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Gumda: Myths, Religion and Chickens

NEPAL | Sunday, 13 Apr 2008 | Views [1270] | Comments [3]

There was plenty to keep me amused in Gumda, despite the lack of electricity and English speakers. I taught in the school six days a week and usually did some unofficial lessons too. I spent a lot of time drinking tea and holding odd conversations in ... Read more >

Tags: cultural experience


Gumda: Dances with Maoists

NEPAL | Thursday, 3 Apr 2008 | Views [1079] | Comments [1]

This is not going to be a history lesson. If you are interested in the political history of Nepal, you will know who the Maoists are and what they stand for. If you aren't, well, you aren't going to be terribly thrilled if I explain at length. Surffice ... Read more >


Gallery: Gumda

NEPAL | Monday, 31 Mar 2008 | Photo Gallery


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Gallery: Kathmandu

NEPAL | Monday, 31 Mar 2008 | Photo Gallery


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Gallery: Singapore

SINGAPORE | Monday, 31 Mar 2008 | Photo Gallery


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Gumda: Of Singing, Dancing and Teaching

NEPAL | Saturday, 29 Mar 2008 | Views [2291] | Comments [4]

The school was a modest building and only exists at all because of the kind donations of a French business. Sometimes the French people send them letters, which the teachers carefully file away because they're always written in French and no one can ... Read more >

Tags: cultural experience


Gumda: Of Laundary, Forehead Rice and Mistaken Identity

NEPAL | Monday, 24 Mar 2008 | Views [3698] | Comments [4]

The first full day in Gumda was a busy one and, after digging the toilet, our next task was to go to the school. We met the teachers - except the english teacher who was elsewhere - and the principle and they'd arranged a little welcome ceremony for ... Read more >

Tags: cultural experience


Gumda: A Introduction To Everyday Life In The Middle Of Nowhere

NEPAL | Saturday, 22 Mar 2008 | Views [1247] | Comments [3]

While I'm sure Gumda is not the middle of nowhere for the people who live there - in fact, I'm sure it's the centre of everywhere - anywhere that is two days walk from the nearest bus stop counts as fairly remote to me. In my last entry, I started talking ... Read more >


Arrival in Gumda

NEPAL | Thursday, 20 Mar 2008 | Views [1144]

We made it to the outskirts of the village by late afternoon and stopped to rest on the terraces. Mountains - or indeed foothills - aren't naturally particularly useful for farming, so over the generations the people have turned whole mountainsides into ... Read more >

Tags: cultural experience


The Road (Or Lack Thereof) To Gumda

NEPAL | Tuesday, 18 Mar 2008 | Views [1683]

On occasion, I have been known to laugh in the face of danger, or at least snigger a bit in the face of reason. And so, food poisoning or no, I started out on the journey to Gumda early in the morning of February 12th. I had totally repacked my rucksack ... Read more >

Tags: adventures


A week in Kathmandu

NEPAL | Monday, 17 Mar 2008 | Views [1158]

I had one week in Kathmandu before heading out to Gumda. Life in Papa's House follows a daily routine that's easy enough to slip into or opt out of. I had three meals a day - almost always daahl baat and vegetables - with the everyone else living in ... Read more >

Tags: sightseeing


First Day in Kathmandu

NEPAL | Sunday, 16 Mar 2008 | Views [1625]

Apologies for the delay in adding this next installment but I've been rather too busy having adventures to get chance to write about them. Anyway, where was I? Ah yes. Are you sitting comfortably? Then I'll begin. Outside the airport terminal it was ... Read more >


Arrival in Nepal

NEPAL | Friday, 8 Feb 2008 | Views [1399] | Comments [3]

The flight from Singapore to Kathmandu was pretty uneventful for the most part. I was given a sheaf of forms to fill in which kept me quiet for a while anyway. They actually make the immigration process sound rather scary. The back of the Arrival Card ... Read more >

Tags: airports


Singapore

SINGAPORE | Thursday, 7 Feb 2008 | Views [918]

The flight from Brisbane to Singapore was about seven hours and, as Singapore is two hours behind, I arrived at something past five in the morning. I was on a 'stopover deal', which basically means cheap hotel, free airport transfers and vouchers for cheap/free ... Read more >

Tags: sightseeing


Brisbane - Part 4

AUSTRALIA | Thursday, 7 Feb 2008 | Views [651]

My last few weeks in Brisbane were pretty busy what with one thing or another. I was working in the hostel most of the time, housekeeping for the first two weeks then doing laundry for the last week. In theory I was supposed to work six days a week but ... Read more >

Tags: work


Brisbane - Part 3

AUSTRALIA | Sunday, 13 Jan 2008 | Views [762]

I got back to Brisbane mid December. Whilst it's cooler and less humid down here than in Cairns, it's still far too warm to be festive. There were some decorations up along the main streets but otherwise you could be forgiven for not realising that it ... Read more >

Tags: Relaxation


Interlude: A Trouser-Related Adventure

AUSTRALIA | Tuesday, 1 Jan 2008 | Views [825] | Comments [1]

If you have been keeping up with this journal, you may have gathered that I haven't had a great deal of luck with trousers since coming to Australia. As I travel with the bare minimum of clothes, it doesn't take much to deplete my trouser stores to a ... Read more >

Tags: Adventures


Season's Greetings

AUSTRALIA | Thursday, 20 Dec 2007 | Views [718] | Comments [4]

As this is the season of goodwill, I hope you will forgive the lack of conventional Christmas cards this year, given the circumstances. Instead, I thought I'd make y'all an e-card of sorts and post it up here. So, to those of you that celebrate the Christianised ... Read more >

Tags: Laughter


Cairns

AUSTRALIA | Thursday, 20 Dec 2007 | Views [730]

The day I left Airlie Beach was almost entirely given over to travelling. I usually try and get night buses so I can sleep through the long distances but it wasn't really possible this time. It wasn't so bad though, as the views out the window were interesting ... Read more >

Tags: Sightseeing


Airlie Beach and the Whitsunday Islands

AUSTRALIA | Thursday, 20 Dec 2007 | Views [1211]

The overnight bus deposited me in Airlie beach at around 6:30am and already the Farmer's Market by the beach was almost ready to open. I put my luggage into storage and set about exploring. The beach is fairly uninspiring, but you can't go in the sea ... Read more >

Tags: Adventures


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