24 April: Walking to Paudwar, Nepal

24 April Walking to Paudwar, Nepal

When the porters were all organised Krishna led our walk. We walked down through the village walking down rock steps slowly and I was mindful of taking in the countryside. The steps slowly descended past little houses and fields. We said the occasional Namaste to people but later I discovered it was only westerners that do this, typically the locals don’t. It is a mark of respect I am guessing from their perspective and a hello from ours. Yet I do feel respect for all people. We passed the now familiar concrete taps (as houses do not have plumbing). We saw small plots of potatoes, corn and scattered plots across the countryside. I looked up and saw Paudwar and it seemed to me a long way to walk. I wasn’t sure how I would fair, I have period, a cold and feel tired, yet I realise there is no choice. My sleep lately has been disrupted and I was cautiously just going with the flow. I wanted to go to Paudwar to see what it is like. So this is stepping out of my comfort zone and going for the adventure. So I can thank Peter for just moving forward.

It was around 1 or 2pm in the afternoon and I quietly traced Krishna’s steps. I had to remind myself to look up as I was mesmerised by his rhythm. Gordon, Pat and Peter walked behind observing the natural beauty engulfing us like the warm joy of an unfolding adventure. I thought of not being able to walk through fields like this in Australia and how regulated farms are as private space. This was village space and all were free to walk through it. I thought of the acreage in Australia and reflected on our world as a tapestry of roads. Yet here there were gentle lines of walkways which could take you to Khibung in the north, Ghara (where we are staying), Shiksa to the west and Paudwar across the valley and many more tiny traditional stone villages peppering the countryside. My impression that the villages are agrarian self-reliant villages, but the feeling you get is tradition and much stone work in the buildings. I loved listening to the sparrows tweeting and the occasional butterfly make an appearance as we walked past history and current lifestyles having changed little for thousands of years.

We walked down the terraced hill and about to cross a bridge. We noticed a group of 10 boys were wet and had lit a fire to warm up and dry off. Again, how many children in Australia have this type of freedom. The boys swam in the river below, there was a waterfall there and huge rocks there. We all walked across the metal bridge and started to ascend up the mountain. I was conscious of my breathing as the patter of friendly conversation, songs and stories emerged from Gordon’s playful and light disposition. He is an angel no doubt who stands as a light in all our conversations sharing from his vast well of entertaining stories and experience. I found it hard to talk as I was finding it hard going and steep. Yet the walk to the World Peace pagoda stands in my mind as my Mount Everest, I felt it a harder going climb yet the climb we were on was steeper and longer.

Krishna came behind Pat, an incredible woman of 69, holding her own. She carries an aura of independence, determination, cheerfulness and common sense. She is the person you would want in an emergency. A clear minded, considerate lady very aware of the needs of others. She is particularly fascinated by nature and constantly reminds me to look. She noticed the type of plants and butterflies, I find myself coming to life and noticing a life of vast diversity of this well toiled, terraced ecology. She pointed out worms, tea-tree, birds, rhododendrons, ferns, butterflies in a gentle and loving way. She climbed with her mountaineering poles, never complaining – only pointing out she is slow. She shared with me her philosophy of going with the flow, a very wise and peaceful approach to life.  She reminded me of an amazing woman called peace pilgrim. On this journey plans have changed and we have been unsure of what is unfolding, but just get it ready to see what happens. She has art supplies for the children of Paudwar and will work with Gordon to do the holiday program for a week. She naturally takes responsibility and kindly checks on people. I loved the way she checked if Peter is okay and sought to include others. She is a former teacher (lecturer at university) I find teachers are usually very competent and used to taking responsibility. A wonderful trait.

We climbed higher, Gordon looked back at where we were and indicated we were level pegging with Ghara or Khebung. He gave us a sense of elevation and an idea of how high we had climbed. It is funny looking at a mountain and climbing it seems harder from the bottom but as you ascend it seems to happen quickly and you get surprised how far you have come. It didn’t take long to rise above the valley and to gain a higher and mirrored perspective of Ghara. The mountains took on a different angle, shape giving me a sense of their power and grandeur.

We looked back over terraces some of them 15 years old and fallow. We saw little temples shaped like rounded towers, they appeared intermittently across the countryside. Pat noted the cow shed as a familiar marker in relation to Paudwar.

Our porters were sweating and whizzed past us, heads down with cane baskets secured to their foreheads. I clapped them as they past calling them masters of the universe. We estimated some carried 40 kg, the weights were not evenly distributed, some had lighter. They carried bags, computers and art supplies. They were four young men around 15-16 years of age. Krishna paid them around 800 rupees as a standard rate regardless of distance. That is around $8/hour which is pretty good for this part of the world. They would be so strong in the necks and shoulders as they carry these large baskets. It is a smart and efficient means of moving goods as they walk uphill. The angle and straight line of the neck, shoulders and back keeps the weight evenly distributed not pulling them backwards as they move with the slope of the mountain. Very practical I thought. I notice ‘practical’ is the key word here as everything is used wisely and it all has a purpose. This is not a society polluted by commercialism. Although many are leaving Nepal in search of better paying work and hence become exposed to the ways of the world. I can feel the peace in simplicity and hard work. We did note in the interview with the teacher Dil Bahadur Baruwal Chheti and his friends, that in the past many became Indian soldiers. One of the friends was a farmer and his hands were aged and lined from hard work. The young people worked hard and become very strong. They are not watching t.v. They do what they can to help their families. They live in real community. Everyone knows each other and are like family. There are long lineages here and it feels as if the land and the people are ‘one’. They cannot realise the paradise they are in, as true beauty does not know itself.

We climbed higher and finally walked into the village. The entrance was a stone archway with writing on it. It was a doorway into another world. I noticed a woman to the right of us covering the beans as it was about to rain on time. We walked into a stone village, paved in slate. There were slate roofs, houses clustered close to each other on undulating terrain. They merged into the mountain side. As Peter said ‘why would they build on the side of a mountain. Yet strangely it seemed to fit, but from the ground you can’t imagine why they chose the location. Krishna new this little place well as he had grown up in this village. We walked through the narrow stone paved pathways between houses and caught glimpses of the locals who respond with ‘Namaste’ old ladies crouched in doorways working, young people walked past and men were strolling. All would be well known to each other in this small village. There are no street signs or lights but there is writing on doors in Nepali. Postal systems do not work in this area and I suspect they are non-existent. We saw electrical wires laced through the village and within rooms. The dwellings look like white washed mud brick inside (at least our place did) and there is stacked slate in small bricks to construct many single level dwellings. They have glass windows with wooden frames and in some cases, shutters. There is dust on the floor as nature dominates. You see wet clothes placed over rock walls or hanging. There are little shops that could go unnoticed. You can buy some variety of goods including junk food such as chips, lollies and fizzy drinks. Beer is available and immediately I wonder of any issues associated with it. We sat at a tea shop and had lemon tea. We were tired but happy. Then the storm struck (normal here). There were 3 bolts of lightning that hit very close to where we were sitting. I jumped and clutched Gordon’s arm as the crack was so loud with the realisation that it was virtually on top of us. A fascinating experience. I loved the lightening, we were not on the top of the hill but we felt like we were.  No lighting conductors here. We all laughed. 

We moved on when the rain subsided down towards a school that has a dedication to Peter and Rhonda, for they have been instrumental in supporting education. Krishna showed as where we were staying.  We are staying in a girls hostel. It is a long building with 5 small rooms, I estimate 4 meters x 4 metres. There were white walls and patches of lino on the floor, the windows had a grill and there were wooden doors with a bolt.  Some windows had wooden shutters. I took the last room. We were told there was a toilet further on and down a short embankment within a toilet block. It is walking distance but could be tricky at night as one of the pavers is a little loose. We checked the squat loo and saw an old urinal which we will use as a bath (they call it) which is really a bucket wash. We can access water at the bath and to the right of the hostel is a water tap just installed the day before. Our accommodation is dusty and basic but it is fine.  The views are incredible.

Overshadowing our humble abode are the mountains that rise up to my surprise revealing snow clad mountains behind. It was a truly stunning sight. The mountains change every day with dust, smoke, clouds and clear weather. I am told the misty affect in the valley and mountains, is actually mist, I guess I can smell smoke so I keep thinking it is little fires. People of course do cook with primitive fires here and I am told there are thousands of pockets of communities. So I am unsure about the mist idea, although I may be wrong. Perhaps it is pollution from China or India, it would be worth exploring. The mountains are enormous and set a peaceful scene that makes you feel nestled into the heart of mother nature. It is hard to imagine the age of the mountains, but well beyond human life, they stood as a beacon to time and life.

Many of our supplies were purchased in Pokhara including: lentils, garlic, raisons, honey, coriander, eggplant, onions, vegetables, porridge, muesli and a range of grains. There is no fridge so practically it is food that won’t perish. Krishna has been making sure we have what we need. He also gave some potatoes, which was very kind. People are very poor here and have only small amounts available through little shops, the rest is grown.

We planned to go to the school the next day. Pat and Gordon spent time preparing. Peter and Krishna went to the office. The power is intermittent, there are no power points only lighting in the hostel, so no internet access.  So be it.

Mohandas Gandhi

“Gentleness, self-sacrifice and generosity are the exclusive possession of no one race or religion.”

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