tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-60009752011-04-22T01:08:54.046+05:45NePlepPlep in Nepal.stevenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08698922877414169622noreply@blogger.comBlogger291100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000975.post-1163144118831695322006-11-10T13:19:00.000+05:452006-11-10T13:20:18.863+05:45Peace at last?stevenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08698922877414169622noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000975.post-1107449277703297902005-02-03T22:31:00.000+05:452005-02-03T22:32:57.703+05:45King sacks government, declares absolute power. A royal coup in Nepal; democracy suspended and political leaders arrested, phone and Internet links have been disrupted. Watch this space...
For more updates, follow nepalnews.net.stevenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08698922877414169622noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000975.post-1097332247458568382004-10-09T19:53:00.000+05:452004-10-09T20:15:47.456+05:45I had some good news from Nepal this week. My friend, formerly my tour guide to the 'medieval city' of Bhaktapur (see some pictures of this magical place here) has found work to do for a school for underprivileged kids in Nepal. It's good that he's found something which really
fulfills him, and it sounds like a great project. (He also claims I inspired him, which is rather
flattering and I'm not stevenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08698922877414169622noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000975.post-1096280597376731652004-09-27T15:56:00.000+05:452004-09-27T16:12:25.930+05:45Namaste! is a nice weblog about an American Christian family who spent some time living in Nepal. Please take a look at the photo gallery; also the piece 'The Danger of Getting Too Close'.
This struck a chord with me. In the short time that I have been associated with Nepal, I have come to empathise with the sentiments in this piece. The Nepalese are desperate to improve their lives, and see thestevenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08698922877414169622noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000975.post-1096121366562547212004-09-25T19:48:00.000+05:452004-09-25T19:59:20.863+05:45Update :- Nepal Handmade Paper Products is still around. Please check the website.
Plep has been invited back to a more extensive trip of Nepal in 2005. Whether I got or not all depends on the political situation. Please keep following the Nepali Times and Nepal News as there have been numerous strikes and actions in Nepal, including a recent blockade of the capital by the Maoists for a period stevenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08698922877414169622noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000975.post-1070381903892932472003-12-02T22:03:00.000+05:452003-12-02T22:09:17.943+05:45stevenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08698922877414169622noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000975.post-1070381152154743302003-12-02T21:50:00.000+05:452003-12-02T22:17:51.466+05:45The Many Faces of Lord Ganesh, by Shashi Tharoor.'Ganesh, or Ganapathi as we prefer to call him in the South, sits impassively on my bedroom shelf, in multiple forms of statuary,
stone, metal and papier miche. There is nothing incongruous about this; he is used to worse, appearing as he does on innumerable calendars, posters, trademarks and wedding invitation cards. Paunchy, full-bodied,
stevenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08698922877414169622noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000975.post-1068791032023084332003-11-14T12:08:00.000+05:452003-11-14T12:08:57.373+05:45This really probably is the last update here before I return home and to plep!
Last night was interesting. I had the chance to visit another Nepali home, and a very different perspective from the local cadre I visited a few days ago. I was invited by a member of Nepal's small Muslim community, who runs a shop at the hotel where I'm staying.
Islam came to Nepal with the Moghul conquest of India,stevenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08698922877414169622noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000975.post-1068708085167815782003-11-13T13:05:00.000+05:452003-11-13T13:06:30.403+05:45Soros to campaign against Bush. His 'life's work'.
Via dumbmonkey.
MoveOn.org.stevenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08698922877414169622noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000975.post-1068706587732092382003-11-13T12:35:00.000+05:452003-11-13T12:46:33.310+05:45Pleasant morning, visiting a Vishnu temple and some local villages. The carving of Vishnu was being fed milk from the temple's sacred cow.
Tomorrow (Friday) will be busy - more walks in the countryside, followed by a Nepali cultural evening. Saturday I will be heading back to the Kali Temple. So, I may not get chance to update as I will leave early Sunday and the journey back home will take stevenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08698922877414169622noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000975.post-1068623578206306192003-11-12T13:37:00.000+05:452003-11-12T13:38:03.453+05:45A good day. Visited the old Newari town of Bungamati and caught some air in the hills. More about Bungamati Temple here. Bungamati is another of those little medieval towns built around courtyards and ponds, where everything (and I do mean everything) is done out in the open. An interesting visit, followed by a pleasant lunch.
Bungamati: The life world of a Newar community explored through the stevenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08698922877414169622noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000975.post-1068535761679291682003-11-11T13:14:00.000+05:452003-11-11T13:14:26.220+05:45Templed out. Today did a tourist thing and visited Pashupatinath Shiva Temple, Swayambhunath Stupa and Boudha Stupa. Of course, every visitor to Nepal has to visit these places but there's a not-so-subtle tourist trap element to it all.
More tomorrow, or Thursday.
'This is not a school, it is a cemetery.' (Nepali Times) 'Bhubaneswar Sharma, a grade four student, did not know who had come to hisstevenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08698922877414169622noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000975.post-1068455659484572282003-11-10T14:59:00.000+05:452003-11-10T14:59:23.993+05:45Today was an interesting day.
First of all, another trip to Bhaktapur and a visit to a Nepali home. The house belonged to a new friend active in local politics and development projects in the town. To describe the home :- a 200 year old cottage in a square that is so typical of Newari towns. Built on three levels - the store room on the ground floor, the kitchen on the first floor and the stevenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08698922877414169622noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000975.post-1068351506968103082003-11-09T10:03:00.000+05:452003-11-09T10:03:31.140+05:45 La Folia. 'An effort to list all derivations and interpretations of the famous theme La Folia.' Via MeFi.
stevenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08698922877414169622noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000975.post-1068351305069420082003-11-09T09:59:00.000+05:452003-11-09T10:00:09.283+05:45The Wingnut Debate Dictionary. Thanks due to madamjujujive.stevenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08698922877414169622noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000975.post-1068349813761112042003-11-09T09:21:00.000+05:452003-11-09T09:35:17.490+05:45One notable cultural difference between Nepal and Western countries: 'comfort' words such as 'please' or 'thankyou' are rarely used (there is a word for thankyou - 'dhanyabad' - but it is generally used rarely, and on quite formal occasions). This isn't rude, it's just that the cultural 'rules of conduct' are quite different. (Nepalis who speak English use such words with foreigners, presumably stevenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08698922877414169622noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000975.post-1068283007494866592003-11-08T14:57:00.000+05:452003-11-08T15:01:51.546+05:45May not be around for the next couple of days - more daytrips planned.
Today I went up into the Himalayas. The ethnic groups are generally different from the Newaris of the Kathmandu Valley; whereas Newaris
have a distinctive, communal style of architecture where houses
are built around the town square, other ethnic groups live in houses
which are more spread out. There is also a distinctive stevenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08698922877414169622noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000975.post-1068181411077959502003-11-07T10:25:00.001+05:452003-11-07T10:48:34.960+05:45Tomorrow I will be going for a day trip into the Himalayas! So, I'll update again in a few days.
There are many, many Internet outlets in Kathmandu. The connections are mostly pretty slow and a bit spotty, but there's no problem getting online. A lot of them also serve as 'phone booths' (in the one I'm sitting in at the moment, there's a queue of people who want to use a phone to call relatives)stevenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08698922877414169622noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000975.post-1068181085228219382003-11-07T10:25:00.000+05:452003-11-07T10:43:08.336+05:45Tomorrow I will be going for a day trip into the Himalayas! So, I'll update again in a few days.
There are many, many Internet outlets in Kathmandu. The connections are mostly pretty slow and a bit spotty, but there's no problem getting online. A lot of them also serve as 'phone booths' (in the one I'm sitting in at the moment, there's a queue of people who want to use a phone to call relatives)stevenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08698922877414169622noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000975.post-1068093310613855202003-11-06T10:20:00.000+05:452003-11-06T10:20:13.930+05:45Yesterday I went to Patan and Bhaktapur, the other two big towns in the Kathmandu Valley. Bhaktapur in particular was well worth the visit; it's a few miles from Kathmandu, a medieval town fairly off the beaten track (no electricity). Patan had many many interesting temples and other features too, as you can see. My guide was a secondary school student in his twenties, originally from Lumbini, stevenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08698922877414169622noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000975.post-1067924929869695012003-11-04T11:33:00.000+05:452003-11-04T11:33:52.350+05:45'The photo gallery features images from Nepal. This gallery will grow with time to provide a window to the various dimensions of Nepal - cultural, social, religious, ethnic, and geographic. As the photo gallery evolves, we will provide background information for each image. ' Via NepalNet, 'an electronic networking for sustainable development in Nepal'.
stevenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08698922877414169622noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000975.post-1067923626662489412003-11-04T11:12:00.000+05:452003-11-04T11:12:09.446+05:45Tomorrow I am going to visit Patan, and will hopefully be back online in a couple of days.
Nepal: Bringing the bank to the village. Microfinance in Nepal. 'How would a $40 loan change your life? For Sabitra Karna, such a loan transformed her hardscrabble existence into a future filled with new hopes and possibilities.''Three years ago, Ms. Karna joined the Ram Janaki Women Centre in Kolaharuwa stevenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08698922877414169622noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000975.post-1067838197940811232003-11-03T11:28:00.000+05:452003-11-03T11:28:20.226+05:45Community Arts Project: Readings in Public Art. From around the world, from the UK and US to Kathmandu.stevenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08698922877414169622noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000975.post-1067838081429596022003-11-03T11:26:00.000+05:452003-11-03T11:26:23.743+05:45Banknotes of Nepal.stevenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08698922877414169622noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000975.post-1067838036064854832003-11-03T11:25:00.000+05:452003-11-03T11:25:38.383+05:45Great pictures of the Himalayas. 'My name is Mogens Larsen and I´ve been trekking four times in the Himalayas - two times in India and two times in Nepal. The photos you see on this site are all from these treks. '
Gods and goddesses of Nepal. Indra, Bhairab, Saraswati and the rest.
Introduction to Hinduism. Pictures and articles about the major deities.
More on the caste system in Nepal.
Thestevenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08698922877414169622noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000975.post-1067837518720661362003-11-03T11:16:00.000+05:452003-11-03T11:17:01.156+05:45The Caste System in Nepal. 'One integral aspect of Nepalese society is the existence of the Hindu caste system, modeled after the ancient and orthodox Brahmanic system of the Indian plains. The caste system did not exist prior to the arrival of Indo-Aryans. Its establishment became the basis of the emergence of the feudalistic economic structure of Nepal: the high-caste Hindus began to stevenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08698922877414169622noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000975.post-1067837397981178772003-11-03T11:14:00.000+05:452003-11-03T11:15:00.456+05:45Kathmandu Durbar Square. Article and images. 'The Kathmandu Durbar Square holds the palaces of the Malla and Shah kings who ruled over the city. Along with these palaces, the square also surrounds quadrangles revealing courtyards and temples. The square is presently known as Hanuman Dhoka, a name derived from the statue of Hanuman, the monkey devotee of Lord Ram, near the entrance of the palace .stevenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08698922877414169622noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000975.post-1067837081129578992003-11-03T11:09:00.000+05:452003-11-03T11:09:43.680+05:45Greetings from Kathmandu.
The trip over was quite pleasant, despite six hour stopover in Abu Dhabi. Abu Dhabi airport was pleasant enough, and rather manic even at 2 in the morning (something to do with Ramadan perhaps?), but it was a stopover I could have done without.
Anyway, here I am in Kathmandu, in an Internet shop near Durbar Square, recovered from the flight and also, it seems, from stevenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08698922877414169622noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6000975.post-1067324160467385922003-10-28T12:38:00.000+05:452003-10-28T12:41:01.010+05:45Plep's Nepal weblog. This page is for updates on the Nepal trip, for the purposes of keeping people updated.Plep can be emailed at eep4nn at yahoo co uk.stevenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08698922877414169622noreply@blogger.com