Jag fick en förfrågan här om jag inte kunde visa lite hur butikerna ser ut i stan, så igår innan jag skulle iväg på en intervju med ACAP tog jag mig ner till Mahendra pul, vilket är shopping centrum här i stan för alla nepaleser. Här vimmlar det alla möjliga butiker och kan du inte hitta det du söker här, ja då vet jag inte ens om varorna existerar i verkligheten.
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I morse hade jag alarmet satt på klockan 5, men jag tänkte att jag kunde ge mig själv en sovmorgon och skippa promenera upp till Sarangkot, då jag skulle iväg på intervjun till ACAP klockan 10.30. Och vad ser jag då inte när jag väl går upp ur sängen och tittar ut genom fönstret om inte en helt underbar vy över bergskedjan i norr. Så typiskt att missa det från Sarangkot, men så är det ibland.
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Gick upp tidigt idag igen. Igår var det ingen ström, så jag kunde inte arbeta i mitt rum. Tänkte att strömmen kanske var igång på morgonen, så larmet ringde kl 5 helt enkelt. Fick en del jobb gjort och nu sitter jag här på kontoret igen.
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Gick up 4.45 i morse för att ta mig upp en sista gång till Sarangkot för att göra lite intervjuer där med turister och deras “Village Development Committee”. VDC har alla områden (tror jag..) som är för små för att vara kommuner. Hur som helst blev den en hurtig promenad upp för berget igen och solen bröt lagom upp över Himalaya när jag hade några meter kvar. Har sett den där soluppgången några gånger, så jag var inte så imponerad den här gången
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Min plan var att stiga upp kl 4.45 i morse och knata iväg upp till Sarangkot för att intervjua lite turister där, samt knäppa några foton så klart. Men eftersom vi igår kväll var utan ström (som vanligt var det brist), fick jag arbeta med intervjufrågor i morse i stället. Jag har satt samman ett formulär för att göra lite kvantitativa intervjuer på stan för att fånga turisternas aspekt av Nepal lite. Tror det kan vara bra för arbetet.
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Var uppe kl 5 i morse idag också, även om lördagarna är lediga. Eller ja, 5.09 för att vara vara exakt. Jag snoosade faktiskt en gång. Men upp och iväg mot Sarangkot. Eftersom det inte blev upp till toppen igår tänkte jag att idag så fick jag ta mig upp dit. Och det gjorde jag. Hade även tänkt att om det var möjligt intervjua den man jag träffade förra gången för mitt arbete. Jag har tänkt ha med Sarangkot som ett av de tre områden jag gör fallstudie på, och då får Sarangkot representera ett område som blivit förstört av den ”storskaliga turismen” (med lokala mått mätt) som berövat många byinvånare inkomster.
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Ok, from now on I’ve decided to write mostly in Swedish. I know there are some international readers, but the majority is Swedish people, so I’ll write in English. If you wonder what I write, either use the comment field to ask for an update, or you can use any online translation site as well. Så, nu blir det svenska framöver. Det tar på energin att både tänka, skriva och prata engelska mest hela tiden. Och jag orkar inte lära mig nepalesiska nu på denna korta tiden. Hur som helst kände jag att jag behöver ett andningshål för svenskan, och det får bli här helt enkelt.
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Oh, I’ve got a Nepali phone number, for anyone who wants to send me text-messages. I’ve borrowed a number from a staff member here at UDTC, and I will have it until I leave Pokhara, but until then you are free to send me text messages as much as you want. The number is: +977 98461 96000. Looking forward to read your messages!
 :Oh, I will not answer your text messages, as it cost a bit toooo much. But please send me messages, if you want to. It’s always nice to read a message from friends where ever you are!
Today has been a quite remarkable day. I’ve got some work done. Tadaa! That you didn’t think about me, now did you? I’ve prepared interview questions for an area I will visit tomorrow or Sunday to see if I can get any result out if my questions. But most amazingly for me today wasn’t that I’ve been working, but the ice storm (don’t know the exact English word, but in Swedish we would say “hagel storm”) that struck Pokhara in the afternoon. Now we’re talking about ice that where around 2 cm in diameter.
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Ok, so I just woke up after a really bad night. I went to bed early yesterday without eating dinner because I had such a bad head ache and I think I also had fever. Now both are gone, so I feel better, but my stomach isn’t the best right now. I’ll probably grab someone in the staff here and we go off to see a doctor so I can get something that will make my stomach relax. Having “yalla” isn’t the most fun thing in the world.
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I made a decision a couple of days ago that I would go up to the peak of Sarangkot when I felt was the right moment. Sarangkot is a view point that I can see from the UDTC campus, and it’s said that from up there you have a great view over the valley of Pokhara, with the lake to the south and the mountains to the north. So, this morning was the right time for that short “trek”.
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Ok, before I left Sweden I decided to leave all my shaving equipment at home, since my very lonely guide book said that in Pokhara there would be some nice barber shops where you could get a nice shave after a couple of weeks out trekking to a very low price. So I thought that it would be waste of both space and weight to bring my own shaving equipment and instead my plan became to invest in good service. While doing that also contribute to something good for me and money to someone who needs money more than me. And today was the day to check if the guide book had right or not.
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Saturday, and today is the free day of the week, which is our Sunday. There are some things here with traditions, local customs, and so on that are just very different from Sweden. All the shops are said to be closed today, but I will take a short walk down town after lunch to see if it really is like that. If I find a internet café, I’ll take a quick stop there and try to upload some things from this week here to the blog.
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I woke up tonight of a real intense rain hammering down on the roof of the guest house I’m staying in. After a while I managed fall a sleep again and then I went up at seven. I had made an appointment to go and visit a collage just next to UDTC, but with some problem in understanding each other about where we were going to meet up in the morning it started of in the wrong way. I finally got down to the gate at the collage and there my contact was waiting for me.
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Today I was introduced to the staff by the Principal, Jaya, who I had a short meeting with the other day on my own right after my arrival here to the UDTC-campus. Jaya helped and explained why I am here and what my intentions are. I also explained a bit about my self and what I will work with while I’m here.
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Ok, I just want to inform you all very quick that I’m in Pokhara at UDCT right now. The access to internet isn’t as it was in Kathmandu, but I’ll update here as soon as I can. From the windows in my room I can see mountain peeks higher than 8000 m, so it feels in a way quite different from back home in “flat” Sweden. Not even Sweden highest mountain would be called a mountain here.
More to come!
Yesterday was a long and warm day. I understood afterwards why the trip with the bus took so long. First it took us about 1,5 hour just to get out of Kathmandu because of the overloaded roads and all the traffic. Then it was up and down over ridges and valleys. I was happy I had chosen the bus company I travelled with, because they had air-conditioning in the bus, and that helped a lot, while all the local buses, and many tourist buses didn’t have one. Sure it was some amazing views, but I know for sure as well that my mom would never want to ride in a bus on o road like that. Almost no railings and people just drove like crazy (according to my “Swedish standard”).
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Here are just some photos from the road between Kathmandu and Pokhara. It was an interesting 8 hour trip (well, they said it would take 7 hrs, but the reality is not always like in a time table).
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Today I went up early. Was out on the streets at around seven in the morning. It almost felt weird as the streets where so empty and the stores hadn’t opened yet. Calmness on the streets and just some few motorcycles were driving around. I had planned to visit the Swayambhunath temple, or “Monkey temple” as it is also called, so I walked to it. I walked up to the top along the eastern stairway, and it’s a really steep stairway in the end. Not a problem walking up, but walking down was a bit different. I didn’t want to trip and fall, because it was a long way down.
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Ok, so my plan to get up early in the morning and then walk out to the Swayambhunath temple was spoiled. I slept until nine once again and then I walked out there. I didn’t climb up the hill, but plan to do that tomorrow. What stroke me while doing the walk out to the temple was all the garbage everywhere, especially in the river and at the river banks.
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I slept as long as I could today. I felt I could give that to my self after the long journey here. Woke up and then took a small breakfast in the lobby before I decided that it was time to “take on” Kathmandu the touristic way. But first I went to the bus company that I will take to Pokhara (prenounsed “Påckará” in Swedish) and I found out that it’s about 600 meters from my hostel, so thtat’s just perfect. Then I don’t have to take a taxi there early on Tuesday morning. Bought the ticket today as well, so now I have that one. So on Tuesday it will be a 200 km trip due west for about 7 hours.
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Arrived! Sitting on the bed in my room at the hostel, and so far everything has been just perfect with the trip. From the train to Copenhagen airport until stepping out of the taxi after paying about 5 euros for the trip from the airport everything is just fine.
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Went down to the library today and picked up a book I’ve ordered. Just great, with the aspect of my soon departure from this part of the world. And no, I won’t bring the book with me. Probably I can use for what I need it for tomorrow, and then just leave it here in Sweden. I can return it to the library when I get back to Sweden.
Because now, the next step will be 8629 km long. I don’t want to think about the CO2-pollution I’m adding to the world, but I will do my best to compensate for it. The next step will take me very far from Sweden and I actually think I’m ready for it. Everything is under control, or at least I think so. Checked up the flights now tonight as well, and they are still there, so that feels nice.
Have to get some sleep now for tomorrow. I’ll get back to you with an update as soon as I can.
Sometimes you can’t plan everything you have to do. As time is running away from me, I spent the last weekend in Göteborg, where I met some wonderful friends that I haven’t seen for a while. We relaxed, enjoyed good food and a nice walk along the river, and we crossed the Älvsborgs-bridge where I will run in the end of May. That gave me the knowledge that the bridge won’t be so difficult, but the way up to the bridge will be “interesting”.
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