Travels | Nepal | Journal of the life of Benoit Trudel

Journal

I transfer to this page the diary entries of the section This Week once they are no longer recent news.

May 2, 2007

Farewell Nepal and goodbye everyone!

Well, if last week was the week for farewell in Chitwan, now it has been the turn for KTM: roof top party on Saturday for another friend leaving and a dinner with the CECI volunteers on Sunday. I cancelled a going-away party on Monday with my partner organization because I had just found out that Remi's visa was not in the pouch which had arrived from the Canadian High Commission in Inida. This meant we couldn't go home! But after a gazillion emails and phone calls at high stress levels, someone from CHC emailed to tell me his visa was actually ready but they had forgotten to send it last week! So now I have to pay $350 of my own money to send a Nepali to New Delhi to pick it up! Still, in the end I feel relieved that we finally know the status of Remi's application and should be able to go home. So last night we had a real going away party with volunteers and today I will have the one with my partner organization (which I cancelled on Monday).

In the coming weeks I will surely reflect on my time spent here in Nepal, but for now these are some of my thoughts...

Things I liked and will miss about Nepal:

the beautiful sight of the himalaya;

many Nepali and Canadian friends;

dhal bhat (rice with curry and lentil soup);

tasty, fresh & tender chicken;

the social commitment of the craft organizations;

the openness and friendliness of Nepali;

the beautiful colors of the traditional dress of women (saree and curta).

Things I will not miss about Chitwan and Nepal:

the incredible heat and humidity;

the thick black smoke that comes out of every road vehicle (petrol or diesel mixed with kerosene);

traffic coming in all directions blowing their horns continuously;

taking the bus for 5 hours with Nepali puking their guts out the window;

going out to lunch with a Nepali only to have them watch me eat;

sitting with Nepali and having long, long silences.

Farwell Nepal! We will surely be back one day to visit you again and make it to Everest base camp! Bye!

April 26, 2007

Emergency mode!

Well, it has now been over 4 weeks and we still don't have Rémi's entry visa for Canada. I sent the application with all documents to the Canadian Embassy in New Delhi which deals with immigration and visas for Nepal also. When I try to call them to find out what is the status of his application, they say that they do not take calls. So I sent an email and a fax, and still no response. I have asked the Canadian Embassy in Vietnam to forward my request to someone in New Delhi, and they did just that. I have talked to the consul here at the Canadian Cooperation Office in Nepal and he has agreed to intervene and contact them also. So hopefully, all will be fine and we'll get his visa next Monday and this will be a funny story to tell when we get home. Otherwise, we will have to cancel our flights and change our plans...

I have been making goodbye cakes all week - 3 of them! One for Rémi's school, the other for the fabric painting training participants and finally one for work colleagues and friends. This is my homy side that takes over! I managed to go to Rémi's school and see him interact with his friends. It is clear that he loves it there and has a good time.

We also gave away more things this week, to friends but also to an orphanage in Narayangarh. It is so hard for me to see the state of the children and I know the shelter does its best with limited resources. But I want to do more, and this is my pledge for Africa. I plan to link with a local orphanage and help them with management (budget, financial planning), financial support and time with children. I can't wait to get involved and this will become my personal project. Here, I decided to give Maya a few things since we are leaving: 2 vases that she loved from a passing peddler, 2 live chickens for eggs and a traditional custom made green curta dress since she had only one. I also gave the neighborhood kids 2 Frisbees and boy, this turned into the new game on the block. I think that I will bring 30 of them to Africa - easy and fun toys!

April 21, 2007

Cooling off!

Well, with the heat hitting new highs every day and humidity building up, the fans are back on around the clock at home and at work. It truly feels like an open sauna with no exit. So today we headed back to the nearby Global Hotel for a dip in the pool. Rémi was happy to go and understood when I said that we were going swimming, running to his bedroom and pulling his bathing suit from the shelf. In water, he is getting more and more confident and solid as he plays around.

With work, we finally got a trainer to come from KTM to Chitwan to teach fabric painting to 16 women. This will last one week, and then they should be able to hand paint T-Shirts with Nepali landmarks (Himalaya, Chitwan's rhino/tiger, stupa, etc.). Each participant was asked to produce at least one design which we can then use to approach buyers and take orders. I have already linked them with a national craft organization which is willing to carry their products. My successor will also likely approach other tourist shops and hopefully, they will sell like hot cakes! You can put in your order now!

April 17, 2007

Happy birthday Aries!

What would the world be without Aries? Certainly not as spontaneous and "unique" a place. Beyond my family where we are 3 Aries (my mother on the 8th and my brother on the 9th), I have many Aries friends and Nepal is not exception. My dear friend Karen celebrated her X years of wisdom on April 5th and we decided that this was a good an excuse as any to invite other volunteers and go out for dinner. We went to a nice garden restaurant and had a Tibetan hot pot, the kind of food you can easily nibble on for a long period while chatting away. We then went for drinks and called it a night at a decent hour. Two days later was my actual birthday and I woke up having forgotten it. Mid-day when on the bus back to Chitwan, the guy sitting next to me asked me how old I was and then I realized that this was it - I had to shift the clock up one notch to 38. Tick, tick - inching my way to the big 40! It's nice now as I have obviously no expectation on my bday so I got a few emails from friends and family who had remembered and that was lovely.

April 14, 2007

Happy New Year 2064!

Well, there we have it... another new year that begins here in Nepal according to their calendar. So Maya, his babysitter, invited us to join her family to celebrate. "Of course", I replied, not having any other plans and curious to know how this would unfold. We set off at 10 am with her whole family including Grand Ma, Ma, husband, brother and sisters - and Rémi, myself and Roxy. We got on a bus and by then I had asked for details - we were going 70km away - about 2 hours bus ride. We got "there" and off the bus then walked in the blistering heat along with a herd of people along with of course the regular motorcycle, truck, bus and 3 wheel taxi honking with a vengence as we pushed our way forth. We got "there" to a park along with 50 000 people shoving our way forward, through the gate and along narrow alley ways in a park with few trees. To everyone's curiosity, there were animals in cages so small - including a leopard - that this gave a new meaning to the word captivity. Nearly impossible to get by as we are walking along, and me wondering what the hell so many people are doing here on such a hot day. Some folks were all set for a family picnic with huge pots burning on chunks of wood, stiring away hot food much like Japanese people do (no sandwiches or cold cuts here!). We got to an area where there were 3 rides - a ferris wheel which Rémi wanted to go on but I said no because they scare the hell out of me (and with no security handles/latches), a kiddy merry-go-round with various vehicules and a round-about bus thing. I conceded to Rémi for the last one. Once this was done, we stopped for a bite to eat and then I just had to get out. We waited back to the highway for a bus, along with hundreds of other folks and finally managed to get on one. I must be getting old because this was not my idea of a new year celebration. Managing Rémi and Roxy in such crowds and heat was not my idea of fun. But it just made us appreciate getting home all the more....

April 8, 2007

Peace man!

I am happy to be back in Chitwan with the home life. Being away from Rémi during the Tibet trip and missing him made me realize how much a part of my life he has become. Here it has already gotten pretty hot so we now have the fans on most of the time. Roxy no longer sleeps on the sofa or on my bed but prefers the cooler cement or marble floors. I went to the nearby hotel and checked to see if the pool is clean and ready to welcome us again on those hot Saturdays - and it is, cleaner than ever!

We are still waiting for confirmation for the flight back home in May as we need the OK from each of the 3 airlines that we'll be traveling on, for Roxy to come aboard. It has now been 4 weeks and this still drags on. Plus we are also waiting for Rémi's tourist entry visa for Canada. I have sent all the paperwork to New Delhi in India where it will be processed - hoping that all will be well. Even tho Nepal has a consular office, they do not treat of visa and immigration matters. I also found out this week that his application for Canadian Citizenship will likely take at least another 6 months (and it has now been over one year). I can't wait for my little guy to become a Canadian, maybe we will get this in time for his birthday in October?!

No wonder hippies loved Nepal and flocked here like bees to honey - marijuana grows here like weed on road sides. It even grows quite nicely right next to Rémi's daycare, so I warned him not to smoke any until he reaches 18 - but to pick up a bunch once a week and bring it home to daddy! (just kidding!). I made an itsy bitsy oups this week by giving Rémi Sangria instead of strawberry nectar. I forgot I had made some and put it in the Del Monte container - and poured him some. He relunctantly drank it and I realized my mistake only afterwards. Oh dear!

March 21, 2007

Causes for celebration!

Last week March 13 was the anniversary of the adoption of Remi. It was on that day that I made it to the office of the Department of Justice of Vietnam to sign the official adoption paper in Saigon. For me this is a huge day, more important in many ways than his birthday which is more a day for him and his mom, wherever she may be. I felt so overwhelmed on the adoption day since an impossible dream had come true for me against so many odds. We were the first Canadian to adopt from Vietnam since 2003 when the law had changed. It is also hard to believe that it has only and already been one year. I cannot imagine my life before that day and I feel like in my heart, I have always been a father. I wish us a full lifetime together to experience all there is and to grow together as a family. Happy anniversary to us!

It was just confirmed to me that our next posting will indeed be in Burkina Faso in Western Africa. I will take on the mandate of Marketing Advisor for the national federation of agricultural products. This is a huge challenge, mixed with some fears and excitement which is great. I look forward to discovering this part of the world which I am so ignorant about, its countries, people and customs. And of course, I will share all of this with you, in pictures and in words. It will be quite a relief also to be in a French speaking country and I look forward to working in my native tongue. This will also help Remi to have only one language spoken to him. We are all set for this new adventure to begin in early June and for a one-month return to Quebec in May.

March 4, 2007

A colorful Holi festival!

I am starting to think that since life is so quiet in Chitwan and there is not much excitement, when festivals roll around people get into them with a vengeance! This was the case with Tihar in October, and this weekend we have the Holi color festival. Basically, this means all kids big and small including young adults male and female run around with either dry or wet color and smear friends and family. They also load colored water into plastic guns and spray away. Better yet, they stand on roof tops with pails of this colored water and just dump it on innocent passerby. Usually older adults are exempt from participating/being smeared by the over zealous youngsters but I was not so lucky. I guess people here want me to have a full cultural experience, and why not this one! My little guy Rémi did not enjoy this and cried so much when he was chased and smeared red. Once all the kids in our neighborhood were done with throwing color on us, we hung out with them for a bit before going home to wash. Of course, my clothes are finished as the dye will not completely come off. As with the skin, I still have red blotches that eventually will surely go away. As I go about my business today, I make sure to keep my eyes open and beg kids not to include me anymore. Once is enough!

February 25, 2007

Lights out again!

Nepal is unable to meet demand for electricity so we have what's called "load shedding", in other words parts of the country have power while others don't. KMT is pretty organized with this and has neighborhood schedules for on/off times whereas for Chitwan, we are "in the dark" so to speak. There are patterns that we can learn to go by - the off time usually lasts 3 hours and start time can be at 6 am, 2 pm, 6 pm or 10 pm. So right around those breaking points, I wait for life to disappear in our house. However we just had a 20 hour power cut so I hope this does not become common. So far, it has been nothing compared to what we had in Vietnam, sometimes as many as 4 days without ANY electricity at all. And low and behold, the capital Hanoi was always spared the power cuts to the expense of the countryside which of course, did not need it. Needless to say, I lost some food in the fridge and freezer. But here it still does cripple life - if it falls during working hours, not much to do at the office with a blank computer screen - the pencil and paper don't even come to mind as a possible alternative. Still, we make due...

Yesterday Rémi and I were invited to Maya's house for lunch. We sat in her mud hut kitchen and shared rice with lentil soup. We chatted for a bit then came home. Today Sunday, I spent the big part of the day with my computer guru, learning more complex programming so I can include slide shows in my Photos Section. I also want to have in the Contact page an area where people can write a short message, press the send button and have it end up in my email box. Sounds simple but I still need to learn how to do it. And soon, I also want to include a short video-clip of-the-week so more to come!

But for now the main worry is evacuation from Chitwan to KTM. There has been some demonstrations and unrest in the area as people take to the streets to demand the government certain things. I do not feel too alarmed by this as this is quite common, but my NGO is worried and wants me near in the capital. However, this would mean throwing our lives upside down and living out of suitcases which I do not relish. Any parent will confirm that bliss with children comes out of routine and the real threat is having that disrupted. Still, I am trying hard to keep a positive attitude no matter what, trusting that we'll find a way, yet again, to make "it" work.

February 18, 2007

Chung Mung Nam Muoi!

Yep, I remember how frantic Vietnam became with its lunar new year preparations and celebrations. But here we have a different calendar and the new year is not until mid-April when we will usher in year 2064! Friday Feb 16th was Lord Shiva day so offices and schools were closed. Kids set up make-shift toll booths every 10 meters by stretching a rope accross the road. They would ask anyone coming by (bicycle, moto or car) for one roupee per kid so if there were 10 kids at the toll, you'd have to give 10 Rs (15 cents). Making it one block, I crossed 7 of these tolls so getting around on that day I had to make sure to have enough small change! Rémi's school was closed so he went to the babysitter's home. When I picked him up at the end of the day, grand'ma was busy scooping up fresh buffalo dung (shit) with her bare hands by rolling it in the dirt then throwing each "ball" in the field. Rémi thought this was just a hoot and was getting ready to lend a hand when I rained on his parade and pulled him away. Now when we see dung on the road, he gets excited and runs to it. Dear, oh dear. The impact of living in the countryside is rubbing off on us...

February 12, 2007

Drive slow, long life!

This was the slogan on a sign by the road side as I left Chitwan by bus. I just came back from KTM where I had an important meeting with a national craft organization. We had agreed that women producers of knit wear and incense from our credit unions would also be present. The outcome was extremely positive in that the organization has agreed to support these producers, who represent 100 more women making the same crafts, in improving quality of products, packaging and sale to national and export markets.

I was really bumbed out because coming to my hotel and while getting out of the cab, I dropped my MP-3 player and lost it. I was so upset because I use it all the time when I have to be on long bus rides and I just loved it. So I decided to shop around for another one. Tho I was surprised at the cheap prices, the low quality also came with it. I finally chose a player that also works as a camera but already I regret my purchase. I should have shopped around more and waited until I found one that suited me...

Coming home on the bus was quite the ordeal with a little boy in front of my seat throwing up big time. I passed to the mother some toilet paper which I always carry with me and next thing I knew, as she tossed everything out, I had vomit splattered on my window. Combined with the acrid smell, the movement of the bus, and I came real close to losing it myself and up chucking. I had to try to think of other things to get my mind off the in-my-face reality. When the woman behind me also started to throw up, it didn't help. But somehow, I made it home all right.

I am happy to report that Rémi's speech ability has definitely improved a lot. Even tho he still does not use words to communicate, when we do speaking exercises his pronunciation is getting pretty good. Plus he tries to repeat words that I say when I talk to him which I think is an excellent way for him to learn.

February 10, 2007

Roxy goes to the barber

I had been waiting for the weather to get a little warmer before trimming Roxy's fur that was getting quite long. She has very fine hair that gets into knots so today was the day. Armed with my clipper and a pair of scisors, it took a good hour to do the job. Again, I don't expect that she'll win any beauty contest but hey, I am the only dog barber in town! See left picture before and right after the job. What daya think?

Taking it easy this weekend and not doing much, tho I will leave for KTM tomorrow since I have an important meeting on Monday afternoon. Will also do some shopping and see friends while in town. We just had a week long of Hindu chanting a few houses from house. I was told that it is a way to "please" the Gods so a preast was there around the clock mumbling in a microphone, day and night. Had I been next door I would have gone mad as it was intrusive enough even a few houses away. I am sensitive to noise and the down side of Nepal is that it sure is noisy, especially the streets with all drivers pressing their horns continuously.

February 4, 2007

Another Newari feast

I have made a decision to be healthier and tackle this head on in various aspects of my life. So I have started to skip rope in my living room and slowly, I am getting better and enjoying it. I am also cutting down on portions of food, no longer buying chocolate bars to remove temptation and cutting out alcohol. I don't expect that I will become a saint tho what really matters is to find balance and take better care of myself. I have been feeling good, more calm and happier the past few days. Yesterday I cycled 35 km to Sauraha with Rémi, had an expensive lunch there since it is a tourist spot, and returned home for a much deserved nap. In the evening, we were invited to a neighbour for Newari dinner. She had cooked up a feast the likes of which they only do on very special occasions. So it was an honour to share this meal and her brother was doing the translation. Much like the Newari food which I had in Banepa just the week before, there were many small dishes that comprised a set. I had baked a nice banana cake for her and she decided to serve it before dinner. Why not? Today I met with my computer programming guru with many questions and problems. It was great to work with him and learn some tricks of the trade.

January 21, 2007

Stand still

We are now in a period of peace in Nepal and things are looking up with the recent agreement on an interim constitution between the rebels (maoists) and the government of Nepal. Still, people often take to the streets to manifest when they are not happy about things, be it the oil price or other matters. Each time, they block the roads, burn tires and call for a "banda" (strike). There was one yesterday, but I stayed home so it had no effect on me. Banda today again but this time, I was affected since I had planned to take a minibus to KTM but now I couldn't. Why this was called and for how long, I do not know yet. But this means that all trucks, buses and vehicules have pulled off the roads until the strike is called off. The only way to get around is by foot, bicylcle or rickshaw. I will wait unitl tomorrow to see if transport resumes or if we have to cancel our workshop planned for this week in 2 districts. I am supposed to facilitate this workshop with credit union representatives to reflect on possible business development services that they could set up for their members. The expected result from this is a clear plan with budget.

So in the end I decided to head back to the trade fair with Remi, wanting to check out the rides which were not set up last Saturday when we went. We got there early enough so there were no line-up and we got on the ferris wheel right away. We were also the only ones on it and boy, was I ever terrified! There are no safety rails, seatbelt or anything at all. Rémi enjoyed it a lot while I tried my best to hold him with one arm and hold on to dear life with my other arm. I just prayed that he wouldn't do any sudden move because I felt dizzy. It had been years since I had gone on rides, 10 years I think, and then I used to be a lot more daring. I guess old age has caught up to me in more ways than one. After that we tried more subdued rides, like the kiddy stuff and Rémi liked that. We also went on a car-go-around thing that got both Rémi and I a bit green and nauseous. Then finally, we saw a nice magic show with the usual: woman in a box and swords put through it; bird in the box and out comes a 3 year old boy; woman behind a curtain who then disappears. We finished our outing with a bite to eat, then headed home.

January 14, 2007

Chitwan trade fair

Well it seems like we have a bit of activity in town with a trade fair. Rémi and I went to check it out yesterday on the side of the Narayani River. The town has closed off an area and set up various booths selling all kinds of things from food to cars. There is also a nice food court and an area seems to be going up for rides of sorts. They even built on-site traditional tharu mud houses which are unique to the area. So we spent a couple of hours there, bought some jam, had lunch and left just when it was starting to get too busy at around 12:30 pm.

Every day I do speaking and writing exercises with Rémi and I am sure this will help him progress. I have to break the words down into syllables and he does pretty good, for example Man-teau (jacket). But as soon as I try to get him to say the whole word, it comes out more like mo-mo. He has a habit of repeating the same words and having two different sounding syllables for him is difficult. He also enjoys doing homework and writing and we are slowly making our way through the alphabet. Oh, I just weighed him and he is now at 15,3 kg, compared to 12 kg one year ago. We are still waiting for his Canadian citizenship request to be processed and now 9 months after submitting it, the Canadian government is asking for new documents! It seems like this process will take considerably longer than expected. For now, he officially retains his Vietnamese name and citizenship.

December 17, 2006

CECI's 2006 General Assembly - Chitwan

From Dec 12-15, CECI decided to hold its annual general assembly in Chitwan. This was the first time that it was held outside of KTM, and it seemed to work out pretty good. 60 people arrived by bus and were set up in 2 hotels, and there was a large conference hall for the 3 day meetings. On day 2, we all got to go on an elephant ride at 6 am, and it was lovely to see the jungle through a fog that gave it an air of mystery. We got to see rhinos including a female with her baby. As for the AGM, we had discussions on development strategies, partnership and various other topics. I brought along some BDC products that sold like hot cakes, for a total of 7 650Rs which is more then what we usually sell in a whole month. I decided to leave Remi at home with his babysitter and his routine of going to daycare daily. Today I will finish packing for our trip to Thailand, and we go to KTM tomorrow. All in all, a busy week.

December 9, 2006

Going green for nappies

Remi has now been "clean" and using the potty for a few months, except for nights or naps on weekends when I still need to put on a diaper. I was now in the habbit of buying the right brand, when it dawned on me that we were ready to go for cloth/reusable ones. So I got all the necessary stuff and it has been great. I just wash it in the morning and it's no problem. This will be easier to bring to Thailand than 30 disposable diapers! Very cool and very green.

Dental bargain

I was sold on the benefits of going to the dentist abroad when I was in Vietnam. I got a crown done for a fraction of the price - $100 instead of $1000 and the dentist seemed competent, even tho less modern than back home (had to take a motorcycle ride to get an X-ray at a nearby hospital). I had 3 more crowns to get done because they have over 80% of filling but because of the adoption, I did not have the money. So here in Chitwan, I befriended a dentist who does crowns only to find out that he's only a technician. Even I would not take the chance so I found a "real dentist" in downtown Narayangarh, 2 minutes away. We have done 3 of the 4 crowns that need to be done, 2 of which need a root canal and take longer with many appointments. Again at bargain price for less than 100$ if you can take Nepali style - when in the X-ray room, sometimes I have to hold the machine to my jaw, sometimes the girl stays in to get radiated a bit, sometimes I am in the chair next to the X-ray room and suddenly the dentist and technicien disappear while an X-ray is being taken, leaving me to catch a few rays. Use of a butter knife to constantly screw the light on, mobile suction machine with visible glass jars filled with saliva, water to rinse that is poured from a bottle... but other than that the dentist is very meticulous and the equipment seems to work most of the time. But at least, when we're all done, I will be crowned in a big way and within my budget.

November 25, 2006

Real volunteers!

Last night I had two new foreigner friends come over, sisters who are from Holland and are here as real volunteers. They actually paid to come and do not receive any allowance during their stay. One helps out at an orphanage and the other works with a women organization plus also volunteers at a home for street children. They both live in a host Nepali family and live as they do, that is eating dhal bhat twice a day, cold shower and the rest of it. We made an amazing dinner with spaghetti and tried my Chardonnay Nouveau which I had just bottled. It passed the test and is quite nice although it will continue to age over the next months and get even better! Then we watched the movie The Skeleton Key (urgh, kinda ok) and they stayed overnight in the guest room. Today I felt the urge to do some outdoor activity and decided to cycle 20 km to Sauraha with Rémi. I expected that it would take over 2 hours, but I did it in one hour flat. Once there, we hung out and went to the river where Rémi took a dip. Then the elephants came for their bath and gave everyone quite the show. Rémi adores elephants and screams "aou, aou" to them ("come" in Nepali which is his favorite word that he uses toward everyone including objects like the moon). We had a nice dhal bhat (see picture below) at a restaurant and then I cycled home while he slept in his baby seat (not fair!).

November 21, 2006

Everybody loves Remi !

Sometimes we just walk down the street, and Remi starts babbling commandingly to people who look at me and ask me what he is saying. I have no clue, but somehow he singled you out and wants to communicate. He is able to just go rouaaa to Roxy or to a waiter in a restaurant, and somehow they feel compelled and come forward. I still wish he would expand his vocabulary, but I guess that will come in due time. He now comes home with homework which we do together either in the evening or in the morning. It consists mainly in drawing lines and the homework has been the same for over 2 weeks. Should we move on to circles now? I might drop in a word with the school. Everyone in the neighborhood seems to know Rémi and perfect strangers just call him by his name. Kids of all ages come to him to say Hello and hold his hand, and this Super Kid does not mind all the attention. Roxy also gets her share either by typical Nepalese who fear her like she's a pitbull when we go down the street, or others that know her and laugh at her name which means alcohol in Nepali. At home Rémi is eating well and that puts my mind at ease. The weather has been getting cooler tho, and he refuses to put on warm clothes or shoes. Looking at the locals here wearing thick winter gear with jackets, tuques and scarves one would think it was 0 Celsius when in fact it is more like 15 or 20. Still, that is chilly for Chitwan and apparently it will get much colder. I guess when he gets cold enough he will change his mind, I just don't want him to get sick in the meantime. I have learnt that a sick child is quite the nightmare. So today we hit the town and at least bought his some long sleeve shirts which will do for now...

Oh. My goat cream cheese turned out lovely so I tested it at Karen's "soirée" in KTM last weekend. It got rave reviews and I had a nice time seeing everyone. I bought a nice fruit cake which I have been nibbling at since, and it is delicious. So my next project is to make one, andI went to town to shop around for some dried fruits which I am now soaking in rhum and sugar. I have to be careful tho because Nepali friends have openly told me that I have gotten fat since I arrived here. So unless I want to write about my imminent trip to Thailand with the title "Porky hits the beach", an itsy-bitsy restraint food-wise is called for starting NOW.

I felt pretty silly bringing to Nepal my heavy wine kits but now that I have made my one and only batch and will soon bottle my Chardonay next weekend, it all seems worth it. I have already made a few beer batches and it did turn out ok, tho the secret really is in finding good bottles to keep the fiz in the brew and I have not been able to do this. So they are a bit flat, much to my dismay.

November 12, 2006

Visiting Chitwan Park with KTM friends

I had a nice visit last Friday when friends Gilles & Daniel arrived from KTM on a motorcycle. We had a feast for dinner with roast chicken and got up early the next day to head for Chitwan National Park. In the morning we started with a canoe ride on the river, and were lucky enough to see a few crocodiles basking in the sun on the river edge. Then we returned to "base camp" by jungle walk for about 2 hours. Rémi did pretty good and walked for some time, then he had to be carried and fell asleep. Lunch in Sauraha with time after to check the shops and hang out. Elephant ride in the afternoon with hoards of people doing the same. It sort of felt like over 20 elephants were invading the jungle, and we did not see any rhinos this time. Still, a nice day out and we managed to get a ride on a pony pulled cart to the highway where we caught a bus home. The next day, Sunday, my friends returned home and Rémi went to his babysitter for the day.

I managed to convince Maya to sell me some goat milk, and after I had collected enough, I made yogourt with it which I will then hang in cotton to make some cream cheese. Mix in a bit of salt, pepper as well as some dill, and I should get a nice goat cream cheese.... Yum!

November 10, 2006

Meeting women basket weavers

Today we went to meet the women of Nawalprasi district who weave the nice colorful baskets that we have started to carry at the BDC. However, there was a semi-general strike called by the maoistes so the buses were not running. We managed to get on a passing truck, along with 10 other passengers. Needless to stay, we were pretty cramped in the front cabin but it felt like a bit of adventure to travel with truckers! Upon arrival at our destination, we had yet again great lunch with dhal bhat, then made it to a remote village where 30 women were waiting to welcome us. I presented to them the BDC and how we could support them with further training to improve quality or product development as well as marketing for sale of their products. We had nice exchanges, then left with many baskets to return to Narayangarh. I was glad to have gone to the field and met beneficiaries...

November 7, 2006

Checking out the tourist area of Sauraha

Yesterday I went to the tourist town of Sauraha which borders Chitwan National Park and I was pleasantly surprised. There were many nice craft shops, a few bookstores, a bakery and even restaurants. When I get to miss the "western stuff", I think I will pop by and hang out there, a bit like we do back home when we go to the shopping mall. I'll stand on the street corner and grin like some silly goose at the foreigners that pass by! The little town is not so accessible from here tho since one has to take a minibus on the highway for about 15 km then a cycle taxi on pretty rough dirt road for another 10 km. Once there, it is difficult and pricy for foreigner to find a cycle back to the highway. Still, I think I might even try to do the trip on my bicycle next time, and this would not hurt me to do a little exercise.

November 5, 2006

Two baby goats to play with...

Maya's goat just gave birth to two little babies and they are sooo cute. This will be extra fun for Rémi when he goes there for babysitting, as he does every Sunday. Today we went out for lunch and had a very nice rice with lentil (dhal bhat) in a tiny little restaurant near our house. It was so delicious that we will go again soon for sure. We started to have some of his friends come over to our place to play with his toys (and sometims with him a little), and when we had 5 of them this morning, it got quite rowdy but this is a first and it puts life in the house for sure! He really gets along with a 3 year old girl and with his mum we got joking that we could "arrange" for their marriage. I know in rural Nepal (tho less so today), parents can marry their children from as young as 5 years old. So I said we would need to wait until he is five, and she agreed. But I mentionned that Rémi is very popular with the girls so it might be hard to hold him down to one girl/woman and asked if this was ok. Take it or leave it package! But she seemed so serious, that I had to tell her I was joking...

October 31, 2006

Workshop with local BDC stakeholders

Today was a big day for me at work since I was facilitating a workshop with local stakeholders of the BDC. The purpose was to validate the development strategies that I was proposing in the feasibility study which I have just completed. It went very well, and I think the assessment and recommendations were easy enough to grasp. But we ran out of time at the end, and had to rush the last part where they get to contribute their comments. Still, it was a good opportunity for them to get to know the BDC better and hopefully take ownership of its development and future. It was very clear that in order to be sustainable, it needs to begin charging for service devlivery, and that each and everyone can participate and support this in many ways. Let's hope that the walk will follow the talk...

October 22, 2006

Celebrating Xmas and Halloween in Nepal !?

In fact, we are now in the Tihar festival which will continue until October 24th. It is a time for brothers and sisters of families to meet and celebrate. Many houses are decorated with coloured lights Made in China that play metallic Xmas music such as We Wish You A Merry Xmas, Jingle Bells and other popular carols. So walking down my neighbourhood puts us in the spirit of the holiday season, ahead of time. The second day of the festival was Dog Day so people put red vermillion on the forehead of the dogs and dressed them with marigold flower garlands around the neck. And Roxy was no exception, with a picture to prove it! We also had children going house to house much like our Trick or Treat, screaming sing-along mantras so that households would give them money, but we had some very fervent kids and later adults who also got into it. This went on until late at night right under Rémi’s window, causing papa’s stress level to come to new heights. Then in the middle of the night, at 3 am, religious folks walked around reciting mantras and blowing horns. Tihar, colourful and noisy festival, a mix of Xmas and Halloween.

Rémi’s babysitter, Maya, just built a small shop much like a Quebec depanneur in front of their house and started selling various household items. This will be a nice addition to our neighbourhood and add interest for Rémi when he goes there to spend the day. He is now back to normal, after being sick for over a week. He had many large mouth ulcers and his gums were bleeding, which was so painful. So for a week he didn’t eat and the doctor wanted to hospitalize him and put him on IV which I refused. Trying many tricks, I managed to get him to drink milk and eat cream of soups as well as take his medication so that he would have minimum nutrients. I even went to KTM for an important meeting and brought him along. He stayed in the hotel room with a babysitter during the day, and then in the evening he got to mingle with everyone from CECI and be a star. Now we are back home trying to get the routine back which we lose in times of crisis: eating in the high chair, going to bed alone, etc. And now a few days off for papa to read up on web design in the 2 new bricks I just bought in KTM (Photoshop & Dreamweaver).

October 9, 2006

Happy Birthday Rémi!

I came back just in time from Pokhara on Saturday to celebrate Rémi's 3rd birthday, our first one together. I was so happy to see him after being apart 6 days, and managed to buy a chicken on my way home and roast it for dinner. I also made brownies but I wanted to stretch the mix and added flour. In the end, it was not so sweet and when I took it to our friends in the street, they also said that it wasn't so tasty. But it's the thought that counts, right? Sniff, sniff.

On Sunday we unwraped the many presents from Grandpa, Grandma, Godfather & Godmother (sister & husband), and Rémi didn't seem to mind all the attention. In the afternoon, I tried my luck again at making a b'day cake (President's Choice Organic Vanilla) and added some coconut and dried cherries (I can't resist being creative), added a cup of sugar (everything tastes good sweet, no?) and it came out totally too yummy. I didn't wanna share this one and have been eating a piece with every meal. Don't look for me losing any weight, hein ? Oh yeah, and of course Rémi is allowed to have a piece or two!

October 1, 2006

Celebrating Dassain Holiday

It is great being in Nepal during the Dassain festival. It is like Christmas for us, where family and friends get together, take some time out to appreciate good food and company. It lasts over a week and our office (like many others) is closed. I had the visit of Julia and her son Paco who arrived from Kathmandu on Saturday (yesterday) and it was such a hot day, that we went to the swimming pool to relaxe and cool down. We hung out, chatted and it was such a loverly visit. Plus, she brought over all the presents sent to Nepal from my family, and I will open these next week on Rémi's birthday. Last night, we went to town for dinner, only to find that most restaurants were closed, except a few, so we still managed to have a bite. We got up late this morning, had a huge breakfast, and off we went.

I was invited for lunch today at my colleague's house with her husband and 2 kids. Like all Nepalese at this time, they had just bought a live goat and slaughtered it the day before (just like we do with turkeys). So this is not a good time of year to be a goat as they all end up in the kitchen. She had cooked such nice food, goat meat of course, vegetables, rice and some yoghourt. It was a bit spicy but Rémi still managed to eat a bit. I felt very honoured to share this holiday meal with them at their home. We stayed for a little while then headed home. Rémi went to the babysitter so that I can have some time to put the house in order and pack for my trek. I leave tomorrow for Pokhara where I will discover the Himalayas and walk the trails for 5 days. Rémi is still too young for this (even though I could have hired a porter to carry him) so he will stay here with the babysitter all day since his daycare is closed during the holiday. I will carry him in my heart on my journey and have many stories and pictures to shares with you all upon my return...

September 24, 2006

Redemption!

Well, faced with last week mild humiliation from not having been able to make it to the top of the mountain to see the temple in Gaidokot, when Neplese do this without any effort on a regular basis, I got my courage up and agreed to go again with my collegues' two sons. I was in good hands since the youngest one, Sujit, means unbeatable in Nepali while his brother, Amit, means friendly, and lest we forget our own inspiration, Roxy, which means alcohol and represents good times. So off we went on this misty and cool day, climbing stairs upon stairs. In no time I was panting, while my two young friends looked like this was nothing at all. I had to take a few breaks along the way, thinking with much resolution that I need to get into shape before going on my 5-day trek in just over a week.

There were many pilgrims along for the hike since we now begin Dassain, the most holy festival of Nepal. At this time Nepali go to temples regulary to bring offerings and say prayers. Once at the top, we had to take our shoes off (even tho they were not leather) before being able to proceed to the small temple area. Once there, Nepalese ring the bell to wake the Gods, mix the bright red powder with water and rice before sticking this on their forhead. They also bring sweets and coconut to present to the God. We stayed only for a few minutes before heading back down, this time much easier then the way up. I took a rickshaw (cyclo-taxi) with Roxy to Narayangarh, then a 3 wheel motor-taxi up the hill and finally walked the rest of the way home. Ouff. What a nice hike!

September 21, 2006

Farewell O-Bercail!

In only one month, my house in St-Hippolyte by lake Achigan got 2 serious offers, and the last one made it to the notary yesterday for the final sale. So it is now time for me to say goodbye to this dream home which I loved and shaped over the past 3 years. It may not seem like a long time, but it was my first home and I put so much of myself into this house: installing a wood stove, redoing all the insulation, setting nice wood planks on the back wall and inserting a rear balcony with a terrace. I had hoped to keep it for awhile, but too many bad tenants forced the hand of destiny. I walk away with many memories of times spent with friends and having the bed and breakfast O-Bercail was also such a dear project. I will not be the one to see all my fruit trees come to maturity (japanese pear, apples, bartlet pear, cherry trees, grape vines, blueberries, craneberries). Still, it had become too difficult to manage from a distance, and since I plan to stay abroad for many more years, the sensible decision was to sell. This home is now someone else's dream, and when the time comes for me to return and settle down in Quebec, I will dream again and find a house to that image, with more grounds to the property and hopefully next to a quiet lake. Farewell dream home...!

September 18, 2006

I had the visit of 2 people from Spain, one I had corresponded with by email for some time. They came to Nepal for 2 weeks, and we met in Kathmandu for drinks last Tuesday. Then they came to Chitwan, did the usual visit of the park, and came to spend one day with me and Rémi, Saturday, and stayed for the night. We went to Gaidakot and had hoped to make it to the top of the mountain where there is a beautiful temple, but we only made it half way. Having to carry Rémi did not make this easy, but it was still a nice "baby trek" and on our way down, we stopped to have a cold drink and cookies. Within minutes, kids gathered around us, curious to see who we were. We shared our cookies with them, then took a couple of pictures before leaving. Back at home, we were exhausted so we relaxed, had dinner and went to be early. A nice visit...