4/10/16

Huge crowd in the festival "`Pahachare"

Pahachareのすんごい人

jai bhadra kali maa
If you visited Kathmandu, you were stuck in this crowd. People are celebrating the Pahachare festival.
This worships godess, Jai Bhadra Kali Maa. This is three-day-festival of the Newar community.
People invite their married daughters and sisters an friends home for a grand feast on the second and third days. The festival begins every year on the Chaitra Krishna Pakcha Chaturdashi which is second half of a lunar month. Chaitra Krishna Pakcha Chaturdash seems to be in Hindi Calendar.

Pahachare

4/7/16

On the top of buses

バスの上で

Indian blockade
Since India blockaded the boarder with Nepal in last September, Nepal have been facing shortage of fuel and medical supplies. Even after India stopped it and opened the trade routes, Nepali people have been suffering from shortage of fuel.

Nepalese constitutional changes which were done in last September triggered it.

Actually Indian government denied the fact. But I saw many many many motorbike's and taxis' lining up to gas. And my Nepali friends told me that they were complaining about the raising price of gas. Since Nepal doesn't have any oceans surrounding it, most supplies are from India. Most of snacks and foods I introduced in this blog are actually Indian products.
Isn't it Violation??
This picture shows they don't have enough buses bringing people. Passengers are sitting on the top of bus...
I don't know their long histories but don't figure out why India thinks that they are allowed to do it. Because they are two different sovereign countries. Each could never be violated. Even it was an unofficial blockade, it is never allowed, I think.
インドによる封鎖
去年の9月にネパールに接した国境をインドが封鎖して以来、ネパールは燃料や医療用品の不足に対峙しています。。インドが封鎖をやめて物資ルートを開放したあとでも、ネパールの人たちはまだ燃料不足に苦しんでいるんです。

9月のネパールの改憲が引き金でした。
インド政府はその事実を否定しました。でも、わたしは大変な数のバイクやタクシーがガスを求めて列をなしているのを見ました。ネパールの友達も、ガス料金の値上がりをぼやいていました。ネパールは海を持っていないので、多くの生活品はインドから来ます。わたしがこのブログで紹介した食べ物なども、ほとんどインド産です。
侵害では?
この写真では、十分なバスが走っていないことがわかります。バスの屋根に座っています。
両国の長い歴史は正直わかりませんが、インドがこのようなこをして許されると思っていることが解せないです。だって両国とも主権国家なわけですから。それぞれ侵害できないはず。正式な封鎖じゃないにしても、そんなこと許されない、と思う。

4/6/16

Nepali "Oyatsu"(snack) foods

ネパールのおやつフード

Nepali local snacks are yummy and healthy.
Since Nepal is a multiracial and multicultural country and additionally has three neighboring-countries, it represents the broader diversity of food too.But you can find common ingredients in Nepalese foods like lentils and potatoes, cumin, coriander, chilies, peppers, garlic
You can enjoy foods influenced by Tibet and India, Newal and others even you are just in Nepal.I make a list of foods I have tried here.
Ah Curries and Momo are absolute foods. You can see them here. 

ネパールは多民族、多文化国家で、3国に囲まれているため、食べ物も多岐にわたります。でも、ネパールの食べ物によくある食材はあって、レンズ豆、ジャガイモ、クミン、コリアンダー、チリ、胡椒、ガーリックです。
ネパールにいるだけでチベットやインド、ネワール族などの影響を受けた食べ物を楽しめます。わたしが食べたことのあるものをリストアップ。
 ちなみにカレーとモモは別格でこちらをどうぞ。
Thukpa
It is like Japanese Ramen containing bits of meat and vegetables. Noodles are thick. This roots in Tibet and influenced by China.
トゥクパ
ラーメンみたいな感じでお肉と野菜が入っています。麺は太麺。チベット料理のひとつで、中国の影響も受けているそう。

4/5/16

The adorable destroyer in Kathmandu Durbar Square

The cute destroyer in the Durbar Square

ダルバール広場のかわいい破壊王

Kala Bhairava
At the first sihgt, I didn't think it is a diety. Because it has somehow a humorous appearance. It has big eyes and big accessories, big stomach.
This is a Hindu deity, Kala Bhairava. Kala Bhairava is a fierce manifestation of Lord Shiva. Shiva is the third god in the Hindu triumvirate and the destroyer. The triumvirate consists of three gods(The other two are Brahma and Vishnu) who are responsible for the creation, maintain and destruction of the world. He is standing on the northern corner in the Durbar Square, Kathmandu
Kala Bhairava

4/3/16

Design your own T shrits in Thamel

自分のTシャツ作ってみよう

Custom-made-Embroidered T shirts
When I visited Thamel, I found one great thirsts shop. NEW POTALA
T shirts seems to be popular gifts from Nepal. Even the famous Japanese trip guidebook series "Chikyu no arukikata"(how to travel in the earth) on Nepal is mentioning t shirts as one of Nepali handcraft souvenirs.

In this shop you can order your custom patterned t shirt. This guy is the shop owner!
And I am so impressed with this sawing machine. it seems to be rather than vintage, not old.

This is completely customized-embroidered one. I ask him to use a single pink thread. This is for myself.


Another one went to my close friend Kazuko. I asked him to embroider the small figure of person suggesting her standing on the top of the mountain, and her name and the arrow to ready-made-embroidered one.


Your order will be ready in one day. I recommend you to get your unique souvenirs. Their prices are around 700 NRP just! nice price!

information:
Under the TNT Cargo of Ward No.29. Thamel, Kathmandu, Nepal
New Potala


オーダーメードの刺繍入りTシャツ

タメルに行ったとき、すごいTシャツ屋さんを発見しました。

ネパールのTシャツは人気みたいです。日本の有名な旅行ガイドブック「地球の歩き方」のネパール版も、ネパールのお土産のひとつにTシャツを上げています。

このお店では、オリジナルTシャツが作れます。この人店主です!このミシンすごいですよね。古いというより、ビンテージみたい。

これは完全なオリジナル刺繍もの。ピンク色の刺繍糸一本で仕立てるようお願いしました。自分用。もう一つのこれは友人のカズコ用。彼女が山の頂上にいるみたく、小さいヒト、彼女の名前の「kazuko」と矢印を、既製の刺繍ものに加えてもらいました。

次の日には出来上がり。オリジナルお土産にいいですよ。700ルピーくらいでできちゃいます。