UBC Midwifery Nepal 2016: No fly days

April 29-30...May 1

We were supposed to fly back to Kathmandu yesterday. The thick dust that has made itself semi-permanent in the valley foiled our plan. We were up early and hauled all our luggage through town only to discover through some mix up our vehicle had left. But there was another vehicle for us. Unfortunately it had a very flat tire, but no problem, some men set about to fix it! We were optimistic about the flight because we really need to get back to Kathmandu. Nani has to work and we are meant to help MIDSON get ready for the conference. Finally we found another vehicle and headed off. We were left with all of bags of gear and training supplies on a gravel pile. We decided to read to pass the time. As the heat increased and the dust resisted clearing our hope of leaving dissipated. Now we needed to make another plan. By this point our driver had already filled the vehicle with 6 others who decided they would go by land to Nepalgunj. 7 hrs for one day along the roads I have been describing and then another day where they would be 2 hrs of pavement. I thought that idea sounded wretched. I feel like a milkshake when we travel by vehicle around 1 hr. I cannot imagine what 7-14 would feel like! Anyways, they headed off in the vehicle, which by then we had all noticed had a weak tire – so dangerous. And then we were there on the gravel pile just waiting.

Soon we were surrounded by the Mugu version of street children. They kept inching their way closer to us and our bags and Cathy was getting me to sit on or near the most valuable bags. Then they began to throw rocks at each other, some of which were getting close to me. At that point I began to develop sensory overload – the heat, the dust, and the noisy children. Finally, the airport security came and asked the children to leave and we were left in peace to wait. Nani had been coordinating this entire time and she gave word that Jill was able to arrange a vehicle to come and pick us up from the airport. After we waited there for many hours in the direct sun on the side of the gravel pit, a vehicle came and we headed back down to Gamghadi. I guess I celebrated too soon that I would never have to do that drive again!

It gets worse. Once we arrived back to Gamghadi we made preparations to drive to Nepalgunj in the morning if the sky was still filled with dust and smoke. I’ll save the suspense. We drove. Words cannot describe what it is like to crawl along averaging 8kpm for 10.5hrs but that is what we did on our first day to the soundtrack of a squeaking vehicle or looped Nepali music. I think Nepali music has been designed for Nepali roads...this one song we heard dozens of times probably lasts 15min! The road is sometimes pillowing dust, sometimes hard stones and every variety of rut in between. Do you remember the game popcorn on the trampoline as children? That is what it felt like bouncing along trying not to be too stiff or too loose for fear of bouncing off the sides or the roof. Cathy made herself a neck brace out of a towel and it may have saved her. She was even able to sleep for a bit, I have no idea how! We had been told it would take 7 hours to get to Karikot centre, Manmo. Not so, we only stopped for a total of 45min. and it took 10.5hrs. In Manmo we were lucky to find accommodation and fell to sleep after some dal bhat. Nani and I did not sleep so well but Cathy took the right concoction of anti-inflammatory medication and slept well.

At some point near the end of Day 1 we started to encounter patches of rough pavement and some road markers, both a welcome relief. At first the road markers were depressing. We would drive for a half hour and only go 4-5km. But then it was also an indication that those kms would never need to be driven by us again! I started talking to myself the way I would talk to a laboring woman – that one is done, you will never see it again. :) And we had a destination, not a new baby but a flight to Kathmandu! I am not sure why seeing the numbers helped – it meant nothing as far as timing but knowing there was an end, a destination helped.We had been told that Nepalgunj was 100km for Surkhet and now we had an indication of where Surkhet was. By the time we arrived in Manmo at dusk we had 154km left to get to Surkhet.

I would say the end of Day 1 was my lowest point of the trip. The stress of bouncing up and down the mountainside and the accompanying body and headache. At one point I laughed to myself because we were down in the valley and it would only be a 500ft. roll off the cliff and I thought “If we went off the road here it might not be so bad.” Better than the thousands of feet we had been in the hour before! The scenery on Day 1 was very beautiful. We left dusty dry Mugu and worked our way up into the forest. The air was cooler, a bit cleaner and there were lots of nice vistas. We also had the comfort of following the beautiful Karnali river. Occasionally I wanted a swim but mostly I just wanted to keep going, to endure the drive as long as I could so that it could be over.

Day 2 we left around 5:30am. Our driver Ganesh said if we left at 7am we would get there by 3pm. Cathy and I voted to leave earlier since we and especially Nani wanted to make the plane, as Ganesh’s estimate of 2 more hours to Manmo the night before had turned into 5. Thank goodness we did! Although Day 2 was easier driving, bits of pavement with regular rock or mudslide wash outs, it was still very windy, and bumpy and slow going. When we finally reached pavement that was wide enough for 2 vehicles to pass our driver still insisted on driving in the middle of the road, honking frequently around corners (as was done the entire ride) and swerving at the last minute around the oncoming jeep, bus or truck. I have to say his driving expertise is in the very rough rock and dirt roads and not so much the pavement – mind you everyone coming at us was doing the same thing so it seems the custom in that part of Nepal. And although I imagined a smooth, straight 2 lane road from Surkhet to Nepalgunj, it was not the case. The road still was washed out in places. Most of the pavement was one strip down the centre, and it was windy most of the way. 10.5hrs later we were in Nepalgunj. So it took us around 10 hours to drive 254km on day 2. When we reached the flat tarai I counted over 200 people riding bicycles on the road in less than 30min. Bicycle transport is very common here which made me happy.

Probably the 15th police check stop...

Back in Kathmandu having showered, eaten and slept on a good bed I can say it was type 2 fun but the journey definitely pushed my physical and mental limits. I think walking would have been easier because then I would've felt I had accomplished something!

Another point is that some mix up resulted in all of our flights being cancelled, even the one from Nepalgunj to Kathmandu! If this had happened to me in Canada I would have been outraged. And Nani was, but in true Nepali last minute spirit I knew something would work out. And it did. Nani spent a good portion of Day 2 on the phone when we had service trying to get in contact with Tara air and our travel agent. Thanks to Nani and her Tara air contact we found out about mid-day that we would indeed have a flight out of Nepalgunj that evening. Another delay averted! As we moved into the tarai I started to notice the forest had been burnt. I would say between Surkhet and Nepalgunj over 70% of the forest was charred. It was so sad. We had seen a few fires on our trip (including one on the hill just across from our hotel one night!) and had remarked many a time how devastating it would be if someone's cigarette were carelessly discarded. And here was acres and acres of evidence of how devastating it actually is. We found out later when we returned to Kathmandu that the haze that had descended on Mugu was not only dust, but also smoke from many nearby fires.

I would like to take a step back now and reflect on some details of our trip that I have not mentioned yet. First of all let me introduce you to Ratna and her family. Ratna was our host at Unique Guest House in Mugu. She was so sweet and kind to us. In the morning one of her family members would make their way up 3 ladders with dudh chia (Nepali milk tea) that I would drink in bed, still curled up in my sleeping bag liner. Although I spent each night trying to find the right balance of blankets underneath for softness to ease my bruised hip bones, and on top to prevent chills from the wind slipping through the cracks in our walls, and although we had to climb up and down to the squat toilet and dank shower stall for a cold bath, our hosts were so gracious that I really enjoyed our time there. It felt like camping in a tree house on the wooden top story of our stone house. Whenever we needed water for washing they would carry it to the house by hand. We did our best to use little water because we saw how difficult it was to carry the water to the house and up the 3 stories to the sink on our floor. For breakfast Ratna would make us boiled eggs and takari (potato curry) and fresh roti. For lunch and/or dinner we would have dal bhat and takari or boiled potatoes with chutneys of chilis (spicy) or sesame or pickled herbs. They were all tasty and we know she made them by hand on a large mortar and pestle. I do not mind eating dal bhat and takari and boiled potatoes every day. The food is good and Ratna is good to make clean food because none of us got sick which is a huge relief given the immense difficulty in getting to the bathroom in a quick way. Seeing her in the morning and the evening when we returned from our long hot, dry, dusty days was so nice. I will think of her and her kindness when I think of Mugu.