Fate

On my daily walk into the office, at a number of points I see goats tied up outside a shuttered shop, munching on some leaves and twigs that has been left for them. Their days are numbered. When then shutters are opened, the man brings out a big knife and one by one they are butchered. And yet, the goats still stand there and eat. Do they not know or have they just accepted their fate?

I was given a book here called Brick Lane, by Monica Ali. It's a story about a Bangladeshi girl who marries a man much older than her and moves to the UK to live. The relevance here is that her mother always taught her to accept her fate, and she carries on through her own life not fighting against anything, going along with the flow of the river of time, always remembering to accept her fate.

As for me, I have a bit of a problem with fate. For one thing, how do I know what my fate is? Is my fate what easily lies in my path, or is it the harder thing that I strive to achieve - trying my best to not succumb to the easy things in life? Maybe fate knows me quite well, and so the things I try to do that I'm not scared of doing because they're harder are actually my destiny, not the things that lie in my path - apparently easily obtainable.

Why all this talk with fate? Well, they always say, God has a plan for us. He knows what he wants us to do, and will reveal it when it is time. And now, as I think about future things, I wish I knew what was going to happen. Or at least had some idea. It would make my life a lot easier. And yet, I don't want to know what's in store - that's the most amazing thing about life that you never know what's around the corner. So there's a thing...

Moving swiftly on.

I went to my second Nepali wedding last weekend. It was that of Bidro - from Ukaalo ra Oraalo here. This wedding was something a bit unique in terms of Nepali culture. It was not only a love marriage, but across Nepali cultures - Bidro from the Hindu Bahuun caste and his now wife is a Newari. No-one quite knew what to expect. So, I donned my suit - even that drowned me due to my underweight situation - and went along.

The wedding day itself was quite quiet for me. We arrived at Bidro's room in Lalitpur and after talking for 3 hours with different members of his family and friends, went to the bride's house. She comes from a rich family, who had a huge house in Thamel. At the bride's house where the wedding took place, we were offered everything - food, beer, even trays full of cigarettes. Most of the wedding ceremony I missed. It took place in a room at the top of the house, and every time I tried to have a peek inside, the place was chock-a-block. So, what made this a bit of a unique wedding I'll never know. And having only attended one previously, I wouldn't have had much to compare against.

The groom and me

At the end, the bride and groom emerged from the room, everything complete. They were led down to the road where we made the most enormous traffic jam - 2 cars and 2 minibuses stopped in a single track street. And with that it was all over.

Work in my office is getting more involved, with some new pits and pieces happening. And it's almost time to think about coming home. Fate, destiny and lack of money are all starting to play their course...

SAM

New Year's Resolutions

Here are some New Year's Resolutions for Nepal and for me - not that I normally make them you must understand, let alone follow them!

Nepal Electric Authority (NEA) - Work out how to power the country better

We're on to 12 hours a day load shedding now - half a day of scheduled power cuts. You might think that because Nepal is a poor country that electricity isn't that important, people wouldn't need it. And that may be true where there are villages not connected to the grid and everything is geared towards alternative light, heat and so on. However, in many towns and cities now, the houses have been built assuming a constant electric supply. So, the lighting is electric, the water pump is electric, the rice cooker is electric, the heating - if any - is electric.

So, it just doesn't make you go to bed that little bit earlier, but it affects your whole life. Every morning, we have to spend 30 minutes bringing water from our tank under the house to the kitchen and bathroom. This is not only because we don't have any electric to pump the water to the electric tank, but we have no electric to pump the water from the mains line to the main tank under the house. So we are dredging up the bottom of the tank, hoping we have enough water for the next days. And water is a big problem. Not enough water means the house can't be kept as clean as everyone would like, clothes can't be washed regularly as there just isn't the water to use on it, and a bout of stomach problems can cause planning nightmares. For cooking, the rice cooker can no longer be used, meaning that the pressure cooker is used to cook rice, using more gas - additional expense. Also, the evening meal is cooked in torch and candlelight - making it more difficult. Students cannot study at night, because there is no light. And those who have to go to school in the day, or work in their house during the day, can find no time to study.

For the rest of Nepal, there is talk of severe redundancy. Businesses that rely on electricity to run machinery and so on either require their own expensive generators, or have to operate a reduced hours schedule. The only options for businesses are to have diesel generators or, if the electricity requirement is small enough, have a set of batteries to run whilst the line is down. The first option increases diesel use in the country, the oil trade here is still reeling from the middle of last year and on several occasions there is no petrol or diesel available. The second option does nothing to reduce the load on the already overstretched electricity supply, it just increases the load when the electric supply is back on. And if some are anything like our office, sometimes there is not enough capacity in the system to power the equipment for the length of the power cut. We've had a couple of occasions when our office went into blackout.

The Nepal Government has recognised this as a big problem, and has declared an energy emergency. They are looking at investing in diesel generators that will generate around 20% of Nepal's requirement. But this is not a sustainable solution. If the price of oil soars again, what will the government do then? And rumours are that the electricity will cost 30 rupees a unit to produce, when it is sold for just over 7 rupees per unit. Even if the rumours are false, and it costs 10 rupees a unit, the government will find themselves driving the already debt-ridden NEA into more financial crisis. Nepal's big energy hope is hydropower. So, when NEA decided to change their buying tariff off the hydroelectric producers, everyone was hopeful that this would encourage people to build more and bigger plants to cover the surplus. But no. The average buying price is around 4.5 rupees a unit from the day it starts to produce electricity, with a 3% inflation every year after. Many developers have found that their planned new hydro plants are no longer economically viable. So they are going to scrap all these plans. And what's worse, the government are currently buying electricity from India for 6 rupees a unit. So, the big plants are no longer economically viable, and small plants that can be built quickly will be profitable. But small hydro-plants are not the answer - like digging out of jail with a toothpick - it can be done, but will take far too much time.

So, what's the answer. Obviously the diesel generators can only be a temporary measure. Nepal's answer must lie in Hydropower. But how can you encourage developers, who want to make money, without charging a large amount to customer - ultimately affecting the poor? I think if there were less fingers in the hydropower pie, then maybe it would be more profitable - as with many developing countries, corruption is still rife here in Nepal and with large amounts of money comes large amounts of corruption. Also, if the private people who used more electricity paid more, and the government made more measures to encourage energy saving which would reduce load on the overstretched system.

The NEA and their international advisors have a big job on their hands. As for us, we're going to have 16 hours load shedding starting from Saturday. The fun continues...

Nepal Government - Wake up and smell the coffee

A 'New Nepal' was declared after the election, much hope for the world's newest federal republic. But that hope is now waning in its people. The Maoist-led government seems to be stricken with in-fighting and power grabbing, much as many of the previous democratically elected governments were. The new constitution, which was main aim of this government has not been started yet, 8 months on. The parties seems to be tearing up each other from the inside and ripping into each other's policies.

What affect is this having on the people of Nepal? Well, I've just returned from the Terai, in the south of the country. There I was told that the pahadi - hill - people who used to live here after the jungles were cleared by the government in the 1950s are running away from the Terai to the larger towns and cities, such as Kathmandu, Hetauda and Narayangadh. Some Madeshi people - immigrants from India - are causing a huge uprising in these areas. Along with this, other ne'er-do-wells in Nepali socity are seeing the crumbling security situation and jumping on the insurgency bandwagon. In Janakpur, the largest city in the eastern Terai, I was told that there are almost no hill people at all, they are all Madeshi. The hill people have been driven out through intimidation, kidnapping, extortion and murder. And the army and police can or will do nothing. They sit in their camps too scared to confront these groups, their posts regularly looted of weapons and equipment.

And when you talk to people in Kathmandu, most of them are not actually from Kathmandu but have moved here. Some are economic migrants, but a large number had to leave there homes - either from the Maoist rebellion in the late 1990s and beginning of this century or from the recent violence in the Terai. This has led to a population explosion here in the Kathmandu Valley. (Incidentally, this cannot be helping the electricity or water situation.)

And the worst part is, again it's the poor people who are suffering. Only the richer people can move to the larger towns, affording the increased price of land and food, with skills that are needed in cities. The poor people must sit it out, hoping that their house is not next on the target list of these groups, hoping their children are not kidnapped, their sons not forced to join the ‘thug army’.

And what is the Nepal Government doing about this all. Nothing. Fighting amongst themselves. Every day stories of kidnap, murder and extortion, and all the government can do is argue about who should be agreeing with who. All the Nepali people want is a bit of peace and stability. Let’s all hope that the government pull themselves together and give this to their people.

There is quite a good column on this, from a local newspaper. It can be found here.

Me - Decide where you're going

Decision time looms for me. My money I had saved for this trip is almost at an end, and so I need to work out what's going to happen now. Something I thought would be easy, but it's not. I have different parts of me pulling in polar opposite directions. What will happen? I don't know. Some deep thinking and prayerful thoughts are needed.

Me - Put on weight (this is nothing to worry about!)

I went to buy some jeans from a tailor the other day. When they measured my waist they said 31 inches. Now normally in the UK I'm about 34 or so. So this is a slight problem. I know I've lost a bit of weight whilst being here, but I didn't think it was that much. So, I'm going to try and eat more - something which I find very hard - and eat a bit more often. But, I know when I get back to the UK, my weight will get back up again - and my new tailored jeans won't fit!

Just before New Year I went down to the Terai to visit Didi, my friend's sister, and her husband and youngest child Bipin with Bibek - their eldest son. We caught the bus early in the morning, freezing cold, and then were even colder when we realised that the window level with my head was completely broken. So, I spent 4 or 5 hours sat in a freezing wind with pieces of glass flying at me in at regular intervals. The joys of Nepal. Our bus driver was fairly suicidal, overtaking around blind corners and leaning the bus rather hard into corners. However, this did mean that we arrived in double quick time - just 8 hours from Kathmandu for a journey that normally takes 10 - 12 hours.

At Didi's house I rested. It wasn't as warm as I thought it might be, still 2 t-shirts were the order of the day, and at night it was as cold as Kathmandu. But the one saving grace was that there was a fire stove meaning heat. Completely environmentally unfriendly, but good and warm. And we slept, ate, read, drank their buffalo milk and talked. I had not really a good chance to talk with Didi before, so this was great to get to know her better.

Me and Bipin - known as Bijuli, electricity, as he buzzes around all over the place

Bibek and Bipin


And after a few days it was time for me to leave again. Bibek stayed there, and will come back at the end of his winter holidays with Didi and his brother. I caught a jeep from the nearest town which got me back to Kathmandu in 7 hours just, which again was great - although the road it went along was rather bumpy and made me very sore from head to tail.


So, a new year, a new Nepal as well? Let's hope and pray so.


SAM

The End of the Year (as we know it)

(Sung to the tune of REM)

I had to go into Kathmandu at the week before Christmas, not something I particularly enjoy doing very much, but this time a necessity. However, on the way in, the road was closed. We managed to get through, Achut talking his way past the police as normal. As we went along the road, rocks and bricks were strewn all over, riot police were walking towards the river and groups of people were gathering. Not favourable circumstances for an easy ride. We reached the hill leading down to Kupondole and were met with riot police forming a barrier across the road. Just past them, in the middle of the road was a group of several hundred people, burning tyres, bricks in hand. We turned and took a back way into Kathmandu.

However, on our return, the bridge across the river was completely blocked. No-one was going anywhere. I was late, and needed to get to my office, and Achut had to get back into Thamel. So I jumped off the bike and told Achut to turn round and go back home, whilst I walked to my office. After crossing the bridge I understood the reason for the jam. Riot police were turning round all traffic, sending them back into Kathmandu. Just past them, another 20 or so police were in negotiations with an increasing rowdy mob of protesters. People were standing on the pavements, watching, not quite knowing what to do. I joined them. I saw the road I wanted to go down and avoid it, however, the protesters were between me and the road. Would it be safe enough to walk there?

The police negotiating with the protesters
I gradually inched down the road, trying with my 6ft3 frame to hide behind Nepali people, as befitting a brave and courageous person. As I reached the junction for my road, another larger protest also reached the junction for the road, shouting slogans against the Maoists. There seemed to be plenty of people just standing and watching, so I thought I wold join them, making sure I knew my escape route if anything happened. But nothing did at the time. And so I climbed from the river via the back roads to my office.

The protest in full flow
When I returned to my office, I found out that it was victims of the Maoist atrocities, during their self-proclaimed 'People's War'. These people had their husbands, wives, brothers, sisters or children abducted and murdered by the Maoists, now in power in Nepal. In a way, it is a testament to the Nepali people that they can forgive the Maoists for their previous activities - just to point out the Nepal Army were also guilty of performing similar acts. However, it makes wonder, how much about these abductions and murders did the higher echelons of the party knew. If they sanctioned it, then they have blood on their hands. If they didn't know, then they have no control over their party - which could explain a lot of the current problems. And should people with the blood of 13,000 be allowed to lead a country? But then there is also reconciliation, an important part of peace. It's a tough problem. Sometimes I'm glad I'm just an engineer.

We had a great quiet Christmas here in Nepal. I was invited out to an ex-pat's house on Christmas Eve for a get together and carols, which really got me into the spirit of things. Christmas morning I woke up, realising I forgot to put out my stocking and mince pie for Father Christmas. D'oh. Not being at home also meant that I couldn't wake up stupidly early and annoy my parents, just as I do every year.

There was a big Christmas program in St Xavier's School here in Lalitpur, but I didn't go in the end as I was waiting for Saru to turn up. However, they say 7,000 people did - mostly Nepali - which is great news for the church here. We had a normal daal bhaat for morning meal, but after Saru came, the cooking went into overdrive. Pilau rice, meat for us meat eaters, and some most amazing pickle from lopsi - like a lychee, but less sweet and an edible skin.

With my little christmas tree, I put the presents I had bought for all my Nepali family under it, and then when 15.10 came - the time the Queen's speech in the UK would finish, I passed out the presents. Rachhu surprised me by giving me a model of Krishna Mandir from Patan Durbar Square as well.

In the evening, we lit candles under the christmas tree. I told the christmas story, and explained the 5 candles used in the advent crown. Then we all sat around the tree trying to warm our hands as much as possible on the heat from the candles.

The christmas tree and candles
Boxing Day, and Saru left in the morning with me. I made my way to the office - the problem with Nepal is it has its own national festivals, and they certainly aren't ours. So our office was open, and I thought I had better go in.

And so, tomorrow I'm off to the plains - the Terai - to Didi's house and really looking forward to it. I promised I would go to her house a long time ago, but for one reason and another haven't made it there since May. It should also be a lot warmer there. Wahey!

SAM

Here's some gratuitous pretty pictures from earlier this year which I don't think I've shown before. (And by the way, that red picture of the mountains was taken from my roof, not a painting, i can assure you.)

The sun starting to peak out from behind the land, as seen from Poon Hill
The view of Macchapuchhre - Fishtail - from Tadapani on a clear and cold morning
The sun setting over Lalitpur - a fitting way to close out the year, no?

Getting into the swing of things

So, I'm back at my office after Mum's trip, and, apart from a week away 'in the field', I'm slowly building into a routine. In the morning, I eat breakfast after the usual cup of tea and then head in to the office, taking Bhanja to school on the way. At lunch time, we all head out to a small roti-shop, the Nepali equivalent of a sandwich bar, for a chapati and vegetable curry. Then just as it starts to get dark, I make my way home again. It's good to have a little bit of routine again in this most unpredictable and unorganised place.

The field trip was to go and help to start a social survey in an area where a new Hydropower plant will be built. This meant a day's bus ride followed by several hours walking to get to our base. We then had to walk to all the affected villages and talk to the local residents about the new plant. It was very interesting to see people off the tourist trail, see their scepticism about development plans and their enthusiasm about the possibility of a new source of income in a mainly agricultural landscape.

The landscape in the affected area was amazing
One village we visited was a typical Gurung village. It was very like Ghandruk, a village on the Poon Hill trek, but for one major difference. It felt more real. Ghandruk had been developed by the government as a model Gurung village, while the one we saw was left alone by all development, so it seemed. The children in the evening played football on the terraced fields on the outside of the village - a passing game was all but impossible due to the steps in the surface. And very few of the people there had seen foreigners before, so it caused a large amount of staring. They also performed one of their 'cultural programs' for us, singing songs and dancing for a few rupees.

Naiche, a typical Gurung village, that felt like something out of Lord of the Rings
So, as Christmas was approaching, I wanted to try and do something to celebrate it. So, Bhanja and I made a small nativity scene, and some paper chains as well. I bought a plastic christmas tree, and we made some decorations to put on it as well. Hopefully, Saru will be here for Christmas day, so although I won't be with my family in the UK, I'll be with my Nepali family. When we were making the nativity scene, Bhanja was colouring in the people and asked for the brown colour. I asked why he needed the brown, as he was on the angel. He said for the face. Not pink, brown. This might sound a strange little thing to remember, but when I was small, people had pink faces. For Bhanja however people have brown faces. So, in our nativity scene, we have a brown faced angel, Jesus, Mary and Joseph, shepherds and wise-men.

The Christmas tree and nativity scene
Walking back from my office the other day I saw a midget - he was riding around on a quad. In Nepal, the land of short people, midget's are titchy.

Thanks to everyone who's emailed me recently. I'm sorry I've been very lazy in replying to them, but I do read everything. I just forget to write back...

Anyway, Merry Christmas one and all.

SAM

(Here's a rare photo of me, just to show I'm still alive, alert, awake enthusiastic)

Tourist Time - Part 2

So, as most people do, we spent a large part of time in the Kathmandu Valley. Like most countries capital cities, it isn't the best area of the country by any means, but it is convenient and has good transport links and lots of history.

We first visited Kathmandu Durbar Square in the middle of Kathmandu. It was a good place to start as it gave a good flavour of Nepal - a manic taxi ride followed by temples, hawkers, living goddesses and tiny streets packed with people and motorbikes. Our first stop was the Kumari Ghar, the house of the living goddess for Kathmandu, who is supposed to represent the God Taleju. She is a pre-pubescent girl selected from a set of highly ritualised conditions. Her view is considered by many Nepalis to be a blessing. After wandering through and looking at the many temples built in the square we moved to the tourist ghetto of Thamel, for a bit of shopping and a look-see.

The Kumari Ghar, unfortunately the Kumari didn't bless us with her presence, but still a quiet place in the middle of the bustling Kathmandu Durbar Square
The next day, Saru joined us for a walk around Patan, starting at Patan Dhoka, the gate where the peoples movement of 1990 held its ground, and moved on to the historic, and patently more pretty than Kathmandu's version, Patan Durbar Square via a number of little temples, hidden in nooks and crannies all along the side streets.

Saru and me outside one of the temples in Patan Durbar Square
After returning from Pokhara, we had a day of big temple and stupa visits. Auntie Kathy had decided to stay in the hotel, as her leg was a bit sore after the exertions in the the mountains. So we visited Pashupathinath, Boudha and Swayambhu all in one day through a large number of taxi rides. It was good fun, and interesting to see all the temples one after each other, seeing how each differed in it's own way.

Pashupatinath Temple - the place for Hindu pilgrimage in Kathmandu

Boudhanath Stupa - the centre of Tibetan Buddhism in Nepal
I had to return to my office for a day, so Rachhu very kindly agreed to Mum and Auntie Kathy around some of the bigger temples in Patan and the museum there. When we all returned from our various places, we found Aama and Buwa had cooked a large number of sel roti - doughnut like bread from rice flour. So we sat on the veranda in the afternoon sun and ate warm sel roti. Bliss.

Mum and Auntie Kathy at the Golden Temple

Aama and Buwa cooking sel roti - my favourites!
Bhaktapur is the third of the cities in the valley, once a kingdom's capital but now a well preserved piece of history, thanks to lots of foreign aid. We walked around, fending off people trying to get us to visit their Thangka painting schools and potential guides, and found our own route to the places we wanted to go.

Auntie Kathy, Rachhu and Mum in Bhaktapur next to the 'Large Shiva Lingas'
On the last full day in Nepal, we took everyone to Dakshinkali, the temple dedicated to the scariest of Hindu deities. Normally the place runs with blood, from the animal sacrifices that take place there. However, we were lucky and none rook place when we were there. We returned by the fish infested, snake worshipping lake in Taudhaha. As a bit of fun for Mum and Auntie Kathy before they left, Rachhu gave them a hennaed hand, traditional decoration for Nepali women.

Everyone at Dakshinkali
Rachhu giving Mum a hennaed hand
And as quickly as it started, Mum and Auntie Kathy were gone again. It was fun being a tourist again, seeing other foreigners and, of course, spending time with Mum.

SAM

Tourist Time - Part 1

Mum and Auntie Kathy came at the beginning of November to visit Nepal, and inspect my life of luxury here. I've broken this up into 2 parts of tourism, first outside the Kathmandu Valley and next time our visits in the Kathmandu Valley. This is a bit of a photo-blog, partly because my writing is not very good, but mostly because I am lazy and, as they say, a photo speaks a thousand words.

So, the first place we went outside the valley was the National park at Chitawan. This involved a bus ride down to the park, about 6 hours or so along some of the most scary roads in Nepal. When we arrived, we went for an organised wander around the park before heading to the river for the sunset - a part of all the "Chitawan Package" holidays.

The sunset in Sauraha across the Rapti river
The next morning, we were woken early for a canoe ride along the river to the edge of the jungle, followed by a visit to the elephant breeding centre. The boats weren't the most stable in the world, and Achut standing at the back didn't make the situation any better. The walk in the jungle was fairly uneventful, we saw lots of trees, some termite mounds and in the distance one or two deer. After the warnings that we might have to run from rhino, it was a bit tame, but what can you expect when there are 12 noisy people trampling through the surrounding. At the elephant breeding centre 7 days earlier one mother elephant given birth to the first set of twins in captivity in Nepal, the third in the world. One of the guides led out a baby elephant to be petted, then a small Nepali school boy ran into the enclosure behind the animals, causing a large amount of horn trumpeting and shouting.

Canoeing early morning along the river

A lake in the jungle - when noisy tourists aren't there, deer, rhino and other animals drink from the lake

The mother with her twins - both boys
From the elephant breeding centre we went back into Sauraha to watch the elephant bathing. Achut, the shy and retiring person he is, wanted to shower with them. This involved climbing onto the naked elephant's back and the elephant driver shouting things at it to wash itself and get Achut as wet as possible at the same time.

Achut about to get a trunk-full of water
After lunch, it was our turn to go on the elephants for our safari. We went on into the jungle, lumbering along at a lolloping pace. Every step pushed my rib into the wooden surround of the the carry-cot ontop of the elephant, eventually ending in a bruise the size of a tennis ball. The advantage of an elephant safari is that most animals know the elephants and don't run away, giving quite a cool view of the local wildlife, especially the endangered one-horned rhinos.

Mounting the elephant

An argument between the elephant and rhino?

Crossing the river
That was enough for one day, and we had an early night. The next morning we had the bird walk at 6.30, the morning mist rising from the river and the golden orange sun poking through. There were, however, a distinct lack of bird life. Maybe it was because it was cold. Maybe it was because it was very early. Or maybe it was because we were very very noisy. After that, we headed for the bus station and headed for Pokhara and the mountains.

The morning mist rising from the river
In Pokhara we first went to the lake, Phewa Tal, and had a two hour trip around the lake powered by an old Gurung lady. Lots of Nepali people were heading for the temple in the middle of lake, boats as overflowing as local buses.

'Buses' going to Tal Barahi

The view of the Annapurna Himalaya from Phewa Tal at sunset
Then we started our trek. It was a six-day trek up to Ghorepani, to watch the sunrise from Poon Hill before descending back down to Ghandruk, a preserved Gurung village, and back to Pokhara. Mum and Auntie Kathy didn't find it easy. Some days were long, almost 8 hours walking, but both did a most admirable job, and kept going through the pain that was at the end obviously pulsating through their bodies.

The start of the trek, bright eyed and bushy tailed...

Up hill, down dale...

Through rhododendron forest...

To Poon Hill for the Himalaya's best view...

And the sunrise...

Before reaching the highest point on the trek...

And returning downhill...

Through some beautiful Gurung villages...
And finally a well earned rest.
The trail always throws up one or two interesting parts. Ours was a quite funny really. In the hills around Pokhara, Marijuana is found naturally occurring. In one tea-house we stayed in, a foreign man in his forties or fifties came in rather off-his-head on the local crop. He had been there 10 times or so in the last month apparently. Everyone in the tea-house was whispering, what would the man do? He came in, got out his pipe, and then ordered some food. Later on, the guides and porters couldn't help themselves and were talking rather loudly about the man in Nepali, until someone asked him for some crop. He then started to complain that people always asked him for some, and never gave him any money, and that all the local people sold him their crop and ripped him off. My heart bled.

So once the trek was finished, we had a relaxing day around Pokhara seeing the sites before heading to Kathmandu the following morning.

The Kathmandu Valley part will come soon!

SAM

Back up and running!

So, my Mum has come from the UK, and fixed my technical problems. Wahey! (Thanks Bids) So, I've posted some things about the last month, mainly about the 2 major festivals that have taken place.

Last week, I started to work with a Hydropower NGO, and it hopefully will teach me about how NGOs in Nepal work. In return, I'm going to be helping them on things I know. i.e. computers and english. Great deal. To see about the NGO you can look at their website www.peeda.net.

Anyway, my Mum and Aunt are here for the next three weeks, so I'm going to be doing a lot of the touristy stuff that I haven't done for a long time, including going on elephant safari, walking in the mountains and so on. Should be fun!

SAM