So, we have arrived in Nepal! We landed in Kathmandu on time and were immediately caught in the hustle and bustle of it. After a reletively straightforward visa application we headed outside and met our contact Ramesh after being crowded by taxi drivers offering 'good rate'. The journey to the Happy Home in Kathmandu where we would be staying took about 20 minutes and was full of noise and swerving, not to mention the bumpy roads. The home itself was very comfortable and had a family atmosphere and we soon bonded with Ramesh who was full of laughs, the food was nice at it was here that we were introduced for the first time to 'Dal Bhat', a suprisingly tasty rice with spinach, potato and lentil soup which we have eaten every day since we've been here. After a few days in Kathmandu learning some basic Nepali and seeing the famous "Monkey Temple" we headed to Pokhara to start our volunteering placement. The journey took 10 hours- a 9 hour bus from KTH to PKH and then a local bus which was seriously bumpy and cramped, with Nepali style music blaring out of the speakers. Arjun, who had accompanied us back to Thulaket, the village that we would be staying, introduced us to his family and was very welcoming in general. The life they live there is very far removed from western culture and all of us found it very refreshing and insightful. Our day consists of: 6.15 wake up and (cold) shower, follwed by a Nepali breakfast of tea and rice/corn. At 7.15 we head down to the resource centre where we play with mainly younger kids, doing anything from reading to them to playing catch. After that we head back to Arjun's for some Dal Bhat at 9 before heading out to school which is a 10 minute uphill walk. Lessons last 45 minutes each and we teach English, Maths and Social Studies. Our day there finishes at around 1 and we head back for some afternoon tea before playing some cards for the rest of the afternoon until dinner time at around 8. The day we arrived we were treated to a traditional Nepali Hindu welcome. Yesterday we took the bus back to Pokhara to get some internet and see some more touristy attractions. To celebrate Dan's offer we had a Pizza and a few beers. Today we went out by boat on the famous Fewa lake in Pokhara and circled the temple that is in the middle of it. Unfortunately we can't upload pictures to this post because of the lack of cables, but we have some stunning pictures to share that we will put up next post (probably in Thailand next week). The grammar in this is probably pretty poor but time is short, as we need to get the bus back to Thulakhet for a party Arjun is throwing for his returning son. All the best and watch out for the next post.
Harry, Dan and Josh
