Neffus in Nepal: May 2009

Those of you who have been reading our blog since we arrived in Nepal may remember this post (http://neffusinnepal.blogspot.com/2008/08/monkeys-mountains-and-music-videos.html). It was one of our first hiking outings in the Kathmandu Valley, and this "hill" kicked our butts. We ran into a herd of crazy monkeys, ran out of water and were constantly harassed by mosquitoes. After two hours of uphill climbing, with no end in sight, we gave up and followed our wobbly legs back home. Since that fateful day when we left the hill broken and defeated, Ben and I have talked about going back to conquer that monstrous mount. Okay, maybe "monstrous" isn't the right word. We're not talking about the 30,000 foot peak of Mt. Everest. We're talking about a 7,000 foot high hill, not even the tallest in the Kathmandu Valley. Of course, this is probably an even stronger reason to go back. It was after all, a hill…and even Jack and Jill climbed up a hill.

Ben's time is running out in Nepal. He leaves in two months. With the monsoon season quickly approaching, we decided it was now or never. Heidi opted out. For some reason, she didn't share this drive to take on the hill that had so easily defeated us. On Saturday, Ben and I, with much sweat and many breaks, gracefully ascended to the lookout on the top of Nagarjun Ban. When we arrived at the top, I had one of those "this is why I love Nepal" moments. Next to the lookout tower, there is a small Buddhist stupa. On this particular day, there were probably a hundred Buddhist nuns, seated cross-legged next to the stupa. Holding prayer beads, they chanted their prayers in unison, with a few of them chiming in with traditional instruments. With this as the background, we sat on the tower and looked out over the valley. It was a scene that would be hard to capture anywhere else in the world. Here in Nepal, it is almost commonplace, but not commonplace in a way that causes you to forget how beautiful it is. It's just that you can almost expect that the unexpected will happen here. On Saturday, we expected to reach the top of the hill and enjoy a pleasant view. We did not expect to stumble upon a vibrant and enchanting ceremony. It was certainly worth the climb.

Our destination is the high point of this ridge.

Sweaty Ben resting on the lookout tower.

The stupa, surrounded by prayer flags.

The praying nuns.

As you can tell, Ben fared better than I did.

It's true that love is what makes the world go 'round...but love also makes you go 'round the world (and have crazy, unexpected adventures). Love took my parents halfway across the globe, from Paradise, Pennsylvania all the way to Kathmandu, Nepal, to visit Amos and me!

We welcomed them with very open and excited arms on April 30th, so glad to see each other after an almost 9 month separation. After settling into our apartment, the unpacking and gift-giving began (thwarted only by one missing bag, which was later recovered, and a spilled shampoo bottle, which made all our books smell like plums...could have been worse). It was like a little Christmas in April!

The next few days were spent seeing the sights of Kathmandu (and there are plenty of them). We only got stuck once, in a labor strike, but nothing else deterred our plans, thankfully! We visited all 3 of the city's Durbar Squares (Patan, Kathmandu, and Bhaktapur), taking in the ancient temples and palaces, the people, the animals, the crowded buses, and the, um, "aromatic" streets. We walked through Freak Street, visited fair trade handicraft stores, shopped in Thamel, lounged in the Garden of Dreams, and enjoyed some of the lovely restaurants of Kathmandu (without too many stomach issues). We visited Swayambunath Temple (aka Monkey Temple), chasing monkeys with our cameras and haggling with merchants for souvenirs. We hiked to Kirtipur, a picturesque Newari village where our friends live, and had a delicious Nepali meal together. And Amos and I scrounged up the small group of friends we've acquired and had a rooftop bbq--Amos and my dad grilled together while mom and I made apple pies. It was a lovely evening.

During the time my parents were in Nepal, the already shaky political situation was made even more precarious after the prime minister resigned. We were not sure what to expect with this--strikes, unrest, curfews--but thankfully Kathmandu remained (and still remains) fairly peaceful. We're hoping and praying that the situation will be resolved peacefully too.

The 2nd week, we hit the very curvy, very long, very scenic road to Pokhara to spend a few days relaxing. Pokhara is a popular tourist destination, but since it's the end of tourist season, it was even more peaceful and quiet than usual. We spent our days there hiking, then recovering from hiking by swimming, boating, reading, shopping, visiting the museum and enjoying some good restaurants in town. Our last full day there, we rose before dawn and went to the top of Sarangkot--a high hill in Pokhara famous for its breathtaking mountain views. We reached the top to see the sun rising, illuminating the Annapurna Range with brilliant reds and pinks. It was a magical moment. On the way back down, we had a memorable breakfast at a tiny bungalow that could barely pass for a restaurant, served by a lovely village woman and her young daughter--the best breakfast we've ever eaten!

Sadly, all things must come to an end, and we had to say farewell this morning. We woke to cool air, dark skies, and unexpected rain--somehow it was appropriate for a good bye. It was so difficult to say good bye (again), knowing we won't meet again for over a year, but we will feed off the joy of their visit in the months to come. It was absolutely wonderful! Amos and I are so immensely thankful for my parents, and for the love that sent them halfway across the world to us!