Past Post: Greetings from Kathmandu! (Originally sent July 12, 2013)

Scrambling like billy goats up the Wild Wall...

Matt, Jamie, and Zvi on a clear day overlooking the Forbidden City

Wow! What an incredible few weeks it's been - hard to believe that it's been only 10 days since we left Detroit! Our first stop was to Beijing to visit my brother Matt and sister-in-law Elaine. Matt has been in China for over 8 years now, speaks fluent Mandarin, and is a true walking, talking "Google" about anything you might want to know about China. It was amazing to see the city as a "local" and get to see some sights that most visitors would never have been able to find. Any question we had, Matt had an answer for - whether it was about what year a particular temple had been built, the succession of the different Chinese dynasties, to where the best dumplings in town can be had. We had beautiful weather (no smog! no rain!) our first two days in town, and we took advantage by walking the city's old hutong houses, getting panoramic views from old temples, visiting Tienanmen Square, and so much more. Zvi discovered that the roof of Matt and Elaine's building is accessible, and so we had a beautiful Kabbalat Shabbat service on their roof, davening 30 stories up as the sun set behind the mountains and bustling city. Shabbat day was spent walking to the Dirt Market, Temple of Heaven park, and old famous pharmacies. 

Not wanting to tempt our luck, we decided to go a day early to our trip's highlight - Hiking on the unrestored "Wild" Great Wall of China. Matt and Elaine arranged for all of us to stay with a farmer in a suburb about 2 hours outside of Beijing. The air was cooler and the views were striking. We could see the wall from the farmer's drive way. Matt, Zvi and I took off for a "medium" hike up the wall that very afternoon. Unlike restored parts of the Great Wall with their hordes of tour buses (both Chinese and foreign), paved roads, flea market stalls of vendors hawking everything from kitchy gifts to dried fruit, and gondolas, here we were alone in the great wilderness of northern China. Only the small villages below (while benefiting from the influx of tourists to this part of the wall, were a bit perplexed why anyone would want to climb the darn thing) spoke of life, that and the rustling of wild chickens and cicadas. When they say Wild, they mean it - we clambered up and downs crumbling ruins, often teetering on the edge of what remained of this monster, trying to image how they built this centuries ago and if it really could have kept out the Mongols. We cut through brush that looked undisturbed for ages, being thankful that those bushes didn't contain thorns, snakes, or anything else unsavory. Tremendous kudos to Matt ( you know why - remember the Aussie hill? ;) ) 

The next morning Matt and Elaine decided to take it easy and enjoy the green and quite of the farm, while Zvi and I blasted off early for a long trek on the wall. We were too late for sunrise (4am) but it was tremendous to climb the wall together. We didn't see a single soul until about 4 hours into the hike, just rolling clouds, vistas and mountains stretching into mountains. We soon learned to spot how the bricks and stones changed as the wall had been built over different centuries. Little artistic touches here and there also gave the wall, some humanity and as rocks crumbled under our feet, we felt for those poor souls who had to lug them up in the first place....

A tremendous 6 hours together and back to Beijing! Our last day there brought rain and storms and was spent picking up last minute supplies, treating ourselves to a foot massage, and trying to figure out what to do since our flight was delayed and we'd more than likely miss our connecting flight in Malaysia. After some good-byes, we headed to the airport for our next adventure! 

Our flight was delayed but not enough that'd we'd miss our connecting flight completely if we were lucky (the next flight to Nepal was the following morning - I was looking up sights and places to stay in Kuala Lumpur...). Zvi spoke with the stewardesses on-board who rushed us off the plane as soon as we landed.  We made it!  But our luggage decided to detour in Malaysia.    frantic dash through the Kuala Lumpur airport and we made plane with 10 minutes to spare! 

Landing in Nepal is something else - much more than a "I don't think we're in Kansas" anymore feeling, we knew it was an entirely different world than Beijing (strange how they're both lumped together in Asia!). After getting our visa's and waiting for our luggage, and finally finding the small booth with a faded dated sign reading "Luggage Complaints lodged here" - it was clear our bags had made a detour as well.
 "Not to worry Madame, we have received a message that 2 will arrive tomorrow morning" 
"But sir we have 3 bags..."    
"Ah yes, well we know where 2 bags are, that third bag, we don't know. That is a problem madam, isn't it?"

(spoiler alert - all 3 bags arrived the following day as promised).

We were received by Mr. Tenzing Sherpa, one of the proprietors of the guest house where we've been put up. A cheerful, humorous man, he and his family run this guest house and a trekking agency. It is nearly always full with visiting doctors working at Tilganga. We stopped at Tilganga first and met a few folks, than to our guest house. Kathmandu is an overwhelming, dizzying, chaotic city of bright colors, temples around every corner, women in bright saris and salwar kazis, cows lounging randomly on the street, pathetic stray dogs everywhere, holy men dressed either in the Buddist maroon and saffron robes or the canary yellow clothes of Hindu priests, dust, mud, car and motorcycle horns, wild monkeys climbing buildings and rooftops, and so much more. Incense drifts in the air mingling with street food and garbage. Yet it is safe, comforting so. We are either ignored or if we look lost or are staring at a map, someone will approach us and try their English to give us directions. The biggest danger is from the motorcycles and the sidewalks that tend to turn into 6 foot cliffs into someone's cement back yard. 

Zvi and Tenzing

Our first afternoon, Zvi and I wandered downtown, map in hand from Tenzing. We went first to Thamel, the catacomb like tourist district full of trekking gear and curio shops, bars, restaurants, and guest houses. The streets are narrow and jam packed, wires are strung everywhere and hang down to bop you on the head as you walk past. They are sometimes decorated with prayer flags or ribbon. Walking through Thamel we suddenly emerged into a market place. "Oh you found Ason!" Tenzing later declared, delighted that we found the traditional market, with its central stuppa (temple) filled with worshippers, men and women everywhere selling vegetables, fruit, lentils, spices, coffee, tea, and more. Seven roads lead out of Ason to the rest of the city. I could stay there for hours taking in this bit of daily life...

Our first days at Tilganga have been filled with new faces, names we can't pronounce or remember well though eventually we link them together, tours of the hospital, and trying to explain who we are and why we're there. It's easier for Zvi - as a medical personnel, his job is much more easily defined. I've more or less dropped in to their Training department and am to review their many different training programs (more on that later on my other blog). 

We had the privilege to meet Dr. Sanduk Ruit today - the founder of Tilganga and a man who has given over 100,000 people back their sight! He, like all the Nepalese so far, was incredibly gracious, unpretentious, and welcomed us warmly to his hospital and country. 

We've been enjoying our guest house and the family tremendously. Our room has a private bath and a balcony where, when it's clear, we get a great view of the city and mountains (not Everest though). Tenzing and his wife Dodomina sit with us at dinner and we pummel them with question after question about Nepal. They have hosted so many doctors, and have stories about them all. They have 2 sons, the older busy with exams, the younger finally warming up and showing us his school worksheets about Nepal. 

More to come but first some housekeeping:

We're in Kathmandu until the end of July, and then head to somewhere south - details to come as we have them.

Much love! Shabbat Shalom!

Jamie and Zvi