Reason 3: Connections

The people I met here were warm, friendly, curious and eager to strike up a conversation. Whether chilling with the surf instructors, buying a snack at a stand or catching a bus to another town, I was greeted with a smile.

Invited for dinner at a friend’s home near Hikkuduwa. Tasty, freshly caught calamari was definitely a treat!

Our daily fresh coconut was bought at Lal’s fruit stand because hee was just such a warm and friendly guy!

His smile made my heart melt! 

I felt extremely welcome at this all girls orphanage near Baddegsma. 

Tuk-tuking to Udawalawe with our friend, Gayan .

One of my favourite moments was while buying a coconut at Akurala Beach. I was immediately invited into the home of the shop owner and met the four generations of family members living there. We chatted, took photos, ate biscuits and exchanged contact details. What a memorable moment with that loving family!

This family’s livelihood was destroyed in the 2004 tsunami. With private donations from Germany, they were able to rebuild their beach-side kiosk and home.

Reason 2: String Hoppers, Kotthu, and co.

Discovering new tasty foods is one of the best parts of traveling, at least for a person like me who loves food more than...pretty much anything.

Eating rice and curry with lovely Ruwan and his family. 

String hoppers are a dome of thin noodles made of fermented rice flour and served with coconut sambol* and a coconut curry sauce. You can just buy some to go for 80 rps ~ 50 cents!!

String hoppers with coconut sambol and dal. 

.

*Coconut sambol is to die for! Grated fresh coconut, chili, garlic, ...put that on anything and you’re good to go!

**Roti is like a really thin pancake/crepe/tortilla, but here they are soaked in butter/ghee for hours so that they are extra soft and stretchy.

Another tasty dish is kotthu. Take a roti**, some veg, spices and add egg/cheese/chicken and start frying and chopping away on a hot griddle! 

As for something sweet, coconut pancakes are spectacular. I enjoyed them for breakfast with fresh fruit....mmmmh.

There are so many other tasty foods in  SL. What I learned is to eat where the locals eat! Rice and curry, coconut roti, fried rice... In Weligama, check out ZamZam, AVM Creamhouse, Dulnetha, or any Roti stand in the city center.

Of course, there are also yummy places catered to tourists. In Weligama, Aloha and Hangtime have yummy food for still cheaper prices than in Switzerland or the US. In Ella, checkup out Chill. 

Reason 1: Sunrise Surfing

Sunrise Surfing 

There are tons of surf spots for all levels running southeast to southwest along the coast. I stuck to the gentle waves and sandy bottom of Weligama Bay. And although it could get pretty packed, I thoroughly enjoyed gaining confidence on a hardboard. My favorite time to surf turned out to be at 6 am at first light!

Sunny Sri Lanka

Originally, I had not set my sights on visiting Sri Lanka, yet due to recommendations from friends (Claire and Janelle) and family (Monika and Sabine Held), I booked a flight and a hostel down south, where in January the waves and weather would be just perfect! 

Sri Lanka means Resplendent Island. And to possibly save you some time looking it up, resplendent basically means brilliant, magical, magnificent...

So here come ten reasons why Sri Lanka as lived up to its name! 

**Note: I spent most of my time in Weligama, with short trips to Ella, Udawalawe, Galle, Hikkaduwa and Akurala Beach. 

Gorgeous sunset at Akurala Beach

ABC Part 2

On our second day of the trek, we clambered up thousands of steps to reach our destination: Ghorepani. Along the way, we passed by herds of goats, “donkeys on parade” and other adorable animals. Thr hotel we stayed at was full of guides and trekkers, who were eager to dance the night away and then get up early enough to make it to the top of Poon Hill by sunrise. This was one of my favourite parts of the whole ABC Trek, watching the heavenly sunrise over some of the world’s highest peaks:  Dhaulagiri I (#7-8167m)) and Annapurna I (#10–8091m).

Annapurna Base Camp Trek Part 1

So a few months ago I decided that while in Nepal I would love to go on a trek. Thankfully I was able to take two weeks off of teaching during the Dashain holidays. This was perfect because October is one of the best times to trek in the Himalayas. After much consideration, I decided to join a group with 3 Sisters Adventure Trekking. This organisation works together with Empowering Women of Nepal to empower women through skills-based training programs and employment opportunities.

The group I was with consisted of a guide and five assistants, all of which were female. My group’s singing trekking sisters supported us up to Annapurna Base Camp and back. I highly recommend trekking with these ladies should you ever come to Nepal!

www.3sistersadventuretrek.com

This trek is truly one of the best experiences I have ever had. I should feel exhausted after 12 days of 6am sunrises, relentless up and down and up and down pathways and adjusting to different conditions up high in remote mountain villages. I’m not. I feel strong and rejuvenated. My heart is full!

Here is Part 1. Enjoy!

One Solution to the Waste Problem

The waterways, roadways, forests and farmland in and around Kathmandu are heavily polluted. The beauty of Nepal is getting buried in rubbish.

There has got to be a way to deal with all of that waste!

 

It seems that groups and organizations are making efforts to conserve and protect Nepal’s land, water and air.  These groups also include NAG.  NAG is making an effort to educate the students about one solution to all of this pollution:

Recycling 

Working together with Doko Recyclers, the NAGers are building an understanding of the waste problem, what recycling is, how it works and how it can help reduce waste going to landfills.

Doko Recyclers

,

NAG‘s new recycling bins

  

Two Class 11 students taking action and introducing the recycling bins at the assembly 

of classes 6-10.

Class 11 students also worked with each class from 1-10 to teach them what can be recycled and how to do it.

Students having fun sorting the recycling into the appropriate container.

  

A representative from Doko Recyclers presenting to NAG students 

There are, of course, issues with recycling and that’s why I say its one solution, not the only one. At least there is dialogue about how to better manage waste here in Kathmandu. And although the problem seems daunting, we have to start somewhere and we all have to do our part! 

Thursday is My Favorite Day

We all have a favorite day. What’s yours? Mine used to be Friday because I had two days of relaxation and free time ahead of me to look forward to. Now my favorite one is Thursday.
Why?
...Because it’s Aloo Chop Day at NAG. Well, that’s what I call it, at least. :) And most of you know how important food is to me. Yes, I love to eat! I also love to cook, something I haven’t done for a couple of months. So, I’ve decided to post some of my favourite foods that I want you to cook for me when I get back. Ok? After all, I will be pretty rusty at cooking by then! ;)

So as far as I know, ‘aloo’ means potato and ‘chop’ means chopped up (I’m assuming).

Basically what is needed, although I’ve noticed variations:

Aloo Mixture:
boiled and peeled potatoes
salt
spices: cumin, coriander (roasted and ground, preferably)
chopped green chili peppers
chopped white or red onion
chopped cilantro
ground ginger

Batter:
gram flour (I think that’s chickpea flour)
turmeric and red chili powder
oil to fry

Serve with:
spicy tomato dipping sauce

Mash up the potatoes, then mix in the spices, chilis, ginger, onion and cilantro.
In a separate bowl combine the flour,  turmeric and water to make the batter. Make an oval-shaped ball or patty with the potato mixture, dip it in the batter and fry it in hot oil.

I am already imagining other things to mix in with the potato....Bacon? Cheese? Jalapeños? Red bell pepper? Mmmmh!

                                          NAG’s Aloo Chop ala Cook Didi

Watch this video (in Nepali), if you’d like to see the steps:

https://youtu.be/eTy9HamdE5k

Jungle to Jamacho

On my day off, I’m trying to get out and see or do as much as I can....or just relax, read and drink coffee somewhere in Thamel. Yesterday some of my roommates and I ventured up Kathmandu’s closesest little peak. We were well equipped with plenty of food for the journey, missing three buses just to make sure we had eaten and packed enough to eat later. We also had somewhat of an idea of how to get there, that’s good, right? My favourite part had to have been seeing a couple of trooops of monkeys. Being attacked by ferocious bloodthirsty leeches was yet another highlight. I stayed totally calm in that moment, believe me.

So Many Smiles

Volunteering is definitely work, but a different kind of work. Three weeks in and I’ve met hundreds of people (whose names I still can’t remember...Samina, Mina, Amrita, Sabita, Pabrita, Sabina, Samrita to name a few. And you wonder why I struggle? 🤷‍♀️). Every day, I face new challenges which test my ability to adapt and be creative. I’m gaining an understanding of a totally different school system and figuring out how to address the needs of students with ages ranging from 6 to 47! 

Exhausted yet fully content, I depart from NAG in the evening with a smile on my face, usually hearing a few young students shout,  “Subha ratri (good night) सुभ रतृ,  Jessica Miss!”

Welcome to Kathmandu! Welcome to NAG!

After two bumpy flights from Bali to Kuala Lumpur and then on to Kathmandu, I had finally arrived at my new home for the next few months. Here are some of my first impressions of Kathmandu and where I’m living now.

Music: Sunshine
Musician: Powers