After 5 hours of
sitting in the 4x4 jeep on the most uncomfortable seats squeezed between my
things, people, a random stool and a wheel I saw my known rock (a landmark) and all my
tiredness went away. I was ready to jump out from the vehicle. We are approaching
MY VILLAGE!
But before that…. There was a
long journey.
It has started 1,5 years ago when I dared to begin my PhD
research about Far Eastern rural Nepal. It continued with my stay in 2 villages
for 4-5 months (in total I was in Nepal for 7 months). Six months later I came
back to return to my villages.
Even though I speak a bit of
Nepali language it is not nearly as good as it should be and therefore I am
going now with my assistant Anima who will help with translation and research.
I Getting peace at Bouddhanath
In general Nepal makes me super-mobile once I get out from
the Tribhuvan airport. I have changed so many houses, hotels, districts and
even rooms of hotels. Also this time I have decided to experience different are
of Kathmandu-around Bouddhanath (previously I lived around Thamel and in
different parts of Patan). Bouddhanath is the complex of Buddhist monasteries
with the central stupa, which is believed to be the most important place for Buddhists
in Nepal. It is located quite far from the city, but I was stubborn in my wish.
And I never regretted that.
This place is truly magic, where it seems that modernity, 21st
century, money obsession and time compression has never came. Especially during
Dashain period (when all Nepali are going home to villages to get blessing from
elders of the family; and thus city feels empty). My hotel window faced the
monastery with purely white doves. Every morning before 6 a.m. monks started
chanting and this chanting mood would not stop during the day. Everywhere I went
it seemed that people are only concerned about their own spirituality than
anything else and therefore in shops and restaurants people always had malas in
their hands and did not bother about me as a customer. No bargaining or offers
for me to buy things I do not need, so typical for other parts of Kathmandu.
Most of the women were wearing their traditional dresses and whenever I went
outside my hotel I entered a stream of monks and others walking around stupa in
clockwise direction. I could spend hours observing that. The air was full of
religiously spirituality or “Love-Peace-Happiness” as Buddhists usually say. In
fact, despite that so many things did not work, I could not be upset for a long
time, it was simply impossible there. That was Kathmandu I did not know before.
I experienced only loud, polluted, crazy place where I was afraid to be a
pedestrian and a bicycle rider, because of the unorganized dangerous traffic,
out of which my head was ready to blow out. Here it was peace.
Here just like in Himalayas I became different, Nepali
version of me: easy going, friendly, opened, making friends and feelings lives
of everyone I meet.
II A long and troublesome journey
I thought I got this peace forever, but I was mistaken,
peace did not belong to me, it belonged to the place. Thus, when I packed my
all belonging and ordered a taxi to the domestic airport I already could not
accept the taxi driver to be 30 minutes late before my flight (when the journey
itself is maximum 20 minutes). That’s good that I calculated time well in
advance!
We landed in Jhapa, which resembled at that time Africa-so
hot! In general our journey was supposed to be long: from Jhapa to Ilam, where
we thought to stay for a day, later to go directly to Falaichha or to have two
buses in one day, as I used to do before. But this time absolutely nothing
worked after I reached Ilam.
Usually I adore Ilam. It is a small peaceful city in hills
with smiling people and huge plantations of tea bushes. There is this special atmosphere
of people plucking tea leaves and people having long walks on paths in tea
gardens. There are very few places in Nepal, which would fulfil so well a
function of social gathering and relaxation for all generations and
backgrounds.
This time all went wrong. Already on the way together with
Anima we could barely survive famous 12 turns before the city and our stomachs
were ready to explode. Once we approached Ilam we could not find a sleeping
place for a long time due to festivals and those available were worse of each
other. Finally I made my wrong decision towards a hotel with giggling teenage
boys and a dirty bathroom. I thought I can cope with everything: mice in hotels
and houses do not bother me if I secure my food, I sweep of cockroaches from
tables and take out hairs, stones, hash and insects from food easily. To
spiders I even do not give any attention at all.
But this!!!
When I opened my bathroom kit in the evening in the bathroom
I saw that awful creature moving its longs nose around. That was the first time
I screamed seeing something usually people are afraid of. But this thing was
sooo huge! I ran out from the bathroom scared to see it again. Luckily I had a
strong insecticide spray and I attacked all those creatures in the bathroom not
caring that I poison myself for a night sleep as well. That made them run,
which was even worse.
That night I could sleep only with mosquito net over my
face, and yes, I slept in my sleeping bag in the hotel. Also because they did
not have bed sheets and I did not believe that they washed duvets more than
once in 6 months.
Getting a ticket to our further destination was also an enormous
task. Since elections for Constituent Assembly are approaching and that is a
very decisive moment in development of Nepal, everyone was very excited about
that. That also meant that they did not want to bother about doing their jobs
and selling tickets. Thus we were redirected from one place to another and at
last we needed to walk for 2 km up the hill to find out that the ticket counter
guys just wanted to get rid of us.
!!!
But at last we got a ticket at least to Phidim for the next
day (which is located 3 hours distance). Our jeep was at 5-6 o’clock (the time
is always given like this, meaning you need to be there at 5, but they might
move are 7 or 8. Or 5. Depends on the mood). In the evening I made sure that in
my hotel they knew that I have an early time for bus and they open the door for
me on time.
They didn’t.
At 5 a.m. sharp I was screaming and hitting my metal door,
which was locked straight at the beginning of stairs leading to rooms. Not even
hotel entrance door, people were locked on their floors. I waited for 45
minutes. Within this time I was screaming, I was running to balconies shouting
at walking people for help, and above all-I was hitting metal door with all my
strength for many minutes. No reaction. In fact, you can get a heart attack in
your hotel between 10 and 6 and you will be isolated from help.
In this period Anima was sitting on the stone close to my
hotel door. For one hour in cold.
Of course, we missed our bus.
Eeeeeeh, with the second transport we managed to reach Phidim
at last, but we could not move further, because due to elections people of
parties booked most of the vehicles and therefore only few of them were
operating. We needed to wait for one more day. And even for that next day we
managed to get the worst possible seats and the only calming thought was that
we are both slim and Anima is especially a very petit lady, which meant we can
manage. We were still pressing each other, hitting out buts and sides on metal
on the bumpy road, but I don’t want to imagine sitting next to an average man.
But then it was there-Falaichha and end of our sufferings.
III Finally
When first houses
appeared on my way I could see known faces, people were happy to see me and
asked to come to their houses and when we rolled out of our jeep I was back at
home. I knew almost everyone and I was surprised with new shops on the road. I
saw 6-month old baby, whose mother I saw pregnant on last month just when I
left the village. I met people, who were previously absent, but they heard
about me. I went to my favourite house and they gave us a seat, a room and food
immediately. Everyone was so happy to see me and I was so happy to see them. Everyone
spoke to me Nepali. Nothing comparing to my first visit to this village, where
all the important people gathered around me with suspicion asking why did I come.
I was a circus animal for them and every move of mine was scrutinised and
re-talked.
Now I was at home.
Home among deep forests, golden crops, hills and fresh air possible only if you
are at the place of mountains and no vehicles.
Breathing deeply and
getting excited to go further and to see others J
