Strikes, Magic, Paragliding, Elephant Bathing, Jail and heading Home May 7 2009

Strikes, Magic, Paragliding, Elephant Bathing, Jail, and Heading Home

May 7. 2009

This is an opportunity to comment on some of the things we have not yet written about - from our four months on the road.

Strikes

Strikes influence day-to-day life in Nepal and continued to affect our visit. Sunday, May 3rd, the headline and lead picture in the New York Times internet newspaper was of burning tires and angry protesters in the streets of Kathmandu. We had left Nepal the previous Wednesday but were not surprised to see that the situation had become more violent, with the various factions more polarized and confrontational.

On our last day at Temple Tiger, in Chitwan National Park, we were unable to enjoy a last early morning elephant ride as a strike had been called the previous day. Strikes are called – by whomever and mean that all motorized vehicles are prohibited from being on the road. We had read of incidents where truck drivers had been shot at, motorcycles and cars torched or damaged for ignoring the strike. When a strike is called virtually all the road are closed and the transport of goods stop. The roadblocks generally are put into place after 10 in the morning, as the strikers need time to get up, have breakfast and get into position.

Strikers permit certain vehicles to cross their blockades - ambulances, vehicles involved in weddings, funerals, military vehicles and tourist buses. The streets are busy with people on foot, bicycles, bicycle powered rickshaws and horse carts – going to work, moving materials and/or trying to conduct business.

We arose at 4:30 a.m. and were on the road at 5:30 a.m. to be ahead of the strikers. Our goal for the day was to travel from the entrance of the park to Saurhara. The Tiger Temple van was clearly marked “Tourist Only” in both English and Nepali. The Nepali sign was temporarily tied onto the windshield wipers and covered most of the front of the van. They wanted there to be no mistake about our purpose. There were almost no other vehicles on the road – 4 motorcycles and one other van seen in the 1.5-hour trip to Narayangarh. We arrived in town at 8:00 a.m. with the intent of contracting with a rickshaw driver to take us the rest of the way (15 km). The rickshaw drivers knew good business opportunities when they arrived and were charging 5 times the going rate. Instead, we drove to the small airport in Narayangarh with the hope that a horse drawn cart might drive us to our destination. By 11:30 am we had not moved. Ambika, our guide from Tiger Temple, flagged down a rickshaw driver and contracted him to take us half way. The young rickshaw driver carried both of us and all of our luggage. The trip took an hour and a half by rickshaw, where a car could have travelled the distance in ten to fifteen minutes.

There were two roadblocks set up by students on the road. All traffic was directed to go around them resulting in detours from the road onto the adjacent field. At the junction of the road going into Sauraha, there was a major roadblock set up with many young men standing around ensuring that all vehicles stopped. As we were now waiting for a pony cart to arrive from our hotel in Sauraha, we chatted with the young children and the young men standing around. The young men took the time to talk with us - asking us where we were from, how we were enjoying Nepal and one assisted Barry in figuring out the access codes to call the hotel.

They explained that the purpose of the strike was to support the Tharu people, the major ethnic group and the earliest inhabitants of the Terrai in southern Nepal. The Tharu have been exploited and still suffer discrimination in employment and other services. An “indefinite strike” had been called, meaning unlike many strikes this one was not just for a day or two.

A car driven by a European looking person carrying other tourists did not stop for the blockade. One of the students hit the driver’s side window with his hand so hard; we were surprised the window did not shatter. Another young man threw a stone at the back window where two girls four of five years of age were sitting. The driver did stop and said he had not heard them calling for him to stop. The students who had been so kind to us erupted quickly with their anger. Later a Nepali explained to us that the car had broken the rules and the angry response to be expected. The incident must have terrified the people in the car, as it was very emotionally charged and violent.

The strike was still in effect four days later as we left Sauraha to return to Kathmandu. Our bus, while labeled a “tourist bus” picked up some Nepali passengers. As we approached the road blocks, the Nepalese citizens had to disembark, walk a few hundred yards past the blockade and climb back onto the bus. We later learned that on another bus, once the Nepalese citizens disembarked a number of students with pieces of wood in their hands entered the bus to make certain there were no Nepalese citizens on the bus. Of course, such an action is intimidating for those left on the bus. One out of control striker could create a very dangerous situation.

Upon arriving in Kathmandu, we observed very long lines of cars and motorcycles waiting for petrol at the gas stations. The strike in the south had prevented the entry of gas tankers coming from India into the north part of the country. On Monday, April 27, the government mandated the roads to be open throughout the night to allow the gasoline from India into Kathmandu. By Tuesday, there were already stories in the paper about the tankers being harassed and refusing to cross the area for fear of retaliation from the strikers.

We felt the length of the strike (more than five days and continuing), the long lines waiting petrol (ten hour wait for 10 liters of fuel) and the appearance of students on buses with pieces of wood all indicated an escalation of the conflict. The burning of tires in Kathmandu Saturday, in response to the sacking of the Army Chief of Staff by the Prime Minister and the subsequent resignation of the Prime Minister further demonstrates an escalation of the level of real and potential violence. We thought our timing for leaving the country was good as it is hard to tell how much further the situation will deteriorate.

Magic at the Carnival

The New Year, in Nepal, fell over the time we visited Pokara. In honour of the occasion, a multi-day carnival took place. It was a carnival similar to many in Canada - with games of chance, midway rides and entertainment. The highlight, for us, was a magic show inside a big top tent.

The props were very Nepal. They did not glitter, as they might in North America. In some cases, there were tears and most required a good paint job. However, the magician put on a great show. Barry is a student of magic, from his days working at the Houdini Magical Hall of Fame in Niagara Falls, Ontario. As well, he still performs some magic as a hobby.

The magician utilized props from Houdini’s day. He levitated a young boy. He placed swords into a box holding his assistant. The assistant vanished when placed inside a tall oval chamber. The magician and the assistant switched places seemingly before our eyes after the assistant was placed inside a box. The next moment, the magician was inside the box and the assistant outside (where the magician had been standing). This is an old illusion called the metamorphosis.

What was most amazing to Barry was that the illusions popular to audiences in the early 1900’s, still had great appeal to-day. Barry had thought that audiences were now too sophisticated for these illusions. However, when he saw how well received the effects were, as presented by a good magician, it made him think that in North America, a Houdini revival show might be very popular.

Paragliding

Paragliding is a sport we learned about in Sarangkot, just outside of Pokara, Nepal. Sarangkot is one of the great paragliding centres in the world due to the elevation, the steep incline, the wind currents coming off the Annapurna mountain range and the multiple flat landing fields around the lake at the bottom.

On two separate occasions, we went up to observe the paragliding. We had great fun engaging the instructors and the participants. It is a good spectator sport because it challenges our sense of reality:

• It is unreal to jump off cliffs and soar.

• It is not natural to fly with the birds.

We are attracted by the beauty of the colourful parachutes, as well as the intrigue of watching human beings fly.

The cost of paragliding is expensive - $70 Euros for a half hour (approximately $109)

The idea of paragliding is to run off the edge of the cliff, catch the wind currents and soar through the sky until the parachute makes its way to the ground. Experienced people are able to spend hours in the air.

Within a very small area, there are three launch sights and it is possible for up to a hundred paragliders to be in the air at one time. The days we watched, we counted 23 at one point. We were fascinated by the paragliding and had major concerns about both taking off and landing. We thought the time in the air itself was probably the safest.

The people we met awaiting their first or second paragliding experience thrill at the experience.

First time paragliders do so in tandem with an instructor. The novice is in the front and the instructor is in the back. They are in a harness that is attached with many lines to a wing like piece of fabric (parachute). The instructor explains that the wind will offer resistance and so it is important to run to the edge of the cliff and keep running despite the resistance, as this will lead to takeoff.

The instructors we met were from England, Bulgaria, Germany and France. We met a couple, from England and the United States living in Germany, who spend six months of the year paragliding in Nepal. The fellow is an instructor and the woman paraglides two or three times a day, almost every day. We asked about people having second thoughts at the last minute and were told at that point the instructor “throws them off the hill” and all is well.

At take off, the parachute is lifted by the wind and moves around the sky like a large bird. Paragliders talked about viewing the blue water of Lake Phewa Tal, the white caps of the Annapurna range and the terraced hills. However they were unable to take pictures of all the beautiful sights, as they must follow instructions - move this way or that; pull the ropes to the left or the right etc.

Scott Mason, who worked with falcons in England, has created an interesting twist to paragliding. As he and his client run off the hill, he has a trained Egyptian Vulture which is set loose at the same time. The bird finds the best thermal currents, as by instinct it will fly where there is the least wind resistance. Scott and his passenger follow the bird and the passenger feeds the vulture along the way. Other paragliders follow the native birds, seeking the best thermal currents.

The landing is by soaring down and running along the ground. We neither saw nor heard of any paragliding injuries while we were in Pokara. We did hear the many of the instructors enhanced their experience by using mind-altering substances on their way up to the launch site.

Elephant Bathing

Another fascinating spectator experience was watching the elephant bathing in Saurhara, outside of Chitwan National Park. At approximately 9:30 a.m., elephants with their drivers walk along the one-lane streets of this very hot, quiet town towards the river where the elephants are going to bathe. While all elephants are huge, some are really really huge..

On our first morning in town, we walked out of our hotel and were startled to be passed by a huge elephant heading with its handler to the river.

The river is a wonderful place to observe the elephants bathing. Within the last 5 years, this has become an attraction for tourists to get involved with and is now part of every “jungle safari package”.

On the edge of the river, restaurants have set out lawn chairs and a few shaded long tables, where one may sit. Tourists, who wish to be involved in the bathing, come to the elephant platform and sit on the elephant’s neck.

The elephant follows their handler’s commands to dip their trunk into the water and with its trunk spray the people on their back. Other elephants, upon command, sway back and forth until the people fall off. The riders re-mount the elephant by pulling onto the ears of the elephant and climbing up the trunk. Some elephants would fall into the water with their riders, who again would fall off. The elephants were very careful with their human cargo. No one was hurt despite the size and the number of elephants in the water (up to 7 at a time). Participants smile, laugh and very much enjoyed the contact with the elephant. For many people this was the highlight of their time spent in the jungle.

To us as observers, this is another great spectator sport. We watched the participants, laughed at the antics of the elephants and the riders and engaged people who were also watching. An added attraction, for many, is the women who have donned bikinis and shorts to participate in this activity. We were intrigued by such a large animal interacting with people, the people enjoying themselves and no-one being hurt.

We are not spectators of sports on television and yet we are raving fans of paragliding and elephant bathing. Our attraction as spectators is because both activities are contradictory to our image of the human condition. People do not fly and nor do they hang out with mammals as large as elephants.

Jail Visits - Proscovia K.

We visited Proscovia K. three times in the Kathmandu Central Prison - women’s section. Fourteen months ago, she was arrested, trying to smuggle drugs out of Kathmandu to her native Uganda. Since her arrest, she has neither had a trial nor received a sentence. She was to appear before a judge, the afternoon of our last visit - to be given a trial date, or sentencing, or for bail to be set. No one was sure of the reason for the jail appearance but it was seen to be positive that something was to happen. Prescovia would discover the reason for the hearing in the courtroom.

A few months ago, Nicole Roy who supervised Canadian/American volunteers became aware of Proscovia. Until then she had had no visitors, as she did not know anyone in Nepal. In Nepal, there is no Ugandan consulate or African liaison to meet with incarcerated African nationals. Proscovia speaks an excellent English. There have been a few English-speaking inmates but not many and they are often in for short amounts of time. It seems Nepal takes visas seriously and the English speakers are incarcerated for violations of their visas – overstays etc. Proscovia is learning Nepali and the culture.

She is clear that she is guilty and expects that the sentence will be for 15 years. As a mother of a young child, she hopes that she will be able to find a way to have her sentence appealed or reduced. How likely this is, is unknown. The Nepali justice system is corrupt and it is almost impossible to figure out who needs to be bribed to make something positive happen. Money is asked for and given, but in many cases results in nothing. The person receiving the money disappears or does nothing. What is needed is a strong advocate who lives in Kathmandu, who would be willing to be involved over the long term - as justice does not appear to be swift.

We met with Proscovia, brought her a bit of food (tea, lentils, rice, soap, oil fruit etc) and some miscellaneous items (books written in English, paper, pens, clothing and water bottles donated by our Australian neighbors whose luggage was overweight ). Inmates receive a small amount of money and have to buy their food and personal items. We have no idea how someone survives on the amount given. All items in the jail can be used and everything donated to her was more than appreciated.

By our western, North-American standards,the conditions in the jail are grim! For some reason, there are more rats in the women’s jail than in the men’s. Food has to be secured against the rats and stored away from the sleeping area. Children, who have no place to go, are in jail with their mother. One man dropped his three children off to so that his wife in jail could care for them. Nice guy! Inmates who have been there some years are moved into the role of supervising the other inmates and have power over visits.

The meetings with Proscovia have haunted us. We will continue communicating with her, through e-mails.

Singapore Airport - A Destination Place

On our trip, we passed through Singapore Airport six times – with varying stopover lengths. It is a destination site in itself! It has orchid gardens, a butterfly garden, multiple fishponds, free internet access from hundreds of standing computers, large screen plasma TVs, play areas for children, loungers for sleeping with signs requesting people be quiet, many comfortable armchairs, a movie theatre showing new releases 24hours/day, food courts, formal restaurants, a hotel selling rooms on 6 hour blocks ($77), showers ($8), a pay by the hour lounge that is a bit more private, plus all of the shops anyone could ever want – high end name brands, electronics etc, etc.

We arrived at about 8:00 p.m. and enjoyed our first sushi dinner in two months. After dinner, we checked out the electronics and went on a shopping spree – 10-inch computer notebook, small external hard drive and a universal battery charger. Our digital camera uses AA batteries and when we purchased it, had been assured that the battery charger would prevent having to change batteries every day. The charger we bought in Edmonton worked for a while in New Zealand and then stopped. We are optimistic about this charger or Sandra will be looking for a new camera.

Our flight was not out until 9:a.m the next morning. We spent the night at the all night free movie theatre watching three movies and going to the food court for great peanut butter toast and free chocolate samples. At 6 a.m. we cleaned up, had dim sum (Sandra) and peanut butter toast (Barry) for breakfast and headed off onto the almost last leg of this part of the journey.

Berkeley

Barry was thrilled to be out of Asia and back in North America!!!

Visiting Rosann, in Berkeley, California included a number of firsts:

• We drank water from the tap, brushed our teeth with tap water and did not worry about the water from the shower trickling down our throats. We have been drinking bottled water since February, when we landed in Thailand.

• The street outside our room in Berkeley was silent – day and night. At night, in Kathmandu, the barking dogs are incessant and if one stops barking another is there to ensure the cacophony continues. During the day, in both Nepal and India, the beeping of car and bike horns is non-stop. Unlike in North America, Asian drivers use their horns to indicate where they are in relation to the vehicles around them. The beeping of horns are not about anger, road rage or frustration. Since being home, the only time we have heard horns are when drivers are angry and making a statement of their displeasure.

• The streets in Berkeley are not busy and cars stop (as in Edmonton) to let you cross the street. What a treat - not to have to dodge traffic. In most of Asia pedestrians cross the street at their own peril.

• Flies buzz around food in all parts of Nepal. We began to order one item at a time when we ate, so we could protect our food from the flies. We could not protect several items at once. No flies and non-suspect food are available on Singapore Airlines, at the Singapore Airport and upon our arrival in the United States. We have been appreciating the fact that we can eat whatever we want without fear of getting sick. Salad and meat are back in our diet. Salad is always suspect in Nepal and India, as it is questionable as to how it has been washed. And meat – well take a look at the picture of the pork and goat being sold on the street. Not only is there no refrigeration, the flies are a buzzing and according to one newspaper story there is not one slaughter house in Nepal that would meet European Common Market standards for butchering animals.

Edmonton

We returned to Edmonton early Monday morning of May 4th. We will be here several weeks, before going on to Winnipeg and Toronto. We are pleased to be in our home – even if it is only the basement for this part of the journey. We plan to continue writing.

Until Later

Sandra and Barry

We may be contacted at sanbar79@hotmail.com

Our web site is: http://ama.mytripjournal.com/sandrabarry

May 7, 2009

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