Beautiful Falaichha is the place of deep valleys, high hills, forests, springs and waterfalls. Sometimes I would stay on the hill and look at the another. I would count houses.... and I could barely count more than 3-4 on the other side. It was hard to move around, because it was so steep and it became scary after sunset to go home. I was afraid from the animals, because all around is only forest and Sunil was afraid from people. Nepali people in general still have post-maoist fear and they would always exaggerate the risk. |
| How many houses do you see? This is the inhabited village. |
In Falaichha I felt the most political tensions in the country. Unfortunately, I feel like predicting upcoming conflicts. Although the village is so peaceful and the biggest wish and responsibility of people, as they said, is to live in peace and help each other. Preserving culture and having the identity becomes so important, that some would go and fight for that.
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Political leader, is not cutting beard until the stable government comes to power. Beard would be also useful in case if he needs to fight for his ideas- then people would not recognize him
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In some places of Nepal I have become highly dependent on nature, especially on sun. I wake up early to be able to catch as much day as possible and I go early to bed, because it is so cold, that I cannot even read a book-my hand is freezing. I know at which hour in which place it becomes warm and which places to avoid because of shade. Knowing east and west becomes crucial and adjusting for the shade makes it possible not to freeze and still be able to use the computer. After 17 it is already late for me and I try not to arrange anything after 4-it is too dark to move around, as there is no street light. If I am lucky and there is a solar panel, I also learn at which hour the water is the warmest. This lifestyle becomes natural and the only problem is that it doesn't fit with my necessity to study. I rather feel like collecting leaves or cooking daal bhat.
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And so there was this long going back. After reaching Jhapa just within 10 hours in uncomfortable local jeep we stayed in the so called best hotel of town. Pretending to be luxury, it had AC, cable TV, couches and a sofa. Apart from that the bed sheets and towels were never washed in their long life, the shower would be stuck with hair and the toilet.... well, it was so disgusting that I am not going even to write it here, I guess you got my point. After long drive and being general quite dirty in those rural conditions I couldn't find the cleanest spot in the room even to sit, so I preferred to keep standing. Luckily I had a sleeping bag, so I could escape from touching the bed sheets and pretend to enjoy my sleep. That was not the case though. In the evening the group of Indians arrived in the hotel, so my doors and windows were frequently knocked and those many attempts to violently open my door made me quite nervous. In this moment I felt thankful for so much furniture, so that it could work as a blocking force-I have made a special mechanism in front of my door so that noone can open it too easily or too fast.
Luckily I was too tired so I felt asleep hoping to leave this awful place as soon as I can tomorrow morning.
Morning came with the continuous fog and extremely poor visibility. Airport staff confirmed my fears of cancelled flight. Going back to Jhapa? No, I rather WALK back to Kathmandu!!!!!
Long debates and discussions with people from the airport about renting a transport were not successful, so after wasting lots of time I was just crying not to stay in this horrible place any more longer and at least to hire a taxi to reach any closer point to Kathmandu before it gets dark.
And so we went to Biratnagar, hoping to be able to get seats in the next early morning bus, where all the seats were already sold. Lucky enough we got seats and I was sitting in the very front, sharing 1,5 seat with another passenger, kids, legs, backs and bags of other people. Being so squeezed was not the biggest problem-the window was broken (and at 5 in the morning the cold is intolerable, especially in the bus with the opened window!). The holes were also in front of me and on the bus floor, so actually I could have 3dimensional connection with the outside. I was happy for having big feet and not being afraid that they would fall in that hole.
Just 12 hours and we reached nighty Kathmandu. I managed to find accommodation quiet easy, although in the morning I needed to start my living place search again. But otherwise those were days of moving again, eating and sleeping. Finally having access to all the different food I couldn't stop filling my stomach and the exhaustion was too strong to leave my bed.
I pray for not having fog in the nearest future, when I go to East again....
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