Politics and Religion in Nepal

If you're suprised to see the hammer & sickle as a part of Nepalese life, maybe you haven't been following the news recently. In fact, today as I'm making this post, people throughout Nepal-- including the Maoists -- are going to the polls to democratically elect a constituent assembly. (After years of guerilla warfare, the Maoists have agreed to participate in a democratic election.) So, it was fascinating as we were trekking on the first and second day to be passed on the trail by three Maoists who were "showing the flag" and trying to persuade voters.

Then ... once we'd concluded our trek and had some time in Kathmandu, we encountered numerous "campaign vehicles" with loudspeakers blaring, representing a number of different parties. Many Nepalese are nervous about the election since the Maoists -- and others -- have resorted to intimidation and scattered pre-election violence. For the sake a country that in many ways needs to emerge from the dark ages, one can only pray for a positive outcome.

As for religion, Nepal is predominately a Hindu country (80%), but in the area we visited (near Tibet), it is mostly Buddhist. In Tengboche our schedule included a visit to the Buddhist monastery where in the freezing cold (it had snowed lightly overnight) we sat on the floor for 30-45 minutes listening and observing the monks as they chanted the morning "service." It was a mystery to me as to whether the chants were actually prayers to the gods, or whether they were a form of spiritual discipline designed to lead one into a sense of peace or enlightenment. The monastery was not heated, and even though electric light bulbs hung from the ceiling, they were not used. Jim & Sara Orvick are pictured with two monks following "the service." .
One of the interesting things about our trek was that at almost every high point in the trail we encountered a "Stupa," or a small representation of a temple. For reasons that were never explained, we were instructed always to walk on the left side of the stupa, rather than the right. At most formal temples there were rows and rows of "prayer wheels" (cylinders with Hindi inscriptions) that people, as they walked by, would send spinning with a flick of the wrist in hopes that in the multiplicity of "prayers" ascending to the gods, they would be blessed. - rw
P.S. - Our blog wouldn't be complete without a picture of Nancy and Pemba, her "faithful Indian companion" (actually, Nepalese!). The picture was taken on an especially difficult trekking day when it had snowed the night before. Pemba was so faithful and reliable helping Nancy around scary corners of the trail that had steep drop-offs on one side. He also carried about 5 gal. of drinking water in his backpack to replenish our water bottles when needed. Perhaps unfortunately for Pemba, he usually ended up bringing up the rear of our trekking group -- the position where Nancy and I invariably found ourselves!

P.P.S. - One of the most spectacular Himalayan peaks is Ama Dablam (pictured behind the four of us) at 22,493'. It certainly doesn't approach the height of Everest, but it was always much more in the foreground while we were trekking. Very impressive!