Farewell Nepal

After 6 wonderful weeks here in Nepal, thanks to Lauren and Sara, and especially to our Nepali friends L. and S., it's time to say goodbye. My Nepali isn't fantastic, but a few more months of classes and it should become passable. At least I'm quite proficient when talking about my family.

I think learning Nepali will prove to more useful than I thought, especially given the large number of Nepalis in NE India (though I might eventually have to learn Assamese and Nagamese). Tomorrow though, I'm going to have to try and squeeze in a little Hindi for my one night in Delhi - I'm still not sure about my accommodation because the hotel hasn't got back to me to confirm my booking. If they don't show up, I'll just get a pre-paid taxi and head to Paharganj myself.

I'm looking forward to getting back to Nagaland on Thursday. There's a Sumi Ahuna harvest festival on the weekend called which I would like to attend (apparently it's become the 'main' Sumi festival of the year, superseding the Tuluni festival which takes place in July.) The annual Hornbill Festival in Kohima is also coming in December where representatives from all the tribes of Nagaland come to the capital to perform traditional dances and other things - I'm not really sure how I feel about this one, because from what I've heard it's mostly for the benefit of tourists.

I also realise that to some of you it may seem that all I do is attend festivals, and you would be right. It just so happens that October and November are festival-heavy months here in Nepal - Dashain and Tihar being the main national festivals for the year. They are Hindu festivals, but most Buddists also observe them to some extent. On the other hand, Mani Rimdu up in Solukhumbu is a Buddhist festival and is more important to the Sherpas and Tibetans.

Alright, time for bed. I've had a fantastic time in Nepal, made some great contacts and might have a potential language project or two to get involved with if I wanted to - I still envisage my PhD project will look at multiple language projects, not just one. And I don't think this will be my last time here.

By the way, 2011 is Visit Nepal Tourism Year - visas to enter the country next year are going to be free! (I'm not sure how the country is going to cope with a surge in tourist numbers though...)