End of Tihar ... Tibetan Refugee Camp

This will be my last post for awhile. Tomorrow we head for the bus depot, then begin our 23-hour bus ride to far west Nepal. (Kat is the blue star, follow the blue line west for our first ride. Once we arrive in Dita, we will spend the night, then take a micro bus 4-5 hours due north deep into Bahjang. From there, it will be a two-hour walk to our first stop. We're not sure how many stops we will make after that, as we head back towards Kat. After that, the walking will begin! The second stop will be a two-days' walk from where the bus drops us off. We do not have planned locations for sleeping; the plan is to ask for floor space along the way. Let the adventure begin!!



So ... the other night was the last night of Tihar. Anna and I walked with two other girls down to the bazar to see the lights at evening. The square was buzzing with activity. We meandered through the ancient Hindu ruins (circa 800 a.d.) and found our way to a buddhist enclave where worshippers were lighting candles, ringing bells and generally wandering around. Sheep and goats were mingling with the people, some still sporting touches of color from earlier in the festival where they get to wear color too.



After a few hours of wandering, we headed back to the flat. By this time, early evening, the bazar was busier than ever. We passed women lighting the candles for Lakshmi and the market stands mobbed by people planning their holiday meal. With the setting sun, the streets took on an exotic feel, emphasizing to me how far from home I really am!


The next day (yesterday), I was reading through the Lonely Planet when I read a description of a great carpet factory right in Anna's neighborhood (Patan). The exciting thing was it was operated by refugees in a Tibetan camp right there. Anna told me a friend (Christine) whom I had met the other night worked with some of the people there. So later that morning, when Christine stopped in at the office, I asked if she could take me there some time. A few minutes later, we were on our way.

Of the tens of thousands of Tibetan refugees living in Nepal, only a tiny percentage (maybe a few thousand) have actual papers. Camps such as this one in Patan are largely self-sufficient after training its population in the craft of carpet weaving. Skilled workmanship and a unique method of knot-tying make these a valuable commodity to locals and tourists alike.





The multi-story building houses a offices on the uppermost floor, a large showroom on the floor below, and the factory itself on the ground floor. A large work area with windows all around is filled with looms of all sizes. All of the workers are women. Some are working alone on chair pads and small area rugs. Others are working in teams of two and three on large floor rugs. A few women are standing on chairs to thread the looms for the large carpets. Several are seated on stacks of cushions deftly working the shuttle back and forth, snipping the ends, tying the knots ... softly gossiping or singing to themselves.


In another building, the Nepali wool is being carded and spun into piles of soft threads to be dyed and coiled into the skeins used for the carpets. Again, all the workers are women, seated around the large, airy room. Occasionally the quiet hum of spinning wheels is shattered when a large speaker near the doorway roars to life in a series of announcements for the workers. Honestly, the one poor woman working right beneath it all day must be deaf!



Next, Christine took me across the street into the main compound of the camp. The buddhist temple was just inside the gate.



A few small shops lined the short road leading into the housing area. Perhaps the most sobering (and really not accessible) building was for the elderly, where 4-5 people share a small room without furniture, only mats for sleeping and sitting. It is hard to imagine how they feel, estranged from their homeland and a way of life they may never get to experience again.


Just beyond the apartments was the child care center. These kids were, at the risk of sounding cliché, adorable! The women seemed somewhat harried, though a few actually dozed in the corners despite the chaos all around them.

One small room had about 8 children nursery-school age. An older lady sat knitting while the kids played. Teacher's day off? Christine tells me that many times the kids are discouraged from making any noise, yet not given anything constructive to do. Outside the classroom, in the open area, older children would wander in and out, pausing to play and help with the younger kids.




So, tomorrow I'm off with Anna and Vania to the far west. I'm sure I'll have alot to post when I get back. But for the time-being, I hope I have posted enough photos to last for the next two and half weeks!