angusmccoll

I had planned to go to Genisis Academy near Boudannath to meet with Pramila at 11 but at breakfast, Dipendra explains to me about an orphanage that is taking in visitors as a way of raising funds. They provide food and board and I pay hotel priced rent. It’s a new idea they are trailing. This idea is more appealing than moving to Boudannath. It’s always the way that many opportunities come up at once and I have to choose. Dipendra organises for some representatives of the orphanage to come to the hotel to chat with me. We then go by taxi to visit the orphanage for me to see it first hand. I decide to go with this orphanage rather than teach at Genisis Academy. We organise for them to pick me up from the hotel tomorrow. The organization running the orphanage is called ‘First Ray of Hope’.

I’ve decided to spend a week living at an orphanage in northern Kathmandu. Dipendra at Hotel Lily suggested it over breakfast on Monday. The chairman of the orphanage picks me up on his motorbike and for about 30 minutes we travel through the streets to a part of Kathmandu called Tokah. It’s a new area so there is an interesting mix of farms and new buildings. Construction is happening everywhere. There is a big international hospital nearby and a lot of very high residential towers. Some are being repaired after the earthquake (who would return to those) and new ones are being built. It’s going to take time for people to warm to the idea of high rise living.

We briefly stop at the orphanage but then move on to the chairmans house nearby. The intention was for me to stay with the chairman’s family but the plan changes and I will stay at the orphanage with the kids. Suits me. This idea of taking in foreigners or tourists is a new one for this orphanage organization. They provide a room and food and I pay rent as if I was staying at a hotel. And I can teach them English. They range in age from four to 14 and about an equal number of boys to girls. I meet them in the afternoon after they return from their schools. They are a beautiful bunch of kids from all parts of Nepal, and no doubt from all levels of misery. I can’t image what their little lives have experienced already. For now they seem happy. They are being looked after and they are getting an education. They have life opportunities now that at one time they couldn’t have imagined.

UNFINISHED

Still having stomach problems and feeling tired. Getting up in the mornings is difficult. Another quiet day. Went for a walk around the streets in the afternoon.

Caught up with my friends from the Church again this afternoon. They gave me a bible because I expressed an interest in reading it. It’s a genuine interest and I will read it for the first time soon. They deliberately gave me a travel-sized version of the bible, which is great but the print is so small I can’t read it with my old glasses. I’m using my old glasses because my new glasses fell apart within weeks of being here in Nepal. A screw frill out and a lense was lost. I’ve contacted Bupa and another pair is on its way…hopefully.

Nothing planned today. I meet with Harry in the morning for coffee and learnt a lot more about Nepalese Hindu culture.

After lunch I wander down to the shop near the hotel. Krishna runs the little shop in a narrow lane way with his wife and family. He offers me tea as he does with many foreigners that come to his shop. He’s a bit of a character and gets on well with everyone. He tells me his going up to where he was building a house before the earthquake, did I want to come? I don’t have anything planned so ‘yes’ I will come. He’s friend is coming as well to look at some land to possibly buy. We catch a bus that after about 30 minutes takes us to up into the hills on the edge of Kathmandu. After some tea we walk up to his block. They had just about finished building a house they hoped to home stay tourists in when the earthquake hit. Krishna and his wife ran for their lives. Their children were in the shop back in the city. They feared for their children’s lives but a phone call at least removed that fear. Anyway their nearly-completed house was completely destroyed. He is here today to reassess because they will rebuild. They have a French friend that’s in partnership. The view from here is stunning.

We continue walking to meet with some land sellers. We are high up on the edge of the mountain forests. It’s beautiful and there are many hotels around. Krishna and his friend have discussions, in Nepalese of course, and we move on. We come by a small collision between a bus and a truck. The drivers got out and had an animated discussion before getting back into their vehicles and carefully driving off. I think the bus driver was in the wrong.

Onward and we come across a small film crew shooting a music video on the top of a hill. It seemed a very strange little production involving a man, two women and a motorbike. The producer wanted my opinion!

We head back now via a different route. We come out onto a road that is one of the main roads going through to Tibet. Where we are it separates the city from the mountain forest. It’s late afternoon and we think we’ve missed the last bus so we walk this road. It’s pleasant walking and the forest is alive with birds and other sounds. There is a big brick wall at the edge of the forest. Krishna tells me that the last king now lives in style in a mansion up there. 

We eventually find a bus and get back to the hotel around 7pm.

It’s Mother’s Day in Nepal today and yest the celebrate it similarly to how we do. They respect their mothers very much here. 

I catch a taxi to Boudannath to meet with Val Shears at 9.00am. Val is a good friend of Tim and MFs and served a term as mayor for the Cairns Regionsl Council. She is here helping out with the Thelma & Louise charity based in Cairns. They help with a village here but they also help with funding for other projects here in Kathmanfu. One of these projects is a school started by a lady who suffered physically at the hands of a gambling husband. She came to Kathmandu with her two daughters and started Genisis school. I also met Ramesh who runs a trekking business but also works for Thelma & Louise in an office here. It was an interesting morning and there is an opportunity to teach English at Genisis if I want.

I walk back to the hotel. It’s about 1.5 hours to walk but of course I get lost despite having Google maps to show the way.

Still suffering stomach problems. It doesn’t effect me to badly but a just lack some getup and go,

Continue to work on photos.

Did some editing on Tim’s website. Had to go to Himalayan Jave for the good wifi. Also having problems getting access to my Qantas card app. It’s locked me out because I failed the pin twice! Anyway, I got it sorted eventually.

Continue to work on photos. I’m also planning my exit from Nepal. I’ve decided to go via Dhaka in Banhladesh for something different. I can get a visa on arrival and it costs $32 US. I will stay a week before flying to Bangkok.

Bit of an attempt at a thunderstorm tonight. No rain though.

Quiet day again. My gut problem has returned again. Still not sure what’s causing it.

Caught up with Purna and his friends at the church. I always come away from their services feeling good. Not sure why. I’ve been accidentally calling Purna on my phone. Strangely I have a Nepslese SIM card and if a press against my phone in my pocket, it activates a call and it goes directly to Purna. I say coincidence but he thinks some divine influence is responsible. It is weird. I walked to the church and back as usual, about 40 minutes each way. 

Raju said Ganesh would be back tonight sometime so I called into Kathmandu Gardens but he wasn’t there.

Started going through photos to do some editing and to post stories onto Facebook. Organise do laundry etc. still happy to do very little.