We decide to head back to Kathmandu today. There is much family discussion about the farm and future ownership this morning. The boys are determined to go against tradition and include their sister in ownership of the farm. Ganesh takes Jasper and me on another walk around the village. Fields are being ploughed by oxen to plant maize. They plant the seed into dry soil hoping for rain. It’s a risky way to crop because they might just genough rain to germinate the seed but without good follow up rain, the crop could perish. This is done on terraced fields sitting in the edge of steep slopes.
Lunch time and the Roxy is on offer. We’re invited to Raju’s uncles place for more Roxy. He was in the Indian army for 20 years and has done well financially. He continues to receive a pension from them. His sons are also in the army and one is convalescing at home with a broken leg be got from falling from a tree while harvesting leaves for his goats. Next door we visit one of Raju’s mothers sister. Her husband died one year ago today so there is some ceremony to commemorate. Her daughter is here, widowed also at a young age. Her husband was a policeman and was killed by Maoists during the ‘people’s war’. She has some children and her chances of remarrying are very slim. Sadly it’s difficult for older women with children to find another partner, even though she is beautiful. The communist Maoists killed many policemen because the police, rather than the army, were the governments front line against the rebels. This Gorkha region was one of the active areas for Maoists and they recruited from this village. These must have been stressful times for the community.
Anyway there is more Roxy and Cadje is quite drunk and very social. It’s getting late and we have a long drive ahead. We’re trying to get him to leave. Finally it’s goodby to his mother. Their father is away in the fields. Cadje’s emotional and so is his mother. He worries about her in this house with the likely hood of more earthquakes. Everyone here is on edge about a possible repeat of that devastating time. This village was fortunate. Dispite the damage to houses, there was very little if any loss of life.
We eventually leave around 6.30 pm and Dipendra, our driver, has to negotiate the narrow rough road in the dark. It’s very slow going. Then the main road is a challenge as well with a busy mix of traffic. We arrive back at the hotel without incident around midnight.
angusmccoll 