Now i know that this is a wee bit of a change from the afore mentioned itinerary but i had to tell you all about the experience that the group has just had! On Friday Me, Magnus, Ed and Julia woke up at a dedicated 5.45 am to have a big breakfast of potato and fried eggs (which seem to have become some what of a staple food here) and set on our way to Dhinesh
's house (Ed and Julia's Nepali teacher, he's wicked) this involved a route across Gorkha stadium and over a little river thing up to his house. We didn't stay for long because we had to get a bus, but before we left he put a Tika (the red and yellow splodge of powder) on to our heads. Cultural experience number 1! So we trundled on our way up to the caretakers house - his son was the one getting married- it was a vision of colour,, triangles of multicoloured flags and bright clothes. we were promptly sat down and given food, sal roti (very sweet things made of rice flour and deep fried, but not as nice when cold) things that looked like marbles, but turned out to be basically compacted sugar, drink them with tea and they just dissolve, and fluorescent pink rice stuff that was exactly like rainbow drops just in long strips. Now out here my appetite has just shrunk dramatically so having had a huge breakfast i was not good at finishing the food. so Ed munched it down. Soon there was a bit of an issue with a tie, none of them could tie it, so Ed stepped in to save the day. Hence 
the big smiles. The band started up and i don't know the names of the instruments but there is one that sounds like a kazoo but looks like a very small clarinet, cymbals, drums and huge horns that look like they are calling for battle. The groom arrived and was blessed by his mother. He wore a suit and tie (?!) and the Nepali hat , as well as a garland, sunglasses and an umbrella which apparently to keep the bird poo off... so we processed through the village, you can see the image of the procession, with the music still going, until we reached the buses. So rather than sit in the bus, we all fancied a ride ON TOP of the the bus! Oh yes, we ducked and dived under telephone cables and tree branches along with the band who were still as raucous and were actually dancing on top of the bus, which we soon named the party bus, we did have the groom inside so i guess it had to happen! we kept driving through the main part of Gorkha on the way to the brides 
house, and we kept going and kept going, until eventually we went round the side of the mountain in to the other valley, round the other side of that and then we stopped. and walked. in total around 1 1/2 hours bus ride (sore bum after sitting on the luggage rack) and 1/2 hour walk. During which the band kept playing as we processed through the country side in to the middle of rural hill side Nepal. There were hundreds of people there, crowded in to this small area around the sacred area outside the brides home. Its difficult to describe so i'll let the picture do the talking. As soon as we arrived we were handed more of the same food, which i ate little of, and also a glass of curd, not my cup of tea has to be said,even before i found out about the banana extras! We were also handed an envelope of money, which is usually given to the grooms family. I have to explain here that Westerners are good luck at a Nepali wedding, so i guess having 4 for them was bring on the boy babies (they don't like girls here much). Ed and Julias head man then rocked up and warned us about the food and said that the main meal was fine but don't eat too much of the funky stuff. The ceremony then began with the bride pouring a circle of water around the groom, and then she scurried off again, whilst the brides family then offered tikas to the groom and washed his feet, in an act of wor
ship. This went on for a while so we got up and went to have some lunch. rice, dal, veg curry, mutton, pickle and the curd stuff again. there was very limitedmutton, mostly fat. But it was a good meal none the less. We then ran in to some of Ed and Julias teachers. But that was just a bit of banter and then we headed back to the house. we discovered that the band had set up next to the cow shed and a circle had formed where there were various men, young and old, grooving around in the middle. The song which they sing over and over is like a sing off, where they sing the chorus which is like a statement, and the person in the middle sings a response. and then they dance. We resummed our position across from the bride and groom and watched the rest of the ceremony. Now i don't really understand what went on exactly in the ceremony because we didn't have someone to explain it, and our trip to Dhinesh's house yesterday was put on hold due to Ed's blossoming relationship with the bathroom, so therefore its a little hazy but i have lots of pictures. Predomiantly there was a lot of offerings made to the various different elements around the sacred area, so fire and flowers, and food. In the picture the bride is offering maze and throwing it in to the fire. and then later the bride and groom threw some in together. at one point a red blanket was placed over the bride and grooms heads, and another time a handkerchief was pinned on to the brides head and a white sheet held at one end to her forehead had orange powder sprinkled on it by the groom. Then they walked around
the sacred area several times holding on to either end of the white sheet which had had money folded in to it The whole thing was really really relaxed and everyone was smiling, except for the bride who was literally wailing. Not really what i expected at a wedding, but i guess thats arranged marriages for you! After the ceremony which lasted until 5ish the bride was out in to a basket style chair which is carried on the shoulders of some of the men up to the motorbikes which were about half way between house and buses. we then walked the rest of the way and clambered back on top of the bus., along with the band, who had just necked a bottle of whiskey. By nhow the sun was going down but we had the most amazing view straight over the valley to the mountains. We drove back, this time without magnus getting hit in the face by a tree, and with the men dancing on the roof. Mum i have to tell you now you would not have enjoyed the bus, you look straight over a sheer drop of the mountain, and if you're on top you just hold on. The other buys got stuck half way up the hill which was amusing. As we drove back through Gorkha the whole town hung out their windows and came out to see us go by. It was awesome, all the little children were around to the music that kept going the whole waywhen we got back to Saraswoti (Ed and Julia's school, which is next to the caretakers house.) we werer rounded up by some of the teenagers who took us to get food, which was practically the same except that it was bean curry.... seriously good! then we went back up to the main house, where some of the kids tried out their english on us. pretty good to be honest. Then Julia and i got roped in to dancing, not long enough for photographic evidence, but we did it! then we were requested to get the bus back to Gorkha. We were going to walk, but they insisted. Aparently the Nepalese are still afraid of ghosts and night terrors... and that was the reason we had to get the bus. To be honest i was knackered and pretty happy about this. We got home at 9ish, and being the dirtyu old stop out i am, i hit the hay immediately! Poor effort i know! Pretty full on day though, and it was amazing.So happy we got to see a big part ofthe Nepali culture! I know feel like my trip here is complete, everything else is just a bonus! Oh yeah and this is a picture of us with the proud father of the groom! i hope its not as dark as it seems here!
's house (Ed and Julia's Nepali teacher, he's wicked) this involved a route across Gorkha stadium and over a little river thing up to his house. We didn't stay for long because we had to get a bus, but before we left he put a Tika (the red and yellow splodge of powder) on to our heads. Cultural experience number 1! So we trundled on our way up to the caretakers house - his son was the one getting married- it was a vision of colour,, triangles of multicoloured flags and bright clothes. we were promptly sat down and given food, sal roti (very sweet things made of rice flour and deep fried, but not as nice when cold) things that looked like marbles, but turned out to be basically compacted sugar, drink them with tea and they just dissolve, and fluorescent pink rice stuff that was exactly like rainbow drops just in long strips. Now out here my appetite has just shrunk dramatically so having had a huge breakfast i was not good at finishing the food. so Ed munched it down. Soon there was a bit of an issue with a tie, none of them could tie it, so Ed stepped in to save the day. Hence the big smiles. The band started up and i don't know the names of the instruments but there is one that sounds like a kazoo but looks like a very small clarinet, cymbals, drums and huge horns that look like they are calling for battle. The groom arrived and was blessed by his mother. He wore a suit and tie (?!) and the Nepali hat , as well as a garland, sunglasses and an umbrella which apparently to keep the bird poo off... so we processed through the village, you can see the image of the procession, with the music still going, until we reached the buses. So rather than sit in the bus, we all fancied a ride ON TOP of the the bus! Oh yes, we ducked and dived under telephone cables and tree branches along with the band who were still as raucous and were actually dancing on top of the bus, which we soon named the party bus, we did have the groom inside so i guess it had to happen! we kept driving through the main part of Gorkha on the way to the brides 
house, and we kept going and kept going, until eventually we went round the side of the mountain in to the other valley, round the other side of that and then we stopped. and walked. in total around 1 1/2 hours bus ride (sore bum after sitting on the luggage rack) and 1/2 hour walk. During which the band kept playing as we processed through the country side in to the middle of rural hill side Nepal. There were hundreds of people there, crowded in to this small area around the sacred area outside the brides home. Its difficult to describe so i'll let the picture do the talking. As soon as we arrived we were handed more of the same food, which i ate little of, and also a glass of curd, not my cup of tea has to be said,even before i found out about the banana extras! We were also handed an envelope of money, which is usually given to the grooms family. I have to explain here that Westerners are good luck at a Nepali wedding, so i guess having 4 for them was bring on the boy babies (they don't like girls here much). Ed and Julias head man then rocked up and warned us about the food and said that the main meal was fine but don't eat too much of the funky stuff. The ceremony then began with the bride pouring a circle of water around the groom, and then she scurried off again, whilst the brides family then offered tikas to the groom and washed his feet, in an act of wor
ship. This went on for a while so we got up and went to have some lunch. rice, dal, veg curry, mutton, pickle and the curd stuff again. there was very limitedmutton, mostly fat. But it was a good meal none the less. We then ran in to some of Ed and Julias teachers. But that was just a bit of banter and then we headed back to the house. we discovered that the band had set up next to the cow shed and a circle had formed where there were various men, young and old, grooving around in the middle. The song which they sing over and over is like a sing off, where they sing the chorus which is like a statement, and the person in the middle sings a response. and then they dance. We resummed our position across from the bride and groom and watched the rest of the ceremony. Now i don't really understand what went on exactly in the ceremony because we didn't have someone to explain it, and our trip to Dhinesh's house yesterday was put on hold due to Ed's blossoming relationship with the bathroom, so therefore its a little hazy but i have lots of pictures. Predomiantly there was a lot of offerings made to the various different elements around the sacred area, so fire and flowers, and food. In the picture the bride is offering maze and throwing it in to the fire. and then later the bride and groom threw some in together. at one point a red blanket was placed over the bride and grooms heads, and another time a handkerchief was pinned on to the brides head and a white sheet held at one end to her forehead had orange powder sprinkled on it by the groom. Then they walked around
the sacred area several times holding on to either end of the white sheet which had had money folded in to it The whole thing was really really relaxed and everyone was smiling, except for the bride who was literally wailing. Not really what i expected at a wedding, but i guess thats arranged marriages for you! After the ceremony which lasted until 5ish the bride was out in to a basket style chair which is carried on the shoulders of some of the men up to the motorbikes which were about half way between house and buses. we then walked the rest of the way and clambered back on top of the bus., along with the band, who had just necked a bottle of whiskey. By nhow the sun was going down but we had the most amazing view straight over the valley to the mountains. We drove back, this time without magnus getting hit in the face by a tree, and with the men dancing on the roof. Mum i have to tell you now you would not have enjoyed the bus, you look straight over a sheer drop of the mountain, and if you're on top you just hold on. The other buys got stuck half way up the hill which was amusing. As we drove back through Gorkha the whole town hung out their windows and came out to see us go by. It was awesome, all the little children were around to the music that kept going the whole waywhen we got back to Saraswoti (Ed and Julia's school, which is next to the caretakers house.) we werer rounded up by some of the teenagers who took us to get food, which was practically the same except that it was bean curry.... seriously good! then we went back up to the main house, where some of the kids tried out their english on us. pretty good to be honest. Then Julia and i got roped in to dancing, not long enough for photographic evidence, but we did it! then we were requested to get the bus back to Gorkha. We were going to walk, but they insisted. Aparently the Nepalese are still afraid of ghosts and night terrors... and that was the reason we had to get the bus. To be honest i was knackered and pretty happy about this. We got home at 9ish, and being the dirtyu old stop out i am, i hit the hay immediately! Poor effort i know! Pretty full on day though, and it was amazing.So happy we got to see a big part ofthe Nepali culture! I know feel like my trip here is complete, everything else is just a bonus! Oh yeah and this is a picture of us with the proud father of the groom! i hope its not as dark as it seems here!
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