‘Til the Cows Come Home

October 22, 2013June 15, 2014 / wrightsolution / 2 Comments

In many ways it was such an everyday scene. An end-of-the-day evening routine. Both the farmers and the cows knew the ropes and within minutes their journey from the fields to the barn was over. But I happened to be standing there with my camera, and happily snapped away for a few minutes enjoying just how idyllic it seemed.

The farmer led his cows down off the path and across a small muddy stream. The cows knew where they were going.

His wife followed behind. Her cow’s red tika matching her dress. Unbelievably a seagull swooped down and arrived in my shot with perfect timing. (Seagull? In Nepal? Well, maybe not, but do you know what it is?)

Ooo…look at that face!

Home was a traditional mud brick home in Sankhu. The animal entrance is on the left.

The big guy goes in, heading for bed….

…And a few minutes later, along comes the next family carrying their day’s work in the field on their backs

Of course, their life is less than idyllic. My host showed me around his mud house and the upstairs bedroom with only a straw mat and a badly caving roof. There is no bathroom or kitchen, and the downstairs space is used for storage and animals. In fact my mind flashed back to just a few week ago in Devon, staying in a home that was originally designed to house humans and animals together. Life in Devon and Nepal seemed oddly connected.

Kalimati Produce Market

October 21, 2013 / wrightsolution / 1 Comment

Anyone who has asked me in person about my big challenges living in Manila knows how I felt about the lack of quality fresh produce. Its not that the Philippines doesn’t produce quality fruits and vegetables, but it has the hardest time getting them into the city before they start to expire. Often we found produce flown in from Australia that was fresher — much more expensive — but fresher than anything grown just 6 hours north of Manila in cool, fertile Bagio.

So a important goal of the settling in process here in Kathmandu was to explore the produce available, learn what was seasonally available and figure out the best way to get some of it on our plates at home. So I asked my Didi what kinds of vegetable markets were available and to take me to the best one in the city.

When I got in the car with our driver he seemed a bit confused. He pointed at the plenitude of small fruit and vegetable shops, indicating to me that everything was available locally rather than driving what seemed to him a long way to the market. But I really wanted to see for myself if there was some kind of central market that offered clues to the best variety and freshness with produce in Kathmandu. It was a way to set expectations and to answer the question: What does produce look like when it first arrives in Kathmandu before its sat on the roadside for hours on end? Once I know about how things worked here, then I could set my expectations accordingly.

So off we went to the market. I really wasn’t sure if I had managed to communicate things properly, but was pleasantly surprised when, less than half an hour later, our driver turned our car into what was clearly a big produce market, Kalimati Wholesale Fruit and Vegetable Market to be precise.

First glimpses of Kalimati market. At 10am it was busy but not crowded. Most stalls were under a large, central, covered area, although many spilled out on to the surrounding side streets.

I was heartened to see some variety in the different type of vegetables. In Manila you really could only get one type of potato, or carrot, or bean…. Here there was more choice on some of the produce, like potatoes for instance…

The level of freshness was pretty good too. The market was pretty rough around the edges but the produce looked decent. I tried to snap the English “Farmers Market” sign but only managed part of it…

Using a head strap to carry heavy weight on your back is very common here. It much be really bad for your neck and shoulders!

So how does Kathmandu produce stack up against Manila’s? Considerably better, I’d say. Our local supermarket here is still inferior to the street market, but comes up with very fresh things occasionally. Also here the producers also come into the city and sell directly from their own blanket pitch on the pavement. I’ve seen some good looking produce around, not consistently, but its there. And of course, for me, the fact that vegetables feature on menus and the food here is pretty good is a good thing. Now I just have to find my chef’s hat once again and head back into the kitchen…. I’ll keep you posted on that one!

Yak Cheese. Its What’s for Dinner…..

October 20, 2013October 20, 2013 / wrightsolution / Leave a comment

Half a kilo of yak cheese please…

Here in Kathmandu, cheese is available but imported cheeses are very expensive and its a bit of a gamble whether your expensive imported cheese has had a good journey from its source to your table. I can’t bring myself to shell out over seven dollars for a tub of philadelphia cream cheese.

We are lucky to have an excellent farmers market with cheese producers who sell locally made international cheese at more reasonable prices than the supermarket anyway. And they are very good. However, I don’t always have a Saturday morning free to go to the farmers market to obtain them.

Locally made cheese such as paneer and mozzarella are very reasonably priced and readily available and we have had success buying those. Also on our purchasing list is yak cheese, and I hesitated a little at first, but it has turned out to have a small but relevant role in our fridge. Here’s an introduction:

Half a Kilo for about 520 rupees. Thats approximately $4.50/pound.

Whats the texture like? Quite firm, but no hard. A little waxy but not rubbery. Interestingly enough, it has a very mild flavour. Not at all what I expected.

It grates pretty nicely too…

Grated on a little homemade minestrone. Which I sort of regretted actually, it melts with a bit too much stringy-ness. Might be better in a different kind of dish

The verdict? Yaks Cheese is ok. I don’t love it, nor do I hate it. The flavour is pretty bland and it melts with a stringy-ness that reminds me of mozzarella, but without the creaminess. I wouldn’t eat it on crackers because by itself it’s not worth the calories. But in a recipe that uses cheese to bind things together and relies on other flavours to make in shine…its just fine. There you go…Yak’s Cheese…not at all what you expected!

Puja!

October 19, 2013October 18, 2013 / wrightsolution / 3 Comments

Here in Nepal we are coming towards the end of the biggest holiday of the year known as Dashian. Kathmandu closes down, many businesses are closed and different festivals are celebrated on a daily basis. There are way too many of them for me to keep up but one of the best known is Puja.

During Puja, goats are sacrificed and all manner of property – factories, vehicles, any machinery instruments and anything from which a living can be made is worshiped. The goats are sacrificed to all moving machinery like cars, aeroplanes, trucks etc. to get the blessing from goddess Durga for protection for vehicles and their occupants against accidents during the year. Its quite a colourful spectacle.

Walking around Sankhu, the village where we spent Dashian, ceremonies were underway all over. Here are just a few:

Blessing the family car

Nothing to do with the festivities…but I just thought he was the cutest dog. (I think animals have a day of blessing all their own).

Even this sad, abandoned tractor with flat moss-covered flat tyres was being blessed. I like to think that someone who remembered the importance of this piece of machinery in years gone by decided to honour it as an old friend. Maybe a bit too romantic for a tractor, but then this whole world of blessing machinery is a new one for me…

Blessing the family micro-bus. May it travel safely on Nepal’s narrow and precipitous roads

Bhaktapur – Medieval Trades Up Close (Part 2)

September 19, 2013September 18, 2013 / wrightsolution / 1 Comment

Bhaktapur is a beautiful city that’s world famous for its historical and religious architecture. But I felt that it deserved a separate post here on its amazing array of living, ancient trades that I had never seen before in such hands-on detail all in one place. These weren’t museum activities, reenactments for tourists, or struggling ancient trades desperately trying to survive in modern society, but everyday life, money-making pursuits of Bhaktapur village.

As we walked through the narrow streets, almost every other open doorway had an ancient trade behind. We saw carvers, potters, metalwork, bakers and butchers, creating and crafting from raw materials without power or technology. We saw full processes and complimentary trades working side by side. It was particularly fascinating to see the clay arrive in bags, a potter spin pots, and then watch them dry in the sun before heading to the open air kilns.

It was also highly unusual to me that this other medieval world existed alongside a national and international tourist attraction that was still unspoilt, still preserved, and still part of living history. The city’s famous architecture must help support Bhaktapur’s economy, but the pots they made and the flour being ground was not just to produce tourist income. There were tourists shops and touts, but it was very low key. The town felt authentic but at the same time was familiar enough with outsiders that we didn’t feel voyeuristic as we walked around. A very difficult and rare balance achieved and an amazing glimpse into the past.

Piles of clay waiting for the potter

Potter shaping a pot on a manual pottery wheel

Processing corn husks ready for kiln kindling

A potter stopped to show me his kiln. Love the Superman tshirt!

Newly baked pots from the kiln

Corn and rice husks drying side by side in the main square…..

….. alongside the freshly turned pots.

Typical Bhaktapur doorway with decorative lintel. Peering through one would reveal anything from a small living area to a trademan working.

The lady is spinning yarn. But she also had a side business going of making mats from reeds.

Wheat (or rice?) being emptied into a grinder to make flour. We watched the white powder and husks being collected in sacks

We watched this baker hand shape donuts from his huge tray of dough, stacking the donuts and leaving them to rise some more.

Tray of handmade donuts ready to be fried in the large wok of oil on the floor. We returned in the evening — cameraless– and saw these for sale, crispy brown and dusted in sugar.

Bhaktapur – Around Town (Part 1)

September 18, 2013 / wrightsolution / 3 Comments

Bhaktapur village. From a distance the village looks quite large but ramshackle. Close up its a different story.

Shortly into our first few weeks into Nepalese life, it was a three day weekend and our only and last chance to see something of our surroundings before Latham and I had to leave for London to settle him into University. Knowing very little about where we were and what there was to do, I asked around for advice. Bhaktapur is a short drive of less than an hour out of Kathmandu and recommended by many, so we headed there for a two night stay.

Surrounding rice fields with Bhaktapur in the distance

We stayed at the attractive Heritage Hotel a short distance outside the town, surrounded by rice fields. From our room on the 5th floor we had access to a roof terrace and 360 degree views to the town and its outskirts. It was wonderful to be out of a city environment after such a short drive and watching every day life and the world go by was fascinating.

Watching crops being planted in nearby fields. That’s okra growing to the left.

Small shrines and unexpected antique construction is tucked away in unexpected places.

Crows seem to everywhere in Nepal. These were watching over the world just like me.

The village was a 5-10 minute walk from the hotel across an ancient bridge. There’s a quite steep entrance fee of approximately $11/person for foreigners which is towards the preservation of the village (hopefully). With a photocopy of your passport the entrance fee becomes valid for several days, but no one seemed to be watching after our first visit. There weren’t many western tourists, so perhaps they just recognized us and left us alone.

Bhaktapur streets were bricked and narrow. Busy with everyday traffic, apart from the occassional motorcycle, car or printed advertisement, there was very little of 21st century life to be seen.

Considering there were few western tourists, I felt pretty comfortable walking around. I felt noticed but not conspicuous, so it was easy to wander and explore.

Bhaktapur is pretty large to explore on foot and a warren of streets. We spent two days looking around but certainly didn’t discover it all or see find half of it secrets. The main attractions are the large squares, Durbar Square being the largest and a world heritage site. Its a pretty amazing collection of temples, sacred sites, statues, gateways, and ancient architecture which is all mind-blowingly packed into a large medieval square. All of could do is sit and stare in wonder. Most amazingly of all, if you explore a little further out, there a more and more squares to discover. Durbar Square may be the largest and most impressive but it is not a small remnant of ancient Bhaktapur, it is just part of the whole amazing medieval preservation which is alive with everyday life and not just a tourist enclave.

Impressive gate guards in an old square doorway

Durbar Square, Bhaktapur

Highest man made temple in Nepal

Living rooves too!

Anyone mad enough to come and visit us absolutely needs to spend a few days here. We’ll be back too.

Swayambhuneth: Monkey Temple

September 6, 2013October 19, 2013 / wrightsolution / Leave a comment

Buddha’s eyes looking down from the temple dome

We’ve not had much chance to be tourists in the ten days we’ve spent in Kathmandu so far. Life has been full of work paperwork and procedures, hiring and settling staff, settling ourselves, unpacking stuff, figuring out the grocery store and what and where to buy 10,000 other different bits and pieces that we need. Before Latham leaves for uni on Monday, I wanted to get a couple of tourist days in so his impression of Kathmandu wasn’t just grocery shelves, an empty house and crazy traffic.

So yesterday we headed off to Swayambhuneth Temple, a UNESCO world heritage site also known as Monkey temple. The temple is located on the top of a hill and its a steep 365 step climb up.

Fortunately there were level stone steps and a hand rail which made the climb much more doable. Seeing your goal in the distance helped too!

The climb is also broken up my all sorts of interesting things to look at on the way up…lots of excuses to stop and look at the details. The climb starts with troops of monkeys running around at the stairway entrance. They are very tame, very entertaining, and I imagine pretty obnoxious too, although they gave us no problems. More on those later…. Then there’s plenty of vendors, statues, shrines along the way. Half way up there is a sort of Buddha garden with well kept statues to keep you company as you catch your breathe.

Reaching the top you are rewarded with a close up view of the temple which sits in the center of a large multi-level courtyard that’s like a small village.

Strolling around Swayambuneth courtyard

There are viewing platforms all around where you can take in amazing views of Kathmandu. The temple itself is surrounded by rows of prayer wheels, flower sellers, strings of butter candles and incense burners, souvenir sellers, more statues of Buddha and, of course, more monkeys. The devout were chanting and circling the temple with drums, cymbals, and horns. Pigeons fly everywhere, stray dogs are sleeping in the most unlikely places, and monkeys pop up on the rooftops above you. There’s a lot to take in!

The views were a bit too hazy that day, but they were 360 degrees out across and around the city. I particularly loved these prayer flags strung out through the trees.

Getting a close up view of the prayer wheels. Notice how they are polished by many hands, but no one touches them at the top.

Water break at one of the many, many shrines

I loved all the activity. There was lots going on but it didn’t feel crowded and the vendors weren’t too obnoxious either.

We spent a good hour up there….I could easily have spent two. We were too early to go up to the rooftop cafe and get a birds eye view of the square, so instead we took pictures of monkeys. Here are a few of the best. Loved the visit and want to go back many times!

The baby was fast asleep and still clinging on. Adorable!

Weekly Photo Challenge: Kathmandu at Night

August 30, 2013September 28, 2014 / wrightsolution / 5 Comments

The city seems so calm and quiet at night.

No, this post isn’t about the nightlife — if there is any here — its about the city after nightfall in a place where power outages are scheduled to handle the overloaded demand for power. Load sharing ensures that the power goes out every day at scheduled times, although no one seems to be sure if the schedule means anything. Power seems to go out anytime during the day and at night. For us its just the inconvenience of a one or two second delay while we wait for the generator to kick in. But for most people its a way of life. Even we have stopped looking up when the power goes out.

For those lucky enough to have a generator (including us) the night lights remain on. These are the pools of light glowing in the otherwise dark. It reminds me a little of Spetses during a power cut where you can see the flicking light of kerosene lamps from across the valley.

From the other side the blackout is even greater. Above the skyline of the houses are the foothills with just one or two shining lights above in the blackness. I imagine how dark it must be on the other side of the hill without even the distant glow of Kathmandu to light the sky. I want to go there!

This post participated in the Daily Post’s Weekly Photo Challenge: Nighttime

First Glimpses of Kathmandu

August 29, 2013October 19, 2013 / wrightsolution / 4 Comments

Well we made it through the first few days of settling in, survived jet lag, filled in a million different forms and encountered the minor difficulties of the newly arrived. What’s it like everyone is asking me? So to illustrate, here are a few pictures taken from our three rooftop terraces showing the area around our home:

From our upper rooftop….I’m so glad that we have some views of the mountains. I hear they get better later in the year.

Not so many trees but little pockets here and there….and occassionally open views to the distant countryside that remind you that Kathmandu is not so big

View from my lower rooftop. Crumbling house next door is still occupied. Note the broken satellite dish with pieces missing on the roof and the newer, smaller one alongside. Abandoned yard behind has overloaded persimmon tree and a pomelo tree.

There’s some smarter looking homes in the other direction. But generally speaking our central location is a mish-mash of old and new, rich and poor, all thrown in together. As far as I can tell there isn’t really a smarter area of town.

View of a neighbour’s yard. What is that? Well I think it is sort of a ostentatious temple to wealth. I guess you could throw garden parties in it….but talk about incongruous.

Outside the gate things there’s plenty going on. After Manila, the traffic volume doesn’t seem nearly so constantly high, but I’ve been here for five days now and have yet to see a traffic light anywhere. You can imagine what that does to intersections. Here are some snaps around Kathmandu from the car as we take our first drives around the city:

Driving with motorcycles. There’s a lot of them. Not as heavy as Jakarta (Kathmandu doesn’t have the road infrastructure) but they are everywhere and fearless…

Crazy wiring is everywhere. You should see the route of our internet cabling over other people’s rooftops…

Typical street scene. There are a few main arterial streets and a ring road but most streets are smaller like these.

Lots of produce loaded bikes around. I think these guys had picked up produce from the nearby wholesale to sell at the their own stands.

Although the river water’s polluted, it still looked like a river which you could imagine flowing to a cleaner place. It was full of garbage but still cleaner than rivers I have seen in provincial areas of the Philippines.

…and finally, stray cows. I had been warned but saw none for days. Today they were everywhere. Three brown cows walked three abreast today in the middle of the road outside my gate. Of course, I didn’t have my camera, so these garbage-eating cows at a local market will have to do.