We arrived, excited and cautious, in
Nepal on 5th Oct, the place where Dawn has wanted to visit
for the last 10 years. Brian had little idea of what to expect,
except that he had been to India on a number of occasions and thought
it would be similar.
Kathmandu for us (what exotic images
the name of the town evokes in the mind of many) started with the
airport, where we were met by a taxi organised by the hotel. Our
luggage went from us to the driver to a 'gaggle' of porters who
trooped along with us to the waiting car. About 6 stood by and
watched as the youngest, who had absolutely no spatial awareness,
tried with brute force and ignorance to cram our suitcases into the
car. After slamming the boot lid down on the cases about 10 times he
seemed to realise it wouldn't shut. He then started banging the cases
with his hands to try and force them into the available space. To
avoid us having to watch any further systematic demolition of our
cases we were ushered to the side of the car, where the oldest porter
came and demanded $10 because they had needed such a big team to deal
with our luggage. Brian was not impressed and gave him an appropriate
amount. Somehow the driver got it sorted and we were off.
Now, if you like off-roading, Kathmandu
is the place for you. The majority, and I mean majority, of the roads
are potholed nightmares and the trick seems to be to miss the biggest
holes by swerving. What makes it interesting is that you are then in
the path of oncoming buses, lorries, cars and motorbikes that have no
intention of giving way. Added to this are the pedestrians, cyclists,
hand cart traders, buffalo, cows and dogs that wander along in the
road. The lunatics with the loudest horns seem to prevail, except for
the buffalo and cows which seem to have right of way.
Arriving at the hotel was a blessing,
especially sitting in the courtyard for a few calming beers. Some knowledgeable people that we met
during our stay told us that about 10 years ago Kathmandu had
character and charm. The influx of cars and motorbikes, with no money
spent on infrastructure, has stolen any character and charm it had.
Pollution, dust and noise are now the most notable memories of our
visit to Kathmandu.
The few things on the plus side are
that living is still cheap (even at the inflated visitor prices),
there are some very good restaurants,
the architecture is sometimes
breathtaking (even if crumbling) 
and traders do not hassle you too
much. But the most telling fact is probably that we were booked to
stay in the 'exotic' city of Kathmandu for seven days, but left for
Pokhara after only five.
After more adventures at the Kathmandu
domestic terminal (but we had learned, so took little luggage,
ignored porters and Brian just pushed his way to the front looking
important), we arrived in the city of Pokhara. What a
contrast..........., tarmacked road all the way to the hotel, much
less traffic and a calm, cleaner and less frenetic feel. We both had
a strong feeling that we had found the Nepal we had hoped for and so
it turned out. People were friendly, polite and welcoming, the
scenery (Pokhara is on the side of a lake) was wonderful and that
evening as the sun went down the Anapurna mountain range was bathed
in light providing a breathtaking scene.
The main reason for coming to Nepal was
to visit the school that Dawn had been in contact with over the last
10 years. It was based in the village of Bhalam, just outside of
Pokhara, but to get to it you had to cross a ravine by long
suspension bridge, which made the village isolated.
Dawn contacted
the Principal and he asked us to visit the school the following day
at about 10am. We got a taxi to the drop off point for the suspension
bridge and crossed into a different world of clean narrow footpaths
and no traffic. Polite, gentle people and poverty in a village that
had an atmosphere of acceptance and contentment. Nice people just
getting on with their lives.
Our arrival at the school was greeted
by enthusiastic children ranging from ages 4 to 14. We got deluged
with garlands from smiling, happy and adorable children who all
started asking questions, mainly about where we came from/lived. We
got introduced to the teachers and shown round the school. 
Uday, the
Principal, explained the children/teachers were officially on
holiday, but with the exception of those who were away visiting
family, the children and teachers wanted the school opened for our
visit. About 2/3s of the teachers and pupils were in attendance and
they were going to do revision (with Dawn) and play 
(with Brian). At
lunchtime we were taken to Uday's mother's house where she had
prepared a traditional lunch, cooked on the clay fire oven which has
been used for the last 80 years. We then sat on the porch and chatted
with the family. People with so little being so content with life
gives you pause for thought.
Next instalment in the Nepal saga will
cover our trek and the rest of our time at the school.
Very warm wishes
Brian and Dawn
