Random pics

Here are some pics from our time here in Bharaptur which is slowly drawing to a close.  We leave here on Sunday morning for Birgunj and the Kedia Hospital.  

Making rice wine

Pam after a walk through leech territory

Peek a boo Rhino

Mike getting a bath at elephant scrub down time

Mandala for Diwalli

Trying their luck, gambling game

Diwalli lights

Chhath Festival, worshiping the sun god at sunset

Dr. Kamal and a very happy patient

Pam chatting with R.P. Kandel, SEVA rep at the hospital

Meeting with downtown clinic staff

Mike talking with the area water manager

Grandma Devi delighted with results!

Pam visited Devi this morning after her patch was removed.  The smile says it all.  Devi was telling Pam her eyesight didn't allow her to do "the small things".  Now she is heading home with her grandson to Gorkha with "20/Happy Vision"!

Bharaptur Eye Hospital - An Extraodinary Community Hospital

The Bharaptur Eye Hospital typically sees hundreds of patients every day, they serve a very large area covering all of central Nepal.  Hill people and those living down here in the central Terai all have access to it's services. 

Services include retinal, cataract and strabismus surgery on an outpatient basis for the most part. Other services include minor eye treatments as required.  They also have an awesome outreach program that has teams of hospital staff taking their expertise out to the people in the remote areas.

Below is an 81 year old from Gorkha who traveled to the hospital with her grandson to get her cataracts operated on.

Pam working with some of the Ophthalmic Assistants.  Dr. Gopal Bhandari is on the left.

Devghat - A Sacred Place

A slow day at the hospital gave us time to visit one of Nepal's holiest sites at Devghat. About 5 km's from the hospital the site is on the confluence of the Trisuli and Kali Gendaki rivers. It's a peaceful location up in the hills above Bharaptur and is many Nepali's idea of a great place to die.  Elderly people come here to live out their last days as dying in Devghat means you will rest in heaven.

Seniors out for a walk

Footbridge river Crossing at Devghat

Chitwan Jungle Adventure

Diwali celebrations have been in full swing since Thursday here in Nepal, much like Christmas in Canada there are lots of lights, singing and general fun everywhere. Most businesses, including the hospital closed for the festival so we took the opportunity to visit one of Nepal's treasures' the Chitwan National Park.

Located about an hour downstream of Bharatpur on the Narayani River we found the Island Jungle Resort, a perfect base for exploration.  Elephant rides into the jungle to find rhinos, deer, boar and birds were very successful, one evening we came across ten rhinos.  A dug out canoe, not a relic, they are common on the river, took us to a large island in the river where the jungle is very thick and has Bengal tigers, sloth bears and rhinos.  While we had a great hike on the island it was a bit unnerving as your only protection if the inhabitants are hostile is to run or climb a tree.  We saw Tiger tracks and they looked way too fresh for me.

Another reason to visit the area is to get a realistic view of the local way of life and of the Tharu people in particular.  They are the original inhabitants of the Terai, long before the hill people began to move into the area in the 60's.  Their lifestyle and of most people in the area is rural, farming being their main income and food source.  Fishing in the river supplements the food supply. Almost nothing is mechanized. 

It's good to see that there are such vast areas preserved for wildlife in Nepal, with the Chitwan being only one of many.  While treking is king in Nepal if you can be sure to visit areas like the Chitwan if you can. 

By the way, thanks everyone for your comments and emails!  We have been without wi-fi while in the Chitwan so we will do our best to get back to you now that we are back in Bharatpur.

Watch Out!

Just had to add this time lapse video of traffic on the Bharaptur road!

Some Photos From Around Bharatpur

Here are a few pics from today that might give you a better sense of what Bharatpur is like.  Where we are staying is actually quite rural but the downtown is very busy, crowded and dense.  It's pretty easy going here so crowds aren't too bad to deal with.  Also, the friendly people make visiting here a great experience.

Pam has had some great success so far with the doctors and techs, they seem genuinely excited about having her here and they are already looking at making some changes.  The hospital is actually quite sophisticated with respect to staff skill levels but a number of them need a bit of help in certain procedures.

I've been support staff for Pam and have been helping with grammar/spell checking etc for a thesis submission for one of the doctors here.

Here are a few pics from the area...

Our room at the Hospital

Working with Doctor Manisha on her thesis submission, crossing the t's and dotting the i's.

Helpful eye health posters

Pam getting into the hospital transport, heading for downtown Bharatpur

Bharatpur

Doing some shopping this afternoon

Getting ready for Diwalli!

Traffic jam, what a place to loose his load of boxes!

Pam's first day

Its not every day you get to work in a hospital in Nepal but there are lingering questions, what will I do, how can I help, what facilities do they have. Those questions were put to rest this morning by Dr. Ghopal, hospital technicians and the hospital manager Tulsi.  Pam met with them and went over the program that will take us into next week here in Bharatpur. They showed Pam the classroom she will use and the facilities the hospital has for eye care.

They have a fully equipped and staffed hospital set up for learning with a new wing that is almost complete that will expand what they can offer.  Most of their procedures are for day patients only but some require an overnight stay.

The pics show Pam speaking to Dr. Ghopal and  the doctor's assistant Anjou.

Bharatpur and Eye Hospital #1

Bharaptur is only 20 minutes by plane from Kathmandu but you could be in a different country. Mountain peaks vs green plains, crowded vs spacious, noisy vs, well noisy. They seem to have the same love affair with the car horn in the country as they do in the city. To be fair, we are on the "Bypass road" linking two key highways that merge into one and head directly to India, Nepal's biggest trading partner.

We are in a rural setting just the same and there are lots of birds, butterfly's, green crops and cows. So the next 10 days will be spent here with Pam teaching at the Seva Eye Hospital. We were greated in style at the airport this afternoon with traditional Khata (simple silk scarves) draped over our shoulders in welcome. They then brought us to our accommodations that will be home during our stay, a simple room furnished with a bed a table and two large geckos. Looking forward to our Bharaptur adventure!

Avalanche stories

The recent Avalanche, snow and rain storms in the Himalaya has created a lot of anxiety and concern here in Kathmandu. We have talked to some and overheard many people work through the aftermath of their narrow escape or from those who won't continue with their trips as planned. The reality of hiking in potentially dangerous mountainous areas when faced with the tragedy that is still unfolding is too much for some. 

A quick post while I have access!