Bundha & Pashupati

This morning I went back to Papa's House to help with the girls and they all loved my skirt. Many of them yelled, "You are booteeful!" I was braiding a 4 year old's hair when I spotted lice. I knew the children probably had lice, but it was a little unsettling since we make such a big deal of it in the US (I'm getting itchy thinking about it). Another little girl came over a few minutes later and noticed the lice and started picking it out of her hair and killing it.

After the morning routine I met Sushmita at the volunteer house and we took Sarah to the airport. I was sorry to say good bye to her, I feel like we've become good friends in a few short days. Last night we went to a local restaurant and had fresh and fried veggie momo for dinner. The power was out so we ate in the dark for a bit until one of the boys brought a lanter. The bill for both of our meals came to $1.16 US. Amazing. I still can't get over how inexpensive everything is here. I've been in Nepal for three days now and I've spent less than $10 and I've bought a skirt, and had a few meals out.

I experienced my first bundah, or strike, today. Last night someone was killed on one of the main roads in Kathmandu. When this happens the family will protest and shut the road down until they are appeased. We left extra early to accomodate and we took a million back roads to avoid the mayhem. If I thought Kathmadu was poor, the back roads gave me a new perspective. After a few 10-15 minute traffic delays we made it on time.

After that we went to Pashupati, the second largest Hindu temple in the world. It is spread out like a small city with a park-like atmosphere in some of it. Only Hindus can enter the main temple area, but guests are allowed anywhere else. As we walked through a set a temples there was a bridge in front of us with an Ox standing on it. Throughout Nepal (including highways and city streets) you will see ox wondering around. When a family member dies, if the family owns a cow and an ox, they must let the ox go in the street in homage to that person. After that they are free to roam for the rest of their life. On the bridge we could look out over a very polluted, trickly of a river. on the west bank of the river there were 5-7 platforms, two with burning mounds on them. Sushmita explained that when a person of the Hindu religion dies, they are brought in their best clothing and jewelry to be cremated on these platforms. There is a sitting area for their families to watch and direct family members wear white from that day for a full year. Once the body is cremated the remains are pushed into the river. Sometimes people scavenge for gold or jewelry that wasn't lost during the cremation in the river. While we watched from the bridge I could smell sewer so strongly that it felt like I was tasting it. There were children playing in the river and sorting through garbage on the east bank side.

When we left the bridge we walked up a very long, large flight of stairs towards other religious relics. About half-way up Sushmita showed me a hole in the stone stair wall. If you stand back as far as you can (about 12 feet) and press your hands together, extend your arm, and close your eyes and then walk towards the hole and you put your hands directly into the whole it means you're pure hearted and lucky. I hit it dead on (and I didn't even peak).

We sat and overlooked the whole place (it is very large) and I got the overwhelming feeling that I didn't want to be there anymore. I loved how old it was and the temples and statues were beautiful, but the polution and public grieving bothered me. It didn't really seem to fit with how sacred this sight was supposed to be.

Later I had a Nepali language and etiquit lesson and now I'm going to go with Jesse, another volunteer who has been here before and raised over $22,000 for Volunteer Nepal, to the boys home to help with homework for a few hours. I met some of the boys this morning and they are an energetic and rowdy bunch, but very sweet and polite. Once they saw my camera I was stuck taking at least 20 pictures (how could I say no?) in front of their school.

Later tonight Jesse and I are going into Themel (an area of Kathmandu) for dinner and to talk to a tatoo artist. Jesse has a huge tatoo he got here last year and only paid $50 US. It is really beautiful and apparently the artist trained in the US and has a very respectable parlor. I'm going to try and pick up some extra school supplies while we're there too.

Back at you soon! : ) L