making buffalo butter

making buffalo butter
keeping those arms working Niell!!

Friday, 16 April 2010

pokara to Dadasaura











Before you start I must tell you I have absolutely no idea who the fat, butch lesbiana in the yellow teashirt is. I did ask charlotte to remove her but instead she has appeared twice!!

On arrival at Pokara, I was met by geevan an associate of Navins and also Kaman who had travelled up the night before by bus. We had lots of supplies to buy before going up to the village and wasted no time. Straight down to Mahendra ave, the local shopping area where we purchased just about everything you can think of from, Mattress, blanket, sheets, gas hob, cylinder, pots pans, cutlery etc etc. All loaded into the car with great difficulty. We were beginning to look like new age travellers! Whilst in the hardware store, I made my most important purchase. A bright red very large tall bucket!! I will leave it to your own imagination to decide what that was for!! Along with several other buckets, it would be later that I would realise just how important buckets are. We collect the water, we do our washing and wash ourselves. All from a bucket.

Pokara is a very popular tourist destination, and many treks start and finish here. There is a great atmosphere. With back packers, hippies, trekkers, and the nepalese take their holidays here, shops, music and a real buzz to the place. In the middle of town there is the most beautiful lake, probably one of the most tranquil places I have ever been to and so much bird life, apparently over 850 species. I am sure I will spend a week end here at some point.

Having finished the shop back to my hotel my last bath for some time, and to bed!

Today I go to Dadasaura, A little aprehensive but looking forward.
Gevan arrived at the hotel to make sure everything was sorted. A friend of Man Gurung was driving back up to Syanja so he was taking half the supplies, plus myself and Kaman, and Man packed his car with the rest. We had a good run up and it only took about 1 and 1/2 hours.
The drive is picturesque passing through terrased countryside growing a mixture of rice and millett. We saw a few tractors as well as beasts working the land so it would imply there is a little more money in this area.
But even if you have a tractor there are some things that never change!!

On arrival at Syanja, Kaman and I were met by Man Gurung the head of the village and two of the other elders. They were three lovely old gentlemen in their late 70s I would say. Two had served in the Indian army, and the other the British army in Hong Kong, and two have sons who are in the Gurkha regiment. In fact Krishne the son of Man telephoned me today via his fathers phone to make sure everything was fine.
Everything was unloaded onto the pavement, memories of Paris!!

Kaman and I bought our fresh vegetables,garlic,chillies, and fresh ginger from the local stores, swarming with flies!! I just kept thinking, its going to be boiled!! Syanja is a busy little town with a few shop/stalls for essentials and lots of comings and goings, the local bus service seems to be quite regular and fairly interesting, so we might venture down to Pokara for that experience.
Also bought some cotton for making a gown as a cover up to stand in my bowl of water and bath! cotton £2 and making £1. Found the local hairdressers, its behind the curtain! So I think we re all set,even for the roots!!!

My three gentlemen insisted on cramming themselves into the back of the jeep with Kaman, allowing me the comfort of the front seat alone. I did try to persuade them that there was plenty of room in the front for one more, but they wouldnt hear of it.
We turn off the road straight up a rock laden, dusty track, with gullies washed away by the heavy rain. Our driver manages very well, but how they keep these Jeeps going amazes me, its seriously rough terrain, even by Hallbottom standards.

On arrival at Dandasaura lots of people were waiting to lend a helping hand to get all my stuff up to where I will be living.But before we are allowed to do anything else, there is a" welcome programe" which I am to attend. The ladies of the village had cooked goat, vegetable curry, and daal bhat as they say. I ate the meal as I did not want to offend, but was saying my prayers with every mouthful! All the men of the village introduced themselves, and the chairman made a speech to welcome me. I have to say I felt very very touched! I am on the edge of the village looking east out over the middle hills, there is a concrete step outside my door and then approx 3 metres before it drops away to the terraces.
My place is brick built, with a concrete floor so thats a real plus, and there is electricity in the village its just not very reliable. Most houses are built with stone and mud, and the floors are a mixture of mud and dung, the dung makes the mud set hard. This combination is used for many things.

My three elderly gents have a long discussion as to how the room should be arranged and what is needed. A desk appears from somewhere along with a chair and a low table to go beside my bed. One of the neighbours appears with brush to sweep the floor and her son Vim also to put up a washing line to hang my clothes on and also hang the curtains that Man Gurung thoughtfully bought for me. Kaman is then shown where he is staying. He is in the middle of the village in the community building, which has a first floor terrace, this is our open air kitchen, it has 2 rooms leading off,one is a sort of a youth club and the other is for Kaman to sleep in. The place is filthy! I am impressed by Kamans complete calmness, he just gets straight to work and starts cleaning the place up. Lots of the others come to help with electrics etc etc a real joint effort. By 6.30pm that evening we are entertaining our first guests, who have come to take a look at me, and we already feel like its home.

Most of our guests are teenagers, and are extremeley inquisitive as to who this english woman is. They also love to speak english. One of the boys is called Bishometre he very proudly tells me his name translates into "world friend" I soon realise that his name is extremely apt, because there is one of these in every country you visit. He knows just about everything,constantly pointing out the obvious, what hes not sure of he bluffs, and if he doesnt understand he says "yes".(he is the one in the photo holding up his fingers)

Anyway we are here, my bed is made, my net firmly in place and after supper watched by many we have a good nights sleep.

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