On the home straight

After nearly a week of watching the internet news updates it looks as if UK airspace has reopened and we stand a good chance of getting home on Tuesday - for a while there I did wonder if we'd be stranded. I've been assured by Air India that our seats are confirmed and won't be given to anyone who's been unable to travel, so fingers crossed all will be well and both us and our bags will get home on time (even though I have the jinxed suitcase, Evelyn!).

Unexpectedly on Friday (after my last post), the New Year procession came marching up our street, just as we were waiting for dinner. We charged downstairs to watch and take photos - there were lots of people dancing and a band dressed in all their finery; women in bright blue saris with flowers in their hair; lots of red tikka powder all over everyone; and a large Ganesh statue draped in flowers and garlands. The statue was being carried on two long poles (like a sedan chair) by about 12 men on each side. There's a fair hill on the way up our street so they were sweaty and exhausted looking! I was busy saying how heavy it looked as it passed when the man at the back of the poles on our side of the road put his hand out and said Happy New Year. I took his hand to shake it and he pulled me off the step and put me in the line in front of him! The statue was incredibly heavy (I still have the bruises to prove it) but I managed to help carry it up to the temple at the top of the street (about 150 yards - yes, I'm a wimp). Everyone thought this was hysterically funny - I guess it's usually only men who are allowed to take this role - and loads of people were shouting, cheering and laughing and taking photos on their phones - ah, my 5 minutes of fame - ha ha! After having my face suitably covered in red tikka powder and being forced to dance around like a loony for a little while I was released back into reality. Carlyn, one of the other volunteers here, was also involved in the dancing and has pictures on her camera of us when we got back - she's away rafting at the moment but is due back soon so I'll post a photo and you can laugh at me looking ridiculous.

Life has been quiet following that excitement. The kids are back at school and we've been going up in the afternoon to help with homework. Well, I say help - one of the older girls asked me to help her with trigonometry yesterday afternoon and I hadn't a clue - school was such a long time ago....! Alison and I went into Thamel a couple of days ago to get photos transferred from the camera onto a DVD and to eat chicken satay (oh yummy, yum), and we're going in again this evening for dinner with Blake, a volunteer who's off travelling in Cambodia and Vietnam shortly. She left the volunteer house about a week ago to meet her sister and they've been trekking in Langtang, which is up near the border with Tibet and looks beautiful.

Well, I'll be off for now - away to wash the final two blankets and then pack all the rest up for the summer. The electric has been mysteriously on for ages over the last few days - not sure what that's about, but we're not complaining - so I'll try to post some photos later on if I can.

Ann & Alison
x