City of Bhaktapur

We spent the day in the city of Bhaktapur. It has the most unaltered buildings in the Kathmandu valley. The whole city is a picture of Newar life. We had to pay $15 to get into the Durbar Square and see many of the sites, but we could see that the money they collect was being put to good use as we could see many renovation projects. They are very careful there to regulate the type of building so that any new building keeps the character of the rest of the city.
Evie spent the afternoon with Archana, her adopted granddaughter. Later Vijay and Ram stopped by to greet Evie and to say goodbye. (There are staff at the Ambassador's house).
After a great last day we have returned to the apartment to start packing.
Hopefully all of our flights will be on time. We've heard that there may be up to 6 inches of snow falling the day we return (Monday). If any of you have any say in this, could you request that it wait for a couple weeks? Thanks. See you soon. There's really no place like home.
Sister LaDonna Olson, M.A.
Deaconess Community of the ELCA

Photo with red blossoms is a poinsettia tree. They are natural to Nepal.

There was much drying of grain outside.

Not all the doors are so short but this one really caused Matt to have to duck to get inside.
We went to a paper making shop and were able to walk up stairs to the top of the building and look out at the rooftops of Bhaktapur.

Patan -- historic city

Visited the very old town of Patan considered the artistic city. In the 3rd century it was the cultural and artistic capital of Nepal, if not the entire Himalayan region. We visited the Patan Museum which has many artifacts from earlier centures and explains the development of Buddhism. We came across a worship service taking place in the square with many Newars taking part in the service - singing and dancing.
Tomorrow our friend Betty is taking us to Bhaktapur considered the most immaculately preserved of the valley's ancient cities.


Stone tablets dating from the 7th century.

Of course we had to stop for refreshments - for me, a cold Diet coke! and for Matt and Becky a hot ginger, lemon, honey tea.

The temples and many of the buildings are very old - 16th century. Pictured are two elephants guarding one of the temples.

Sister LaDonna Olson, M.A.
Deaconess Community of the ELCA

Trekkers Return!

So, yesterday Evie and I decided to do some more shopping. We picked up some handknit wool mittens and a few household items. Then we decided to have lunch at the Kathmandu Guesthouse. This is where the trekkers would be arriving the next day. As we sat at lunch, along came Sr. Becky and her friends. They had returned that morning!
So I called up to Matt's room to tell him I was downstairs at lunch. Since I have laryngitis he didn't recognize my voice and thought it was a prank call. I had to tell him my middle name before he believed me. Anyway, he joined us for lunch and then we walked around Thamel and looked at the many shops there. It was a great afternoon.
Tonight, we are joining the trekking group for their final banquet.


Sister LaDonna Olson, M.A.
Deaconess Community of the ELCA

Photos: yes there is a KFC in Kathmandu but they serve rice instead of potatoes and according to Evie, the chicken is nothing like the USA colonel's.

The Kathmandu Guesthouse is a beautiful hotel. Evie is waiting for our lunch to arrive.

Matt shopping for made in Nepal hooded jacket.

Mount Everest -- no we didn't climb it!

Took the Mountain flight on Buddha Air this morning at 7am. It was amazing to fly along the Himalaya's and finally a view of Everest! We were allowed one by one to walk up to the cockpit and see the mountains with a wider view than our windows. I really loved seeing the "foot hills" although in Minnesota standards these were also mountains. Seeing them clothed with the clouds was so beautiful!
I was back to our apartment by 9:30 and Evie and I enjoyed breakfast together. Then we took a taxi to the Jawalakhel Handicraft Center (formerly known as the Tibetan refugee camp). We saw women weaving the absolutely stunning rugs. They have a pattern to follow and can quickly change colors. We went into the spinning room where the lamb's wool was spun into yarn to be died.
Of course we had to visit the showroom and purchase some rugs to bring home.
Stopped for lunch on the way home. Then back to our apartment for a hot shower and some rest. Last night I helped the girls with their math homework. I didn't realize how rusty my math had become! I don't know if they will want my help tonight or not.

Sister LaDonna Olson, M.A.
Deaconess Community of the ELCA

US Ambassador's Op-Ed

Here is a link for anyone to read from the US Ambassador to Nepal. It is a wonderful piece! Click Here
Sister LaDonna Olson, M.A.
Deaconess Community of the ELCA

Odds and Ends

Here are a few observations and tidbits of info for you.
The exchange rate is about 98 rupees per dollar. So basically we estimate that 1000 rupees is ten dollars. 100 rupees is one dollar. It sure makes it easy to calculate how much something cost in US dollars.

One really begins to realize the implications of our foreign policy when in a foreign country. Although the Russian Embassador to Nepal and his wife are well liked, the US Embassador cannot invite them to any functions or associate with them because of the Ukraine situation.
Also we spoke to the Ambassador's driver at our apartment Sunday morning and he said the Ambassador has a new BMW with all kinds of security extras.

Although we don't see many cows in Kathmandu (probably because there isn't much grass for them to graze, we do see lots of unowned dogs. Dogs are protected and they pretty much lay anywhere they want and somehow they get enough food to survive. You just walk by them on the sidewalk for wherever and they seldom bother anyone. I have had one come up to smell my pant legs, but that is the most bother they've been. They seldom bark unless they are owned by someone and kept in a kennel. There is an organization here that raises money to take street dogs and treat them for any diseases, neuter or spay them and then put them up for adoption.
Tonight (Sunday) we took a taxi home from our adventures for the day and the roads were so congested and the streets so dusty that it almost became hard to breathe. I can't understand why most of the residents of Kathmandu don't have asthma or some breathing condition. It is really bad.
Cost of things: a liter of water for drinking is 25 cents. We drink a lot of water. We could get a large blue jug of water (like they sell at Menards) is available but we don't have the container for it. A loaf of bread is 45 cents. A kraft cheddar cheese package (like we get in the store) is $5.45. (but it was worth it!) Of course souvenirs are more. I bought a Daura suruwal ( a traditional dress/pant outfit) for $35.00. It is all cotton. I have bought several singing bowls (most made from 5-9 metals) ranging from $35 to $70.00 depending on the size. I could get about a cup of cinnamon for 65 cents.
Evie and I eat at our apartment quite often. We have instant oatmeal or hard boiled eggs and coffee for breakfast. We did have delicious sweet rolls that we bought Saturday morning. We have cheese and bread, a fried egg, tea, or a rotisserie chicken for dinner.
It is very easy to get a taxi and we do most of our traveling by taxi. That way Evie can get dropped off right at the door to our apartment building. We are one floor up from ground level. The taxi is usually $2 to $5 of course depending on how far we travel.

Picture one is of Evie and Mondle with his two daughters. Archana, the one of the right keeps in touch with Evie and calls her grandma.

Picture two is taking communion at Kathmandu International Christian Church. It was very unceremonious but awesome to share the body of Christ with so many Christians from different cultures and countries. We cannot share our faith in Christ with Nepali citizens because it is against the law. But we can tell people that we are Christian.

The third picture is of our Sunday lunch at Betty's house: left to right front: Rose from US LaDonna and Patty from UK. Back row Betty and Evie.


Sister LaDonna Olson, M.A.
Deaconess Community of the ELCA

Saturday

Evie is feeling so much better today. We grabbed a taxi at 8 and headed to a place I only knew as "1905". Actually it is a beautiful setting of pools covered over with plants and steps that lead to an area where people set up tables with their wares. We bought some fresh cinnamon rolls and had tea and rolls. We met and talk with several people with ties to the US. Both Evie and I bought some spices - cinnamon, cumin, turmeric, coriander and cardamom.
We met Betty at the American Club. It is a private club obviously only for Americans. It is surrounded by high walls with barb wire. Supposedly the security features are as good as those for the White House. Just getting out of their parking lot required a huge gate to open and a special road ramp to be lowered.
Next we went to the Buddha temple. You walk around the temple clockwise and there are prayer wheels around the entire temple. On the outer ring of the walk there are shops selling almost every souvenir you would want. There are also several Buddhist monasteries around the circle. One of them has a gigantic prayer wheel that you can walk around.
Next Betty took us to the Dwarika Hotel to look around. It began with only a small room for rent. The owner had the foresight to collect and save a lot of architectural things from demolition sites such as windows, doors, trim, etc. These he incorporated into additional buildings on his property and it has now become an absolutely gorgeous and renowned hotel in Kathmandu (probably in all of Nepal, India and Pakistan combined). It was now time for a very late lunch, and because parking is difficult to find, we chose a nearby café and had - cheese pizza. Not very exciting but it was delicious.
Back at the apartment we supervised the carving of pumpkins for a party tomorrow.

Friday

Friday began with a lecture at the Shanker Hotel. This hotel used to be a palace. It was beautiful inside. The lecture was on sustainable architecture. Most of the architects work had been in Afghanistan but many of his concepts could easily be used in Nepal. There is a fascinating group of people who attend these lectures. Many of them are expats of the US or Britain. They are very involved in the cultural preservation of Nepali society.
After the lecture we went to Betty's for lunch. She has a lovely apartment and she is really remarkable. Everywhere we go she runs into someone she knows. Of course she has lived here many years.
After lunch we went on a three hour walk through a marketplace. There were may temples that we stopped at (too many for me to remember the names).
One area of the marketplace is called the bead market. There are many shops all filled with strings of beads of many colors. You can choose the colors you want to be made into a necklace. The beads are from Czechoslovakia and Japan. At one temple there was a large group of Newars having a meal together. They had pounded rice (eaten dry) with tea. The Newars native dress is the bright red.
One of the temples had prayer wheels around it. These wheels have prayers written inside and when you spin the wheel, your prayers are sent to the god.
You could find anything at the market. The white bags are filled with many different kinds of beans. There was also a huge selection of mushrooms.
As it was getting dark, it was time to grab a taxi and return to our apartment. The sun, dust, and pollution were washed away with a hot shower. Supper was a simple fried egg and bread.
Sister LaDonna Olson, M.A.
Deaconess Community of the ELCA

A Home Massage and a Beer!

So Wednesday we went to the doctor (the same one that Evie had three years ago). She was given an antibiotic but her BP was fine and no fever. In the afternoon Pastor Dutt came to visit. We talked about the theology program here - students about 50 % female and 50% male. It is a Bachelor's degree and they are thinking about adding a DMin. Pastor Dutt has a PHD in Education and is actually from India.
After our tea together he gave me a lift on his motorcycle to the market so that I could get chicken soup for dinner. It seems that the traffic is about 1/3 petro cars and the rest motorcycles or battery powered busses.
Thursday I treated myself to an in home massage. The masseuse goes to people's home and gives an hour massage for $10. It was a wonderful treat.
After that Evie and I took a cab to the market that Evie had gone to before. It had changed somewhat so we weren't sure at first that it was the right place, but as we walked to the restaurant Nina recognized Evie immediately and ushered us into the restaurant. We had a very American meal of burger, french-fries and beer. The beer was mine - not Evie's!
Haven't heard from the trekkers but hopefully no news is good news.


Sister LaDonna Olson, M.A.
Deaconess Community of the ELCA

Hurricane Forecast

As of Wednesday morning, EDT, Tropical Cyclone Nilofar is located approximately about 540 miles southwest of Karachi, Pakistan. Nilofar is moving at 8 mph. Maximum sustained winds are 120 mph with gusts to 150 mph.
Nilofar is forecast to turn more to the northeast over the next 24 hours and begin to weaken due to an increase vertical wind shear along with an intrusion of dry air.
Nilofar is expected to make landfall later on Friday night near the border of far-western India and Pakistan. Although Nilofar is forecast to weaken significantly, heavy rain and gusty winds are still expected to impact the region where the center makes landfall.
This is well west of Nepal and should only be a rain event once Cyclone Nilofar comes ashore.
In the image below to the left is Oman on the Arabian Peninsula and at the top is Pakistan. To the upper right is India. Nepal is 1,000 miles east of the storm.

The soccer stadium behind our apartment is busy all day!

Embassy Visit, Photography Exhibit and More

Tuesday afternoon and evening were wonderful! There is the picture everyone wants to see from Nepal - the cow walking undisturbed down a busy road. We actually haven't see that many cows in Kathmandu. We were welcomed to the Embassador's residence by Tonya Bodde, the Embassador's wife. All of the staff that Evie knew from her time there were given time off to visit with her. They were delighted to see her. Evie and I and Tonya are pictured together.
I thought Noel would enjoy the photo of the electrical system near the Embassador's house. I don't know how they can figure out which wire goes to which location!ed note: yes electrical systems in other countries are amazing! Thanks
The Embassador driver took us to Baber Mahal Revisited a restaurant and shopping complex. We sat and rested while waiting for the art show to begin. I did pick up 2 singing bowls to bring back. I would like to say that I hobnobbed with the US and Italian Embassadors but I'm afraid they didn't notice me. The new President of the EU was there also. It was a show of a world famous photographer, Luigi Fieni, with photos of the Mustang area of Nepal. The photos were incredible but out of my price range. However much of the money from their sales will go to the preservation of the Tibetan and Nepali cultural heritage.
Unfortunately, many young men from Nepal are having to take jobs elsewhere in order to support their families. I think I read that 8% of citizens here have gone. This huge number of men leaving will have a great impact on Nepali culture when they return. I feel sad that the world seems to be becoming more and more the same and distinct cultures are being watered down.
Today, Wednesday we took Evie to the doctor. Her cold has really worn her down. The doctor was the same one that she saw when she was her in 2010-11 and they still had her medical record. She got some antibiotics and hopefully will feel better soon!!! Please continue to pray for her good health! I haven't heard from the trekkers except for one sms from Matt saying that he felt great and the trekking was challenging. There is a typhoon coming to Pakistan (I think) that will have some consequences for Matt and Sr. Becky. Hopefully just some rain and not any sleet. It all depends on their location at the time.

Sister LaDonna Olson, M.A.
Deaconess Community of the ELCA

What time is it here?

So I have discovered that the odd time difference for Nepal (and India too I guess) is simply a desire to be unique. From a guide book: "Nepalese time is 5 hours 40 minutes ahead of GMT, noon in London is 5:40 pm in Kathmandu. The odd 10 minutes is intended to differentiate Nepal from India which is 5 hours 30 minutes ahead of GMT."
The photo with the Cross on the building is the headquarters of Lutheran World Federation in Nepal. The other is a photo from our balcony looking down at the neighbors planting their garden. Any space available is usually used for planting vegetables although there are a lot of flowers planted as part of the landscaping around houses.



Esther is our landlord's daughter

Sister LaDonna Olson, M.A. Deaconess Community of the ELCA

Encounters

Saturday evening we saw this man dancing for the family next door. When he saw us watching him from our window he came to our front door and dance and blessed our foreheads. I had hurriedly brought down a cup of rice to put into his container (that is how he gets his food). After I poured the rice into the container he looked at Becky and said "money". So we gave him a few dollars. That is how he makes a living - by going door to door and blessing people. It sounds like an interesting calling but I have no idea where he sleeps at night or how he cooks his rice.
Last night Evie and I had dinner with the trekking group at a wonderful ethnic restaurant Nepali Chulio. We had rice with different kinds of stew - chicken, vegetable and boar. Also had rice wine, and lentil soup. About every 15 minutes a couple of dancers in traditional costumes would come to our table and perform a traditional dance. I was happy to see that there were several trekkers who are around Matt's age. It think there are 14 trekkers in all from the countries of Australia, Germany, USA, and Switzerland. Matt and Becky stayed at the hotel with the trekkers as they were all on a bus this morning at 5:45 headed to Pokhara and the first leg of their trekking.
Today Evie and I are on our own. We took a cab to Bhat Bhatani - a shopping center and picked up a few groceries and supplies. We had lunch at a bakery/café where the employees were all hearing impaired. It reminded me of the restaurant at Neema Crafts in Tanzania.
It is amazing how many "American" products are on the shelves of the grocery store - Pringles, Oreos, Corn Flakes, etc.
Tomorrow it will be tea at the US Embassador's house so Evie can see many of her friends from when she lived there. Then to an art show opening at a prestigious art gallery for:Restoring the Murals of Mustang: A Journey through Body, Soul and Heart ‏

Until then: Nameste

Sr. Becky's Tumblr Account

Here is a link to Sr Becky's tumblr account. There will be some pictures there too. http://srbeckys.tumblr.com/

Holy Man

Just one photo for today. This is me getting a blessing from the holy man at a Shiva temple. It is hard to keep all of the names of the gods straight!
Amazing day of going to church. Our friend Betty picked us all up at 8am to drop Becky and Matt off at their trekking gathering place. Then to take us to church. We had a flat tire on the road and everything is closed because of the holiday so we ended up leaving the car on the side of a major road and taking a taxi to church. Becky and Matt took at taxi to their location. At the Kathmandu International Christian Community Church there were people for every continent! So many CHristians from all over the world! South Africa, Pakistan, India, USA, Russia. It was so amazing to worship all together. Well an older gentleman introduced himself as being a theology professor who was in Nepal for a big conference tomorrow. He said that he had been in India for many years.
OK....side story. One of Eric Gustafson's employees married a girl from India who's father is a theology professor in Nepal. His name is Pastor Dutt. I spoke with Pastor Dutt when he was in North Branch for his daughter's wedding. He said that he would be happy to spend a day showing me where he teaches, etc when I am in Nepal. ]Now...after church today I approach the older gentleman and ask him if he knows a Pastor Dutt. His eyes widen and he says, "Yes, he was one of my pupils when I taught in India!". So I get the older gentleman's phone number and when I'm back at our apartment I call Pastor Dutt to tell him I have arrived in Kathmandu. Then I get to share the news that his old professor is in Nepal and I have been the link between them going all the way back to Eric Gustafsons sharing the information with me in the first place.
God certainly works in mysterious ways!!
FYI we were able to spend all day Saturday in the apartment getting organized and relaxing. Nothing very exciting happened except that our landlord took us up on the roof to see her organic herb garden, etc. It was beautiful and we could just barely see the tip of Everest through the fog. Actually it was probably thru the pollution because it is terribly polluted here. It reminds me of the haze you see over LosAngeles. I am pointing toward the US Embassy flag which you cant see in the picture. But our apartment has solar hot water and solar electricity.
Love you all, Talk to you later!

Music lessons for our host's children

Lacmi Punja Festival

Preparing the door step for lacmi puja part of the festival occurring here.
We spent the first evening driving around Kathmandu and seeing the beautiful light displays - it is a major Nepali festival as important as our Christmas. All the houses turn on their lights and put candles on all the stairways. Downtown all the businesses had vertical stands of lights from roof to ground.
We walked around Durban Square - a huge gathering site for the festivities. We climbed the steps to one of the large temples and sat looking out over the gathering.
Doors had garlands of marigolds hanging from them and inside buildings would have pathways of marigold flowers.
Outside people's homes they put a pathway of stick on feet decals leading to the front door. That is so the God of wealth can find their homes. There were parades and lots of merriment. The children go door to door singing (like our carolers) and get treats or money. What an awesome evening!

Arrival

I don't even know where to begin. We were picked up by Evie's friend Betty. Betty is 83, came to Nepal in 1967 for the state department and is now retired and loves Nepal. She just returned from a 10 day trek just missing the avalanche in the mountain pass that was in the news.
Anyway she took us back to Durban Square for major celebrating. There were parades and truck loads of young people singing and playing drums. Many were dressed in the traditional Newar garments.
Evie got a front seat at a program featuring the Prime Minister of Nepal and he even waved at her!
While she dazzled the Prime Minister we visited the Palace of the former kings of Nepal. Outside is a statue of the Monkey God (Matt and Becky standing in front).
Everywhere you turn there are temples and people lighting candles.
Then Betty took us to lunch and we met the wife of the current US Embassador. She said she would give us a call next week to invite us to their home. (I'm not holding my breath).
Now to the outer area of Kathmandu to see the stunning views of the Kathmandu Valley. Much of the valley is full of cement houses packed together, but there are parts that are still beautiful farm land against the backdrop of the stunning mountain ranges. We drove out to the gorge that was cut to drain the valley which was once a lake. There we were all blessed by a holy man who spends his days in meditation. It was a very spiritual experience! Then we drove to Pharping which is a temple that has pools of fish around it. There we lit prayer candles in memory of loved ones.
It was a most amazing day and we were blessed to have Betty be our guide. We will meet up with her again.!