The Brick Factory

Last night Paul got the truck and drove me to Shaven's brick factory. Shaven is an old friend and business partner of my boss (Shivendra). He lives most of the time in Narayangarat, and has a wife and son in Kathmandu. But his brick factory is on the other side of the jungle, about 30 miles from Bharatpur.

All buildings in the area are made of bricks, so factory owners are usually wealthy. The 300-year old process is fascinating. The bricks are hand formed, stamped, and stacked to dry. The raw bricks are then buried in the ground, under an elaborate dirt-covered scaffold, surrounded by wood, and fired. Two tall iron chimneys on a short dirt mound are all that mark the location of the brick. We walked over the ground while the bricks were being fired, and feet the heat through our shoes. The night was chilly, but our feet were warm.

Then Shaven took us to his tiny house that he uses while he visits the factory, and his cook prepared "snacks". Snacks to a Nepali are a meal for us. For snacks we had grilled chicken, beaten rice (rice that is cooked, then beaten until it is flat, then dried until it is crunchy), some kind of beans, and pickled cabbage salad (very spicy). And beer. We brought a bottle of whiskey to Shaven, which he really likes.

Two hours later, we had dinner. Boar that was cut up into small pieces, and cooked shish-kabob-style on an open fire. White rice with spicy gravy. And more pickled cabbage salad. And more beer.

We listened to Shaven tell his stories. He knows at least six languages, and was very active in politics at one time. He has a lot of connections. His brother is the chairman of his political party.

We drove back home late at night, and slept in late this morning.