Welcome to Anna’s Diary
On life, health and nature
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Kathmandu.
I must admit that I was a little tired after travelling for many hours. So many new impressions and nice chats with people. Kathmandu is a busy town, and so is the airport. We had to wait for fifteen minutes before landing. Meanwhile waiting for a landing spot, we saw so many beautiful and fluffy clouds. And a clear blue sky on top of that.
Nepal clouds The people checking the VISA were very friendly and smiled a lot. I had to wait for my bag to get off the plane, and to my surprise, a cute Golden Retriever was sniffing for narcotics and other illegal stuff. Dogs at work!
Golden at work. I found a taxi, and the driver showed me some temples on the way to the hotel. And yes, at the beginning it was difficult to know if it was left-hand or right-hand traffic. However, the driver used a small Buddha statue to encourage a peaceful state of mind and reduce road rage.
Busy Kathmandu. -
Almost there
Despite the long journey from Stockholm to Bangkok, the trip went by very quickly. By chance, I ended up sitting next to ‘neighbour travellers’ who had previously visited Nepal. I got a crash course in the religious ceremonies practiced there. They had missed seeing the rhinos—and were also surprised that such exotic animals exist in Nepal. I hope I get to see them.
We had a few detours in the airspace, and I couldn’t resist following our route on the map. We flew south of Ukraine, crossing over the Black and Caspian Seas in the Middle East. The floods in Bangkok have receded, and there is only light rain.
Some of the Himalayas. -
The Kathmandu Post
Naturally, many thoughts crossed my mind when I learned that Nepal had been struck by a natural disaster—a massive flood triggered by a glacier collapsing from one of the Himalayan peaks. Worried friends wondered what I would do. Climate change was cited as one of the causes behind the flooding resulting from the collapse.
Unfortunately, the event did not receive much attention in Swedish news, even though thousands of people lost their lives. Here, the news cycle revolves around Russia’s aggression toward Ukraine. A Russian attack on the airport in Leipzig, Germany, served as a reminder that we need increased vigilance throughout our society.
I have started following ‘The Kathmandu Post‘ to understand Nepal better. As you know, I care deeply about animals and nature. Nepal is home to exotic wildlife such as elephants, rhinoceroses, tigers, and leopards. Nearly a thousand human lives are lost each year, which naturally creates conflict between humans and animals.
Anyway, we live in the here and now. My trip is reasonably well-planned, but given the heavy rainfall and other natural disasters, I know that changes may arise along the way.
Stay safe 🐾
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Yellow fever?
The days leading up to my trip are getting closer and closer. I will bring along the books about the Himalayas that I haven’t yet had time to read. I look forward to immersing myself in literature for a while—at least in the evenings.
Today I spoke with Professor Thapa and his lovely wife, whom I have not met before. He is still working at the university. We were able to wave to each other, and it felt just as if they were right there in my living room! I wanted to hug them. Professor Thapa says it is warm in Kathmandu. He also said, “Finally, Anna, you are coming to Nepal!” I am going to start packing my bag this weekend. I do not want to bring too much with me; I’m hoping to buy some clothes there instead. When in Rome, so to speak—trying to blend in.
To my surprise, Nepal has rhinoceroses. How exciting. I suppose it is a bit like having moose in Sweden. I hope I get to see them—the rhinos I mean.
Professor Thapa speaks excellent English. Being a bit of a language nerd, I wonder if I will understand anything of what is said in Nepal. Languages are so fascinating. I wonder what the cadence of the speech is like. Will I be able to make out the words?
I am starting to feel a touch of pre-travelling excitement.
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Domestic
Even though I live alone, my days are intense and eventful. A friend remarked with surprise, after spending a couple of weeks at home without her husband and children: “Anna, you must have so much to do. I have never had such hectic days as I have now while being on my own.” I laughed, of course, but on reflection, it felt like she was right.
Domestic flights I have had a couple of days off and traveled to northern Sweden with a friend within the family. I asked if she wanted to come along, and she did! The propeller plane felt unfamiliar—a small yet substantial aircraft. A Fokker 50—very important, according to the pilot.
Fokker 50 It was perfect to have company. It also felt like a little taste of Nepal, I thought. From Hemavan, the Norwegian mountains were visible in the distance, with a dusting of snow on the peaks. Hemavan had plenty of both Norwegian and Swedish cars. It actually felt a bit like Glommen Brygge in Fredrikstad, Norway—especially when I woke up this morning to see thick fog over the lake, just like in Fredrikstad. Ryfjället wasn’t visible at first, but then the sun slowly warmed the morning, and the mountain shone once more in all its glory. It was also the first morning with a light frost, I was told.
Ryfjället It has been about ten years since I was last in Tärnaby. Even longer since I went downhill skiing. I suddenly found myself longing to ski when I saw some ski gear in the hotel lobby. It might turn out to be a good winter, as there are plenty of rowan berries this year.
I felt I wanted to write down my impressions while they are still fresh. I am happy to have this diary. I sent the photo of Ryfjället above to Professor Thapa, and, of course, these must be small hills to him by comparison.
Autumn. The photo above is from earlier today. This evening Stockholm. Looking forward so much to discovering beautiful Nepal.
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Saturday.
I feel great that I have already voted. I have the weekend off; otherwise, my entire Sunday would have been devoted to voting. There is something solemn about voting. My little vote—does it mean anything? Does it really matter if I vote? And then I think about countries where people fought so hard to gain the right to vote at all. Women’s suffrage is a story in itself.
There was a long line at the library for voting. I have read so many books, and now I view them from a different perspective because I write them myself.
Waiting at the library gave me a sense of wonderful calm. The same calm I felt in Uppsala when I used to go to the Medical Library at Akademiska to study for exams. A place where no one else was around except the librarian. Memories of the library in Heby also returned to me—where I read everything from Alice Lyttkens to books on training hunting dogs. I believe Vivaldi´s Winter is my best friend at the moment.
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A blue-red mess
In a few days, we will have elections in Sweden. Today I am going to the polling station in the library to make sure that my civic obligations are fulfilled. We live in a democracy, and it is worth defending. I sometimes go by subway, and the photo below is so representative of the situation in Sweden right now. You either vote red, or you vote blue. Balance-of-power roles in politics are dangerous for democracy.
In the countryside, the election campaign is underway, but I cannot vote there. I can only note that the current municipal policy has decided to turn off the little lighting that was on the roads. The countryside became even more the countryside. The stars certainly shine even brighter when I walk Molly in the evening. I can always find the Big Dipper/The Plough, and sometimes Orion’s belt is very clearly visible.
I already like Nepal so much. I get upset when this humanitarian disaster is overlooked in the news. Nepal is a rich country with beautiful landscapes, but some people live in simple conditions and have been hit very hard by the floods.
I now have a tourist visa for Nepal and Sri Lanka. But India is still not ready. There, I had to choose a religion, and it was “Christian”! But I like all religions. I am waiting for a response from the Indian embassy on how to fill out the form. I will probably travel to India by bus. Not by boat or plane as advised in the application.
I am preparing for lots of photos on the trip to Kathmandu. Should I bring my digital camera? My mobile phone takes better pictures now compared with my camera. However, it feels so good to hold a real camera because it clicks when I take a picture. A Western dilemma.
Election in Sweden
