Nepal: the Adventure!

Our trip to Nepal wasn't all mission-related, of course. We managed to squeeze in all kinds of good things, enough to satisfy everyone's idea of fun. We wandered, we shopped, we met elephants. We also saw countless breathtaking sights, everything from houses to mountains. It was really easy for everything to seem exciting, because it was! When I signed up for this YAV year, I had no idea I would ever get to do anything like this. The Adventure was by far the most photo-heavy portion of our trip, contributing significantly to our 1500-picture collection. You'll get more than the usual in this post, with the rest in an album at the end.

In the midst of our mission tour of Kathmandu, we stopped at a village that hasn't changed (much) in centuries. Everywhere we looked there was something interesting to see, but by the end of the walk I began to wonder who was doing the real sightseeing - us or the locals. It was a fascinating trip all around, probably for everybody involved. The best part for me was watching women making wool into yarn, and I ended up buying some and making a friend in the process.

The village was a maze of buildings like these. I couldn't find a photo to
do them justice, but it really did feel like a step back in time.

In Nepal, it's pretty normal to have a view like this from your village.

There were groups of women like this all over the village - most of the day
is spent outside. I bought my yarn from the woman who isn't looking at the camera.

Leaving Kathmandu, we wound around mountains and forests and rivers on our way to balmy Chitwan. The drive itself was actually a highlight of the trip for me: hours of beautiful views and lots of time for reflection. While in Chitwan, we did all the touristy things: nature walks, canoe trips, and of course an elephant ride. We saw rhinos and alligators and monkeys, but unfortunately the tigers wouldn't come out to play. Maybe next time? Perhaps it's just as well. Our time in Chitwan was quite relaxing, and it was really nice just to be a goofy tourist for a while.

Goofy tourists photographing each other. Oh, and there's a rhino.

Finished with its bath, the rhino decided to come over and say hi to the
hundred or so tourists on the shore. We decided to flee. Calmly.

A whole family of elephants! Seems like elephant toddlers crave attention, too.

Our herd (parade?) of elephants converged on these two rhinos, who didn't
seem to care too much. They took a nap shortly after this pic was taken.

On a more enriching note, we spent a day at Lumbini, the birthplace of Buddha. Our tour guide, Raz, was super knowledgeable about pretty much everything. This was true about the whole trip, but was especially appreciated in Lumbini. We learned about Buddha's birth, first steps, and declaration (following which he became an ordinary baby). People from all over the world come to visit this place, and there are temples nearby built by many different countries - even Korea! The history was fascinating, and the whole atmosphere was a welcome respite from the (also-fascinating) chaos of Kathmandu.

The huge Bodhi tree on site. There were monks everywhere,
so naturally we acted like typical tourists.

These colorful prayer flags were all over the place. They're supposed
to promote peace, compassion, and other positive qualities among all people.

The Eternal Peace Flame, with the World Peace Pagoda in the (way-) background.

A closer look at the World Peace Pagoda, erected by Japanese Buddhists.

We ended our trip in Pokhara, which showcased the beauty of this really amazing country. It was pretty touristy, but with good reason. With the Annapurna Range constantly in view, we explored a big shopping and dining area, (of course,) had another canoe ride, and generally took it easy.

The shopkeepers of Nepal (and their wares) were entirely unlike anything
we had ever experienced.

How many people can they fit in one boat?

We didn't stick around to find out! Our valiant canoe captain was 11 years old.

One morning, we got up at way-too-early o'clock and made our way up to a crowded collection of parking lots and cafes, where we were treated to coffee while we waited for the sun to wake up, too. We set up camp with chairs and benches, with a large group of Koreans to our left having taken over an entire rooftop. While we were waiting, we watched dozens of other people head past for even higher ground. What was everybody waiting for that morning? See for yourself:

The Annapurna Range at dawn.

This sight was a truly lovely conclusion to an excellent trip, getting up early and everything. We flew back to Kathmandu that afternoon, getting another mountain view on the way. Getting back to Korea was a surprisingly important part of the whole experience, but that's for another day.

Nepal: the Mission

Hello again! About a month ago, we got home from the K-YAV trip to Nepal. So naturally, I'm writing about it now. 미안합니다!

I tried to journal as thoroughly as possible, and I was successful for much of the trip. Near the end, there were so many things to say that I ended up not writing down any of them. Oops. But between the pictures and the subsequent reflection on this amazing trip, I think I can piece it together for you. I'll start with first impressions (dur) and a reflection on the mission work we witnessed there, and save the rest for later.*

Simply by getting to Nepal, I knew we were in for an adventure. I love traveling, and even getting on the bus out of Daejeon was exciting. Not knowing much about geography (I know, it's bad!) I wasn't entirely sure what we had ahead of us. We crossed a significant portion of China, pausing in Guangzhou for noodles and a passport stamp before finishing the journey. By the time we got to our hotel in Kathmandu, we were exhausted. But exhilarated! But exhausted. And goodness, but we weren't in Korea anymore.

It turns out we kind of did this.

That night, I wrote in my journal: "[Our room] is kind of drafty, the lights flickered, and apparently the toilet doesn't flush. But it's so great! We're in Nepal!!" That pretty much set the tone for the next few days, during which everything was new and shiny and really, really cool. Kathmandu was noisy and crowded, full of beautiful people and places and things. We stayed in a very touristy area, where the shopping and eating and sightseeing were plentiful, but much of our time in Kathmandu was devoted to looking back at how Uncle Simon and Haejung Imo spent their time there as missionaries a few years ago.

Let me tell you, they were seriously busy people during those three years. Our first stop on the old-haunts tour was the United Mission to Nepal, which acts as a support network with a variety of organizations aimed at helping the impoverished of Nepal.

It seemed like a pretty sweet place to work.**

Still in Kathmandu, we visited the Lalitpur Nursing Campus, which happened to be having exams that very afternoon. Getting there was an adventure in itself, but I'll address that soon enough. Even though our contact wasn't there that day, we got a lovely tour and experienced the kind of open hospitality that was a really charming feature of Nepal. (It was also across the street from a North Korean restaurant. Getting super lost Exploring Kathmandu was so interesting!)

Celebration and relief (exhaustion?) upon reaching our destination.

That same day we stopped by the Nick Simons Institute, a now-thriving organization that was just getting started when Uncle Simon was at work. We were given a tour by Dr. Mark Zimmerman, who worked personally with Uncle Simon and continues to lead the organization. This visit was especially interesting because of the work they do there: they took the time to identify a need, and are now providing training for doctors and assistants in rural hospitals.

A typical lunch at NSI includes excellent food and conversation at their rooftop cafeteria.

As a taste of Korean mission work, we visited the Ever Vision School which is supported by Korea Food for the Hungry International. It was definitely an unexpected connection, and seeing Korean in a Nepali school was really entertaining. The Children Development Program supports one child from each family in the area, which in turn benefits the whole family. Once the program is complete there, it will begin again someplace else as the school continues its basic work.

Look closely and you might see a YAV bonding with preschoolers through a window.

Finally, during our subsequent travels we visited the Tansen Hospital where they reconnected with fellow missionaries who were still working towards the same cause. It was amazing to see the places and people with which Simon and Haejung connected in just a few years.

Hospitals still squick me out, but I swear this is from Tansen. What a view!

To wrap things up, I'll share something that's likely to stick with me from Nepal. During our rooftop lunch, Dr. Zimmerman asked me if I was considering future mission work. I was surprised to find myself answering yes! Absolutely! I don't know when or where or how, but the future is pretty vague that way. It reminds me of our YAV slogan, "A year of service for a lifetime of change." I guess the good YAV people *did* try to warn me....

* Coming up: tourism, followed by fun facts, general impressions, and our action-packed return to Korea.
** I'll post a more complete collection of photos soon!