Back at the Pacific Guest House

Left Dhapakhel at 10 this morning. A big farewell from the Khadka family including tikkas (big red splodges on your forehead), mallas (garlands) and a shawl for Sheila + topi (Nepali hat) for me.

 

It was great to have a hot shower after almost 2 weeks and a group of us are off are off this evening for dinner at a tourist restaurant that serves pizzas and cold beers.

 

Will try to do a longer piece about the village incl pictures over the weekend but based on the speed I've had this session, it might take another week to post.

 

Cheers

Roshan

 

P.S. Hopefully picking up keys to flat tomorrow. Might not move in immediately because next week could be a bit lively on the security front and if we get stuck indoors with a curfew, Sheila wants some company other than me. 

Dhapakel internet not been working!

Even quicker note than last one. Have not been able to use internet in Dhapakhel for some or all of the following reasons:

(a) load shedding (as in power cuts);

(b) shop closed while owner visits relative in hospital;

(c) few available PCs being hogged by fellow VSO vols.

 

Back in Kathmandu Friday pm - hooray! Got the new flat to sort out over the w/e and then I'll try to do a post with pictures and more tales of life in Dhapakhel.

 

You may see news of Nepal over the next week as we are due to have a national "stir" from 6 - 9 April. This will involve demonstrations and the government may try to stop these by having curfews and closing down the phone system (or at least mobiles) for a while.  Good fun eh!

 

More next week.

Cheers

Roshan

 

P.S. Best wishes to Dave & Jeanna for their travels and life after Nepal. Thanks for all your help and leaving us such a nice flat.

From Dhapakhel

Found the internet shop in the village so although too slow for piccies, a short e-mail to the blog to give first impressions.

 

We are staying with a lovely family, grandfather & grandmother (in their 60s), father and mother (30s) plus 2 daughters and a son (9 - 14 ish - must remember to ask again, I couldn't translate when first told). The kids speak a lot more English than we speak Nepali which is really helpful. The parents & grandparents who speak no English are remarkably good at deciphering our stumbling attempts to communicate. We have a first floor (less risk of rodents!) room and despite an extremely firm (like no mattress) bed slept like logs. Snoring must have been dreadful 'cos I've got a bit of a sniffle (at this stage, having typed sniggle, I will apologise for any typos - the letters on this keyboard are worn out and it is not easy to read the ones that have been carved in with a hot knife). Food has been good, the inevitable dhal bhaht (rice & dall) plus extras specially for us, fried potatoes and greens last night and for breakfast (yes we do get dhal bhaht @ 9 am) potatoes and a sort of omelette. The family are farmers with 2 cows and 5 goats right next to the house and some fields (smaller than a Culver Road back lawn) growing mustard, maize and other crops I could not owrk out.

 

The best way (for Sussex folks anyway) of expaining the village is that it is to Kathmandu what Yapton is to Brighton, and yes they are mpstly related! It spreads out about half a mile along a single dusty road with a couple of shops for basics (and of course this internet shop).

 

Must get off the PC to give other vols a chance.

 

Cheers

Roshan

 

P.S. You might have seen the news that the blockade of Kathmandu is off. Just in time 'cos the queues for petrol were enormous. Next bit of excitement is the national strike on 6-8 April.

A bit of a hangover

Having just posted Sheila's letter written on Tuesday, a quick posting to bring the news up-to-date (Saturday).

Having the excuse of a couple of Irish volunteers, a group of us celebrated St Patrick's Day last night at Paddy Foley's Bar in Thamel (the tourist area). They had an excellent band on and despite me having my most expensive can of Guinness ever (Rs425 equal to a day's VSO living allowance. It only occurred to me too late that there must have been a reason why so few people were drinking it) a good time was had by all

Irish girls just like to have fun

and we stumbled back to the Pacific Guest House at about 2:30am. In order of damage, Sheila was bright and cheery this morning, I was hungover at 6am but better by 9am, Karen was still taking things pretty slowly at 11 and Ciara surfaced about 12 looking and feeling badly hungover. You have probably guessed from the name that Ciara is one of the Irish vols so she was entitled to make it a big night and deserved her hangover.

Hopefully we have sorted out everything on our new flat. We met the landlord and his wife last night and, with the aid of translation from David & Jeanna who currently rent it, we agreed to take it from 1 April when we get back from the village stay. I could make out a few words of the conversation but it came as a great relief to learn that the landlord's children speak excellent English so in the absence of David & Jeanna we won't have to rely on our Nepali.

We leave for our 12 day village stay on Monday. It is only 5 km SW of Kathmandu so not exactly deepest rural Nepal but we will have the challenge of sharing a local family's lifestyle in particular the diet of only dhal bhaat (dhal and rice) twice a day, very basic toilet facilities and attempting to communicate in Nepali. Although there are 2 internet booths in the village we have been warned that they are incredibly slow so this may be our last posting until we get back.

On the weather front after the rain I mentioned last week it is now back to being sunny and warm. The rain did temporarily clear the blanket of pollution that normally lies over the Kathmandu valley and we got a glimpse of the Himalayas the other morning. Not sure whether this picture will be clear enough to show how impressive they looked. If I've got my bearings right, the peaks we saw are to the west of Everest and relatively small - only about 7,000m compared to Everest at almost 9,000m.

Snow covered peaks behind the hill

Come back in a couple of weeks time to hear how we got on in the village!

Roshan

P.S. best wishes to all the Kylidh crew and Felpham Sailing Club members at the start of a new sailing season.

E-mail home from Sheila: Tuesday 14.03.06

No language school for us as today the hindu festival of Holi is celebrated in Nepal. For the past week children have been practising filling small plastic bags with water before throwing them at friends and foe. On one of our paths to school we have slunk tightly in behind a high wall and most of us until today have kept dry.
This morning began quietly, sunny and warm and after breakfast most of our group decamped onto the roof terrace to catch up on Nepali homework and watch the fun. Firstly small clusters of young boys ran in to the space carrying buckets of water and the endless supply of bags filling, throwing, and peeling with laughter as they hit their targets. Soon our attention went to two very tiny boys, who joined the fun. Aided by his mother, one filled his bags from the water butt before running across the square towards the group of men sitting on the steps and throwing them. Most of these, to the amusement of all, landed not far from his own feet.
Several motor bikes went past, crash helmets missing today displaying hair and faces sprayed silver, red and gold. Groups of youths, hands full of red powder strode past frequently taking position to attack others until all were covered in red war paint.

Then it was our turn! Splat water, landed on our terrace amid screams of laughter from a young group on a balcony right across the square. A shot worthy of any professional. What could the bideshis do but retaliate but even though the opposing team was probably only just out of primary school, over the next hour or so they scored far more hits!
A good day had by all except perhaps by the boys who spend most of each day in and around the skip sorting through the rubbish to find something to eat, sniff or sell. Apart from one watching wistfully for a couple of minutes, they were absent all day.
Today reminded me again of priorities and simple things here. The small children who are rarely crying and whose parents seem to find so much time to enjoy them. A little boy playing with a biscuit packet, the small boys, playing with water, the girl of about four who, alongside her mother doing washing, makes her pretend bed, folding the clothes so carefully before tucking herself in or sitting alongside her grandfather? twirling her umbrella, the small boy chasing a cockerel nearly as big as himself and the group of siblings playing skipping and counting games.


Back to language school tomorrow, where perhaps we might again see two little boys with a rough piece of broken fence and a ball who left their game to peep through the gate to stare at the bideshis….

But enough for now
love to all
Sheila

Thanks all you raindancers

Someone out there did a good job because within hours of my last posting which mentioned the lack of rain it started drizzling and has been ever since. I'm sure it’s a good thing however everywhere is now covered in a film of mud – lovely!



Having thought the winter clothes we brought out would not be needed until November, we were grateful for them yesterday evening and today. It is down to a cool 18'C (OK I know this doesn't count as cool for those of you in the UK but relative to the last couple of weeks here, it is) during the day and 6-7' at night.

This was only intended to be a short posting to put some photos up on the last but one post but as I'm here I might as well add a couple from our cultural education trip yesterday to Pashupatinath, a big Hindu temple on the eastern outskirts of the city.

We're not sure what next week holds because a 2 day bandh (strike) is meant to start tomorrow followed by a blockade of Kathmandu which is intended to stop vehicle movements in and out of the city for over 2 weeks. And then an INDEFINITE bandh has been called starting on 3 April. Plus on Tuesday, Holi, a Hindu festival involving people coloured powders at you. Having seen this in Delhi and being a bit of a party pooper anyway, we plan to stock up on beer and shut ourselves in the PGH for the day. Some of our new volunteer group think it sounds fun so I might get some photos of what happens to you if you go out in the streets.

Getting a bit worried that I won't be able to watch the rugby tonight, only hope is that TV5 Asia (French channel that we can get on the PGH cable TV) shows it. Allez France!

Cheers
Roshan

And now.....

to bring you right up to date, a summary of the memorable events in the last 2 weeks:

Language classes

We have about a 15 min walk through dusty streets and alleys to our language class which is on the ground floor of a residential block. We have a lovely group of Nepali trainers who each take a group of 3 of us. Sheila and I have managed to stay together and until today have, together with Linda Grainge been taught by the incredibly patient Chanda. For the next week we stay in the same groups but the trainers rotate - shame we loved Chanda. Classes start at 9am, we have a tea break at 11:45 followed by lunch at 12:30. Sheila and I normally go to a little snack shop and have samosa, pakoda (like vegetable bhajis) and a small bowl of vegetable curry, all for Rs15 (about 12 pence)! Some afternoons we have had cultural training rather than more language. This has included a visit to a local restaurant to eat traditional dall bhaat (dall & rice) and toilet training. You may well ask what toilet training is for. On Monday week we are going to decamp from the luxurious Pacific Guest House to stay in a village for 12 days. The facilities there will be pretty basic and we will have to use squat toilets, i.e. a hole in the ground - hence the need to practise. There is a risk that this diary will become obsessed with toilets and bodily functions - suffice to say I have nothing good to say about either although so far no major episodes of Nepali belly for us.

Social life

After classes finish at 3 pm we normally head back to the Pacific Guest House (will you excuse me if use Nepali for this in future – PGH. I blame aid agencies for the fact that almost every expression is turned into an acronym) to do homework, check e-mails etc. Most evenings we eat in but we have had a couple of nights out including a boozy dinner at David & Jeanna's supposedly to talk about taking over their flat. As a long power cut delayed dinner but not the drinking we didn't get much sorted out so have rearranged for next week - must remember to take only 1 bottle of wine. Talking of wine, did I mention that we can buy reasonable Oz, NZ and French wine locally? Prices are comparably to the UK which sounds good until you think of as 1 bottle costs more than a whole day's living allowance, beer is cheaper, a day's allowance gets you 3 bottles.

Traffic

Crossing the road appears to be impossible until you venture off the pavement and discover that you can jay walk across and traffic will weave around you. Quite effective if a bit unnerving. The dust and fumes are pretty dreadful which is not helpful for Sheila's asthma. Apparently the face masks that some people wear don't stop the harmful fumes and dirt. As the VSO office is about 30 mins walk away I borrowed a friend's bike last week (thanks Sandy). This brings it down to a 10-15 min bike ride if I don't get lost on the short cut through some back roads/alleys. Although in Nepali terms it is not hilly, it is a bit of a climb up to the office and a nice freewheel for much of the way home. My borrowed bike was single speed and I think I have decided to tough it out and get a solid Indian made one of these for Rs3,500 (£30) rather than a multi-speed but shoddy Chinese one for about £50. The exercise will do me good! We have experienced buses and they don't seem to bad ( I never had the courage to try one in Delhi). Sheila may have a different view in a month or so after having used them for her daily commute to work. Although there are meant to be larger taxis, the only ones you see are little Maruti Suzuki 800s which are a tad cosy with 3 on the back seat. We tend to walk most places so we can learn our way around.

Electricity & water

From the start there were some power cuts but from last Saturday we are now up to 35 hours a week. It has been the driest winter for 30 years in Nepal and there has been virtually no rain for 3 months. Apart from a looming water crisis (crying need for Dando rigs to dig new/deeper wells) and dusty streets this means that a couple of hydro-electric scheme reservoirs are due to dry up in 20 days time at which stage there will be even more power cuts. It's going to be a long hot summer until monsoon in July!

Things to look forward to (or not)

Six Nations rugby on TV on Saturday if I can get into the British Embassy or find somewhere else to watch it. Day off for Holi next Tuesday; plan to stay in the PGH all day as the streets will be full of people throwing coloured paint. The kids are already throwing water bombs making the trip to language class a bit hazardous, one of our group took a direct hit this morning. And then .....THE VILLAGE STAY and the wonderful toilet facilities!

Off for a cup of Nepali tea (chia) now before heading up to the VSO office for a meeting which will discuss the security problems here (or at least outside the Kathmandu valley) and whether and how VSO can continue to operate effectively.

Bye for now.

Roshan

Later than I planned

Is it really 2 weeks since I did my last post? Apologies to all of you who have been checking for the latest thrilling instalment of our life in Kathmandu. As it has been such a gap and the power is likely to go off soon, I'll start with an edited version of an e-mail Sheila sent at the end of our first week. I'll try to insert some photos tomorrow and write some more to bring you up to date.

26-2-06

The end of the first week and we woke this morning to sunshine but yet again no electricity and after several mornings when we have had the treat (it seems that now) of hot water, today it is cold so not very inviting to get up for a shower.

As a Sunday we don't have language school today although schools here are usually open. Today there is a festival so unsure whether we will have the masses of children in their school uniforms going under the window and across the dusty square not quite a square but more than a street and several shops and the rubbish tip around the edge.

Now 1.10pm, the power returned and we had hot showers Yes! Then breakfast of rather strange but good yoghurt (curd) chopped apple and banana and muesli and hot water, I haven't risked coffee here at the Pacific although we found somewhere yesterday to have a proper long black. Then as so sunny we went and sat at table on roof terrace for a couple of hours. Slightly windier today, although hot, and cloud lifted a bit so some of the hills just outside city were clearer [Ed – due to smog not likely to see Himalayas until August apparently]. The roof terrace is edged with pot plants full of pansies, petunias and marigolds.

On Thursday when we met Jeanna (whose replacement I am) we went round to look at their home liked it immediately. It is in a quiet residential area with lots of plants around and tucked in behind the Radisson hotel in the Lazimpat district. They, Jeanna and David, have the ground floor and the landlord and family live upstairs with access from an external staircase. The properties are accessed through a large gate and little footpath leading to small front gardens with walls, trees, bushes and masses of flowers in pots. There is also a small patch of grass big enough for a small table and chairs. There is one step from a bit of courtyard to the mesh front door and inside is all flat!

Three main rooms lead off a hall, all similar size so unsure at this stage which we will have as bedroom. The kitchen is good size for here with some cupboards with deep turquoise doors which are great. Fridge and sink and a two burner hob (like a camping stove) set up on worktop. I might have to get a step to reach! No oven but it is possible to buy small Belling type table top one if we feel the need. Shower, toilet and washbasin all in a wet bathroom. Cable for TV and phone line both installed already. Rent is only just over our VSO allowance so all good and we should be in by end of March when we come back from our 2 week stay in a village. Our postal address is likely to continue to be c/o VSO Nepal, PO Box 207, Balawatar, Kathmandu, Nepal but hopefully we will have a home phone no soon. Lots of little foodshops and cafes are near and we will look forward to having visitors. The flat is really close to Roshan's work but I will have a bus journey. Yesterday we went for our first trip on buses which was OK. They have fixed fares which makes it easier but we were glad to have learnt nos 1-10 in our language class on Friday.

4.30pm As we walked up the street today small groups of children stretched out pieces of string/raffia blocking the way of bicycles and pedestrians until sweets or small coins were passed over. Presumably to do with the festival - a bit like trick or treating I suppose but all in good fun and lots of clear thank yous from even the smallest as we passed over some small boiled sweets we had bought locally.

Back to language school tomorrow. We can now ask people's names, tell them ours and ask where they live! eg soon I will say 'Mero ghar Lazimpat ho' [Ed.: My home is in Lazimpat].

Love

Sheila

More tomorrow if electricity allows.

Roshan

P.S. Thanks to all who have donated to VSO. Feel guilty and click the Fundraising site link to the right if you haven't.