Chapter 4 Planning Meeting
New, fast friends: Today at mid-morning Amrit and Kate met us at the hotel. We quickly picked up on what we called Kate-isms: old bird, pink job vs. blue job (anything the ladies don't want to do and pass onto the men), telly, dodgy, zed, bits ‘n bobs, shambles, rubbish and lots more.
Amrit explained the traditional gesture of Namaste - a greeting for hello and goodbye - traditionally done with hands together, like praying, with a subtle downward gesture of the head. It’s especially used in small villages and considered sacred. Even very young children greeted us that way in the days ahead.
More specifically Namaste means:
I honor the place in you where the entire universe resides.
I honor the placing of love, of light, of truth and peace.
I honor the place within you, where if you are in that place in you and I am in that place in me, there's only one of us.
Amrit explained the traditional gesture of Namaste - a greeting for hello and goodbye - traditionally done with hands together, like praying, with a subtle downward gesture of the head. It’s especially used in small villages and considered sacred. Even very young children greeted us that way in the days ahead.
More specifically Namaste means:
I honor the place in you where the entire universe resides.
I honor the placing of love, of light, of truth and peace.
I honor the place within you, where if you are in that place in you and I am in that place in me, there's only one of us.
At this reception we were given red strings/thread to wear tied around our wrist, which are protection and blessing cords, sent from Joey and Karla from One World One Heart, with wishes for a successful trip. The red cords were blessed by way of Akka Lama's family.
We were also given a khata, a yellow silk scarf. Bestowing this gift is an ancient tradition still honored today. It is a symbol of good intentions during our welcome to Nepal and also in building a new relationship with Amrit and Kate.
They gave a briefing of what to expect in the days ahead and a list of cultural do’s and don’ts.
One item that tested Lin most was the cultural necessity of eating with the right hand. “I’m totally left handed and still suffering from a fractured right wrist. I was often the last to finish my meal - when I remembered to use my right hand.”
The cheat-sheet listed other items to remember while in Nepal:
* Personal health - Don’t drink or brush teeth with tap water. (This includes no singing in the shower. Keep your mouth shut.)
* ATM money is large bills. Ask to break these at the hotel, restaurants, etc. Exchange rate in Pokhara is not as good as in Kathmandu.
* Communication - Bring cell phones, for the few who had them.
* Beggars/ street children - Do not give money as it encourage begging. Sweets promote tooth decay.
* Safety - Keep valuables in safe place. (Later we added - Don’t trust cab drivers.)
* Carry flash light – Many power outages. Watch for uneven sidewalks.
* Shopping - Bargain, but shopkeepers need to earn a living.
* Tipping - 13% tax added on. Customary to tip 10%, which most places add automatically to the bill.
* Directions to hotel - Take business card for address of hotel before leaving.
Planning for the week ahead Amrit brought a regional map and showed our medical camp destination in the mid-mountain region where the villages of Ale Gaun and Sirkot are located. A second map showed our intended trek the days following the medical camp, and higher in the Himalayans beginning in Beni.
Kate brought traditional Nepali sweets to the meeting. It was Dr. Tim’s birthday. Amrit and Mike celebrated birthdays this week. Amrit gifted all trekkers with colorful tee-shirts with the logo: Himalayan Quests: Explore, Discover, Experience.
Dr. Del provided blue scrubs bearing the “One World One Heart” logo of the foundation that offered non-profit status for this medical camp. We alternated days of wearing scrubs and tee-shirts
We were also given a khata, a yellow silk scarf. Bestowing this gift is an ancient tradition still honored today. It is a symbol of good intentions during our welcome to Nepal and also in building a new relationship with Amrit and Kate.
They gave a briefing of what to expect in the days ahead and a list of cultural do’s and don’ts.
One item that tested Lin most was the cultural necessity of eating with the right hand. “I’m totally left handed and still suffering from a fractured right wrist. I was often the last to finish my meal - when I remembered to use my right hand.”
The cheat-sheet listed other items to remember while in Nepal:
* Personal health - Don’t drink or brush teeth with tap water. (This includes no singing in the shower. Keep your mouth shut.)
* ATM money is large bills. Ask to break these at the hotel, restaurants, etc. Exchange rate in Pokhara is not as good as in Kathmandu.
* Communication - Bring cell phones, for the few who had them.
* Beggars/ street children - Do not give money as it encourage begging. Sweets promote tooth decay.
* Safety - Keep valuables in safe place. (Later we added - Don’t trust cab drivers.)
* Carry flash light – Many power outages. Watch for uneven sidewalks.
* Shopping - Bargain, but shopkeepers need to earn a living.
* Tipping - 13% tax added on. Customary to tip 10%, which most places add automatically to the bill.
* Directions to hotel - Take business card for address of hotel before leaving.
Planning for the week ahead Amrit brought a regional map and showed our medical camp destination in the mid-mountain region where the villages of Ale Gaun and Sirkot are located. A second map showed our intended trek the days following the medical camp, and higher in the Himalayans beginning in Beni.
Kate brought traditional Nepali sweets to the meeting. It was Dr. Tim’s birthday. Amrit and Mike celebrated birthdays this week. Amrit gifted all trekkers with colorful tee-shirts with the logo: Himalayan Quests: Explore, Discover, Experience.
Dr. Del provided blue scrubs bearing the “One World One Heart” logo of the foundation that offered non-profit status for this medical camp. We alternated days of wearing scrubs and tee-shirts
When in Kathmandu:
Street traffic was a bit hairy. Taxi cab rides were equally scary. Motor scooters, motorcycles, trucks and pedestrians alike vied to edge their way forward. One’s life could be easily in danger, but we saw no road rage when it came time to stop traffic, or edge forward.
Street traffic was a bit hairy. Taxi cab rides were equally scary. Motor scooters, motorcycles, trucks and pedestrians alike vied to edge their way forward. One’s life could be easily in danger, but we saw no road rage when it came time to stop traffic, or edge forward.