devghat.

dear you,
www.docsfoundationnepal.blogspot.com
friday morning, while i was still in bed, goma called me and told me to be ready in 10 minutes.
i didn't know where we were going, but i hurried as fast as i could.
it turns out, we were going to visit her mother, in a place called devghat.
we had to go back down the horribly windy road i took to manakamana.
only farther.
but when we got there it was beautiful.
we had to cross a suspended bridge to get there!
she lives in a type of old people community, which was cool to see.
everyone was wearing various shades of orange and yellow.
why do they all look so awesome?
i wanted to take a picture of an old guy with the coolest beard ever.
but i was too chicken.
we went swimming in the river.
well.
wading.
goma and indira spread dried flowers in the water before they went in for the river god
but i just walked in cuz, darnit, i'm a lifeguard.
i got this.
also, it was a foot deep.
so i was pretty sure we were gonna be ok :)
it was all very rustic and wonderful.
they were worried i wouldn't like sita's (goma's mother) house because it's ancient.
but i think the old wood is fabulous :)
we cooked with a single-burner gas stove set on a chair, and a candle.
can't get any more awesome than that.
i'm serious people.
eating in the dark, on the floor, with your hands make the food taste SO MUCH BETTER.
i'm gonna attempt to make nepali food when i come home and force my family to do it :D
on sabbath, goma worshipped for a long time while indira and i froze our behinds off.
the shrine thing was in a cave type thing, so it was really really cold.
it was also 7 in the morning.
and then we visited a lady who was 107 years old!
she was so wrinkly that when she closed her eyes, it was almost like she didn't have eyes at all.
it was crazy.
a really really cool experience was eating with all the old people and the brahman boys from the school there.
we were all sitting on the floor in rows, and then everyone starting singing!
it was beautiful.
many were off tune, but there was one guy who sang a perfect third to the melody the whole time.
i couldn't tell if he was doing it on purpose or if it just happened.
either way, it was amazing.
i feel really stupid tho.
all these old people can squat/sit indian style for hours.
if i sit like that for 10 minutes, i get all locked up and sore.
i'm already old, and i'm only 19.
so this is how it ends...
i'll put the video of the singing on facebook, since blogger doesn't do well with videos.
anyways, the trip back was horrible, since we took a public bus instead of a minibus.
it took like twice as long and i sat next to a guy who alternated between staring at me and leaning on me.
awkward.
but all in all, it was an amazing trip.
nepal is such a contradiction, i've found.
it's very dirty and trash is everywhere, but when it comes to dishes and washing, nepali people are very clean.
meticulous even.
they live very simply, especially people like sita, who have a one-burner gas stove sitting on a chair and a candle for when the power goes out.
yet they have super complex and confusing rituals for worship and religion.
it's so interesting to see the difference between what i would have done, and what they do.
some things i wish our culture did, like have holi or eat with your hands.
but some things i'm glad we don't do, like have trash everywhere or have squat pots with no toilet paper.
this is why i love traveling!
there's so much more besides our own little neighborhoods and cultures.
it's great!
so anyways, here are the pictures!
love,
me