Thursday, February 1, 2007

Day 23 - Kathmandu

Well it has been a long, eventful day. We got to Kathmandu this afternoon and hit the ground running. We went to the largest Buddhist Stupa in Nepal and to a Hindu temple. I will post pictures later. According to our guide 80% of people in Nepal are Hindu. There are several people here from Tibet, and we have seen many Buddhist monks. I have learned a lot about both religions.

At the Buddhist Stupa, people are supposed to walk around the structure clockwise as many times as they like up to 108. They recite prayers and spin prayer wheels all around the stupa. As I understand it, one of the Dalai Lama's teachers died on Tuesday, and they were having a memorial service that we were able to watch.

When we went to the Hindu temple, we learned that it sits on the banks of the river here. Hindus take their dead to the river and burn the bodies, then toss the ashes into the river. We saw three bodies being burned. One of those bodies we got to see being prepared to be burned. They bring the body wrapped in a special cloth, then dip the feet in the water. Each person in the burial party dips their finger into the river and drops the water into the mouth of the deceased. Next, they remove the cloth, and prepare it to burn. The immediate family, excluding daughters, then goes back to a secluded room in their home to mourn the loss of the family member. No one can touch the family member for 13 days because the spirit of the deceased is supposedly looking for a new home. I didn't quite understand all the details.

Anyway, we leave for our helicopter tour of Mt. Everest tomorrow morning. Then Friday afternoon and Saturday we will be at a Wildlife Refuge. At this point, I don't think I will take my computer. So it may be a few days before I post again. Please continue to keep us in your prayers.

26 comments:

Lisa said...

Oh, my gosh! What an interesting day! Everest tomorrow!!! That is so awesome! I cannot wait to see those pictures! You are going to see Mt. Everest!!! That Wildlife Refuge, is it the one we looked at online? I'm going to be holding my breath until I hear from you again. I love you and pray for you daily. This would be a prime opportunity to film an audition demo for Globe Trekker!!! THAT would rock the cashbah!

Anonymous said...

Sarah I had no idea you were actually going to Katmandu and Mt Everest. I just liked the sound. I am soo excited for you. I can not wait to hear about it.

Lisa Please don't really try to hold your breath till you hear from her again. That could end in tragedy

Anonymous said...

Sarah, I'm concerned about you. I'm afraid that your adventure threshold is reaching an all-time high. We have a serious situation here. How in the world will you ever be able to come back and find excitement in daily living?

You're in too deep, man.

tim rush said...

Sarah, this is too fun getting to keep up with your travels like this! Thanks for taking us along.

Another day in the life of Beau Hart :) said...

Wow, Sarah! EVEREST. I'm happy for you, and a little envious.

I can't wait to see pictures, we'
ll have to have a picture party when you get back.

The Gearharts said...

Sarah,

Remember when you filled out all that paper work for survivor or was it the mole. Now you can apply to many reality shows and have a heck of a lot to say and now I think you are a shoe-in. If you did the Amazing race, you would have a head start on where to go and how to get there!

Trivia question:... Who was the first known human to summit Mt. Everest??

Anonymous said...

Sarah,
With all due respect to another's custom, I'm curious about the dead man. Did they prop open his mouth so you could stick your finger in his mouth to give him a drink or do they pry open his mouth with their finger? I'm really enjoying your trip, thanks for including everyone.
Blessings,
Connie

Anonymous said...

YEAH EVERYBODY! Sarah may be out of pocket for a while as she is off playing on Mt Everest and taming animals at the wildlife reserve.

How are all of you doing? Anything new?

Anonymous said...

This made me think of Indira Ghandi, India's only female PM, after her assaination in 1984. Of course it was televised all over the world and I remember her son setting torch to her "creamatorium" and watching it burn for hours. I googled cremation and guess what I found!
THE CREMATION OF SAM MCGEE by Robert W. Service. Everyone would enjoy reading this. We Floyds have heard it recited over and over and over and over.

Lisa said...

Well, since you asked, Amy, I'm turning blue . . . I think my blood oxygen levels are diminishing and very soon I will be unconscious which will actually be a good thing because I won't be able to hold my breath any longer and my pulse/ox rate will stablize and return to normal. It's a good thing, but who knew I could hold my breath for this long??? Apart from that, nothing new to report. What about you?

Anonymous said...

Mrs. Floyd, I googled and found the poem read by Johnny Cash. It was a very vivid recitation, but the end was too cute! And Edmund Hilary was the first know HUMAN to summit Mt. Everest in 1953, but that leads me to ask is there a first known animal? But Hilary did have a quote that I am inclined to agree with. 'As Edmund Hillary, however, pointed out when asked about the possibility he was not the first to reach Everest's summit, "The point of climbing Everest should not be just to reach the summit. I'm rather inclined to think that maybe it's quite important, the getting down."'
And Amy...as everyone can see since I don't have anything new to read from Sarah I am simply surfing the web. Much safer than surfing the ocean--especially since I can't swim.

Anonymous said...

Jana, I adore THE CREMATION OF SAM MCGEE!!! Seriously, I read it aloud to myself (in funny voices) and just giggle! It's a great winter-time story!

Elaine, you are our trivia queen!

Lisa, Lisa, are you okay? That's about all I remember from my last CPR class w/Resusci-Annie. Hang in there 'til Amy comes back. She's a nurse.

Anonymous said...

I love you guys. You are so funny.

Lisa - I am sorry you had to pass out, but I am glad you are breathing again. If you fell far(which you are tall) you may need to take care of the injuries from the fall. You may have a headache. Lay flat on the couch or bed...that gets the most oxygenated blood to your brain. DON'T DO THAT AGAIN! That is my educated advise.

Mom Jana - I read The Cremation of Sam Mcgee too. It was funny and strange. I am learning so much on Sarah's trip. You may want to take a look at Lisa.

Elaine - What poem by Johnny Cash are you talking about? YOU ARE THE WINNER. It was Sir Edmund Hillary. I think he was a New Zealander. Jeff can tell you more about that.

Angie - I love to see you around the web. You have the best comments. I love your sweet funny spirit.

My 4 year old is screaming and crying from the bathroom because I asked her to wipe herself(Poop not for peepee). Now she is screaming she wants Daddy (to which I always reply "I do too sweetie") I want to go on a long trip to!..with people that can wipe themselves. Shouldn't a four year old be able to wipe themselves? Jana and advice here?

The Gearharts said...

You are correct!!! Sir Edmund Hillary... and beating me to the punch on the New Zealand angle is... Amy G. We are on the field with 2 families from New Zealand and they are a little touchy about world history.... let me just warn you, don't talk to them about the wright brothers being the first in the air. Without the help of Google... who knows approximately how tall Mt. Everest is?

Elaine, good job! Your prize is Lasagna but you will have to come to my house here in Mexico to claim it. I like the idea of the climb and the descent. Both aspects of life being equally important... hmmm... I think there is something there. If we all look for the mountain top experience all the time and do not pay attention to the "getting down" we miss more than half the journey. Believe me... the older I get the more I realize that life is about the journey and that the lows ARE as important as the highs.

Anonymous said...

What country was Sir Hilary from? This was a question on Millionaire tonight.

Toilet training advice: My first thought was monkey see, monkey do; then I remembered the video of the chimpanzees. 4 years old can, but they don't always do a good job.

May 2006 someone found JC's recitation of the poem in a file named "personal", and as I understand, it is on the new CD just realeased or soon to be released.

Anonymous said...

I'd love to hear Johnny Cash read anything!

Speaking of... I've never been much of a Rosanne Cash fan, but her latest (Black Cadillac) was written after losing her dad, mom and stepmother within the period of only a couple of years and takes on all those emotions. I play "God Is In The Roses" and especially "The World Unseen" over and over and over... Those songs take me places.

And now back to your regularly scheduled Sarah program...

Anonymous said...

WOO HOO! I'd travel all the way to Katmandu for some lasagna! And for all of you wanting to hear Johnny Cash read the poem here is the web address http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5391456
There is a small icon at the top of the page you can click on to hear him read it.I too enjoy his work.

tim rush said...

Elaine, let me say that I've been to Jeff and Amy's and had the Lasagna and it is worth the trip. And have Jeff give you some surf lessons while you're there!

Kim and I just listened to the Cremation of Sam McGee. She'd heard it before but it was new to me. Very cool.

For some reason it reminded me of the time we cremated my uncle in Mississippi. He had fallen into a vat of homemade wine his boys were making. They tried to pull him out but he fought them off playfully. Sad time. He burned for three days.

Anonymous said...

Elaine, thanks for that link... LATE last night I turned out all the lights and sat in front of the fireplace and listened! It was so fun!

And Sarah... today my prayer is that all of these thrills will be kidstuff when compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus your Lord! In Him you live... and move... and find your being!

Anonymous said...

Tim, would that be the time you came to Mississippi and couldn't bring any books across the border b/c they were banned?

Yeah, that was the year we had that awesome roadkill Thanksgiving dinner! Some years are just better than others.

Anonymous said...

OK everyone; If you google poems by Robert W. Service you will see his picture as well as some other poems. I want to know who you think he looks like

tim rush said...

They tried to stop me from bringing the books into Mississippi. Ended up, though, that none of the cops could prove thems were books.

Amanda said...

We feel so lucky to be able to live through your adventure. We continue to pray for your health and safety. Keep having fun and thank you for including us all in this!

Sarah said...

Ok, you guys don't even need me. You can certainly entertain yourselves. We made it back to Katmandu, but are leaving for Mumbai today. I'll post as soon as I can because I have a load to fill you all in on.

BTW, Sir Edmund Hillary is from New Zealand. I learned that from teaching second grade.

Lisa said...

Sarah, we've only been entertaining ourselves because we're forced to--it helps stave off fear and irrational behaviors such as holding one's breath for many days until you were safely back with your computer. I don't know who felt they would do such a thing, completely mental, if you ask me.

I learned Sir Edmund Hillary was from New Zealand by watching the Lord of the Rings Discs Special Features 947 times and seeing where he came to visit the set one day and met all the actors.

Anonymous said...

I don't know of ANYONE that would hold their breath that long. BUT some of us may have been forced back to recluse like behavior--simply living isolated existences by the computer doing nothing more than surfing the web for jeopardy and millionaire answers.

So see how dull some of our lives would be without you?! Come back soon!