COUNTRY: Nepal - Pokhara
PROGRAM: UniBreak
PROJECT: Community Healthcare, Teaching
WRITTEN BY: Bec and Gia
Already another week has sped past with more exciting stories to share! After a week of placement in the hospital and schools we all relaxed over a delicious dinner and drinks at Lemon Tree in the popular village of Lakeside. We all tasted exotic dishes of Nepal including Buffalo steak and fresh fish from the local river and gulped the famous Everest beer! We then proceeded to Club Amsterdam to sip cocktails and puff on minty shisha pipes, whilst listening to a live band play some 'old school' Aussie favourites.
Early Saturday morning we awoke to dress in Chuba (traditional Tibetan dresses) for the celebration of His Holiness, the Dalai Lama's 78th birthday. We all felt so privileged to have experienced such a beautiful demonstration of community, friendship, worship and tranquility. Our morning was spent by many prayers, delicious food, traditional dancing and cups of Tibetan tea. "A heart attack in a cup" - Adam Edwards #classicmedstudent.
Before our trip we were advised by Kathryn that Nepalese time and Aussie time were two different concepts. This was evident when Niamh, Jessie, George, Rebecca and Angelisa all decided to go for a pony trek. After an hour and half waiting for our ponies to arrive we startled the saddles and endured a rainfall which can only be described as a monsoon! Unfortunately the wild weather and the uncertainty of a wobbly saddle was enough to send Angelisa home. However the group powered through the torrential down pour. Jessie, Rebecca and Niamh led the way and was closely followed by George the 'cantering cowboy' whose bells on his reins chimed happily throughout the ride.
We were again faced with 'Nepalese time' as we spent an hour waiting for a 4x4 Jeep to take us up to Sarankot. The bumpy ride was an experience in itself. Mud, leeches, rocks, cliff edges, a foggy sky and no seat belts are the graphics you should imagine. Reaching the top, we were faced with an adrenaline rush which claimed to be the longest, steepest and highest Zip Line in the world. In a matter of minutes, Rebecca chickened out, Angelisa pestered the instructor with endless and repetitive questions regarding safety guidelines and Sahreet nervously second guessed her decision about this wild ride. Eventually the girls were able to step out of their comfort zones and zip across the mountain with sheer delight. All daredevils experienced such a high speed that their eyes became watery and their screams were swallowed by the great size of Sarankot's mountains.
We should also mention our experiences of catching local buses around Pokhara. After a long day, a ten seater Mitsubishi van is our cheapest mode of transport. This mini bus will swerve around corners and through traffic accompanied by an extra ten people who are all in a rush for their destination. For a fair price of 24 Nepalese Rupees, this hysterical ride includes a man who hangs out the door, yelling and whistling for more passengers to climb aboard, the smell of body oder, claustrophobia and the hot engine as a place to sit.
Again we would like to award the "Bekar" of the week to George. Using a drop toilet is a challenge for anyone however, George made his experience more difficult by dropping his phone in the toilet whilst "mid-shit" (Sklavounos, G) It doesn't get much better than this! We don't know how this will be topped, perhaps all "Bekar" awards should be given to George for the remainder of the trip.
We'll write soon!
Gia and Bec
xxx
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