the tail of another truck trying to pass already, nothing stops these drivers. There were many times we had to slam on the brakes because we were about to have a head on collision or were about to take a corner too fast and go straight through the barrier, but luckily we didn't and I'm home in one peice.
So besides that driving, a drunk teenager picking as many fights as possible with those on our bus, a woman that seriously was on the verge of death and indian music that was being played at the stereo's loudest setting, the ride was one to remember to say the least.
This week my friends Ryan and Shauna have started their placement at their volunteer centre so I have the week off to explore local hikes and check out what Nepal has to offer. I've checked into my guest house where Nicole and I will be staying for the next 2 months and so far it seems like a 5 star hotel compared to what I've been living in the past 2 weeks.
Before I forget, I just wanted to throw in a tid bit about a local bar in Thamel called the "Rumdoodle." It's famous for climbers to plan out their expedition when choosing to summit Everest and has been around since the Nepalese sherpa Tenzing Norgay summited in 1953. Inside the bar is a picture, framed for longevity, with signatures of all those who have summitted the highest peak in the world. It was kind of cool seeing this as that's a part of climbing history, something that very few people get to see first hand.... That's all !
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Beijing Trip
Sorry for the delay in blogs... it's been a wild past few days!
Beijing – September 13th to September 15th, 2009
After a long haul flight from Vancouver to Beijing (with stopover in Hong Kong) I made it to the big smoke! Having slept for a good portion of the flight I didn’t feel any jet lag, nor did I feel sluggish when starting my day. This was awesome because I only had 72 hours to check out the city. The Beijing Airport is huge and fairly simple to navigate through as most of the signs have english written underneath the Chinese. Once I picked up my bag my hostel driver, Bruce, picked me up and I got the day started.
After checking into the Downtown Beijing Backpacker’s Hostel, I attempted to hop onto the subway and head for the Olympic sites in the North of the city. 3 trains later and about a 45 minute walk to and from my hostel, I got to the Birds Nest and the rest of the sites.
With Vancouver hosting the 2010 Games, I thought this was cool to see how another country set up their Olympic Village and compare that to ours when they are all finished. Inside the Birds Nest is the track for running, it was also host to the opening and closing ceremonies. This place was really cool! Everything was clean, the stadium was shaped in such a way that no seats were bad seats and as well, the sound system pumping music was better than that of GM Place!
After the Birds Nest, I walked around checking out the memorabilia from the Games and how they’ve kept the legacy of what happened. The coolest spot I found was the Wall of Fame, which had photos of every podium medal winners from the entire Games. Of course I had to check out those that I knew – so big ups to the Canada’s Men’s 8 Rowing Team and Ben Rutledge! Out for an authentic dinner around the corner from the hostel and straight to bed – I’m hiking to Wall tomorrow!
6:30am rolls around quickly when you’re anxious to get going on something… I was meeting my driver to go to the Great Wall and specifically, the section from Jinshangling to Simatai, about 4 hours from Beijing. About 3.5 hours into the drive traffic came to a complete hault. There was an accident. Not too uncommon on these roads as drivers are total maniacs and have no care or attention to the rules of the road! So after an hour delay (and hearing that the accident was a 5-car pile-up with some that didn’t walk away) we made it to our destination. I was in complete awe of this Wall. Having heard stories of the section we were hiking, I wanted to get going so I could experience it first hand and see how technical it actually was.
Beijing – September 13th to September 15th, 2009
After a long haul flight from Vancouver to Beijing (with stopover in Hong Kong) I made it to the big smoke! Having slept for a good portion of the flight I didn’t feel any jet lag, nor did I feel sluggish when starting my day. This was awesome because I only had 72 hours to check out the city. The Beijing Airport is huge and fairly simple to navigate through as most of the signs have english written underneath the Chinese. Once I picked up my bag my hostel driver, Bruce, picked me up and I got the day started.
After checking into the Downtown Beijing Backpacker’s Hostel, I attempted to hop onto the subway and head for the Olympic sites in the North of the city. 3 trains later and about a 45 minute walk to and from my hostel, I got to the Birds Nest and the rest of the sites.
With Vancouver hosting the 2010 Games, I thought this was cool to see how another country set up their Olympic Village and compare that to ours when they are all finished. Inside the Birds Nest is the track for running, it was also host to the opening and closing ceremonies. This place was really cool! Everything was clean, the stadium was shaped in such a way that no seats were bad seats and as well, the sound system pumping music was better than that of GM Place!
After the Birds Nest, I walked around checking out the memorabilia from the Games and how they’ve kept the legacy of what happened. The coolest spot I found was the Wall of Fame, which had photos of every podium medal winners from the entire Games. Of course I had to check out those that I knew – so big ups to the Canada’s Men’s 8 Rowing Team and Ben Rutledge! Out for an authentic dinner around the corner from the hostel and straight to bed – I’m hiking to Wall tomorrow!6:30am rolls around quickly when you’re anxious to get going on something… I was meeting my driver to go to the Great Wall and specifically, the section from Jinshangling to Simatai, about 4 hours from Beijing. About 3.5 hours into the drive traffic came to a complete hault. There was an accident. Not too uncommon on these roads as drivers are total maniacs and have no care or attention to the rules of the road! So after an hour delay (and hearing that the accident was a 5-car pile-up with some that didn’t walk away) we made it to our destination. I was in complete awe of this Wall. Having heard stories of the section we were hiking, I wanted to get going so I could experience it first hand and see how technical it actually was.
SO after almost 4 hours of hiking, our 8.5 km section was almost finished. There are two options when you get to the finish: 1. Hike around the lake and down the mountain into the parking lot OR 2. Look the lake straight in the face and say, “Not today buddy… you’re mine!” and take the zip line across, suspended about 300 feet in the air to the other side.
My final day in Beijing was more touristy than anything. I went to the Forbidden City (very cool), Jinshangling Park to see the temples, locals dancing and how the Chinese spend a typical Monday morning in the park, then finished with a walk-through of Old Beijing where you really get a feel for how life was way back in the day with bartering markets, tiny ally ways and local cuisines like you couldn’t imagine.
So that was it for Beijing. I came, I saw, I conquered! It was a great puddle jump trip through an amazing city and I got to see everything that I had intended on seeing in such a short time. I would go back for sure but I would skip Beijing – I would like to see other places like Xain (Terracotta Warriors), Hangxiou (National Wldlife Sanctuary) or Shanghai.
I’m now in Nepal and have been checking out the busy street for the past few days with some friends from Vancouver. It’s really nice to have them around as a friendly face and someone to have a second opinion on what local foods to have for lunch.
What a trip. It’s toughted as one of the seven wonder’s of the ancient world and I can see why. It’s technical, historic, beautiful and will simply take your breath away when you see it.
Being completely knackered from the hike, I fell asleep in my hostel and slept from about 7pm onwards until 7am the next day!
Being completely knackered from the hike, I fell asleep in my hostel and slept from about 7pm onwards until 7am the next day!
My final day in Beijing was more touristy than anything. I went to the Forbidden City (very cool), Jinshangling Park to see the temples, locals dancing and how the Chinese spend a typical Monday morning in the park, then finished with a walk-through of Old Beijing where you really get a feel for how life was way back in the day with bartering markets, tiny ally ways and local cuisines like you couldn’t imagine.
So that was it for Beijing. I came, I saw, I conquered! It was a great puddle jump trip through an amazing city and I got to see everything that I had intended on seeing in such a short time. I would go back for sure but I would skip Beijing – I would like to see other places like Xain (Terracotta Warriors), Hangxiou (National Wldlife Sanctuary) or Shanghai.
I’m now in Nepal and have been checking out the busy street for the past few days with some friends from Vancouver. It’s really nice to have them around as a friendly face and someone to have a second opinion on what local foods to have for lunch.
Next posting... our rafting trip down the Trichule River.
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