Being tourists

We've got electricity today until 4pm so managed to get onto the computer for a quick update. The electricity is on for two slots each day, at different times and for different amounts of time, so we're getting used to eating dinner by candlelight and going to bed very early!

We ventured out to Swayambunath yesterday, it's a big temple on the outskirts of Kathmandu - Bill and I went there when we were here 14 years ago. It's been extended a lot since then, with three huge statues of gods and smaller temples at the back. It sits really high up on a hill and you get a great view of the city, which has expanded as far as the space in the valley will allow.

Swayambunath is also known as the Monkey Temple, because it's home to loads of monkeys. Lots of them have babies just now, so Alison had a good time spotting them all and taking photos (which I will get on here soon, I promise). We managed to come back in rush hour (that was an experience), and Alison spotted some of the decorated trucks - one with 'No Time Fore Love' painted on it and one with 'My God, Please Save Me' (appropriately enough, given the driving!).

Kathmandu is incredibly busy and incredibly dirty - there is rubbish strewn from one end of every street to the other - even the compost heap down at one of the kids' houses has plastic mixed in with it - not sure that's going to help much grow. We're not sure quite what we're going to do for volunteering - we've met the smaller kids who aren't at school yet, but they're being home schooled quite formally during the day so it feels a little awkward to be with them. There's a 'free day' up at the biggest house tomorrow where I'm hoping Alison might make some friends and we can then maybe see about her going to school, although at the moment she's not keen. There's also a government orphanage in town for under-5s and we might go there during the day with a couple of the other volunteers from here. There are other placements available, outside Kathmandu, but I'm swithering at the moment about putting Alison through the travel, so we'll see.

Alison was very homesick initially, but that seems to be wearing off now. She has handled all the things that I expected to phase her - the smells, the dirt, the chaos, the rice and curry for breakfast - really well, and likes Nepal. She's even getting used to being stared at whenever we're out - the area we're in doesn't have many tourists and she's a bigger novelty because she's a child. She's quite intimidated at the thought of being with lots of other kids, so I hope that tomorrow breaks that down, or we can find some activities that she's comfortable with, otherwise you may see us back earlier than we thought....

Anyway, all will be well I'm sure, and if it's not well, we gave it a shot! Off to sit in the sunshine until dinner. Hope it isn't too freezing back in sunny Scotland.

Ann
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