Today was another travel day. After an early breakfast, we all piled into a van to go to the airport to fly to Kathmandu, Nepal. We were hoping for a clear sky for our flight in, so we could see the Himalayan mountains, but no such luck. We're hoping we can see them when we fly out later this week.
It's raining again today...pouring rain. Ken and Carol keep telling us that this rain never happens in February. In all the years they have brought teams during this time, this has never happened! And, we're pretty sure it's warmer back in PA. We are all digging deep into our suitcases to find ANYTHING that we can layer to keep warm. Some of us still haven't regained feeling in our toes. And, at the present time, we are taking part in "load sharing" with the electricity with the rest of the city--meaning we (the hotel) are without power in electrical outlets for hours at a time. We're hoping for hot water in the morning for showers, but we're thinking that won't be the case.
After settling in to our hotel here, we all piled into two taxis to visit the Tibetan Refugee area of town to see rugs being made. You can see in one of the photos the guys all crammed onto the seat in the van.
When we reached this area, we noticed things hanging on a line, which looked like laundry (in the rain?), but we found out they were Tibetan prayer flags. The people write their prayers on papers and hang them on this line. Then, every time the wind blows, they believe their prayers are being sent. There were also prayer wheels outside the temple in that area. Same concept, people write their prayers and place them inside these wheels. Every time a wheel is spun, the prayer is being sent again.
The rug weaving was very impressive to see. These women work 9 hours a day, weaving these carpets. They follow a pattern and weave it--it looks sort of like a counted cross stitch and latch hook concept. We found out it takes almost a month to complete one.
After the rug weaving shop, we went to Patan Durbar Square. It is the old city of Patan with a lot of old temples and beautiful architecture. We spent a little bit of time walking around there. We were all getting pretty damp and cold by this point.
We finished our day with a delicious meal at the hotel restaurant. One of the dishes was a complete fried fish, as you'll see in the photo. Ken offered the head to Vicky, but she politely declined and he proceeded to enjoy it himself. We end up with some very interesting conversations at our dinner table. Everyone is pretty tired--you never know what someone is going to say!
Everyone continues to do well. We're thankful to have had internet service so far each day so we can keep you all updated. We appreciate all of your prayers so much!
It's raining again today...pouring rain. Ken and Carol keep telling us that this rain never happens in February. In all the years they have brought teams during this time, this has never happened! And, we're pretty sure it's warmer back in PA. We are all digging deep into our suitcases to find ANYTHING that we can layer to keep warm. Some of us still haven't regained feeling in our toes. And, at the present time, we are taking part in "load sharing" with the electricity with the rest of the city--meaning we (the hotel) are without power in electrical outlets for hours at a time. We're hoping for hot water in the morning for showers, but we're thinking that won't be the case.
After settling in to our hotel here, we all piled into two taxis to visit the Tibetan Refugee area of town to see rugs being made. You can see in one of the photos the guys all crammed onto the seat in the van.
When we reached this area, we noticed things hanging on a line, which looked like laundry (in the rain?), but we found out they were Tibetan prayer flags. The people write their prayers on papers and hang them on this line. Then, every time the wind blows, they believe their prayers are being sent. There were also prayer wheels outside the temple in that area. Same concept, people write their prayers and place them inside these wheels. Every time a wheel is spun, the prayer is being sent again.
The rug weaving was very impressive to see. These women work 9 hours a day, weaving these carpets. They follow a pattern and weave it--it looks sort of like a counted cross stitch and latch hook concept. We found out it takes almost a month to complete one.
After the rug weaving shop, we went to Patan Durbar Square. It is the old city of Patan with a lot of old temples and beautiful architecture. We spent a little bit of time walking around there. We were all getting pretty damp and cold by this point.
We finished our day with a delicious meal at the hotel restaurant. One of the dishes was a complete fried fish, as you'll see in the photo. Ken offered the head to Vicky, but she politely declined and he proceeded to enjoy it himself. We end up with some very interesting conversations at our dinner table. Everyone is pretty tired--you never know what someone is going to say!
Everyone continues to do well. We're thankful to have had internet service so far each day so we can keep you all updated. We appreciate all of your prayers so much!
Great Photos! Fingers crossed for hot water for bath!
ReplyDelete- Cameron
Hey Vicki! Just want you to know I am thinking about you! I hope the rain stops soon!
ReplyDeleteAbby
So appreciate the updates!!! Love the pictures too...can't believe there were no "takers" on the fish head...Ken had to enjoy all by himself?? We will continue to keep you all in our prayers and thanks again for taking the time to keep us posted so that we can enjoy the adventure with you!
ReplyDeleteYou didn't eat the fish head, Vic? They say it's just like sushi! :)
ReplyDelete