***This will be a very long post. It's very descriptive of the villages and what daily life there looks like. ***
Kunchal is a dreamy village that conjures images of a sleepy monastic village with rice farmers. Palung is virtually the same, with less rice fields. It also feels a bit more agricultural and less mystical mountain retreat than Kunchal. Kunchal is probably my favorite, but I have deeper connections in Palung.
As an outsider, it has great appeal for it has a romantic retreat in the mountains quality. You can sit on the roof and stare at the clouds covering the pine tree laden mountains. As your eyes descend down the mountain, you begin to make out man made plateaus, where farmers plant crops of corn, cabbage, other potatoes, rice or vegetables. Each plateau is maybe two rows deep and approximately 35-40 feet long. The rice fields are at the bottom, where the ground levels out and becomes flat. The plots are sectioned out and the beds are sunken in, so that they can be flooded at the right time. There are raised walking paths around each plot.
Women in bright reds and pinks dot the fields as they are picking weeds, digging new rows or harvesting plants depending on the time of the year. Women carry huge baskets from a strap on their forehead which holds weeds or harvested crops. They feed the weeds to their cows or goats instead of bringing the animals out to graze. Other women have babies tied to their backs supported by a sheet around their shoulders. The baby stays there while the women work in the fields. Each building houses multiple families. In front of each building you will find chickens or ducks wandering freely, dogs napping, or a few goats/cattle tied up.
Approximately every 20-30 feet in town, you will find a water fountain. This is attached to a well that is fed by the mountain rivers. This is the town shower, dish washing station, etc. If you are wealthy, you have facilities in your house--usually two separate rooms: a squatty potty in one and a shower/washing machine or washing basin in another. You also have pipes that will fill water tanks on the top of your house so that you can have running water from faucets. But again, that is only if you are wealthy...so the majority of people use the water fountains in the middle of town to shower, wash dishes, clothes, etc.
The lowest floor in a home is ground level and is usually a root cellar, storage area or possibly a barn for animals. Thick wooden stairs connect you to the next level which has 2-3 bedrooms, each with multiple beds/persons. Another set of stairs leads you to the top floor which is the kitchen and shower. There is a place to hang clothes to dry and a place for growing plants on the rooftop garden. The beds are usually slightly bigger than a twin but not quite a full size. They have plywood covered with 2-3 thick blankets instead of a mattress. Some places you will find mattresses, but not many. Most houses are brick with a tin roof, but some are white stucco with brightly painted windows and doors.
Almost every meal is dal bhat: rice with a lentil soup and maybe some sag (veggies). On special occasions you can order mo-mo's from the restaurant. They are dumplings filled with meat. My favorite are buff mo-mo's (Buffalo (water buffalo)) and they have a side dish called Aloo Jeera which is potatoes with cumin and cilantro...amazing!!! But only from certain restaurants.
Down the road is the school house that houses kids from K-10. Most kids don't get that much education before having to work to help the family. There are 2-5 stores in town: a pharmacy, a convenience store, a restaurant, a repair shop for vehicles and a tailor.
During the summer, it is the rainy season and you can anticipate a gentle shower 2-3 times a day for about 30 minutes. Depending on the severity of the rain, the women will keep on farming. Nepali women are very modest (men too) and wear kurtas (shirts) that hang down to their knees. They were sorals (pants) that are very loose and super comfy. They usually wear a scarf around their neck, covering their head or surrounding their waist like a belt. Kids and teachers wear uniforms to school.
The roads have a lot of traffic on them. Motorcycles carrying at least two people, mopeds, 3 wheeled covered golf carts called "autos", mini-buses, large buses, large trucks, taxis in small cars like a Honda Fit, and many, many pedestrians. Pedestrians walk on the left side of the road. Since the villages are in the mountains, the roads are very curvy and every vehicle honks its horn to announce itself at each corner. Sometimes they honk just to say hi, sometimes it means hurry up, sometimes it means scoot over so I can pass you. There is a lot of honking going on. I thought PA was bad with honking. I was wrong. Trucks and cars are highly decorated and painted with bright primary colors and usually with lots of images of gods or the mountains. Many of them tout that Buddha was born in Nepal. Trucks are also very likely to have the flags of other nations painted on their trucks. I think this has something to do with soccer, but I am not sure. I've seen USA, UK, Austrailia, NZ and Brazilian flags...and others that I don't know what they are. Many vehicles also carry the Adidas or Nike logos on them. Some of the horns play songs, which I personally enjoy and it reminds me of my childhood and our family friend Uncle Louie who used to have a horn that play La Cucaracha on it or the Dukes of Hazard song.
It is interesting to watch how affection is displayed in Nepal. Men are affectionate with men and women with women, but you never see men and women being affectionate. It is very common for men to hold their guy friends in very intimate ways, which for an American is uncomfortable. (This is not a value statement, but a description of the majority of Americans views on homosexuality.) But the men aren't gay here, nor are the women. I'm not saying that there aren't any homosexuals, I am sure that there are, but I am saying that just because you see two men holding each other, it doesn't mean that they are gay. You will never see men without their shirt, or any other form of nudity unless they are showering at the public shower.
Nepal was never colonized. There are many tribes, each with their own religion, language, calendar, etc. India is aggressive and domineering politically, religiously, and socially. China less so than India. They are the two closest neighbors and super powers. India owns all of Nepal's rivers. Here are some photo's that I captured of people that are pretty fantastic, if I say so myself.
I hope you've enjoyed reading about the villages as much as I have enjoyed staying there. I am in Kathmandu until July 7th and then will go back to the villages until approximately July 16th. Then I will return to Kathmandu for a few days before traveling to Pokhara to visit a YWAM base there. Then I will return to Kathmandu around the 24th and stay there until I return to the USA on July 31st.
I was able to get a lot of great interviews done last week while in the villages. I hope to connect with people more and go to a deeper level yet. Please continue to pray for the ability for me to talk with people and to know how to ask questions in the right way to get deep answers. Thanks again for your prayers. You will likely hear from me again around the 17th.
PS: I called this blog entry family, because the people of Palung have begun to call me daughter. They have become my Nepali family. Below (1st picture) is Rhonda and Sam and myself, (2nd picture) is Bua (dad), Sandy, Ama (mom) and myself. Sandy's sister, Rhonda and her husband Sam have also become like family. I will be traveling to Pokhara with them.
