Kids' photos

Shushmita (not sure how well this picture will come out - looks a bit dark on this computer!)


Ramilla (left) and Jenny Rai trying to look angelic - even though they're cheeky monkeys! If I could get Ramilla in my rucksack, I'd steal her!


Skipping




Anu and Anita skipping




Alison and Anita

Elephant washing at Chitwan


Elephant washing me at Chitwan!



More washing...!




The cement crew on a house at the back of us in Kathmandu - they formed a chain that moved pans of cement up onto the roof all day in the baking sun.



Elephants at Chitwan waiting for us to get on!

As you can see, we've survived the plane ride to Chitwan and back (it turned out it was with Tara Air, so no yetis!). It was really hot and humid but quiet compared to Kathmandu. The first evening we went for a nature walk and encountered a large rhinoceros (our guide called them rhinosaurus, which was hysterical) having a wash in the river - we stood on the bank and watched it for a while (warily - apparently several people have been killed in the last few years by angry rhino!). The elephant safari the next morning was great - you climb up a huge set of steps to a ramp and then get onto the elephant from the back, with four people to each howdah. Our elephant was a female, aged 25, called Jampack-koli (or something like that). We were out in the jungle for about an hour and a half and saw two crocodiles, two rhino (up very very close), different types of deer, monkeys, and lots of birds. After a quick break, we went down to the river to bath the elephants, which was just brilliant. It's very easy to forget when you're on top of an elephant being sprayed withwater from its trunk that there are half a dozen of them who've all been to the toilet in the river (euw). I don't have any photos of Alison being 'bathed' because the guide was trying to take pictures of us and also of another couple who were on the trek with us, but I'm hoping there might be some on the couple's camera - they've kindly offered to email us any pictures that we don't have.

The hotel in Chitwan wasn't quite what we'd expected - I think we got the worst room in the place and when Alison opened the window the content of an ants' nest landed on her arm, eggs and all - yuck! We got moved to another room which was spotless, though, and there were no more beasties. The staff were lovely, and the grounds very beautiful with fruit trees and humming birds. Unfortunately, we were struck with a dose of 'delhi belly' for a day while there and missed a canoe trip, but you can't come to Nepal without having at least one 'horror story' and if that was ours, we're very lucky! The best part of the trip for me was the fact that the hotel was located quite close to the Government elephant centre, so in the evening all the elephants came down the main street of the village to go home for the night - really amazing watching an elephant wander down the street with its keeper, alongside people, bicycles and horse carts (very few cars, which was nice).

We're now ensconsed back in the volunteer house in our old room (the dungeon, as it's been nicknamed), and feelig more at home. Heading up to give the kids a hand with homework in a couple of hours and then they have exams scheduled for 2 weeks from tomorrow. We're going to help out getting them ready and walking them back and fore from school because they're on a split rota, half in the morning and half in the afternoon, so it's a bit chaotic without some assistance. I've also been helping Emma with some administrative stuff (there's no escape from work, eh?) and we're looking forward to the school holidays. Despite occasionally considering changing the flights (ups and downs are normal here), it looks as if we'll be here for the whole duration, which is really good.

Will sign off now - electric only on for another hour so shouldn't hog the computer!

Ann & Alison
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Off to Chitwan

We've had trouble getting access to the computer over the last few days so haven't been able to post. Thought I'd try to squeeze in a quick note before breakfast at half eight.

We're being picked up at half ten this morning for a half twelve flight - with Yeti Airlines no less - if I can post from Chitwan I will so that you know we made it in one piece and it wasn't actually a yeti flying the plane....

It's been busier here, we went up to play with the kids on their day off and ended up spending nearly all day with them - Alison's made some good friends and we went up to help with homework a couple of days ago too. There are school holidays soon so we'll probably spend most of our time with the kids over that fortnight. In between times we're going to go to the small baby orphanage in Kathmandu (about 20 kids under 4) with one of the other volunteers here to see if we can help out. I fully expect it to be upsetting, but it feels like a good thing to at least try and Alison's up for it.

We survived our trip down to Thamel the other day. Had a good wander round and some lunch (chip butties - yummy - who said I was going to lose weight on this trip?!). We did a little bit of souvenir shopping - well, it has to be done - and managed to find a slightly quieter corner of Thamel with a small Buddhist temple and some lovely shops with good prices - less haggling and no hassle, which was a joy.

We did a walking tour yesterday afternoon with Emma, the Volunteer Manager and two of the other volunteers, Ann and Kim (from USA) from Durbar Square to Thamel through a lot of the older streets that you wouldn't normally come across. It was fascinating seeing the old squares that the town was originally built round - really quiet even though they're only a minute off the main road - and all the shops that locals use as opposed to the tourist mayhem. Then nearly all the volunteers from the house met up for dinner in a Lebanese restaurant and we sat on cushions on the floor scoffing falafel and houmous - Alison and I came home after dinner even though Jake (one of the Australian volunteers here) was trying to corrupt her and get her to go up to the pub with them and be on his pool team! The volunteers here just now are all really nice, although it's marginally depressing that just about all of them are young enough for me to be their mother - ugh! I"m amazed by how confident and brave some of them are at 19, 20 and 21 to be out here on their own and off on placements in the middle of nowhere, it's fantastic. They've all really taken Alison into the group and make her feel involved, which is lovely.

I've been making Alison earn her keep, though- she's found a liking for stomping washing in a bucket with her feet every morning, so she's become the laundry queen. I'll post a picture as soon as I can! Having found my camera cable, I've managed to lose it again, so I won't be able to post any photos till we get back from Chitwan and I can launch a full-scale search for it - there are too many pockets in rucksacks!

Anyway, breakfast calls - I've just been handed a mug of tea (black, two sugars - I"m becoming hooked) and I can hear sizzling and frying sounds from the kitchen upstairs (kitchens in Nepali houses are on the top floor - a bit inconvenient for carting things up, but cooler and with a roof terrace outside). Will post from Chitwan if we can and if not will try to get online on Tuesday night.

Bye for now,

Ann & Alison
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Very quick post

Local construction work - there's lots of development in this area - lovely bamboo scaffolding!



Swayambunath god (not sure which one!)



Main temple, Durbar Square


Large prayer wheel at Swayambunath (we twirled it to improve our karma!)


This is a very quick post to stick some more photos up - electric's not on for long and we're about to be very brave and head down into Thamel (the main tourist/shopping area) by ourselves (oohh!) to do a bit of shopping and wandering around....here's hoping I can find my way back!

We're booked to go to Chitwan National Park on Saturday till Tuesday, with elephant safari/elephant washing, jeep safari and other very touristy stuff in the jungle. We've decided to fly (30 mins as opposed to 7 hours on the bus) so although I'm looking forward to it, I'm simultaneously petrified - it will be a very small plane. The hotel we're staying in looks quite good (western toilets - yay!) so hopefully it'll be a nice few days away from the noise and the dust here.

Thinking about volunteering at the large government orphanage for under-5s during the day once we get back next week - going to maybe go for a visit before we leave this weekend to have a look.

Anyway, will go - there are others needing to get onto the computer before the electric gives up for the remainder of the day. Hope everyone at home is well.

Ann & Alison
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Photos at last

Alison in rooftop restaurant in Durbar Square

Alison washing clothes - had to be seen to be believed!!

View from the roof of the Volunteer House

Kathmandu city from Swayambunath temple

Yesterday morning was spent trying to learn some Nepali phrases (badly), and then we went down to Durbar Square which is the old part of Kathmandu, full of temples and impressive pantomime sadhus (one of them in leopard print, no less!). This morning we booked a trip to Chitwan National Park for 3 nights/4 days - we leave on Friday morning this week and come back on Monday afternoon. We'll be going on an elephant safari, a jeep safari, a canoe ride and hopefully helping to bathe the elephants in the river. It'll be hotter there than it is here, but hopefully not too many flies or mosquitos yet - apparently they get quite bad nearer May.

Anyway, we're going to keep this short because the electricity goes off in 20 minutes (although it mysteriously stayed on for hours last night after it should have gone off) and I'm going to try to upload some photos just now. We're off to play with the kids up at the big house this afternoon - they all have the day off school because it's International Women's Day.

Ann & Alison

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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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We've arrived!

After a very long journey, we're finally here. Spent our first night in the volunteer house last night and slept well. Woke up to our first helping of dhal bhat for breakfast - yum. Then we had the typical Nepalese experience of stench - drains being unblocked - lovely. There are two roof terraces here, though, with great views out across the city and then the hills so we escaped up there for some fresh air.

We haven't met the kids yet -think we're going to go over after they get in from school. There are 5 other volunteers staying here, three from the US, one from the UK and an Australian; all very nice and friendly. People come and go to different placements so there will be some changes. At the moment we're still thinking we'll go and stay in the house with two volunteer rooms so that we're with the kids more, but we've got the option to do either.

We have taken some photos of the view from the roof here (construction everywhere - brilliant, shoogly bamboo scaffolding and people wandering round roofs with no safety equipment of any description), but I forgot to bring the cable that links the camera to the computer - I knew there would be something that would be left behind!! Will try to get another one here as soon as we can and get some photos on.

Alison is doing well - she counted 2 cows, 13 dogs. 3 monkeys and 36 Coca Cola signs between the airport and here last night. We've decided to play 'spot the Buddhist monk' to see who can collect the most sightings - I'm ahead, but only because there was one at Heathrow airport! The taxi journey was mad from the airport - crammed in a tiny Suzuki literally squeezing between vans, cars and motorbikes - the driver made me laugh, though, because he insisted on beeping his horn at every larger oncoming vehicle as if he had more right to be on the road than they did! Alison spotted some ingenious truck repairs made from half a plastic bottle and some sticky tape, and she reckoned the driving would never be allowed in Inverness. She also spotted an ancient Land Rover in the yard of the house across the road - her dad would love it.

Anyway, we are off back to our roof in the sunshine - quote from earlier 'it's too hot out here' hee hee hee!!!

Bye for now!

Ann & Alison
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