21-22 April: Ghara, Nepal

I have been unwell the last few days. I seemed to have picked up a cold from Pat who got it from someone on the plane, interesting how it spreads. She recovered within 24 hours (actually her cold kept coming back) for me it is taking days. Yesterday was an easy day thankfully for me as over the day some energy came back and I felt my cheerfulness returning. My sleeping has been okay but the others get up early and it is hard sometimes to get back to sleep. I need sleep for balance, I am not an early morning person. I’ve always wanted to be but doesn’t work for my body. It can be a challenge for clowning as I need a lot of energy. When I have it – it is great, when not, it is not easy to do it as you have to give more than 100%. So balancing energy for me is the key at this moment.

Myself, Pat and Gordon went to the little school at the top of some rocky stairs. Our hotel is to the left. We went to meet with the children. I was still coughing and puffing as my energy is not that good. However, I joined in with the songs Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, if you are happy and you know it, Agadoo, the bear went over the mountain, Hokey Pokey, The Fly, Ten Green Bottles, Kookaburra Sits in the Old Gumtree. The group was split into boys and girls, the boys went with Gordon who was teaching them harmonica. They have a great sense of rhythm and sound I noted. They then got out the ball and played basketball down at the courts. Meanwhile Pat was with the girls doing painting; they were mostly painting their houses. I took some photos and observed then went to do some internet.

The food here has been simple but nice we have porridge in the morning and potatoes and herbs, tomato and onions and some soup at night. The couple that run the place are very kind people. They work extremely hard. Sometimes it is hard for me to make the connection to their primitive lifestyle. They cook on a mud brick stove and burn fire wood to produce heat. They do have a gas stove but I am told it is used in emergencies as gas is expensive. I had the opportunity to speak with the husband who I noted was an intelligent man. He told me he had no education and he has experienced very hard work. He said he found out through a friend on the internet that there was work going in Iraq. He said it was very dangerous work, I can only imagine the dangers he faced. He said he was offered 50,000 rupees per month. I estimated the average wage here is 10,000 rupees a month ($100 Australian). It is not much money and 50,000 is nothing in respect of risking one’s life, such is the inequality of income worldwide. I have given more thought to a global currency, reflecting on the concept of one currency. Why do we have all these currencies based on the wealth of a country as to their value? In truth it is determined by trade and the appreciation and deprecisation of curriencies.  Under the Bretton Woods system the value of a currency was based on the gold standard, originally Fort Knox.  However, nowdays it is determined by trade and arbitration (buying/selling currencies).  Thus countries are disadvantaged if their currency is weak with inflationary pressures. It also means their country can be exploited as external interests can buy up resources cheaply.  It tends to favour cheap labour, so Nepalese for example would be employed because their labout is cheap as is the case of Middle Eastern interests having them fly over to work in blue collar jobs (manual), so they are not paid the same as a developed country equivalent.  If there was one currency it would automatically equalise all people around the world as they are paid the same. It seems incredible to me that we can earn $20 up to $1000 an hour in Australia and a person here in Nepal is on $1.50 (150 rupees) to $2.00 (200 rupees) a day as a minimum. They are in a financially disadvantaged position (comparatively), more over it is a human rights issue, the right to be paid the same globally. For example, in the mining industry here in Australia they were bringing in migrant workers to work on the mines without the same rights as Australians. I was not in favour of any form of indentured labour. It is all about making money not sharing.

When speaking with this man from the Regina Guesthouse we spoke of envisaging governments becoming bridge builders of friendship rather than dealers and negotiators economically (brokers). We see government as agents for business and this places them not in a neutral position but in a biased one, where they see national interest as economic interest. He and I spoke about the need for education and he pointed to his own children, he has two daughters and a son. He wanted to make sure they didn’t have the life he had so studying is important. He was able to get a scholarship for his daughter. He said after a time he has to pay, so he sees the expenses coming. He and his wife work hard running their little guesthouse. It is a simple place apparently his father built it. There are blue shutters that open up with the mountains as the back drop. There are strong wooden pillions holding the beams up and cladding that looks like the top of boxes. The houses around this little village are mostly made out of stone and there are tiny little bricks with mud filling holding structures together. Some houses are single height made from stone and wood with a tin roof. I noticed these didn’t have rocks on top but were secured down with bolts.

Pat, Gordon and myself went for a walk. As you walk through the dusty streets over little rocks of slate and stone you see fields where people are harvesting straw, we saw crops of spring onions, cabbage and little herb gardens. There are little plots in front of homes and the life here is very simple. You can hear the sound of little sparrows and see wildlife in the form of cattle, horses (worn out) and crows that make a different noise to the ones we hear in Australia. Pat noted there are wild strawberries and beautiful rhododendrons. According to Peter they can build houses out of them (rhododendrons). There are around 32 species that vary at different altitudes, you can tell what species (of plant) depending on the altitude you are at, I am told. Some of the trees look stripped and it seems that fodder is taken from some of them. I saw a lady walking with hay stacked on her back and it was a huge load. I saw the muscles in her arms.

Gordon took a picture of a cow and she was protective over her calf, we warned him to not get to close. We had the opportunity to look towards Paudwar the little village we will be going to. It is amazing to think that people build on the side of mountains. You see the familiar terraces lining the side of the mountain. Often you see the valley covered in a fine smoke mist so even on a beautiful day it is shrouded by smoke from little fires. I am not sure if it is smoke or mist, I suspect smoke. Again another sign of the primitive conditions they live in. Interestingly on our walk yesterday we noted a satellite dish it was like a technological flower planted in the garden of the future. It looked out of place amongst stone walls, little gardens and primitive lifestyles but it is a sign of change and the global village.

Every now and then a trekker comes around the corner. Some of them come in groups with the familiar Sherpa’s carrying loads of up to 40kg. They were little guys but very strong, then you see the foreigners with light packs. You have to smile. The people here are used to carrying big loads and they are physically strong. The trekkers have the ski poles and they are all ages, some older women are trekking, younger women, younger men and older men in their thirties and fifties. We met a strong fit man from the Netherlands who had travelled since February around India. He said he did a long walk to the Annapurna base camp and had done a bike ride. He was very strong and he said it was very challenging. I was amazed he had a bike on these roads, the four wheel drives really rock around. Quite a few travel alone. We then met a crazy Estonian who we joked with. He said he was travelling by bike and indicated he would stop at the next village. He was very friendly and quick with humour. We told him there was marijuana growing quite freely here. You can imagine some tourists coming to just smoke. He laughed at us walking around not trekking and said we could be drug smugglers, they would look innocent like you he said with a smile. We explained we were with Rotary and working with teacher training here. I was glad that we were not passing through and really getting a feel for the place. He seemed keen to keep talking to us and I would have loved to spend more time.  He was an open hearted soul and it was nice to meet him. We did comment about the trekkers not stopping in little villages like this 100 rupees ($1) is a lot of money for a poor family. We ended up having a tea at a little place. They have a sign up indicating it was a tea room and you walk into a little shelter and overlook the mountains. We ordered a lemon tea each which she charged 150 rupees which is quite expensive but for these people a small fortune, in truth it is only $1.50 for 3 people having lemon tea, so don’t you find the irony of money and how we rationalise what is expensive and what is cheap! We were happy to support this mother, she was very beautiful we noted and as we walked on we saw her in her simple dwelling in the next building rocking a cradle with a small baby.

We had the opportunity to meet some students finishing their degree on public health. The key health issues are glaucoma and sanitation issues causing gastro from bad water, spices, flies and rubbish in the streets.  The life expectancy for men was estimated from 55 to 68 years of age, so that is good news for Gordon (who is 67). There are issues of junk food here too whereby they sell chips and coke and we were told that it rots the teeth of children. It would erode income as incomes are so low, so it is a health issue. In respect of Rotary and the Polio campaign, I am told by Peter that they can inoculate 5 million children by drips into the mouth. Apparently it takes 2 days to do this which is really extraordinary, they then put a colour on the thumb to make sure they are marked. The lad we were talking to yesterday will finish his degree and then work in the local areas. They walk long distances to cover remote areas.  It was refreshing to meet this young man and two young women full of enthusiasm for the future. Indeed we agreed this is the future of Nepal. Many these days are getting masters degrees and that is becoming a standard. The same applies in Australia.

We spent some time doing balloon animals yesterday and handed a few out. Some people came past who were curious. They are really lovely, you see old men with their dirty clothes and wrinkled faces and rotten teeth smiling away looking at these curious balloon animals. I got an older man to have a go at a balloon poodle and he enjoyed having a little go. When the balloon’s pop we all laugh. The children come along and one women was hoping for one and I put something small together for her.

Last night the guys from REED turned up and we all sat around. I have a bath with warm water which was heaven. A bath is just a bucket wash.  I washed my hair as it was starting to feel a bit itchy. So we had dinner together and I tried roxy (phonetically pronounced) which is 20% rocket fuel medicine. It is made from a still out the back, a bit like vodka.  I also tried soy beans with garlic and onion it is called Bhatmas. Very healthy combination. It was a good night and I felt my energy coming back.