My Nepali Family Homestay In A Remote Village

After I arrived to Nepal for the first time, I met a guide, Nira Lama Tamang, on day 4 who invited me to stay with him and his family for a few weeks and I jumped at the chance. The next day he took me to his home (after a full day of bus travel) called "The Villa Rangi Zangi", and met his wife, Laku Maya, his son, Lakpa (8), and youngest daughter Layul (5) who greeted me with open arms and a housewarming ceremony. I later learned that I was the first foriegner to stay at their home in 7 years (following an Austrian relief worker who found this place upon his 7th trip to Nepal). So here I was in a small village called Thulo Parsel (about 50 miles northeast of Kathmandu approx. 4000 feet above sea level) in the Kavre Palanchok province of Nepal with a generous, kind, humble, warm, and loving family.

During my time here, I have been treated with royalty with amazing home cooked meals of a variety of vegetables (corn, beans, and various greens) grown in their yard, as well as buffalo meat, maiz (corn) beer and corn vodka. I watched the conducting of various rituals including the sacrifice of a live chicken that would later be dinner, and have taken part in a Buddhist tantric drumming circle (which wasn't quite my thing, but was great to have experienced) After my first week, I became a bit of a celebrity there and was invited to a local wedding ceremony in the village. It was expected of me to break out in dance at the wedding (with the help of the corn vodka). I have truly been living in abundance as does the typical Nepali. They may not have much material wealth, but they have something even more valuable...kind, happy, generous and loving, hearts.

Spending time here, I have been observing a typical day for the local Tamang people which includes feeding the buffalo, goats, and chickens, tending their crops of corn, beans, tomatoes and other produce. Their uses of buffalo I found very interesting. In addition to milking the female buffalo, I have beared witness to a de facto ‘pimping out’ of male buffalo to owners of females and saw them in the act of fornicating. The buffalo dung is also of value as it is gathered, saved and used in a process of extracting methane gas used for cooking and heating.

I n addition to my daily observations, I generally occupied my day by relaxing in the hammock, indulging in yoga/meditation, and walks along the mountains between villages. I agreed to volunteer teaching English at the local school for a week or so and will be headed back shortly. Internet is hard to come by there so further updates will come as circumstance allows.