We got some rebar, cement mixing, heavy lifting and brick laying under the belt this week :)
Now we are off for some much needed relax, rejuvenate, and explore Buddha's birth place, Lumbini time!!
Megan Campbell (Yoga, Action, Adventure)
DWC Team Leader
Nepal, March 2013
March 30, 2013
March 29, 2013
March 28: Holi Festival in Nepal!
The Festival of Holi is celebrated in India and Nepal on the full moon in either February or March. We were so lucky to be able to participate in the festival with some local villagers in the plains near Lamahi. As soon as we left the hotel, we were greeted by the owner who gave us our starting war paint marks. Red, of course, which is the traditional colour of Holi. Soon we were transported to a village and the fun ensued. All inhibitions were let loose and colours began to fly. We all grabbed some coloured powders and tossed them at one another, as well as the locals. We were doing pretty well...until we lost control of the water pump! Everywhere you looked, colours were flying, people were smiling, eyes were dancing! There was no holding back as we relinquished control to the spirit of Holi. All the excitement filled the air, it was contagious! The vibrant colours marking our faces and our inner children let loose onto the world. It was truly a bonding experience, especially in a culture so different from our North American customs. We were really able to get closer to the people of the village by sharing in one of their festivals. We saw little children throwing colours, and old men tossing buckets of coloured water on us foreigners, then giggling maniacally. What an opportunity! We played until we were spent, then sat down to a meal made by the villagers. It was delicious! It included a special rice dish only made for special guests and cups filled with their traditional alcohol. We all felt so honoured to participate in their special festival. Holi is such a free celebration compared to many of the celebrations we have in our North American culture. It's all about the goodness and love, celebrating life. There is no oppressive or solemn undertones. Holi is just about being happy, celebration and being with your fellow man. Thank you to all our dais (brothers) and didis (sisters) who made us feel so welcome on this most wonderful day.
Jennifer Walker and Adele Stratton
DWC Participants
Nepal, March 2013
Jennifer Walker and Adele Stratton
DWC Participants
Nepal, March 2013
March 27, 2013
March 26: Good company, yoga and work
We just finished day #2 on site and really love being amongst the beautiful and mysterious women and girls of Nepal. Today we started the day teaching Yoga to the girls and had a great time giggling together and then we got back to our 'serious' work of doing rebar all day.
It's hot here, extremely basic, quite literally wifi (randomly) is our only luxury. Tonight I 'showered' from my sink.
Feeling pretty proud of an awesome team who are really stepping up!!
Megan Campbell (Yoga, Action, Adventure)
DWC Team Leader
Nepal, March 2013
It's hot here, extremely basic, quite literally wifi (randomly) is our only luxury. Tonight I 'showered' from my sink.
Feeling pretty proud of an awesome team who are really stepping up!!
Megan Campbell (Yoga, Action, Adventure)
DWC Team Leader
Nepal, March 2013
March 26, 2013
March 25: Full and enriching start to the experience
Today was the first day helping to build the school classrooms in Dang. We
arrived on site in the morning and were greeted by a group of women
and a schoolyard full of children. The women wore bright coloured
saris and headresses. They welcomed us in respect by marking our
foreheads with a pink dusty paint and adorned us with flower
necklaces. In turn we did the same. They shook flower pedals over our
heads and let us try on their headresses. We laughed and exchanged
words through translation. The children surrounded us watching our
every move. They are very shy but curious.
We were introduced to our contractor who got us to work putting
together beams for the building. The sense of time here is relaxed so
we have the opportunity to breach the cultural divide and share with
the women and children. I was able to teach some of the sponsored
girls common hand games from my childhood. I taught two of them so
that they could play and then teach their friends. It was fun to
engage with the children and make them laugh and experience something
new. They are learning English in school so it was fun trying to get
them out of their shyness and play a game with me. I saw the little
girls later practicing their "paddy cake" game.
At lunch we were served delicious meals on home-made plant bowls. The
food was delicious and nourishing. We were all hungry at this point
and were all very grateful to be fed. The little girls I was playing
with earlier kept poking their heads inside to watch us eat.
Afterwards when I was grabbing my camera from the van, I met the
littlest girl who has down-syndrome and is five years old. The
education and services for her special needs are not known here in
Nepal. She is very smart and loving and climbed all over me. She
smelled of something sweet like baked goods and liked to try on my
work gloves and play with my flower necklace.
After putting together a few more beams and discussing the work to be
done for the rest of the week, we packed up our garlands of flowers
and made it back to the hotel to rest.
All I can say is that there is no way to plan for this kind of a trip.
It is a full and enriching experience that you have to get into with
no expectations. I feel so lucky to be here and grateful to have
signed up. I really truly appreciate all of the luxury I have in
Canada and am happy to give my time and energy to provide more
opportunity to the women and children of Nepal.
There's no way to plan for it in your head. You just have to jump in
and see where it takes you!
Chelsea Elizabeth Vickers
DWC Participant
Nepal, March 2013
arrived on site in the morning and were greeted by a group of women
and a schoolyard full of children. The women wore bright coloured
saris and headresses. They welcomed us in respect by marking our
foreheads with a pink dusty paint and adorned us with flower
necklaces. In turn we did the same. They shook flower pedals over our
heads and let us try on their headresses. We laughed and exchanged
words through translation. The children surrounded us watching our
every move. They are very shy but curious.
We were introduced to our contractor who got us to work putting
together beams for the building. The sense of time here is relaxed so
we have the opportunity to breach the cultural divide and share with
the women and children. I was able to teach some of the sponsored
girls common hand games from my childhood. I taught two of them so
that they could play and then teach their friends. It was fun to
engage with the children and make them laugh and experience something
new. They are learning English in school so it was fun trying to get
them out of their shyness and play a game with me. I saw the little
girls later practicing their "paddy cake" game.
At lunch we were served delicious meals on home-made plant bowls. The
food was delicious and nourishing. We were all hungry at this point
and were all very grateful to be fed. The little girls I was playing
with earlier kept poking their heads inside to watch us eat.
Afterwards when I was grabbing my camera from the van, I met the
littlest girl who has down-syndrome and is five years old. The
education and services for her special needs are not known here in
Nepal. She is very smart and loving and climbed all over me. She
smelled of something sweet like baked goods and liked to try on my
work gloves and play with my flower necklace.
After putting together a few more beams and discussing the work to be
done for the rest of the week, we packed up our garlands of flowers
and made it back to the hotel to rest.
All I can say is that there is no way to plan for this kind of a trip.
It is a full and enriching experience that you have to get into with
no expectations. I feel so lucky to be here and grateful to have
signed up. I really truly appreciate all of the luxury I have in
Canada and am happy to give my time and energy to provide more
opportunity to the women and children of Nepal.
There's no way to plan for it in your head. You just have to jump in
and see where it takes you!
Chelsea Elizabeth Vickers
DWC Participant
Nepal, March 2013
December 16, 2010
Lahachowk, Nepal: Trekking and Exploring after our Volunteer Experience
After taking our leave of our friends at Lahachowk, we spent a day at Pokhara getting some shopping done and preparing for the trek. Because some of our group had already been trekking before working at the village there would only be 3 of us up the mountains this week. Lucy had started her trek a day earlier so that she could spend a full week on the trail. So, early on the 21st Brad and I hopped into a taxi and, with Navin as Guide and Chit as Porter, headed up the road for the trail-heads leading into the Annapurna Range. After about two hours' drive, we got out of the taxi near the village of Birethanti, the place where almost everyone must start their treks, even those high-altitude climbers heading up to Annapurna's tallest peaks.
Our trek was more modest - a planned 5-day effort that would get us up as high as about 3,190m (~10,500'). On the initial half-day, I was very impressed by the sheer number of trekkers we met coming out of the mountains, at the tail-end of their respective travels. We passed by hundreds and I cannot imagine what it must be like in the height of the trekking season. For the morning, the trail was quite sedate and I thought, "Hey, this is a snap. Annapurna next!". Then, after lunch at Tikhedhungga, the trail went vertical. We climbed forever (the map quoted 3,280 steps - and I believe every one of them), or at least a couple of hours, up to our first over-night stop at Ulleri. The elevation difference was only just over 400m (1,375'), but my legs thought it was a trifle more. I guessed that my pack only weighed about 30 lbs., so I have no idea how some of the porters we saw made it up the hills with at least 100 lbs on their backs.
The guest house at Ulleri was comfortable and, after a pleasant supper, we hit the hay for a good night's rest. The following day was easier and we made our destination, Ghorepani, by noon. We had started yesterday morning at Birethanti at an elevation of 1,050m and had made Ghorepani, elevation 2,860m, by mid-day the following day. That's an elevation difference of over 1,800m (`6,000') in about 6 hours total hiking, so I thought that we weren't actually doing too badly for a pair of old goats (speaking for myself, at least).
Ghorepani is near the famous "Poon Hill" - a must-see spot for trekkers in this area. From Poon Hill (el. 3,193m) it's possible to get a lovely panorama of the Annapurna peaks and the idea is to get up early to climb the hill and watch the sunrise on the peaks. Of course, it helps to have nice weather when one does this. So, next morning at 5am, Navin knocks on our door and up we get to make the 330m (1,100') vertical climb for the view. In the cold. Before breakfast. Before coffee, even! And although it was very dark, I knew that it was not an auspicious sign when it began to snow. Nevertheless, it was interesting, if surreal, to join several hundred other of the faithful, most with headlamps on, mostly in single file, trudging up through the snow flakes to see the sunrise. Well, at least there was an enterprising Nepali couple at the top of Poon Hill ready and waiting to sell us cups of warm, delicious coffee. Oh, yes - we did see a narrow band of pink below solid overcast before heading back down for breakfast in what had by now turned to rain.
So, onwards to the next destination village of Tadapani where we arrived for a late lunch and plenty of time to try to keep warm in the unheated guest house. Supper was very convivial with trekkers from all over the world all sitting around a communal dining table, talking and eating supper. And trying to keep warm. Did I mention that it was quite cold at Tadapani? Coldest part of the trip.
Next morning, we had an early, but pleasant surprise. Navin again knocked on our door, this time at 3am, saying, "View! View!". And view there was. The clouds had cleared and Annapurna South stood there in all her majesty, her lofty snow-covered crown glowing in the light of a full moon. That was a sight to remember and one well worth getting up at 3am for!
That day was the best for weather and all during the down-hill traverse we were treated to beautiful views of the Annapurna peaks, Machhapuchhre ("Fishtail") and other peaks in the vicinity. Our next stopping place was Syauli Bazar where we planned to meet up with Lucy as she made her way down from Annapurna Base Camp or ABC as it is commonly referred to locally. As we made our way down the mountain into the lower elevations, the trail increasingly became more surrounded by almost jungle-like vegetation. We were even treated to a scene of a group of monkeys scampering about in the trees - not expected by me, for sure!
Lucy was waiting for us at Syauli Bazar, just as planned and entertained us with her accounts of her trek up to ABC. She was as high as 4,130m (just over 13,500') and said that she had begun to appreciate the effects of higher altitudes. We enjoyed a fine supper together and made ready for our final day on the mountains.
The last leg down from Syauli Bazar to Birethanti seemed to go by very quickly and almost before I knew it, we were back where we began our trek. Navin had ordered us a large van for a taxi which arrived, almost on time, and before long we were heading back to Pokhara.
It was with some sadness that we bid farewell to Navin and Chit when we dropped them off to make their way back home to Lahachowk. Both had been most helpful on the trek and good company and I very much hope to repeat the excursion in the near future.
There's not too much to tell after that - within 24 hours we were on a plane to Kathmandu. Once there, we took a taxi over the ancient city of Bhaktapur where we met up with Jen. The next day we spent walking around the old city and taking in the picturesque pagodas and temples. It's a very pleasant and worthwhile end to any visit to Nepal and I highly recommend it.
Looking back, it's hard to imagine all that we had done in three weeks. I know that I will return and I hope it will not be too long in the future. With luck, it will be for a return trip to Lahachowk to work on the irrigation canals and another date with Annapurna.
Ralph Bullis
DWC Team Leader
Nepal 2011
Our trek was more modest - a planned 5-day effort that would get us up as high as about 3,190m (~10,500'). On the initial half-day, I was very impressed by the sheer number of trekkers we met coming out of the mountains, at the tail-end of their respective travels. We passed by hundreds and I cannot imagine what it must be like in the height of the trekking season. For the morning, the trail was quite sedate and I thought, "Hey, this is a snap. Annapurna next!". Then, after lunch at Tikhedhungga, the trail went vertical. We climbed forever (the map quoted 3,280 steps - and I believe every one of them), or at least a couple of hours, up to our first over-night stop at Ulleri. The elevation difference was only just over 400m (1,375'), but my legs thought it was a trifle more. I guessed that my pack only weighed about 30 lbs., so I have no idea how some of the porters we saw made it up the hills with at least 100 lbs on their backs.
The guest house at Ulleri was comfortable and, after a pleasant supper, we hit the hay for a good night's rest. The following day was easier and we made our destination, Ghorepani, by noon. We had started yesterday morning at Birethanti at an elevation of 1,050m and had made Ghorepani, elevation 2,860m, by mid-day the following day. That's an elevation difference of over 1,800m (`6,000') in about 6 hours total hiking, so I thought that we weren't actually doing too badly for a pair of old goats (speaking for myself, at least).
Ghorepani is near the famous "Poon Hill" - a must-see spot for trekkers in this area. From Poon Hill (el. 3,193m) it's possible to get a lovely panorama of the Annapurna peaks and the idea is to get up early to climb the hill and watch the sunrise on the peaks. Of course, it helps to have nice weather when one does this. So, next morning at 5am, Navin knocks on our door and up we get to make the 330m (1,100') vertical climb for the view. In the cold. Before breakfast. Before coffee, even! And although it was very dark, I knew that it was not an auspicious sign when it began to snow. Nevertheless, it was interesting, if surreal, to join several hundred other of the faithful, most with headlamps on, mostly in single file, trudging up through the snow flakes to see the sunrise. Well, at least there was an enterprising Nepali couple at the top of Poon Hill ready and waiting to sell us cups of warm, delicious coffee. Oh, yes - we did see a narrow band of pink below solid overcast before heading back down for breakfast in what had by now turned to rain.
So, onwards to the next destination village of Tadapani where we arrived for a late lunch and plenty of time to try to keep warm in the unheated guest house. Supper was very convivial with trekkers from all over the world all sitting around a communal dining table, talking and eating supper. And trying to keep warm. Did I mention that it was quite cold at Tadapani? Coldest part of the trip.
Next morning, we had an early, but pleasant surprise. Navin again knocked on our door, this time at 3am, saying, "View! View!". And view there was. The clouds had cleared and Annapurna South stood there in all her majesty, her lofty snow-covered crown glowing in the light of a full moon. That was a sight to remember and one well worth getting up at 3am for!
That day was the best for weather and all during the down-hill traverse we were treated to beautiful views of the Annapurna peaks, Machhapuchhre ("Fishtail") and other peaks in the vicinity. Our next stopping place was Syauli Bazar where we planned to meet up with Lucy as she made her way down from Annapurna Base Camp or ABC as it is commonly referred to locally. As we made our way down the mountain into the lower elevations, the trail increasingly became more surrounded by almost jungle-like vegetation. We were even treated to a scene of a group of monkeys scampering about in the trees - not expected by me, for sure!
Lucy was waiting for us at Syauli Bazar, just as planned and entertained us with her accounts of her trek up to ABC. She was as high as 4,130m (just over 13,500') and said that she had begun to appreciate the effects of higher altitudes. We enjoyed a fine supper together and made ready for our final day on the mountains.
The last leg down from Syauli Bazar to Birethanti seemed to go by very quickly and almost before I knew it, we were back where we began our trek. Navin had ordered us a large van for a taxi which arrived, almost on time, and before long we were heading back to Pokhara.
It was with some sadness that we bid farewell to Navin and Chit when we dropped them off to make their way back home to Lahachowk. Both had been most helpful on the trek and good company and I very much hope to repeat the excursion in the near future.
There's not too much to tell after that - within 24 hours we were on a plane to Kathmandu. Once there, we took a taxi over the ancient city of Bhaktapur where we met up with Jen. The next day we spent walking around the old city and taking in the picturesque pagodas and temples. It's a very pleasant and worthwhile end to any visit to Nepal and I highly recommend it.
Looking back, it's hard to imagine all that we had done in three weeks. I know that I will return and I hope it will not be too long in the future. With luck, it will be for a return trip to Lahachowk to work on the irrigation canals and another date with Annapurna.
Ralph Bullis
DWC Team Leader
Nepal 2011
November 29, 2010
Lahachowk, Nepal: Our last day of work and saying farewell
Our last day of work! The masons were off work taking care of their own business this morning, but we continued to haul materials up the hill and to lay in the stone “pavement” in preparation for the cement pour. The village has been great in providing local volunteers to assist us, and we have to keep in mind that this is a very busy time for them as they bring in their harvest of rice and millet. The farmers are in the paddies from early morning until late in the afternoon, cutting and drying crops, stacking them then using harnessed cattle walking on the stalks to assist in liberating the rice grains from the stalks. Once the grains have been separated and collected, they are winnowed to get rid of the chaff and finally bagged for storage. All of this is done using manual labor except when using the cattle to separate the grains. We continually watch in awe as huge loads of grain sheaves and bags of grain are carried from the fields on the backs of people and it is often the women who do most of the carrying. Harvesting of wood for use in cooking is also done manually with loads of logs carried down the mountain on peoples’ backs. It’s humbling for me to think how easy we have it back home and how much simpler and more productive life can be with all of our mechanized aids.
We had transport arranged back to Pokhara for mid-afternoon but we were delayed by a broken-down truck on the road that had to be moved before our 4x4 Land Rover look-alike taxi could come to get us. Finally, we departed the village with many tears and promised to return as soon as we were able. Navin’s family and neighbors have really made us feel at home and for all of us, and especially participants Brad and Jen, it was a sad departure.
Although the Canadian contingent is no longer on-site, we are encouraged to know that we do have a significant part of our project budget still unspent and that Navin will be using these funds to pay for masons and other workers to continue the work on the canals.
Ralph Bullis
DWC Team Leader
Nepal 2010
We had transport arranged back to Pokhara for mid-afternoon but we were delayed by a broken-down truck on the road that had to be moved before our 4x4 Land Rover look-alike taxi could come to get us. Finally, we departed the village with many tears and promised to return as soon as we were able. Navin’s family and neighbors have really made us feel at home and for all of us, and especially participants Brad and Jen, it was a sad departure.
Although the Canadian contingent is no longer on-site, we are encouraged to know that we do have a significant part of our project budget still unspent and that Navin will be using these funds to pay for masons and other workers to continue the work on the canals.
Ralph Bullis
DWC Team Leader
Nepal 2010
Lahachowk, Nepal: Dropping off our donated items
Today was a multi-tasking kind of day. This morning, Karen, Betty and Bruce all went to visit the schools to drop off the items many of the volunteers had carried to Nepal for the students – pens, pencils, scribblers, erasers, etc. The gifts were gratefully received and the volunteers had a chance to see first-hand just how impoverished the schools are for teaching materials. It must be very discouraging for both teachers and students alike to struggle with lack of supplies we take for granted in Canada.
This afternoon Karen, Lyle and Lucy all took their leave of the village, with some sadness. It hardly seems possible that two weeks have passed so quickly. And tomorrow, the rest of us will be gone as well.
Ralph Bullis
DWC Team Leader
Nepal 2010
This afternoon Karen, Lyle and Lucy all took their leave of the village, with some sadness. It hardly seems possible that two weeks have passed so quickly. And tomorrow, the rest of us will be gone as well.
Ralph Bullis
DWC Team Leader
Nepal 2010
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