Prayers for Nepal....

Shocked by the news about the Nepal earthquake.

First thought that came to mind was I hope the women, teens and kids the company supports through a partner foundation are all safe.
Prayers for Nepal.

Q1 of 2013 was all about trips...

Partly inspired by Tipz's recent post. Hehe!

The difference is that my realization came before the actual trips. Hehe! :D

The first quarter of 2013 saw me heading out of the island every month.

In January, I went to Bali with a few friends I've known for more than a decade now. Towards the end of the month, I did my first trip back to the Philippines ever since I got here.

In February, I'm not yet sure if this will be THE major trip of the year. This much I can say though, the very short trip to Kathmandu surely left a lifetime of memories.

In March, PG Boy and I joined the mass exodus from the island because of the a long weekend. We headed to Malacca. What can I say? I def want to go back. It was too short a trip.

I am really grateful to have been able to do these trips. I don't think I've been traveling this much when I was back in the Phils. Hehe. Or I was, but mostly for work and mostly to places around the Philippines. Hehe!

With the current situation for foreign workers here in Singapore, my goal this year is to really save. It's a critical year because no one knows what will happen come March 2013. Yaiks. However, I am praying, I am hopeful, I am claiming it, that I will still be in Singapore in 2014. Hehe!

Restaus worth a try....

Okie, last post related to Kathmandu. Hehehe!

There's no need to worry about going hungry in Kathmandu. There are several restaus in Thamel that are worth a try. Below are the restaus where we had dinner or coffee and I recommend them all... seriously:

1. Green Organic Cafe (Nepalese food)/ with wifi

2. Thamel House Restaurant (Nepalese food)/ no wifi

3. Roadhouse Cafe (great wood fire pizza!)/ with wifi

4. La Dolce Vita (great Italian food)/ with wifi

5. Kaiser Café (Western food)/ with wifi but you have to pay for it.

All the places above are within walking distance from Kathmandu Guest House. Other places we were told to try but didn't get a chance to were Pumpernickel and Himalaya Java (their version of Starbucks).

A helpful tip: Be prepared to wait and wait and wait. To those used to a fast-paced everything, one might see them as too slow. I guess that's how the way they do it. Meals can sometimes take about 30 minutes or more to arrive. Hehe!

Where to stay in Kathmandu...

For the trip to Kathmandu, our partner foundation recommended we stay at Kathmandu Guest House. The short stay at Kathmandu Guest House helped make my first trip to Nepal a memorable one.

The hotel used to be a Rana mansion. (The Rana dynasty ruled the Kingdom of Nepal from 1846 until 1951). Much of the original structure still exists. It has a nice courtyard and garden where you can just find a corner to read, write, have coffee or chat with friends. The rooftop gives a view of the surrounding neighborhood and a mountain range. The front desk staff is generally friendly. Look for Uttam, who is the most friendly to everyone.

The hotel has different room options. Room rates range from the affordable to the more expensive ones. The room I got was a Standard Room, which was about US$40 a night. I stayed in 410. The room had three single beds, a TV, a halogen heater, hot/cold shower, dresser, chair and table. I had the basics that I need so I was definitely happy.

What I also loved about KGH was its location. It is smack right in the middle of tourist central Thamel. This meant easy access to shops and restaurants. :)

I would definitely want to stay again in this hotel on my next visit to Nepal.

At the Garden of Dreams...

The other place I got to visit when I was in Kathmandu was the Garden of Dreams. For 200 rupees (about SGD3), you can escape the noise and crowd of Thamel for an hour or two and just chill at this historical garden. The Garden of Dreams was created in the early 1920s. Around the garden, one will find pavilions, fountains, and other decorative garden furniture. It could use a little bit more of maintenance (and I think the group behind is doing so). Still, it was a nice escape.

At Boudhanath Stupa...

As I mentioned in the Work Edition post about the Kathmandu trip, 20% of it was a holiday experience. My colleagues and I managed to squeeze in a few touristy activities after each day's events.

One of the major highlights was the visit to Boudhanath Stupa

Boudhanath Stupa is the largest stupa in Nepal. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, it is said to be the holiest Tibetan Buddhist temple outside of Tibet. The stupa is located in the town of Boudha, which is about 7 km East/Northeast of Kathmandu. The stupa was built around 5th century AD.

Other than being a popular tourist site, the stupa is a sacred place for meditation for Tibetan Buddists and local Nepalis.

The most distinct feature of the stupa was the pair of Buddha Eyes on all four sides of the square tower. I also noticed the symbol between the eyes which looked like a question mark. From what I read, it is the Nepali character for the number 1 and symbolises unity.

Colourful prayer flags, mantras and prayers printed on them, are tired to the stupa.

The surroundings of the stupa were also a treat for the eyes. Souvenir shops, Buddhist monasteries and nunneries, a few restaurants and cafes are found around the stupa.

The other temple worth a visit is Pashupatinath, which is near the airport. It was quite close to Boudhanath but we did not get to visit it. Huhu.

To Kathmandu and back... Work Edition

The trip to Kathmandu, Nepal, without question, will be one of the most unforgettable travel experiences this year. 80% work. 20% holiday. 100% memorable.

Together with four colleagues, we boarded a Silk Air flight at Changi Airport on 20 Feb for a four-hour flight that would take us to the "top of the world." In Kathmandu, we spent a few days with the team of Wiley partner Mitrataa Foundation holding workshops/activities for the women and teenage girls that Wiley and Mitrataa have been enabling these past few years through various programs.

I use the term "enabling" instead of "helping." That was because after spending a few days with the Mitrataa team, the women and the teenage girls, my impression was that they did not really need "help." The women and teenage girls are already helping themselves. They just needed a little more support in order for them to move a step forward in achieving their dreams/goals. That's where Mitrataa and Wiley come in.

On 21 Feb, we met with the women's group at the  Wiley Women’s Dream Centre. My colleague Cath led the day's activities. In addition to the session on giving presentations/attending job interviews, we heard of amazing stories from the women. One was grateful for learning how to read and write because she can now fill out forms, claim remittances, go to wherever by herself. Two other women went back to school to continue learning. One of them is in the same class as her granddaughter and she is proud of this. Even with the hardships that these women have undergone (and continue to undergo?), it is hard not to be amazed by their resilience, their capacity to still find joy every day, and their passion to learn.

In the afternoon, we headed to the Bal Mandir Children's Home for a learning session with the Mitrataa volunteers and facilitators. Bal Mandir is located at a former palace. Too bad the structure has not been preserved very well. I can almost imagine what it must have been like back in its glory days.

We spent the afternoon working with the volunteers/facilitators thinking of possible creative ways to provide tuition to the children assigned to them. Games were played. Suggestions were given. Hopefully, the tips/suggestions would be useful.

The following day, 22 Feb, was a session with a batch of teenage girls under the Wiley Dream Centre for girls. Together with the Mitrataa facilitators, my colleagues and I were welcomed by more than a dozen bright-eyed, bubbly teenage girls at the venue.

I was lead facilitator for the day's activities. Because I have not done group facilitation in such a long time, I was very nervous on our way to the activity center. However, as soon as I took my place and started speaking, everything I learned about group facilitating from my UP volunteer days just came back. The people at Pahinungod, my university volunteer organization, were correct. Once a Pahinungod, Always a Pahinungod.

Similar to the session with the women, we needed a translator throughout. It made the session quite an experience.

As our session drew to a close, we gave the students presents - bookmarks and accessories handmade by Wiley colleagues. To our surprise, the students also gave us presents. I received handmade cards, drawings, paper flowers, real flowers. By the time we reached the hotel again, I was dead tired. I have forgotten how draining being a facilitator could be. But I must also say I was quickly reminded that doing such  kind of work is an awesome experience. Hearing "Thank You" from the girls, receiving simple presents made with appreciation, knowing that they learned something were more than enough to make me feel that I got tired for nothing.

Saturday was the last day for our program. This session was the biggest group, with about fifty over Wiley teenage girls in attendance. Thankfully, there were several Mitrataa facilitators/volunteers present to co-facilitate with us - Nimu, Gunga, Bipana, Anita, Kamal, Anuz. I have always had high regard for volunteers. Remember that line in the movie Pearl Harbor, "There is nothing stronger than the heart of a volunteer"? I seriouly believe there is truth to it. Without people willing to share their time and talent, it will be more challenging to accomplish things.

24 February, we flew back to Singapore carrying with us great memories and experiences. I am really grateful to have been chosen to be part of the Wiley team to visit Kathmandu.

For a country with temperature that drop to 1c (and on some nights, even lower), we definitely felt warm with the smiles, the hugs, the countless "Namaste" from the people we met and got to interact with for a few days.

The Nepali language is a difficult language to learn. On one session, I asked some of the teenage girls to teach me simple phrases. It was like a tongue twister for me. Haha! But I did learn three important words - Namaste/Namaskar (which was the traditional greeting); Mitrataa - friendship; and Dhanyabaad (the spelling is prolly not correct but it sounds like that) which means Thank You.

Dhanyabaad, Kathmandu. :)

First view of Kathmandu...

As the pilot announced that we were beginning our descent to Kathmandu, I saw several passengers turn their heads towards the window. Hehe!

Above are a few of the photos of my first view of Kathmandu...