Medical Camp 2015 - the Himalayas

Where:  Jungu, Dolakha, Nepal... 2,500+ meters above sea level

When:   November 3 - 5, 2015

Who:    Nehemiah Nepal of the Ananta Shalom church and the Dr.                 Iwamaru Memorial Hospital of Bhaktapur, Nepal.

I first came to know about the plans for this medical camp through Juerg Bucher who was introduced to me by Ralf. He informed me that the organizer of this outreach was Rasmira Maharjan, the wife of Pastor Kaji Maharjan of Kathmandu Nepal.

The only description I got about my "boss" for this event was that she was a very kind, loving and gracious woman who is at the helm in the efforts to uplift the plight of the Nepali people. I was imagining a very powerful lady who could manage to uproot me temporarily from my job to volunteer in distant Nepal. The description though didn't prepare me for her actual physical appearance. These photos were taken by Ruku with her cam.

Rasmira with the medical team

The four volunteer doctors: 2 Nepali, 1 Swede and 1 Filipino

The entire medical camp team

Opening ceremonies

 Registration

vital signs... all these done under the heat of the
noonday sun and they still have their warm clothes on, 
which is unheard of in Thailand and the Philippines.

some of the younger guys waiting in line for their
turn with the doctor

 some photos of the clinic activities. 

 Dr. Molly from Sweden

 most people would easily pass for a Thai or Filipino

 dental

 pharmacy

 EKG 

 This race does not come from the common genetic pool
of the India-middle east lineage. Since the Himalayas 
was part of the spice and silk road I'm tempted to believe 
that Genghis Khan, Marco Polo or some adventurous European of Spanish descent left some of his DNA in the cold mountains. 

a young mother and her infant in a basket supported

by her head and neck. 

the two interpreters assigned to me. I had much difficulty
adjusting to their head movements, because their "yes" (shaking
of the head from side to side) meant "no" in my part of the world.

 One of the many speeches in the closing ceremonies
to cap the medical camp activities.

That's my boss with her farewell address - how 
would I ever know what she said.

a final portrait with the team and the village officials

the guys in the team that made a positive difference

for me in my short stay. I had to include their names in

case my memory fails.

A nice appreciation letter mounted in a frame
that was presented to me by Pastor Kaji. The happy 
faces of my patients was appreciation enough, 
but getting something like this shows that the recipients 
of your deeds of love hold your acts in their heart.

While flying home from Nepal I had a lot of time to reflect on 

the work in Nepal and the challenges that my brothers and sisters

there face on a daily basis. I thank God for giving me the chance

to serve Him in beautiful places and among beautiful people. 

I would also like to thank the church in Kathmandu under Pastor Kaji

and Rasmira for their invitation for me to serve, and before I forget, my thanks also to an adorable kid - Kailee, and her generous mom for the round-trip ticket on this plane for the Bangkok-Kuala Lumpur-Bangkok leg of my journey. 

Time warp Nepal

The National Graphic Society magazine was my 'nanny' in my childhood days. We had stacks of the them at our home library courtesy of the American missionaries whose children were under the tutelage of my mom. I remember reading photo stories of Nepal, India and the Middle East and they always aroused in me the desire to travel... and that was half a century ago.

Fast forward to year 2015 and I am walking the dusty streets of Patan and Bhaktapur, thrilled at every alley and corner to see the photos in my childhood come to life. 

The Patan Durbar Square was constructed in the 1600's and

is lucky to have survived the April 2015 quake. The other

Durbar squares around Kathmandu were ruined beyond recognition. 

Take away the cars and mopeds in the photo and you will be

instantly taken back in time.

formidable statues guard the entrance of a courtyard. they

remind me of the medo-persian images in King Nebuchadnezzar's time

I don't know how many generations this water hole served

recently installed metal railings help the villagers climb out. 
work of this sort is mainly done by the women.

a nicely renovated building sandwiched by drab neighbors

The entrance to a prayer square that was partially

destroyed by the quake

clearing and restoration still ongoing

some obviously futile attempts to prop up buildings

that were leaning precariously after the quake.

simple clay jars to be used in the upcoming festival

which was just a few days away.

 colorful tikka powders used for religious rituals. I was imagining
that this kid's father and grandfather also sold the same items 
as a kid. 

It looks like baking methods haven't changed 
through the ages.

fresh bread ready for eating

fruits, nuts, dyes... anything and everything

this place is awash with nuts

some colorful footwear. I got a pair for my MIL

bronzeware... it's amazing that they didn't run out
of raw ore with all the stuff they've been making 
through the centuries.

bigger stuff for the kitchen and milk storage

copper items

beautiful rugs, blankets and dresses.

some primates that missed the evolutionary cycle
and failed to become like us.

I don't know what the future holds for the country of Nepal. Earthquake and bad neighbors couldn't stop it from receiving the gospel. This country is just beautiful!

Thank you Pastor Kaji for patiently taking me around.

Nepal - a packaged deal

You can't get one without the other - that's the package deal. From the perspective of a Bangkokian from a land that is barely 3 meters above sea level with the usual temperatures in the range of 28 - 40 degrees Celsius, this is basically a predicament.

Traveling to a country with mountain peaks at 5,000 - 8,000 meters above sea level is awe-inspiring more so if one hails from the land that is flat as a pancake. Feeling the bite of the chilly wind at these soaring altitudes is also oh-inspiring and having to camp out for 4 nights on a slope of a mountain is yet another thing.

Juerg Bucher, when writing to me about my trip to Nepal, gave the instructions to bring the following things: mat, sleeping bag and warm clothes. He said that this was to be a medical "camp" in the mountains about 10 hours drive from Kathmandu.

My wife, who knows me more than anyone on the planet, went about the task of following Juerg's instructions with a propensity to overdo it, knowing that I couldn't stand low temperatures. I was not a very cooperative husband on this aspect - because warm stuff tends to be too bulky for comfortable travel, but I never regretted her persistence especially on the first night in the mountains.

high and mighty - the Rolwaling Himal mountain range - the
portion of the deal that I am fine with.

the setting sun over the Himalayas

 villages dotting the slopes

neat terraces of millet, rice and mustard

 fluffy clouds hugging the mountain tops like icing on a cake

 beautiful slopes silently resisting the encroachment
of man-made structures

 The evening giving way to daylight - it's another day

  

the mountain stream that they tamed

the mighty Tamakoshi river

 clouds aflame over the Himalayas as the sun passes on to India

Sunrise over the Kathmandu valley

Gauri shankar and brother Melungtse

If I stayed another day or so it could have been zero degrees.
This is the part of the deal that I wish could be scrapped.

this elevation is way above the fog line. you bet it is 

freezing cold

a stranger to the place trying hard to cope

on the bus heading back to the city

unusual cycling attire... unheard of in steamy Bangkok

even churchgoers have warm clothes on at midday

it's the same with the shoppers at the bazaar

this bloke is obviously chilling... it's either he doesn't have 
a caring wife or he stubbornly refused to let her pack his bags :-)

I would lug my bags ungrudging back to Nepal - the cold notwithstanding, if I had another chance. Base camp - I still have you to see!