This is Axel again. We are exactly a week away from leaving and of the million things I am going to miss about Nepal, collecting orchids is going to have to be up there in the top ten. Since I got here I have been going out with Debendra (our driver) and getting all the different kinds I can. I think we have collected over 40 different orchids. Here are some pictures of the most recent outing with Xay.
Monday, August 10, 2009
My Orchids of Nepal
Xay up some tree getting and orchid. The little guy is like a spider monkey on Mountain Dew. The fun part is watching him hang on with one hand while trying to rip down the orchid with the other.
After the most recent outing with Xay. Our haul before we potted them and hung them on the trees. I love it when they are blooming and we get them.
Me congratulating Xay after getting a really hard and great orchid. My dad used to make me go up trees and get them in Mexico when I was about the same age. Glad Xay has some pictures of him doing the same thing.
His orchid. My mom painted an orchid I got in Mexico. I am going to paint this one for Xay.
Xay getting the orchid I am going to paint. He had to climb up pretty high through lots of branches. But he got it!
Xay getting another kind of orchid during the same trip.
Small flower. Some kind of bulbophilum. I am not going to find out what they are. Too much to do. Plus my dad will be able to identify them.
THis flower was no bigger than a centimeter or two across. It actually came with a larger orchid I collected and I didn't even know it was on it until it bloomed.
A vanda! Vandas are my favorite orchids and I was so happy to collect one for real in the wild. I got this one down south on a business trip. The next one is the most common orchid here, airedes multifloral.
This is the flower of an orchid Xay got (picture above)
A dendrobium of some kind. I got about five different kinds while I was here. Beautiful flowers, but they don't last a long time. The next one I got climbing out over a waterfall in Pokhara. Almost died, but it is pretty when it blooms! I think it is an ariedes as well. 
Some cymbidium above and the closeup of the ariedes below.
This one had a great smell to it. And it looked like a small angel flying...
Another kind of dendrobium. I think that means finger in latin, and that is exactly what they look like sticking out of the tree they are on. THe one below was one Debendra got really high in a tree and it bloomed about a month after we got it. Very small flower. Some type of bulbofilum.
I have no idea what this one was. It looks like a cymbidium, but the leaves are all wrong. Really pretty though and bloomed for a good two or three weeks. The below one is another kind of cymbidium. Very pretty.
Some future butterfly.
More shots of my favorite vanda.
Cant get enough of this guy.
Another kind of dendrobium
Dendrobiums are cool because there is nothing and then one day and explosion of flowers.These are just a few of the ones we got. I gave most of them away to my friends here, but some I am leaving for the next tenet of the house.
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Kurta Day
Even though Deondra and my mom were hours away from getting on a plane and I am days away from leaving Nepal for good, we chose the most logical and efficient thing to do--go to the salon. Deondra also declared it was a kurta day so we all wore our kurtas. Nails must look good while traveling. After all those hours on the plane one must have something happy to look at.
After the salon, we celebrated all the recent birthdays: mom's, Sedona's and Sarita's. It was a party. We even spontaneously gave the birthday a pirate theme as those were the only napkins I could find. We even found Gurkha knives as props.
Memorable. Definitely memorable.
Friday, August 7, 2009
Qatar
As of yesterday, it is official. We are moving to Doha, Qatar. It is a small country on the Persian Gulf. It is surrounded by Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE (Dubai). The move doesn't have anything to do with the safety issues in Nepal. Axel was offered a promotion. He will be the Country Manager over 4 countries (Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait and Qatar). Careerwise, it is a good move for our family.
Axel and I went to visit this past weekend and what a change. It took us the whole time to get over the culture shock. I think it was worse knowing that we were going to actually move there. Although it is so much like Dubai (but smaller) I still couldn't visualize our family living anywhere else outside of Nepal. Even knowing my life in Dubai, I have been forever changed since I have lived in Nepal.
I would be lying if I said I was overly excited about the move. Yes, Doha has electricity; yes, it has clean water; yes, it has beaches and civilization; and no, it doesn't have visible garbage. However, there is a soul that is missing. I have realized I am a Third World kind of gal. I enjoy the messiness and chaos that is Nepal. I knew my stay here would not be forever, but I can't help but be saddened that it ended much too quickly.
During our trip to Doha we looked for housing and schools. Despite the economic downturn, and unlike Dubai, Qatar has a very healthy and growing economy. Housing is extremely expensive (our temporary 3 bedroom apartment will cost the same as our 10 bedroom house here). The schools are packed and despite the $16,000 tuition per kid, no more applications are accepted. Children are put on a waiting list the year before they begin class. It has been discouraging. We may put the kids in a well-known Lebanese private school. We will see. School starts in two weeks.
We will be bringing our one didi, Sarita. She lived in Kuwait for 5 years before she worked for us. She is familiar with the Middle East and has family that lives there. Kopila decided she wanted to stay in Nepal and we have found her a US family who will employ her in October. Axel has worked something out for the rest of our staff. We will be bringing our driver, Devendra, when Axel's visa is completed and we have living quarters for him. Devendra also has a brother in Qatar.
I was a little comforted during our visit because I saw so many Nepalese people. They have the highest concentration of Nepalis per capita in the world. I seemed to use 'Namaste' far more than 'Salam Alaykum' during my visit. I don't appreciate the Nepali people nearly enough. They are humble, kind, and good-hearted people. I just wanted to hug every single Nepali I saw. I am glad I will be surrounded by them in Doha.
The transition won't be fun, but I am used to it. I am excited about the new adventure but a huge piece of my heart is in Nepal. The chances of me ever returning to this country are small. Maybe to visit, never to live. I will miss the people, the weather, and the colourful soul of Nepal. We will be making the move in about a week and a half. I must absorb all of Nepal's goodness. From today, the heat is on.
Literally.
A & F in Nepal
Deondra and my mom are leaving today (sob). It has been nonstop fun and I am going to mourn their absence. Axel and I had a short vacation in Doha, Qatar. It wasn't much of a vacation because we were looking for schooling and housing--an impossible task in Qatar apparently. We are officially moving to Doha in a week and a half. More on that later...
My other cute niece, Lauryn:
loves Abercrombie & Fitch. It worked out well because that is the one and only name brand in Nepal.
As a result, we bought some clothing on her behalf at the only mall in all of Kathmandu. A & F is worn by everyone in Nepal because it is so cheap. Here is the break down:
T-shirt - $7.
Long sleeve: $10.
Hoodie: $12.
Sweat pants: $12.
As opposed to the foreign label that can be seen on the other side of the tag:
Here is her back to school assortment:
For me, the name brand was Polo and Ralph Lauren. Now, it is the naked-men-and-women-who think-they-are-so-much-better-than-others brand that is ever so popular. Is it true you can't apply at A & F because you must be asked in order to get a job there? Is it also true that the staff moto is: 'Make sure you aren't friendly because you must show the customer that they are not as cool as you'?
Ha! How they would shutter if they saw where A&F clothing is also sold and worn. It also just goes to show how marketing works: Put a hot naked gay man in a pair of jeans and mark the price up by 200%. Somehow, it sells.
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Sacrament at Home
We received a warning from the Embassy that all Christian churches have been threatened (again) by the Hindu extremists. Last time they used a pressure cooker bomb filled with nails and killed 3 people and injured 15 at a Catholic Church. The LDS church headquarters gave us the okay to hold sacrament at home, so we did.
We tried to stay true to the normal sacrament agenda. We had prayer, sang songs, and bore testimony. For the opening, Axel even announced that Grandma and Deondra will be leaving next week. No one was in favor, everyone opposed.
Deondra was sad because all the boys fancied her and she met some new friends. She was definitely the Belle of the Ball last week. Instead, we dressed up and had sacrament and testimony meeting in our living room. Socially, it wasn't quite as fun.
We tried to stay true to the normal sacrament agenda. We had prayer, sang songs, and bore testimony. For the opening, Axel even announced that Grandma and Deondra will be leaving next week. No one was in favor, everyone opposed. 
Axel and I will be leaving for Doha, Qatar tomorrow. We will be exploring. I am looking forward to the flight. No kids. Need I say more?
Chitwan #4
I have been to Chitwan before as you can read about here, here, and here. I was satisfied with going 3 times until Deondra came. How could one come to Nepal without riding an elephant? You can't. So we did. It was such a memorable experience for her and I am glad we made the trip down south.
Just the girls
The rhino became very aggressive after a while. He was looking for some alone time and 6 elephants circling him (with strange creatures in funny wooden seats starring at him) did not make him happy. 
On a ship without a captain. (He needed a potty break in the bush). 
Visiting the elephant nursery. 
A wild pig hanging out at the breeding center.
Washing the elephants.
Sporting mom's ingenious invention.
A final ride through the man-eating crocodile river. Please note the huge crack on the side of the boat. What you can't note is Heavah's sheer terror of the possibility of tipping over.
It will be my last trip down to Chitwan, which is just fine with me. We have been there, done that, and got the runs to prove it.
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