The Blog Hits Nepal: Monkeys, Parades, and How to Help

Warning: Picture heavy post ahead! As I finish up on the Nepal stories. Also, I forgot to take blog pictures, so sorry about that...

Because I went to Nepal a couple of days late on account of Sarit and Abe's wedding, I spent my last couple of days in Nepal catching up on some of the things that I had missed at the beginning of the trip. My favorite? Swayambhunath, AKA the Monkey Temple!

To get there, my uncle David and I climbed up 365(!) increasingly steep steps. Luckily, we were greeted with a beautiful view, an even more beautiful temple, and lots of monkeys! Including a baby, and one who was drinking a can of soda. This temple used to have a functioning monastery, but it shut down a number of years ago, even before the earthquake. As you can see in the picture above, there are a number of cracks in the dome, all from the earthquake. There were piles of rubble all around, next to the standing structures. Everywhere you go, there's a constant reminder of how much destruction there was.

From there, after some epic bargaining, we caught a cab back to the hotel, where I met my dad to go to Boudhanath. Boudhanath is the center of the Tibetan Buddhist community in Nepal, and the holiest Buddhist site outside of Tibet. It used to have a huge stupa, but it totally collapsed in the earthquake, leaving only its dome behind. Despite the destruction, it is still overflowing with people, all of whom are lighting candles, turning prayer wheels, ringing the bells, and walking around the stupa only in the clockwise direction. The monks weren't chanting when I was there, but the place itself was so beautiful that I could understand why it is was so holy. My favorite part was the room filled with candles, which reflected over and over against the copper walls. See a small taste below:

On our last morning, the rest of the group hit the road to go to India, but my uncle Joel and I stayed back in Nepal for the rest of the day and then flew back to New York that night. We decided to go to market and then to Durbar Square. It was overflowing with people because of the festival. And also, overflowing with pigeons. I have literally never seen so many pigeons.

As it turns out, it was Dewali! So we kept running into parades, everywhere we went, both in the market and in Durbar Square. What struck me most was the colors. They were so vibrant, everywhere we turned. Here are a few of my favorite shots:

Tika Powder

Finally, not to sound like a broken record, but we saw earthquake damage everywhere we went. Most of the people we met were incredibly resilient and positive, considering the circumstances, but it was impossible to ignore how bad things looked. There were constant reminders of how much was destroyed. That, combined with the petrol crisis, has made things very difficult.

So if I've inspired you to get involved, I would make the following recommendations:

First, if you can, visit Nepal! It is a beautiful country that is super affordable once you get there, and they are really hurting for tourists right now. We traveled with Sports Tours and Travel, who were so wonderful. And feel free to email me if you want to know more!

Second, there are some organizations doing great work in Nepal, rebuilding and supporting NGOs on the ground. I recommend American Jewish World Service, and my uncle recommends Catholic Relief Services, Oxfam, or Save the Children. General donations are always the most helpful, but you can also earmark for Nepal.

Finally, educate yourself about what's happening there. Nicholas Kristoff was recently there on his Win a Trip journey, and there's great coverage about that and the petrol situation here.

And finally, what might be my favorite picture I took the whole trip:

That's all for now. Thanks for reading about my adventures. We'll be back to our regularly scheduled programming next week. Namaste!

The Blog Hits Nepal: Temples, Ruins, and Family Fun

Let's continue where we left off, shall we?

Man, sometimes I wish I had a pomelo tree
in my back yard. Or that I had a back yard.

 After a relaxing few days in Pokhara, we hit the road again to go back to Kathmandu. It's about 400 km, or 130ish miles, which would take maybe three hours in the States if you hit traffic, but takes much longer if nobody has fuel efficient cars and your highway is only one lane in each direction. That, combined with the bad fuel that finally forced us off the road and into a new car, meant that the trip took basically a whole day. Certainly an adventure, albeit not one that involved many photos because we were mostly sitting on the bus. We did stop at Manakanama on the way, which is a temple in Gorka, which was at the epicenter of the earthquake. The temple was essentially just pile of sticks, but there were still many people around, praying and making offerings. It seemed there were actual animal sacrifices happening but I stayed away because, well, I'm a vegetarian for a reason.

Anyway. We all had an early night that night, and then we woke up in the morning to drive to Patan, which is one of the three original cities of Kathmandu valley. We headed to Durbar square, the main religious center of the city.

One of the things that surprised me when touring around Nepal is that none of their National Heritage Sites are roped off. You can climb on them, sit on their steps, and some people have even carved initials into the wood, which I have to assume is frowned up. It's partly about resources, I assume. In a country as poor as Nepal, there are not police resources to devote to stopping vandalism. However, I also liked that you could walk right up and admire the incredible handiwork up close. It's just a very different mindset than we have here, where all of these places would for sure be roped off in a "look but don't touch" sort of mentality.

As you can get a tiny taste of in the photo below, Durbar Square suffered very significant earthquake damage. Some of the temples were totally reduced to rubble, and most of the ones that were still standing were being supported with beams. It's totally heartbreaking to see these grand, gorgeous places that have been standing for centuries reduced to rubble. Even though we saw it everywhere, you never really get used to it.

After a morning of exploring and shopping, during which my uncle tried (not very successfully) to teach me how to haggle, we went to my Aunt Champa's cousin Mina's house. There, I made friends with her friend, also named Mina, and compared notes about our different teaching experiences. Let's just say that, teaching Nepal is not exactly the same as teaching in America. I'm sure that's shocking to you. There's Mina and me below:

After that, we went to meet more relatives-- this time, Mina's daughter Puja, her husband, and their whole family. A large and diverse clan, as you can see in the picture below. As it turns out, Puja's husband is a very strict vegetarian who has his own kitchen where no meat, cheese, or egg is allowed so... Rachel finally got to eat Nepali food! Hurrah! Big day. We got to hear more about the business world in Nepal, see their beautiful home, and share a meal together. A lovely time was had by all.

Modest travel tip: A good button down shirt, tucked into a skirt, is great for a day when you need to look a little nicer but still want to be comfortable. Choose something with a more substantial fabric so it doesn't wrinkle too much in your suitcase.

What I'm wearing: Boden skirt (past season but similar here), polka dot Toms (similar here), LOFT button down (similar here)

The Blog Hits Nepal: How to Become an International Celebrity

Back to Pokhara! Pokhara is a popular destination for trekkers because it's near the foothills of the Himalayas. Therefore, we decided to get up early to watch the sun rise, hopefully with a view of the mountains.

Well... we got the beautiful sunrise! The mountains, not so much-- they didn't come out until later. In the meantime, I did some early morning stretching:

The sun was amazing that morning. A bright pink/ red, over the blue mountains and green trees. It's hard to capture the full experience, but here is a small taste:

Later that day, we went to the International Mountaineering Museum, dedicated to the story of the Himalayas and the people who have climbed them. The museum was really interesting, reflecting on the tribes of Nepal, the geology that led to the formation of the mountains, the role of climate change, and the history of the great mountaineers. And then, while we were waiting to leave, all of the sudden...

Everyone wanted to take a picture with us! It was weird. (This happened many other places also.) Apparently in Nepal, pasty skin and curly hair is exotic. All I had to do was go across the world! It only seemed fair that I should be a tourist attraction, seeing as I was a major tourist for two full weeks. But the whole picture taking thing never stopped being hilarious.

And just to reassure you, we did see the Himalayas later that day. And yes, they were even more spectacular than promised.

What I'm wearing: Boden hoodie (out of stock), Look Human t-shirt, Madewell jeans (out of stock, similar here), Nike sneakers via DSW, Goody headwrap (similar here)

The Blog Hits Nepal: A Night Out on the Town (Sort Of)

I can't believe I forgot to write about our night out in Chitwan! What was I thinking?

Anyway. After our elephant ride, we all went back and showered (because we smelled like elephant) and then we got ready for a big night-- Tharu stick dancing! The claim was that this is an old practice, done at important and celebratory occasions. My uncle said-- more likely for tourists. But either way, very festive.

For the occasion, I broke out the perfect maxi from Stitch Fix. I actually have worn it a million times since I got it, but somehow never got around to taking blog pictures. So here it is! I paired it with my royal blue cardigan and red polka dot Toms-- a color explosion! And a super comfortable one! 

The dancing happened in the garden area of the hotel. Very convenient. And they gave us free popcorn! I didn't eat it, but Sarah was sooooo happy. As you can see.

Traditional or touristy, the dancing was super cool, as you can see below:

So much twirling!

Dancing with fire!

Then they invited the audience to join in. I declined, but most of my family joined in, talented dancers that they are. You know that they say-- going to Nepal leads to mixed dancing! Haha! (If you don't get it, don't worry about it. And if you do, you gotta love a good mixed dancing joke.) Anyway.

And as a bonus: there are rolling blackouts in Nepal. Always keep your headlamp on hand in case of sudden pitch darkness. Important life lessons, people.

Modest travel tip: Bring layers! Not only are they good for changing weather and keeping you modest, they also allow you to make multiple outfits out of fewer items of clothing. Cardigans like this are idea.

What I'm wearing: Gilli maxi dress via Stitch Fix, Gap Factory cardigan (similar here), Downeast Basics cami, Toms polka dot shoes (similar here)

The Blog Hits Nepal: On Gas Lines, Mountain Views, and Comfy Dresses

As you might know, Nepal is not a huge country. As you may not know, its main road connecting its urban centers is only one lane in each direction. Throw in a very serious fuel crisis (more on that later) and it takes a long time to get places that would only take a few hours in America.

I have this thing where I do not like wearing jeans for long periods of travel. I think it's the waistband? Hard to say for sure. Anyway, I made sure, when I was packing, to have non-jeans options for the days that we were spending a lot of time on the bus. The journey from Chitwan to Pokhara was one of those days.

 The bus ride from Chitwan to Pokhara required even more hours than expected because we ended up having bad gas. (Warning: dramatic oversimplification ahead.) Because of the new constitution put forward by the goverment, some of the people in the south, who feel they are getting a bad deal, have taken to throwing rocks at buses and trucks, breaking their windshields. (If you want to see something terrifying, see a windshield-less bus driving down the street.) Meanwhile, India, not much of a fan of the new constitution, has claimed that it is too dangerous to allow its oil truckers into the country, thus imposing an informal blockade and throwing Nepal into a dramatic fuel crisis. Everywhere we went, there were gas lines where people would wait for days to get petrol for their bikes or cars, or oil for cooking.

A tiny portion of the gas line.

The crisis has done even more economic damage than the earthquake, to give you a sense of its scale. And unfortunately, there's no resolution in sight. Our tour company bought us gas on the black market, but apparently not everyone out there can be trusted to be a good guy, which meant we ended up with contaminated gas, which made going up some hills very stressful. And of course, we were lucky to have gas at all. Needless to say, we all breathed a sigh of relief when we pulled into our hotel.

Pokhara is a beautiful city near the foothills of the Himalayas and on a gorgeous lake. Because of its location, it had by far the most foreigners we saw anywhere, mostly because it's a common starting point for people who are going to do some serious trekking. (We were not among them.) It was-- spoiler alert-- where we would see one of the most extraordinary views I've ever seen a few days later. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

When we arrived in Pokhara, they gave each of us a flower. I wore it in my hair the rest of the day, as you can see below (in addition to a close-up of the fun zippers on the shoulder of my dress.) You know, like that famous rock classic-- if you are going to Pokhara, be sure to wear some flowers in your hair...

With my good friend the purple bus.

No? Don't know that one? Anyway. Pokhara was where we had our rest time. The lake is incredibly beautiful and dotted with these gorgeous wooden canoes painted in bright colors. We were there for Shabbat, so I spent a lot of time just wandering around exploring the city. If ever you want to buy a North Face jacket on the cheap, this is the place to go. And as you can see in the pictures below, there was a gorgeous view pretty much everywhere we went.

It was very much appreciated to have a small break from the rapid speed of our travel, and it's hard to imagine having had a more beautiful place to spend Shabbat. Not a bad view, right?

With my parents and one of my two lovely aunts

Modest travel tip: Cotton stretch dresses are ideal for travel. They are lightweight, don't wrinkle easily, can be dressed up or dressed down, and are comfortable for long stretches on the bus. Plus, I would like to think in this case, they can be super cute!

What I'm wearing: Nepali flower, H&M headwrap (similar here), Boden zipper detail dress, polka dot Toms via Zulily (similar here)

What to Wear to Ride an Elephant

Dear readers, I have returned! I know you all missed me terribly, so let's get to it.

As you know, I just spent a little less than two weeks in Nepal. It was an incredible trip-- fun, thought provoking, educational, beautiful, and challenging (in a good way.) I still have things to post from before I went, but I'm going to hold off for now and instead dedicate my next few posts to the trip, while the memories are still fresh in my mind. As I go, I'll also offer some tips for thinking about modesty while traveling, on a few different levels.

Off we go!

One of the things I was most looking forward to on this trip was the wildlife, and especially the elephants. This is partly because I grew up seeing a picture of my grandparents riding an elephant when they went to Nepal, and it looked so fun. So when my uncle first sent the itinerary and there was an elephant ride on it, I was VERY excited.

A few things to know about elephants. There used to be many different species, but unfortunately, now most of them are extinct. The two main remaining categories are African elephants and Asian elephants. The Asian ones are smaller and more easily trained. All are in danger of extinction and are difficult to breed in captivity. The breeding center we visited, in Chitwan (in the south of Nepal, where the land is flatter and the weather is warmer), was the second of its kind, and has had a pretty high success rate.

Look at the baby! Is that not the cutest thing ever???

The goal is to raise and train the elephants humanely, without using chains whenever possible. Obviously, there are some complicated ethical questions about people using elephants for their own need, but it's one of those conservation issues, where domesticating a small part of the population tends to lead to fewer threats for the ones in the wild. At the breeding center we visited, the domesticated females were bred with the wild males. The babies are trained from when they are about three years old, and each elephant has three trainers dedicated to him or her.

The full look, plus a younger sister as an extra accessory.

After we visited the breeding center, we went on an elephant safari of sorts. Again, complicated ethically, but also just so cool. And, as it turns out, really bumpy and super uncomfortable. But also totally worth it.

As you can sort of see in the above picture, you ride with your legs around a pole so as not to slide off. Therefore, this is not an activity to be done in a skirt. Also, because we were riding through the jungle, full coverage was a must. (Believe it or not, I had to pull a leach off that day. I know, gross.) I found the yoga pants (not too tight) were best for this activity, as they are very stretchy and also flexible, which meant I didn't have to think about adjusting them at all. Sneakers were a must. My hair did not much care for Nepal (it is a country of straight haired people) so I mostly covered it up, and I added my RBG t-shirt because RBG rules everywhere. Even in Nepal, on an elephant.

And we all made it off in one piece. Thanks elephant! We will love you forever.