Welcome to Anna’s Diary

On life, health and nature

anna-falcon

  • Chitwan – the heart of the jungle

    Today I travelled five hours to the Chitwan National Park, where the rhinos, elephants, tigers, leopards, and birds are. We passed the flood, and it was dark due to the mud. People are missing, and there are people waiting for phone calls that never come again.

    A glimpse of a tiger

    I am a lifelong member of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), and I am very happy to learn that people work to preserve the wildlife in Nepal. Snakes are captured in the villages and carried back to the jungle again. The little rhinos are protected from the tigers till they grow up. And so on.

    There are so many activities during the daytime, so I am totally exhausted in the evenings. No time for reading because I need to write my memories from the day. Instead, I have learnt a lot from the local people.

    Tonight I am sleeping very close to a river where we spotted crocodiles earlier. I do hear birds and the cicadas, wishing that I had this sound every evening. It is so peaceful. Getting up early to meet the sunrise again.

    Sunset Chitwan

  • Dashain festival and floods

    A big festival is beginning in Nepal. Unfortunately, a river has flooded and swept away houses and bridges. Please see BBC News:

    https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ck86zppejjw3o

    I feel so sorry about this. I got this as a little present, and it feels like I am participating in traditions. People are very friendly.

    My deepest thoughts and prayers for Nepal in this dual festival-flood moment 🙏

    Dashain festival

  • World Peace Pagoda

    I woke up very early to see the Annapurna Himalaya. I sure am lucky because the other day was cloudy, so you couldn´t see anything.

    A beautiful day. Professor Thapa has a nephew in Pokhara, and I met him today. We made an excursion to a Pagoda on a hill. Swedish mountains are hills. Mountains are those with snow on top.

    The Pagoda felt so close, but there were many steps to walk before reaching the Pagoda.

    I will write more later, and I would just like to add some memories and write more a little later.

    Professor Thapas nephew
    World Peace Pagoda
    The Pagoda
    The lake with all fish

  • Good morning Machhapuchhare 🇳🇵

  • Machhapuchhare

    I feel overwhelmed again by the view outside my window. I have a little balcony, and I couldn´t resist taking a photo even though it is dark. Machhapuchhare (the fishtail) is hiding in the darkness. It is a great feeling knowing that the fishtail mountain is there. Sharing the photos below. It feels sacred, and I understand religion in this moment.

    Machhapuchhare, the fishtail mountain
    Pokhara

    They say I have been lucky. Yesterday, the fishtail wasn’t visible. Now, of course, it cannot be seen. I’m getting up early to see the mountain at sunrise.

  • Hello Pokhara

    The flood

    Last evening, professor Thapa called me and told me that the road to Pokhara from Kathmandu has cracked. I had planned to go by bus. But now I had to quickly change and book a flight instead.

    I was lucky since there were flights left. Right now I am waiting at Kathmandu domestic airport. This flight will only take 25 minutes. The atmosphere is buzzing. Everybody is so friendly.

    Last night there was a huge thunderstorm. I feel safe, and I am not afraid. I have been very well taken care of. It is also a different, vibrant mode compared to Sweden. You have to rapidly adapt to a new situation.

    I found some news about the flood. A lot of people have lost their lives. I am happy to read that help from abroad is present. Nepal is recovering.

  • Patan, a part of Kathmandu

    Today has also been overwhelming with new, great impressions. I had a fun day with professor Thapa’s niece. Kathmandu is mainly divided into three main areas, and Patan is one of them. She showed me houses from 1700th century. Beautiful buildings that are preserved.

    Patan

    These pictures are seize-the-day moments. These girls started to wave at us, and we joined them for a little while. Aparna is taking the photo.

    A very fun and lovely moment

    Aparna showed me the museum in Patan. She liked having photos and she told me that when people wanted to hide they closed the window from the courtyard. You can watch the street from the house, but people on the street cannot see you.

    Non transparent windows
    Hide and seek

    We went for a long walk and had lunch on a restaurant rooftop. It was lovely to sit for a while and enjoy the atmosphere. I told Aparna that I find this all very exotic—the old buildings, the bustling traffic with all the scooters, the beautiful colors and plants, and so on.

    Professor Thapa´s niece Aparna
    Fresh vegetables