Nepal

Adventures in Nepal, Part VI: Paljorling Camp

Posted on March 6, 2020 by Debora

Emma and Elizabeth stayed with Sabita and Bee Striit from January 15th to the 18th, and then stayed with friends at the Tibetan refugee camp from the 19th to the 28th.

Paljorling camp has a beautiful monastery.

After the girls had settled in, they went into town to get some lunch.

Adorable Emma is adorable.

Apparently the reason why the power lines are such a clusterfuck in Nepal is because when one stops working, they just string a new one up to bypass it instead of searching out the old one and repairing it. Crazy.

This handsome fellow is decorated for a local festival. We can’t find any info on what festival it was, but our best guess is that it was a local version of Kukur Tihar, the Day of the Dog.

Or, as Emma said, “It coulda been a temple dog that had a birthday, for all I know.”

To be continued!

Categories: Animals, Celebrations, Dogs, Family, food, Friends, Holidays, kids, Life, Nepal, Travel | Tags: Paljorling Camp | Leave a comment

Weekly Sketch: Saraswati

Posted on March 5, 2020 by Debora

Another busy week, another unfinished sketch. This was going to be a drawing of the little Saraswati figure that Emma got for Elizabeth in Nepal, a gift of creative energy. Saraswati is the Hindu goddess of knowledge, music, art, wisdom and learning.

The original:

This was the same day that Elizabeth bought the beautiful rainbow sweater/jacket.

I love that sweater so much.

*** *** *** *** *** ***

On the subject of art, I’ve been thinking about the corporate logos that Nepalis paint all over everything, and I have a theory. Disclaimer: I know almost nothing about Nepali culture or religion, this is just a thought that came to me.

It kind of makes sense, in a polytheistic culture that celebrates a full spectrum of energies, that they might celebrate the life-changing power of oil by painting the Castrol Oil logo on a Ganesha shrine. Or that in such a bright, vibrant culture, they might honor the transformative effects of commercial paint by adding the Berger Paints logo to a colorful gateway. Or that a recreational boat rental company might invoke the exhilarating thrill of chocolate by putting the Kit Kat logo on its boats. I like the idea that they might be calling up the energy of a specific product by putting its logo on their stuff.

Anyway, it’s just a theory. If any experts on Nepali culture want to chime in, I’d love to hear from someone knowledgeable.

Categories: Artwork, Family, Friends, Holidays, kids, Life, Nepal, Travel, Weekly Sketch | Tags: Saraswati | Leave a comment

Adventures in Nepal, Part V: Disneyland!

Posted on March 1, 2020 by Debora

Wednesday the 18th dawned sunny and clear. Elizabeth had heard about a local theme park in Lakeside, and was excited to go see it.

And here we have the completely legit and totally not fake Pokhara Disneyland:

A magical entryway to the Sketchiest Place on Earth.

Pluto’s face kills me.

Behold, the Magic Kingdom!

Can you feel the excitement?

It has the castle and everything!

So I got two different versions of the visit to “Pokhara Disneyland.”

Elizabeth has never met a theme park she didn’t like, and she thoroughly enjoyed her experience at this one.

Emma was like, “There is rust on everything and you can literally see and hear the unshielded belt turning the ferris wheel and it is not outside the realm of possibility that we may die on one of these rides.”

Nice views from the ferris wheel, though.

Elizabeth was undaunted by rust and squealing engine belts, and embraced the whimsy.

I absolutely adore that rainbow sweater. She had just bought it the day before, and it brightens up almost every photo for the rest of the Nepal trip.

Lunch break at a cafe in Lakeside…

…And then back for more squeaky, rust-covered fun. They say the whole theme park experience set them back about five bucks.

When Emma had had enough of Disneyland, they explored more of Lakeside.

I really like this panoramic shot Emma took of Phewa Tal.

Love, peace and property destruction.

Walking back to Sabita’s house. Look at the tangles of power lines everywhere.

Panoramic view from Sabita’s rooftop.

To be continued!

Categories: A Plethora of Parks, Family, Friends, Holidays, Humor, kids, Life, Nepal, Travel, Weather | Tags: Pokhara Disneyland | 1 Comment

Adventures in Nepal, Part IV: Basundhara Park

Posted on February 23, 2020 by Debora

The next day was gray and rainy. (January 17th, if we’re keeping track.) Emma, Elizabeth and Bee Striit met the two Tibetan students at the hotel again for another photography class.

I like the grass-carpeted balcony!

When the lesson was done, our trio braved the weather and visited Basundhara Park in Lakeside.

This park entrance sign is another example of either ubiquitous ad placement or random tributes to popular brands.

Basundhara Park lies along the shores of Phewa Tal. On a clear day, the Himalayas loom majestically in the background. But even on a rainy day, the lake is beautiful.

Colorful boats!

Elizabeth and Bee Striit.

These boats all had Kit Kat ads on their canopies:

And back to the narrow streets of Nepal.

More to come!

Categories: A Plethora of Parks, Family, Friends, Holidays, Life, Love, Nepal, Travel, Weather | Tags: Basundhara Park, Lakeside | 2 Comments

Adventures in Nepal, Part III

Posted on February 21, 2020 by Debora

This is Sabita’s neighborhood in Pokhara. Elizabeth says the light and air were lovely here compared to the heavy smog of Kathmandu.

I enjoy the random absurdity of this photo. Hello, abandoned toilet and loose cow.

On the morning of the 16th, Emma, Elizabeth and Bee Striit met up with two Tibetan students from Paljorling refugee camp to give them cameras and their first photography lesson.