Amaltari Homestay | Nepal

Kinley Ragan
Sep 4, 2018 · 5 min read
Amaltari Rice Field, 3 July 2018

Traveling to Chitwan is very dependent upon weather conditions. Knowing this, I was eager to get there as soon as we could. We left early Sunday morning and took the air conditioned bus there. It was an incredible ride! We meandered through the magnificent mountains following a massive river. There were steep cliffs, tight bridges, low clouds, and gushing waterfalls. The scenery was truly spectacular. Everyone I told about us travelling to Chingaza, immediately warned us about the heat. They were not wrong. It was stiflingly hot. The minute there wasn’t a breeze on you, the minute your clothes suction cupped to your body and the water was sucked from your skin. It was crazy.

My phone was still not working. Before we left, I purchased a Nepali sim card but my phone wouldn’t stop rejecting which was incredibly frustrating. Because of these technological glitches we had some trouble getting to where we needed to go. Thankfully, Mckenna’s phone was working like a charm and she allowed me to call my contacts on it. Eventually, we were picked up by a trusted taxi driver and taken to our homestay. It was about a 2 hour additional car drive to our homestay.

Homestay family, 6 July 2018

We had the blessing of staying with Dhani Ram’s family. Dhani Ram’s eldest daughter, 18-year-old Sunita, was our main contact and she greeted us upon arrival in her traditional Tharu wear. She was stunning. As far as we could tell, the household held, Dhani Ram and his wife, Dhani Ram’s parents, and three children including Sunita. Our room was attached to their house and was super cute. After we got settled in, Sunita walked us to the river where we got to watch some neighbors fish and others bring in the cows and buffalos from the fields.

Cows, 1 July 2018

Our meals were served to us in our room. Every once in a while the grandma would come in and watch us eat. She didn’t speak any English and we didn’t speak any Tharu or Nepali so we would just smile and laugh with her. She was a lovely woman. The food was delicious. It was rice, fried spicy potatoes, chicken, and a curry soup. Sunita cooked it for us — she is an excellent cook.

The next morning, we had the intention of starting interviews but it was pouring rain. Coming from AZ, I expected this to last 15 minutes tops. Oh, how I was wrong. It lasted ALL day. From 7 am to 5pm it poured… HARD. Nonstop. The roads and fields flooded & the river rose about 12 feet in height. It was unreal. Although initially a bummer, I was able to catch up on journaling and writing medium posts and, eventually, got to read Harry Potter. So, I can’t complain. When it stopped in the afternoon, we walked to the river to see how high it had gotten. Wow. That is all I can say. We then got to walk to the community center and see inside of it. It was beautiful with spectacular murals on the inside. As we were admiring the paintings, the gentleman of the community began showing up to watch the World Cup game that was on that evening. At dusk we headed back to home and had to dodge massive frogs along the way. They were extra prevalent because of the storm.

The following afternoon, Sunita and I began interviews. Wow it was blisteringly hot. Both Tharu and Bhuti communities are within Amaltari and it was fascinating to hear the differences in their perspectives. The Bhuti community is tied very closely to fishing — it is their main harvest. The National Park heavily regulates the local fishing opportunities due to endangered species and fish stock management and this is an area of huge discontent. It is not only a livelihood for the Bhuti community but also a part of their cultural identity. To see the dichotomy between their desire to protect the ecosystem and their desire to fish for their families was incredibly intriguing.

Each house we went to has a welcome area. It is typically a circular hut with a table inside of it. If we are lucky, there is also a fan. Mckenna and I are sweating to a just out of the swimming pool level. This 90* with 90% humidity is a new beast for us. I look at Sunita and she is barely glistening. How??

Sunita & me, 6 July 2018

Everyone is so lovely and welcoming. Many were nervous to answer my questions but after getting rolling, they became more comfortable. Sunita just finished her last big test and now is waiting 6 months to hear about results and college potential. She would like to work in Microbiology and I can see that she is incredibly smart. Well, anyone who can speak two languages or more always blows my mind. Sunita speaks three.

We keep walking house to house, door to door, collecting interviews. By 7pm we are blisteringly hot, a little dehydrated, and ready to call it a day. A similar schedule occurs the next couple days until by 30 interviews are met. This process was so incredibly interesting in Nepal. Everyone had a lot to say and had really great solutions.

Getting to know Dhani Ram’s family, especially Sunita, was a true blessing. It was nice to get to do a homestay right as I was beginning to miss home. We slept under mosquito nets, showered in cold showers, and read our hearts out. It was spectacular. Before we left, Sunita dressed me in her traditional Tharu wear and we took pictures all together. I was barefoot, which was not liked while I was in the traditional wear. Sunita’s mom gave me her cute flip flops to wear and we were all laughing as my big America feet hung over the front and back. It was slightly embarrassing but also nice to have a joke that everyone understood.

Tharu traditional wear, 6 July 2018
Kinley Ragan

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wildlife | ecology | kindness | be a nice human

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