The Karma Chronicles: BOOM BOOM

So things have been going pretty well until Thursday night. Well pretty much okay; my Dad went away for an eternity last week  (I am not so good at knowing how long anything takes), apparently it was less than a week) but he left me with a nice guy called Roossel who appeared in our guest room as if by magic one day. He took me to town on walks and fed me on time, and is pretty tranquilo. Compared to the female who he left me with when he went to Mexico (wherever that is) to meet my buddy Kasem. She didn't take me out much and didn't have much of a clue how to speak to me Roosel is a dream by comparison. Daddy says to speak to me like I'm a human 4yrs old which is kind of humiliating given I'm at least 70 in human years, but I get it, dogs don't exactly have the same mental capacity as humans but sheesh, a 4yrs old?

Anyway last Thursday there began 3 nights of partying in town. Apparently it was the celebration of the patron Saint of Vilcabamba, where I live, the Saint of Good Hope. I was only hoping it would end much faster than it did. One of the favourite things here are these boom booms... they begin as a high pitch whistle which stands the hairs on my back on end and are followed by a percussive boom. This really reverberates in my inner ear and shocks my sympathetic nervous system into a state of fright (yes I am well versed in these things because Daddy is an osteopath and talks about this stuff to his clients). Usually they come in pairs or threes and they drive me mad. I hate them, makes me nervous as hell and pathetically scared. I don't know why this is. I was not exposed to these much as a pup growing up in Kathmandu and Yangon but as an adult, holy crap they traumatise me. Daddy is great, he soothes me and I retreat to the corner of his bedroom (usually sleep like Harry Potter under the stairs) so this is a treat to sleep with Daddy who I love so much. He is my person. I don't eat much either when I'm in this state and he keeps my food bowl full, and gives me bone treats too, yum.

And it's not only that but for 3 nights in a row, these booms were accompanied by fireworks and SUPER loud music coming from town. I've been down there to the central square of our town Vilcabamba and sure enough there is a stage set up and ginormous speakers pointing west straight up the hill to where I live. Now, don't get me wrong, I like music and the idea that people are having fun dancing and socializing and whatnot is fine, but the boom booms and the fireworks...it's all a bit much. It goes on for hours, sometimes until 2 in the morning, how is a dog supposed to get his beauty sleep I ask ya?

Here we are on Sunday night, I have hardly eaten all weekend, Daddy is a bit worried about me, and I'm spending my time cowering in his room or Roossel's waiting for that next whistle leading to the next BOOM! 

Update: I'm feeling much better and am eating again, Daddy is happy for me, and things are finding a good balance again. I love to run, but Daddy has his neck in a thing and he seems to be in pain, so I just run behind the truck when he goes to and from town until he can ride his bike again. Not the end of the world for this dog named Karma.

The Karma Chronicles: I chose them

Dec 17, 2023 Vilcabamba, Ecuador

I guess I should introduce myself. I'm called Karma because I have that lucky charm that goes with being a street dog born in Kathmandu in the Kingdom of Nepal. Good Karma! Get it!?? Life is pretty mean on those streets, I mean I left that life pretty early on but lived in Kathmandu for 3 more years so saw my share of the street life that many other dogs less fortunate than I have to endure forever.

Such was not to be my fate. One hot September late monsoon early afternoon I had just been totally mud-soaked by a passing car that sprayed me and a couple of siblings and my Mum so completely that I gasped to the curb unable to breathe, kind of like curb-side water-boarding. I must have blacked out because when I came to I was alone, left to an uncertain fate in the corner of the curb, getting more muddy water sprayed on me with every passing car. 

I shook myself hard and struggled to my feet then surmounted the curb the small puppy doggy height of Hillary's Step up on Everest as I later learned. Gasping over the top I found my legs under me and looked up and caught the eye of a young boy emerging from a gateway (turns out it was an organic market where they sell fruit and veg that hasn't been sprayed with chemicals and what not which is truly bad for you, I have learned a lot from this family over the years!). The boy saw me and tugged on the man's hand he was holding and the man turned and saw me too and so did the other boy who was walking with them, I had been SEEN!

Something told me this was my chance at a brighter future, and not knowing a thing about where or what or how I started following them, it just felt right, were these the chosen ones? There were lots of people on the raised side of the road, going in both directions and several times I thought I would teeter into the abyss back into the gunk-filled gutter. But I didn't, I held on, 50m turned into 100m then 150m and it was all I could to to keep moving forward, my fur was caked with mud and the sun glaring down unkindly on your sodden canine narrator, hardening my fur, I must have looked quite tragically comical; a cross between a sodden baby wookie and a mutant smurf (how do I know these things?). They turned a corner and I scurried as best my little legs could carry me, and as I turned the corner I saw them turning into a driveway 30m ahead. Now in a panic I realised this was the place the cars were kept and that people got in those cars and went away fast, they were getting away!

I started running with the last of my energy and skidded around that turn into the parking area. Things happened fast, as I entered the area these 2 big dogs, unknown to me, I'd only been around on this earth 1 month spotted me and I don't know if it was my unkempt appearance, all covered in brown mud and all, or my less than savoury smell that got to them but bam, they were in full attack mode. I saw the group that I'd been following, the 2 small boys, the man and 2 women, one older and one younger were standing by a car and I scurried past them and bolted under the car. The boys saw me being chased down, pointing and shouting 'Daddy do something'! and the man, the one I would come to know so well as Danyel, lunged forward as did another man from the parking area and grabbed those 2 dogs who were snarling and barking trying to get at me. I was mortified, shaking under the car certain that my choice had led to my untimely doggie demise.

Then I don't know what happened but the next thing I knew the smaller of the two small boys was crawling under the car talking to me in a soft kind voice, saying 'here boy, come to me', my eyes filled with tears his voice was like sweet music to my floppy ears, a tone of kindness that I had never heard before. I crept towards his out-stretched arms. He took me from under the car and cradled me in his arms, and the other boy was stroking me saying 'oh he is so cute' (whatever that means, I mean though I suppose I was kind of pathetically cute despite the mud).

The older of the boys, turns out he was about 7yrs old, I later came to know as Zikeee, the other 6yrs old was Kasehmm, Daddy was Danyel and the younger woman was Siseel. They were a family recently moved to Kathmandu from someplace faraway and while they weren't looking to adopt a dog, I just had the good karma to be in the right place at the right time. The older woman was kindly looking and as the group stood there not sure what to do with this small bundle of mud and fur, she put a hand on the man's shoulder and said 'well Danyel, I already have two dogs at home'. And that was that. They carried me to their car, which was the one I had chosen to scurry under, or it wasn't but it makes a better story if it was!

I chose them! So that is how I went from rags to riches, a poor little street dog from Kathmandu was adopted by this fantastic globally mobile family with food for me, a house, food for me, a car, did I mention food for me, a warm bed, food for me? Well you get the picture. Within an hour I was cleaned up and smelling sweet, within 2 hours I was eating raw beef and rice, within 3 hours I had my own blanket in a warm corner and I was safe. 

Apparently there was a family debate as to whether to keep me or not, I mean seriously? There was even a question? The Zakee one and the Siseel were in favour while the other two had some crazy doubts. Zakee said 'I was a small dog and it wasn't a small dog world'. On that first day at my new home, Danyel said he would call the dog catcher people (actually a rescue service but I wasn't to know that), a fate worse than doggie death, but it was a Sunday and they were closed, more good karma;-). Later we found out he never did call them; he knew I was a keeper. Zakee and Kasehmm have been my buddies for long time now feeding me, taking me for walks (picking up my poop, yuck), feeding me, bike rides, hugging me, (did I mention feeding me?), brushing me, washing me, feeding me, all that good stuff that dogs love and need. Siseel and Danyel must have loved me to provide everything I needed all these years.

And now, 11 years later I have had quite some adventures, been on airplanes, lived in 5 countries on 3 continents been to beaches, been trekking (to 3300m), on car rides, bike rides, boat rides, truck rides so many crazy things have happened. My family has taken such good care of me, and I have showered them with gratitude in every way I can... mostly just by looking cute (or I should say handsome as I am told), but also by trying my doggie best not to misbehave, to be loyal and friendly. I will admit to being a tad bit given to adventurous moments and have escaped on occasion, and it is true there have been some rather unpleasant moments on said occasions. Like that time in Kathmandu when I got involved in a street fight and ended up pretty beaten up, same thing in Yangon which is the closest to death I have ever been. I got separated from Siseel on this occasion and by some miracle got home, it was a terrible experience.

I have never bitten a soul, except for the occasional chicken and, oh there was that kitten in Myanmar that um, err, didn't make it after a bit of rough play, happened only one time I swear! Did I tell you that I'm not cheap, I eat a fair bit and am pretty fussy, I needed to be vaccinated as a pup and then for travel more vaccines, and I had to have a microchip implanted which disappeared somewhere between Myanmar and France and had to be re-implanted, not cheap, more vaccines, and then there's the cost of transporting a dog on airplanes. The last time was super expensive, from Switzerland to Ecuador, wheeeeee! So yeah, born in Nepal, moved to Myanmar, then France, then Switzerland and then Ecuador, not too shabby, a nomad dog, thats me.

I now live in the Ecuadorian Andes mountains in a little pueblo called Vilcabamba in what is apparently a sacred valley, it is probably my last move. I love it here, the place just feels so good, sacred indeed. The weather is neither too hot nor too cold. I live in a great big house with amazing views and a huge backyard along with an area called the Pyramid where they do crazy movement practices, dance, chant, beat on drums, play music, hold ceremonies with these fellas called Shamans. I love it and usually just chill with the people and revel in the vibe. Danyel is my feeder, err I mean carer and I am rarely on a leash, have comfie places to sleep, many friends both doggie and human, squirrels and rabbits to chase and I eat like a king. The only downside is that my 2 boy buddies and Seesil are not here, I don't really know where they are but I sure do miss them all. Sometimes I like to run after the car on the way to or from the nearby town, sometimes we walk, or Danyel rides his bike and often we go for walks up the hills, round the bends and in all of those I get to sniff and pee and poop where ever I want to, what a life!

Anyway, that's a lot of words to say that I have exceptionally good karma, I chose my family, and so there you go, I am Karma the dog and these are my stories.