Month: October 2015

Surrender….Nepal part 5

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I felt a bit like Typhoid Mary.  You know the woman who bought typhoid with her, probably from Ireland and proceeded to give it to people in New York in the early part of the 20th century? It seems I had bought a particularly virulent flu all the way from Saudi Arabia with me.  I know I shared it with Juliette and Dibya and am hoping no-one else got it.  It forced us down from the mountain top and into new accommodation in the town of Pokhara. It gave us a bit of relief overnight as it was hot and ridiculously humid and I was feverish and needed and aircon. Yes, I know, poor precious baby! As I got sicker the monsoon decided it was not over after all.  The clouds closed in, the mountains disappeared, the rain poured and it got very, very humid. There was nothing to do but surrender to the experience so we both slowed down and Rick worked on finding the best massage therapist in Pokhara and I worked out …

When you think you are giving but really you are receiving….Nepal Part 4

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There are a few internal airlines in Nepal but I felt we actually had to fly Buddha Air to get from Kathmandu to Pokhara.  I mean Yeti Air? Really? So off we went to the domestic terminal with ALL that luggage.  We explained that we were taking clothes for kids and they only charged us for half of the 30 kilos of excess…which ended up being a mere $15.  Given international airlines charge 50 USD for 1 kilo we felt pretty happy about this.  Only problem being that it didn’t arrive with us.  Never mind said the friendly person at the baggage claim.  It will be on the next flight. Ok…we wondered how long that would be and when he breezily said, ohhh 10 or 15 minutes I sat down and waited for the long haul thinking that may mean Nepali time. But lo and behold it was only about 20 minutes later that our bags arrived on the Yeti Air plane! All perfectly packed like a complex puzzle into Milobar’s taxi (yes Milobar – best name …

One thing leads to another….Nepal Part 3

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As our trip to Nepal got closer my attention turned to what we would take with us and what we might bring back home….which led me to start having thoughts about bags and luggage allowance.  Rick had travelled with a day pack and 2 bottles of duty free wine last time but I had grander plans.  A few emails with Juliette established that we could to use our luggage allowance to bring supplies of things that may be hard to get in Nepal at this time.  We did a bit of brainstorming coming back to land on the most simple of ideas – children’s shoes and clothes. Juliette and Dibya again got to work and identified children in local villages who were in the greatest need – kids who had only ever received hand me downs.  In Nepal that means rags as they wear everything until it falls apart. So we knew that each and every pair of shorts, every t-shirt and pair of shoes would find a willing home and a useful one. Again …

When a good idea hijacks you. Nepal part 2

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There are times when doing something can feel effortless as if you are in what is sometimes called ‘the flow’.  Times when you feel as if you are moving in a direction not entirely dictated by your own wants, needs and desires. When you say a small ‘yes’ out to a need, the universe, whatever but in saying that yes there is a response that comes back 100 fold to support you. Our fundraising efforts for Nepal have been a lot like that. After the quake hit Rick wanted to check in with Juliette and Dibya at Peace Dragon Lodge in Pokhara to check they were ok.  Their wonderful hotel is perched high on a ridge above the town and the lake, close by to the Peace Pagoda with a view over the Himalaya from Dhalugiri in the West to Manasulu in the East. A view which encompasses the whole of the Annapurna range as well. Rick had stayed with them last September when he made that flying visit to Nepal for the Eid holiday. …