Monsoon means rice planting season. Flooded patties in the valleys and steppe fields cut into the hill sides are everywhere possible. Rice is the daily staple for most Nepalese, so this season is important for the year’s food supply. EVERYTHING is done by hand (or water buffalo). The rains have come late and little so far. People are trying to flood the patties artificially from valley streams to get things going. The temps could begin to fall again before the crop yields.
(Late monsoon brings fear of food shortage in Nepal http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5iERBwP52jPAUFvFoR0qz6vOVee7Q)
Further up into the Himalayas, where people cannot get rice, they eat a thick play-dough like mix of barley meal and water (it lands like lead). The first time that softball sized lump came on my plate, someone recommended that I hurry up and eat it while it was still hot and pliable – because it would only get harder as it cooled. I tried for awhile pulling off pieces like taffy with my hand to dip in lentils; but then my friends had mercy and gave me some rice (which they had all requested – serious hint there). Rice is the preferred food when available. By the way, a leopard has been sighted on compound twice within the last week, at least once in daylight. I haven’t heard of a leopard attacking a person around here. Tigers have a different record within nearby village areas. It’s difficult to tell though sometimes as the word “leopard” is mostly used here for both. Remember Bagheera the black leopard in The Jungle Book? The word here is bagh. The monsoon rains have also helped to ease the water shortage here in this high altitude valley. Here is a sample of today’s tap water. I had just got back from KTM and needed a shower. J All water for drinking has to filtered and then boiled for 5-10 minutes; but a lot of people don’t do it. It costs fuel to boil water like that for daily use in a household.
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