:: Lee's Journey East ::

Hello West I'm Back!!

2008-04-14T16:19:00.003+01:00

This is a short blog to say hello to everyone and to let you know that I have returned safely on British soil. I have actually been here for 1 week and just about adjusted to the differences in culture, though one thing for sure, I will never be the same again, Nepal has left a mark on my heart that is permanent and will not be removed and I'm sure will only grow larger in the years to come.

I hope that those who I have yet to speak with are all doing well and that at somepoint I look forward to catching up with you. As you could guess, it's quite a manic time at the moment, having to look for work, arrange many things for the Nepali village project, which I apologise for not putting up anything sooner, but information will come in the coming months and you will all hopefully get to see more of what our plans are for this beautiful, underdeveloped community in Central Nepal, the village of Andhimul.

I will also be doing some more indepth blog updates on my final 2 months. The Village, my final week in Kathmandu, and my trip to Darjeeling & Kolkata, so I will be letting you all know as soon as I have bits uploaded, of course many wonderful pictures too!

Last Sunday, I was shocked to hear the Captain of our plan tell us over the Tannoy "Our landing is going to be delayed due to snow fall..." In April!? I and many other passengers were shocked, especially after leaving 35 degrees in Kolkata. Well why should we be suprised with the UK weather, we should be used to it by now :)...Anyway enjoy the few pics above and I'll be blogging again soon!

The Andhimul Project

2008-02-19T07:53:00.009Z

First, hello again, I've left it another month and then deposited a large number of blogs on you, sorry but that seems to be the way I keep doing it!

We are now already past the middle of Feb, and valentines day's gone :( and I have been over 4 months away from my Mum, Pa, Sis, family & friends, though I know it won't be long before I return to the UK shores.

Where am I now? I've been in Kathmandu the past few weeks learning Nepali, or at least trying, and writing a report and contacting people about a new project I'm working on with others (I'll write about it shortly), and meeting up with some lovely people I met whilst in Bandipur and who live in Kathmandu. One, being a lovely couple from Scotland, James & Libby who have 3 children and have been out here since 2004 and have had a passion for this country for many years, they actually both met here before getting married and returning. The other, being Lily and Anita from Canada & the US, Libby living here for 12 years and Anita for a bit less, and through them I've met their lovely flatmates Steven and Dan. I've already had some tasty meals at theirs! And hopefully another before I return to the UK. And finally, I'm living with a lovely Nepali family here in Kathamndu and eating delicious Dal bhaat with them :o)

What am I going to be doing? Well, this Friday I'm returning to Bandipur to meet up with this lovely, genuine Nepali man who has become my good friend, or I'll say my brother, Mon Bahadur Bhujel. It was through the passion he has for his caste and community that has drawn me to help him and potentially be the start of a long term relationship with Nepal, and to begin this with his community.

I will be doing a longer blog on this project at a later date, but this is just to let you know briefly what my plans are. I'm spending the next 3 weeks researching and getting to know a small village community 12km outside of Bandipur. I will be looking to see how we can help this village to sustain itself, it's very poor, with people struggling to have food on the table, educate their children or even clothe them. Our (Mon's, Angela's, Joli's and whoever else gets involved) aim is to through fundraising, NGO's, universities and more is to give this village a chance to better itself, through teaching new skills, support, and education (especially for the children) and an overall compassionate desire to make a difference!

So therefore, I will be providing all you guys with more details in the coming months of how you maybe able to, in any which way you can, help this community; And just for something to pull on your heart strings, I have attached a few pictures of the local children from the school who desperately need our compassion.

Goodbye Angela!

2008-02-19T07:38:00.009Z

It was that time for goodbyes again, and now it was to be my right hand man, or shall I say woman, Angela :o) After spending almost every day for the last 10 weeks living in the same place, working together, eating together, even sharing the most intimate details about our bodily functions together, sorry I had to get that one in. It was now time to say goodbye!

I first want to say that since having Angela join me in Bandipur I have learnt so much about almost every matter, including my own personal ups and downs. The 2 things that will always stick in my mind, will be her passion for the people of Bandipur and her stubborn determination, that if she had a plan in her head or had been given one, she would do all she could to get it done. Which with the way in which the Nepali culture is, they needed someone like that and Bandipur shore benefited, Dill Primary, with the renovation of the classroom, the renovation of the computer class and the introducing of fun and games to the early learning centre and more.

The learning centre, to put it in Angela’s word "is a place where you can be a right dick, but it's great fun!". And she was right, the few occasions I ventured their were great fun, singing, dancing and being like a kid again and the teachers really did love that enthusiasm and passion she had. You can see from a few of the pictures above at the early learning centre, the parachute was especially great fun.

And of course, like any relationship there were times when we both needed space, because when you are on top of each other (not literally), day after day it get a little much. And when Joli arrived at the beginning of the year, it meant we were not spending as much time together, and it was good for Joli and Angela to build up a relationship as I was no longer a volunteer with GVI.

I want thank you Angela, also for putting your time and efforts into the Andhimul project and hope you will continue to be part of it to help make a difference to this community.

Our final few days was spent in Kathmandu with another volunteer, a lovely, happy young lass from the South West of England, Carol, who had volunteered in Pokhara for 3 months and who is now in a small beautiful place called Nuwarkot, doing great things, helping teaching in the schools and much more. We spent those days buying both, using the lovely donation from Helen and her Morris Dance group, mentioned in the previous blog, books and art materials, and buying clothes for the pre-school children in Andhimul.

You can see the lovely, funky hat Carol and Angela bought me, the day before Angela's departure. It was to add to my collection, of gloves and socks I already had. Thank you!!! People in London next winter will shore see me coming!

Then on the Wednesday morning, the 6th February, I accompanied Angela to the airport, though I wasn’t allowed into the terminal because I wasn’t a passenger, so we had a quick tea, and parted some gifts. She brought me this lovely little book of Gandhi quotes, knowing how much he inspires me and a packet of chocolate biscuits, which is Angela through and through. Another thing I will remember is the constant offering and generosity of chocolate throughout our time here in Nepal, so if I need an extra filling or two I know who to blame it on :o)

We then parted; she went into the terminal and I made my way out of the airports ground. It was hard, because up until that point I was fine, I didn't feel emotional (being both typically me and being a man), but as soon as I was walking away, I knew our time was finished and it hurt, and I was upset, just because of the intensity of the past few months and the great experiences too, never to be forgotten!

So Angela, one day I will take you up on that offer of free lodging and board and visit you, on what sounds like another beautiful part of the world, South Oz, and remember if you come to London, you have a personal tour guide waiting at the steps of your plane :0)

Thank You 'Ragged and Old"!

2008-02-19T07:26:00.008Z

This blog is dedicated to Helen Wallis and her 'Ragged and Old' Morris Dance group who so kindly donated 10,000 NRP to the children of Bandipur computer class.

We have spent this money on both educational and reading books and lots and lots of art materials for the kids to have creative fun with and for future volunteers to have resources that will continue to make a difference to the children in Bandipur.

Also, I will hopefully be updating in the next few weeks photographs of the children indulging themselves in these gifts, and actually 2 other volunteers, Angela, Carol and me have to admit we had great fun sourcing this material in Kathmandu. There is a wonderful bookshop, recommended to us by someone from KISC International School, called EKTA books, here in Kathmandu, that has 3 large floors of English and Nepali/English books, it was heaven; And to add to further delight we were also recommended an indulgent art shop called ‘Vickeys’ in the heart of Old Town (China Town), Kathmandu.

So if wasn't for this generous Christmas collection donation, these children and future volunteers would not be benefiting from these wonderful teaching resources and materials. A massive BIG THANK YOU to 'Ragged and Old' Morris Dance Group! :) And if anybody would like to find out what they get up to, please check their website www.raggedandold.com

Rafting Goodbye

2008-02-19T07:07:00.013Z

You will see that many of my recent blogs are all filled with goodbyes, which are always hard times, one of the hardest being when I left my Mum and sister at Heathrow, crazily over 4 months ago. But this weekend was a fun packed one with a sad goodbye.

After the family and Old Inn farewell, we joined Joli, Tim and 11 of the computer class children we were taking rafting. It had been our wish that some of the kids could go rafting for many months prior to this weekend, pretty much since Angela started her volunteering, and thanks to some perseverance, especially from Angela a much valuable quality she has (Thank You!), things happened and we got our wish for our final weekend.

The jeep ride there was an interesting start to our voyage, not filling us with the most optimism in the world. Just prior to our departure the kids had been supplied some simple breakfast by the amazing Old Inn staff, whom as always were very helpful. The only issue was that we had to descend about 700m around winding roads, so you know what's coming now, food and washing machine like stomachs, not a great combination!

So our journey entailed dealing with many children on the verge of saying hello to their breakfast again. But thankfully we had a stop on the way and some of the kids did the necessary actions and after a gargle of water, the journey continued.

2 hours passed and we finally arrived at our destination, the ‘Trisuli Centre”, the home of Himalayan Encounters rafting, and another place where GVI volunteers are placed, and the lovely chaps who were stationed their, were British gentleman, going by the aliases of Liam and Peter. Both of them are doing a great job their helping the community and especially the children, the Young Leaders Club in particular.

The first thing to do was to get our gear of the trucks and have some well earnt lunch, especially for those whose bellies were a little on the empty side. It was a tasty one too, very western, fried potatoes, baked beans, tuna, salad, salami, crisps and bread. And all the kids scoffed it down pretty quickly, volunteers too!

So now things were going a lot smoother, the kids were happy, until we had to find adequate clothing for them. Because all of these kids families aren't well off, they don't have that many clothes and we were hoping the HE team were supplying wet suits. The dilemma was that they only had tops/jackets, but no trousers. Luckily, one of the Trisuli volunteers was there for the rescue, Thank You Liam! He lent all the girls football shorts, but at first you can imagine these girls, who as part of their culture do not show bare legs, were a bit mortified. But Angela and Joli doing the great big sister/mother thing, sorted them out and they were ready to rock and roll. And you can see in the picture above, the moment we were all ready to hit the water, ores and all! So down to the river we ventured, and on the rafts we went.

The HE team was very professional and had supplied 3 rafts, 2 rafts had big ores so that the children weren't in control of the boat (that was the guides job), otherwise this could have been a more dangerous affair. Then in the third boat was Angela, Joli, a couple of the Old Inn staff who accompanied us, 2 of the boys and me. Oh yes, our wonderful guide Dill as well and of course there was Tim (sorry) who was accompanying the rafts in a kayak. He's well experienced from his home country.

At this time of the year the water wasn't very fast and is at its lowest, but when we did reach the areas where there were rapids, it was great fun, our guide would make sure we would go through the places he called“Washing machines", you know what that meant. Luckily though, nobody was flung out of the raft, well at least in the rapids.

It was during the still water when people went into the river, most often, not through there own choice, Dill’s a great rafting guide :-) We also participated in water fights with the other rafts, using our ores as buckets, and to some of the girls it wasn't a delightful experience, that water was damn COLD! Though again, I have to praise the professionalism of the guides, they really looked after the children and during restful periods allowed them to row and they sung songs too, all in all it was a very successful outing!

After 3 hours we were met by a jeep and our clothes and towels were there for us to change, ready to return to the Trisuli centre back up stream, where we were met with warm cups of tea and biscuits. After that, we made our way down riverside to the beach area and the tents our sleeping abode. We spent a good hour or so around the camp fire talking and singing songs before returning to the centre for dinner and straight after back to the river for more songs and dancing.

The kids were having a lot of fun, especially Dinesh who one day is going to really woo the ladies, you can see the picture of him above with the guitar, a right little rock star. He's only thirteen but already has that humour and charm that will win and break hearts in years to come.

After much needed sleep, we woke to a fresh cold morning and headed straight around the campfire that had been re-ignited by one of our guides. Then when all members had arisen, we made our way to the centre for breakfast, which again was very western, but devoured by all.

So that time had arrived, after a quick visit to the big Fig tree and the local kids sports ground, which is sponsored by HE, we were ready for the Bandipur kids and Joli and Tim to return, two passengers less.

One picture above shows all the GVI volunteers together and the other taken not long after, shows the guys pulling away in the jeep. I think it was more emotional for Angela than me, mainly because I shall be returning to Bandipur next week, and I will be seeing them all over again, which will be strange, but nice. Though for Angela it was a definite goodbye at least until the next time, hey Angela!?

Finally, not long after we said our goodbyes to the kids we hopped on a bus and made our way too Kathmandu!

Goodbye Family

2008-02-19T06:51:00.012Z

Apart from the Old Inn crew, I had built a very strong relationship with the host family where I was living, especially with the mother of the house. She is a very beautiful woman inside and out, and rather than a mother she was more like a big, big sister, and she's just over 10 years my senior. She also has wonderful children too, Celia, Julia, Aman and Sunam. They all, apart from Celia who is studying at a university in Kathmandu, are at the local Private school, Notre Dame, run by 4 nuns, where English is spoken in all lessons apart from Nepali.

As for the father, Angela and I sadly never got to build much of a relationship with, for two reasons, one he spent most of his day working in the shop and second because he couldn’t speak English I think he was too shy to try and converse, and of course we couldn’t speak Nepali, so a relationship never really hit off, which was a shame.

But the mother, Rajani, Angela and mines sister, even though she can speak very little English, has such a warming, friendly and welcoming personality. She loves having volunteers around her, I think it really brings out her true personality when she's around the volunteers. I have noticed on many occasions, either when her husband is around or male Nepali’s are around including her father-in-law, who was a regular food visitor, she was a different person. She was very passive and subservient. Then as soon as they weren't around, she was her jovial playful character which was always the best part of her to see.

What was also amazing about her, as with many of the women in Nepal, is that they do so much of the physical work, both in and outside the home. These women are tough, no messing with them. While many of the men just sit outside in the bazaar doing bugger all, maybe serving a customer or two! Sorry, it just frustrated me a lot to see the men be so lazy and the women do all the hard work. I suppose some of you may say that it is like that in the West, just in a more subtle way, and I would agree with you.

I think my relationship grew stronger with the family once I ate their as well as lodged, that is after my volunteering had finished. Eating with the family was always a great experience, however, it was ever rarely with the dad, and many times not all the children at the same time. Also, one thing here in Nepal is that the women/mothers (have to) wait till everyone else has eaten, before they eat. But I would always love to be late and eat with Rajani, because then she became a lot less of a subservient character and I felt more relaxed.

In our last week we had some family photos taken, including ones with us in, which you can see above. That was great fun, thank you Angela for making them laugh, because Nepali photos are normally very serious occasions, so Angela rustled them up with some humour, which meant the resulting pictures were so much more alive.

The last day when Angela and I were leaving, Saturday 02nd Feb was a hard morning. One thing here in Nepal is that they never show their deepest emotions, similar to the UK (but different). It is still quite a reserved experience, unless you become real close. I never saw, even women crying, it just wasn't done. But the morning Angela and I left, I saw for the first time real emotion. You can see from the picture above, our last morning with Rajani, where she had given us the flower necklaces ‘Mala’, a prayer scarf and some other little things. And at that point everything was still ok. It was at the very last minute at the bottom of her stairs, not in a public place when Angela and I said our final goodbyes, Rajani had sincere tears and I could really sense she was trying so hard to hold them in, but the emotion was too strong and I could not help but also well up along with Angela, who would agree it was an emotional moment.

Though it meant so much that even within the strong cultural barriers, loving hearts can pierce through, and she showed both Angela and I a deep sense of meaning for her and the time we had spent with her and how special that moment will be with us forever!

The Old Inn Crew

2008-02-19T06:43:00.004Z

This short blog is to let everyone know that if it wasn’t for all the guys at the Old Inn in Bandipur, my stay wouldn’t have been the experience it was. So a big Thank You to all you guys (if you get to see this blog:)

The pictures above dont show everyone who was their, but most, especially the main man himself, Ramsaran! Without him Angela and I wouldn’t have been able to do so many of the projects with the school and community. He’s a very special Nepali man who we will always remember dearly. You can see the lovely picture of the 3 of us together, a memory not to be forgotten!!

And another person who I got really close too, and sadly he wasn’t in Bandipur all the time, was Nasrabin (he is the one with Ramsaran leaning out of the window), a lovely warm hearted man, when he was around he was like the brother I’ve never had he always showed me his warmth every single time we were together, and we are both the same age.

I will definitely miss these guys!!!!

Rumble in the Jungle

2008-02-18T11:35:00.031Z

The day after our school trip to OZ was the day we went to find the Lion. However, there were no lions to see, just crocs, elephants and Rhinos. Chitwan was our destination, a tourist hub in the south of Nepal, where the jungle comes to life, a complete contrast to the peaks of the North.

But before we hopped onto a bumpy, tourist bus, we had a beautiful goodbye gift from a wonderful Nepali couple we had become good friends with and I have made a special connection with this warming, young man I think will last for many years to come, you will probably already know from reading the blog about Andhimul.

His name is Mon Bahadur Bhujel, and his wife’s is Ruppa and they have a lovely 3 year old boy called Arpan. The night before we left for Chitwan Ruppa had made some beautiful Mala’s the ceremonial flower necklaces, you will have seen Angela and I wearing in the ‘Goodbye Family’ blog. And they said some very kind and warming words to us, for Angela’s work in Setograss, the early learning centre where Ruppa works, and for both of us helping in the Andhimul project.

The journey to Chitwan only took 2 ½ hours, it’s amazing to go from high peaks all around, to flat land in all directions. You really notice the difference in living styles too! It is so much like in India, more crowed streets, more animals on the streets, and bicycles and cycle rickshaws everywhere, probably because there aren’t any hills around I guess!

Once we arrived at our hotel in Sauhara, you could really feel the peace, you can see from the picture above, how chilled the rooms look, quite safari-ish. And once we were settled and had sorted out our bags, we could relax and put our feet up. As you maybe aware from the previous blogs, it has been quite full on the past few months, so this trip was very much appreciated.

The rest of that day was a lazy one, though Angela and I did decide to go down to the river and watch the sunset. And we were so glad we took that short walk, it turned out to be a incredibly peaceful and tranquil experience. It is difficult to describe in words, we have been surrounded by beauty in Bandipur, as many as you have seen in the pictures, but I think it was because our daily life often oversaw nature’s supreme display their, that we took it for granted. So now we were in a completely different landscape, but just as beautiful and particularly peaceful, and it was that peace that threw us both back. We were almost to tears, and for over an hour or so, I can’t even remember how long, we didn’t speak a word and just soaked it all up, a memory never to forget, right Angela?

Though, as usual in these sorts of circumstances you get pulled back into your local surroundings (just like when Angela and I were on our trek), by a heart felt and real cultural experience. And yes, it involved children. We were found by three young, local children who decided to try it out with these naïve tourists, or so they thought. “Chocolate?”, one said, we knew it was coming, so “Chaina” was our reply, meaning no! Then the next line, which we knew pretty well by now, “Pen?”… “Chaina” again we said, and then the final attempt “20 rupees?”, and all Angela and I did was laugh, and once they realized they were losing the battle, we began some conversation.

One of the girls was very confident, and not afraid of us tourists! A horrible word :o) With the Nepali we knew and the little English they spoke, we had fun for some time, and it's experiences, real ones just like that that will always be closest to my heart.

The next day was the activity day, and after a 7.30am breakfast we were off to find our elephant. And she was promptly there waiting for us, along with her driver or ‘Mahout’ as they are known. Our elephant buddies were this lovely mother and daughter couple from the UK, Ann and Mandy. Coincidentally, Ann was working at the same international school in Kathmandu that Angela’s friend’s sister works at, who we were hoping to go and visit on our return trip their. It’s a small world!

They are helping to teach Nepali teachers how to teach, on a volunteer basis. Mandy, Ann’s daughter was only over for a month to help, but both seemed so enthusiastic about their work it really rubbed off on Angela and me. And especially as we were both looking into, and talking about teaching teachers, especially with regards to the Andhimul project.

Anyway, back tu’t elephant, the four of us climbed into what can only be described as an upside down table, with each of us straddling a corner, and it was actually a lot more comfortable than it looked. So off we went looking like proper tourists, with the locals not battering an eyelid, as they see these alien creatures aboard these large mammals, day in day out, and for Angela and I, the journey to and from the jungle was the most toe cringing experience. Although it has to be said, once we had entered the abundance of trees it became a very tranquil and relaxing experience, apart from the constant ass banging on the back of an elephant.

The first animals we saw were some rather large dear, and they like the locals hardly gave a wink. Though our next encounter was a great one, as you can see in the picture above a baby rhino who was with its mum, who again didn’t seem very phased, but it was lovely to see, and how cute is that baby! Apart from that and some more deer, that was all our eyes had to feast on , but the overall trip was very worthwhile, though after 2 hours on the back of an elephant it was a reward to our rear sides to be off.

After lunch our next experience was a canoe trip down the river, again another tranquil experience and amazing nature all around, with various birds being pointed out to us by our guide and of course, from the picture above, some pretty nasty looking crocs!

When the end of the day rolled around we were pretty exhausted and the bed looked too inviting, so no late night for us!

On our last full day, the Thursday, we didn’t do too much, but Angela went to visit the local school, and orphanage where the volunteers in Chitwan help out. Actually, the two volunteers who were there had been on their trek and just arrived back this day, there names Patrick and Sarah, both from Australia (So I was out numbered on the country front, luckily we didn’t get into any pom bashing:) They were both lovely people and we had some nice chats, and actually Patrick showed a lot of interest in the Andhimul project. And if I remember correctly he’s just finished his degree in environmental engineering, sorry Patrick if I have it wrong :o)

Finally, when Friday morning rolled around, quickly of course, back into the hills or should I say mountains, we went!

School's Out

2008-02-18T11:35:00.030Z

On Monday the 28th January, Angela had her last day at Dill Primary school, and as Joli, the other volunteer was away on her trek, I came up to the school to help Angela and to take photos and videos of her last day.

However, a few days previous, the school’s headmaster had asked us both to come up to the main courtyard in school after the last lesson on that Monday. So in class Angela and I did some final singing and dancing with the children, and then made our way to the main courtyard.

So not long after our arrival, all the other school children came out of their classes and gathered, then the teachers brought out a bench and lots of traditional Nepali regalia. Angela and I were unsure what to do and where to go, feeling a little apprehensive, but then after 5 minutes of busy goings on, things settled down and we were both asked over to the bench. Then one by one, each of the teachers began to give us something.

First, was the beautiful Mala, the necklace of flowers, then came various leaves and flowers which were placed into our hands, and that was followed by the traditional Hindu, red Tika, placed on our foreheads. Finally, we were each given a hat, Angela a knitted, yellow and black cap, and I was given a traditional Nepali hat, but as usual my head being larger than the average Nepali, it didn’t fit. But that didn’t matter to me, just receiving a gift from the teachers was special. And I have to admit I have not felt happy and have many criticisms of the teaching methods used in the school (or lack of), and the way they do not have any respect for the children. But I do realize that they are only a bi-product of a failed Government School system and culture, that is in need of a drastic revolution to make a difference, not only for the teachers, but fundamentally the children the future of Nepal!

To finish off this bizarre but lovely experience, one of the teachers got or made (by the look on some of the girls faces) some students to dance for us, while the other students sung and played a Nepali drum. The poor little girls looked cold and not wanting to be their, and there and then, the head female teacher reminded me of the wicked witch of the east, (I’m sure I've seen her with a pet monkey or two! :) It felt like the students were actually munchkins captured by the witch longing to return home, but had been cast under a horrible spell.

Where’s the Lion when you need him!

All Dressed Up

2008-02-18T11:35:00.029Z

In our last week in Bandipur, Rajani, the mother of our home stay asked for us to dress up. The sad thing was that the men’s outfit is pretty dull, and to make things worse (or not :), they didn’t have any trousers that were big enough for me, so I just wore my jeans.

However, I’m glad I wasn’t the focus because when I saw Angela and Rajani in their saris, I was happy to be a focus of attention, they both looked stunning. I was so used to seeing either Rajani, dressed in her (without sounding offensive, not very attractive) everyday household clothes, and Angela’s (please don’t take offence :) standard trekking style gear, to having incredibly feminine women around me. A shock, but a pleasure!

And the pictures above are the fruits of my words!!!!

Our Goodbye Picnic

2008-02-18T11:35:00.028Z

This was a wonderful day, the last full Friday in Bandipur, on 25th January. The great staff at the Old Inn prepared momos (meat & veg filled dumplings, very tasty), dhakas (fried balls of veg, also tasty) and lots of mini pizzas. These were for all the computer class kids and us to eat at lunch in the Ke Garne café in the main bazzar opposite the Old Inn.

We choose the Friday instead of the Saturday because on Saturdays the big playing field Thundikel, the only large flat space in Bandipur, is full with Nepali tourists having picnics. So we chose Friday, also, it’s half day on Fridays at local government schools, so the kids were off in the afternoon.

Once all the kids arrived we brought out the food, and like vultures, it was quickly devoured. Although, that was by the boys and most of the girls were incredibly civilized, as the members of the opposite sex always are! :o)

Once the food had quickly disappeared, we decided to make our way to the large open playing field, Thundikel, armed with balls, Frisbees, a large skipping rope and refreshments for later.

Once there the fun began, everyone split into groups and with their choice of instrument let loose. The only reservation was that I had an Aerobie (a kind of Frisbee, for those of you who don’t know, that can be thrown up to 500m) and the slight issue is that on one side of the Thundikel is a pretty sharp drop of about 600m. So I guess you can understand what was going through my mind.

So of course I warned those who were using it, “Be Careful!”. And low and behold 20 minutes into our fun, wheeee!!!!!!! Off it went never to be seen again. The kid, Sujan, whose throw was the nail in the coffin, tried for ten minutes to see if he could find it, but to no avail. So I had no other thing to say than “Que Sera”, though Sujan was very sincerely apologetic, which I appreciated a lot.

Luckily, the other Frisbees (standard old school ones) that were being used, which Tim bought, a volunteer from another organization, a lovely Canadian guy, did not disappear over the edge. Tim is here with another volunteer, a friend of his, Remy another lovely guy from Canada, both are 18. They are so mature for their age; we’ve had many deep and cool conversations. They have both taken a year out before they go to University, and have already been doing volunteer work in the Caribbean and Central America and after Nepal they are going to volunteer their time in Uganda, before then moving on to South Africa to be with friends and finally returning to Canada. What an amazing experience, something I’m sure they’ll both benefit from in the coming years, and I now have a reason to go to Canada :o) Thanks guys!

Back to the playing field, and skipping, what fun I had their! You may be able to tell from the picture above. It was so good to see the kids having fun, running around and enjoying themselves, the last time we'll see it, apart from those going rafting, which ye shall see later!

Just before our return to the bazaar I was mauled by the children when trying to hand out refreshments, and this time some of the young ladies were not so civilized! See you can’t always follow stereotypes, oh I’m cruising for a bruising :o)

Long time no blog!

2008-01-18T05:44:00.000Z

Hi All!! I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and New Year. Sorry for the extra long delay in updating my blog. A mixture of difficult access to the internet and being so busy, but good busy that is.

One of the biggest changes to occur here in Bandipur was reinforcement into the ranks of volunteers, one became two. And that two is this wonderful woman going by the name of Angela, who's residence outside of Nepal is Adelaide, Australia. She is a mother of 3 grown up children and has challenged herself to leave her family and delve into 10 weeks of volunteering in Bandipur.

For me, I was daunted at first, because I didn't know what it would be like. Maybe she'll be this dragon who will eat me alive and leave the rest for the vultures. Anyway, I was nervous, but luckily we compliment each other and she has been a massive help to me and all the community in Bandipur and made a big difference.

She has been the instigator of getting some renovations done to the local school classroom where we teach and also in getting our computer class renovated. She has a great way of getting things done and with the help of our amazing chaperone, Ramsaran. Many things have been achieved and are planned. You can read more, and see pictures, about the school and computer class in the blogs below.

Technically, I have finished my volunteering with GVI and are now going it alone. And my plans have changed, I have decided to stay in Bandipur another month, for many reasons. One because I have made so many friends who feel like my extended family, second, because I wanted to help Angela with the computer classes and school but not take as much responsibility as before and third spend some time trying to learn the language.

But one thing has changed my plans already in the last week, that is another recruitment into the team. Her name is Yolee, a Czech girl whose been living in England for the past 12 years. We were told at the last minute that a new volunteer would be starting on Monday. Angela and I laughed as we are so used to the Nepali way, everything happens at the last minute, you never know what's round the corner.

This means that I can take a step back and let Angela and the new volunteer get on with most of the work and I'll just assist occasionally. Actually, I have many admin things relative to the volunteering to do over the next few weeks, such as creating blogs, info sheets for new volunteers and generally creating a structure that will hopefully improve the experience for future volunteers and especially create as much consistency for the children, which is the main objective.

Anyway, I've gone on for too long. Therefore, for your visual and reading delight I have posted many scandalous and headline catching blogs below of what's been going on in the past 6 weeks. So if you are sat inside a warm house with the freezing English weather outside and have some free time, then spend it reading the various blurbs below, better than watching another dull episode of Eastenders :)

Speak soon and all my love, Lee :0)

The Happenings in the Computer Class

2008-01-18T05:34:00.000Z

The computer classes have been going really well and have had their changes over the past 6 weeks. The biggest thing of course is my relationship with the children which has grown considerably and the great thing is how I have such different relationships with them all. Of course, naturally you bond more with some rather than others. And the funny thing is how you relate to the different aged children too, and how I've had to adapt to get the most out of the relationships. But the most important thing of all is trying to make a positive impact in any way I can on their life, whether that be improving their level of English or just giving them the love and attention they deserve, as any child should have. And most of all, what they have given to me is something I shall never forget for life!

I also have some sad news, I am no longer teaching in the computer class because there is no need for me. I was going to continue to help Angela for the next few weeks, as she would be on her own. However, at the last minute, 2 days before her arrival we were told that a new volunteer, Yolee, was coming to take my place, which means that there is no need for me to assist Angela anymore.

The positive thing for me is that I get more time to concentrate on learning the language and doing that admin stuff. The downside is that I'll not be seeing the kids as much anymore, though I'm still keeping up with the rubbish every Wednesday and doing the exercise with the boys!

As for what we've been up to. Apart from the standard trying to teach English with the computers. The methods of teaching have been constantly evolving, especially when Angela came along and now I'm sure they will change with the new volunteer's influence too.

I think what we have learnt so far is that the children lack the confidence in reading and speaking English. Probably due to the teaching methods in the school or maybe for some, just general shyness. But we feel it has been good to introduce as many different ways of getting them to speak, listen, read and write English to improve their comprehension as much as possible. Are we making a difference? I hope so, but I think as long as we and future volunteers show the children and the community that we care and give 100% sincerity to them and do the best we can, then it's all worth the effort whatever the outcome :o)

As for what's else has been happening, if you see the pictures above we've been having some fun too, not all serious English teaching.

The kids loved the balloons, especially the long twisting, making shapes ones. Also, we had fun making various things with the craft materials such as pipe cleaners and fluffy balls. Having creative fun with the kids is so much fun and I think an important way to express themselves, which they don't get at school.

You can even see us working with candle light, when the power cuts occur, which is happening on a regular basis, now up to 6 hours a day. It is ridiculous Ahh! I'll talk about that another time.

Outside with the Computer Class

2008-01-18T05:19:00.000Z

Another important bonding time we have with the children is outside the computer class and Saturdays is a great time as it's our only day off, which we do take as rest time too, but also arrange things with the kids.

A few weeks before Christmas we went to visit a beautiful traditional village called Ramkot, famous for its round houses, actually there are only 2. Above, you can see a picture of all us guys outside one of the houses. But it's a lovely walk about 1 and a half hours both ways.

It was great to stretch our legs, especially the kids, as Bandipur is pretty much where they are all the time, so to go out for a mini trek outside their town is great for them. We take drinks and snacks for the journey. What is great though, is the local knowledge these kids have. About their plants and trees in particular, they know which fruits and berries are good to eat. You can see in another picture above, them picking for a small, stoned fruit that is very bitter, I forgot the name. It was a great day and as usual the weather excellent.

Then for the first Saturday of the western New Year, we went to Siddha Cave for the second time. You may remember, on my first weekend here I went with the previous volunteer, but Angela the new volunteer wanted to go and see it.

We could only take a few of the older boys for safety purposes, but it was still great fun. The journey their and back is similar to Ramkot. You can see in one of the pictures above all us guys sitting on the rock eating or rather sucking on a sugar cane, which one of the boys thoughtfully brought for us. All in all a great day out.

And just before Angela and I leave, we are taking 12 of the guys rafting. Which they are all very excited and can't wait, us too!

At the Local Primary School

2008-01-18T04:54:00.000Z

Things at the local primary school have changed a lot since my last blog. Especially, once Angela arrived, she brought a new dynamic to the teaching. First, instead of being just me, there's now 2 of us, actually there was 2 of us. But now, like with the computer class I have left the school to concentrate on other things. You can see a picture of my last day above, the one with the kids all surrounding me. It was a great last day, we all sang together and I did some dancing too while the kids sang in Nepali.

Back in Australia, Angela is a music teacher and also is director of an amateur all female choir. So straight away, she added the musical element to the classroom which the kids lapped up. So it became normal that for the last 5-10 minutes of class we would sing songs. Most were simple and catchy ones, the most popular was an African one called 'Oh Malle', they loved it and sometimes we hear them singing it outside of school too.

Working together as team made the challenge of working with the children so much easier and has meant we have created a stronger bond with them. To help learn all their names we created name badges, which the children loved and felt very proud with their name on their chest. We also introduced doing a test at the end of each week, to see if they really were learning anything. It was a great way of testing their ability and to see how much copying they do, and many do, mainly because it is so prevalent in the local government schools, something I hope will change in the future. But we try our best to discourage it and let them know it's ok to make mistakes, it is how you learn.

Another great idea Angela came up with was to do some simple renovation to the classroom, as they were in a horrible state, holes in the floor and window sills and the walls were unpainted and full of graffiti, shows how much respect the children have for their classroom and the lack of it the teachers have too. So we enlisted the help of our amazing big brother Ramsaran, from the hotel, and he got a team together to patch up all the holes and Angela and I acquired some paint and got to work on the walls.

The most amazing part was that, some of the children from our computer classes who don't go to this school helped us paint without us even asking. That really made us feel lucky to be here in Bandipur with children and people like this, it makes us wonder who is benefiting more from our time here, the community or us, I think it's pretty "same same", as they say here.

You can see the difference in the pictures above, the one with the balloons was before and the one with the kids and me was after, but I think you could have guessed that!?

Anyway, I hope the children will continue to benefit from the good will of all the volunteers to come in the future, I will miss them and hopefully I will see them again one day.

Bandipur Festival

2008-01-18T04:44:00.000Z

Well, we had a rather interesting festival occur here on the weekend of 14th December, the 'Bandipur Festival'. It was mainly set up to promote the town for tourism. There were lots of flags put up in the main street and many stalls in the big open space called Thundikel. But that was about it, the stalls didn't have much to offer some interesting Newari food and some very funny hygiene stalls demonstrating why people shouldn't poo in fields or water, you can see in the picture of the poster above, they get straight to the point.

I don't know how but they managed to get an elephant up here as the picture demonstrates above, it squeezing under the banners and flags, the kids loved it. Also, I had to post the picture of me walking with some of the boys, because it really makes me look like a giant, even though I should know that by now 

Angela & Lee's Trek

2008-01-18T04:26:00.001Z

In the 3rd week of December Angela and I decided to go on the small trek included with our volunteering, the main reason because the schools were having exams for 10 days and we had less to do, so it was the right time to go.

We also went with another volunteer from Pokhara, Dale from the UK, a really friendly and nice guy. He had just finished university and took a year out before starting a course to become a primary school teacher.

The trek is called the Royal Trek named after Prince Charles who did the trek sometime in the 80's. It's 4 days, 3 nights with a maximum altitude of 1400m, not very high but stunning views of the Himalayan mountains. As you can see on our first day, the picture of Angela, Dale and me with the great backdrop.

We stayed in family houses and ate dal bhat for dinner and our guide brought bread and muesli for breakfast. You can see our first nights stay in the photo above, in the clay room and our breakfast the following morning outdoors. Sadly, Dale had to be taken back to Pokhara on the second day as he became ill with a stomach bug, but had recovered on our return.

It was a great trip never meeting any other tourists on our journey, just locals. It wasn't too difficult a trek either, the days weren't too long, we had time to relax in the afternoons and to take in the surroundings. You can see in the picture above, the 3 girls with the big cheesy grins. It was a very emotional afternoon when that photo was taken, because they demonstrated the rawness of what being a child should be. They are from a community that has very little, though were full of life and innocence. It was a very touching to experience, they improvised and played games and then they did a song and dance for us. It was a magical experience for Angela and me. It really brought the essence of why we are here in Nepal.

The sunrise on the last morning was an amazing experience, you can see the picture of our guide and me on the old wooden bench with the most beautiful backdrop. I never got tired of that view, I'm in awe every time I experience it, especially during sunrise and sunset. On sunrise, it feels like witnessing the birth of the very first day of life on Earth. If you ever get the chance to make it to Nepal, you will be rewarded for life!

Once the trek was finished we decided we had to celebrate it with a lovely juicy steak. Though, the bazaar thing was that we were in a country which deems the cow as sacred and we felt a little strange eating steak. What was even more bazaar was that are guide also ate the steak with us. But, I have to say it was the best steak I've ever had. They actually import them from India, as killing a cow in Nepal is illegal, but importing the meat isn't?!

Anyway, it was a lovely trek and mind re-energizer for our return trip to Bandipur.

Christmas in Bandipur

2008-01-18T03:53:00.000Z

My first Christmas away from mum and dad, I have to say was an emotional one. Up until the day before Christmas life in Bandipur was happening as normal, and why shouldn't it, as they don't celebrate it here. Then on the Christmas Eve the hotel put up a Christmas tree and decorations and then it hit me I would be away from my family for Christmas.

Actually, Christmas Eve was lovely, Angela and I first had dinner with one of our computer class students Sanjip. Then on our return to the hotel, we found ourselves eating frois grois on walnut bread, Swiss cheese and dark chocolate finished off with a selection of French wines, red, white and dessert too! Another totally bazaar experience. The food and drink was brought in by some French guests from the hotel who live and work in Nepal and were on their Christmas break. It was a very multi-cultural affair, there were 3 French, 1 Canadian, 1 American, 2 Dutch, 3 English and 1 Australian. In the picture above you can see some of us toasting to the camera.

The 2 dutchman that were with us are on this amazing bike journey, they have cycled from Holland and are on their way to Malaysia. They said they've had the best experiences ever, and every country they passed through the people were so warm and welcoming and one of the friendliest was Iran. They were concerned about the current political climate their, but once travelling through it, they were always greeted, offered food and just invited with warm, friendly faces.

I think one of the most important things is that we should not judge a country and it's people too quickly and not believe everything the media tells us. Some times we should just experience it for ourselves, and we may be surprised of the outcome.

Angela had a great idea for our computer class, that was to find a Christmas tree. It wasn't easy, but up one of the hills near Bandipur were some fir trees, they had few branches and massive needles, but it did the job. And then just before Christmas we got the kids to make decorations for it, which was great fun and you can see a picture of the tree in some of the pictures above.

As for Christmas day, it was a rollercoaster of emotions. We still had computer classes that day, we felt it unfair not too and because it was a special day, we wanted to experience it with our kids. Also, Angela and I bought all the guys Christmas presents too. For the boys we got either a hat or a pair of gloves, and for the girls, a purse with some bangles, a shampoo sachet and a lip seal. And for all the kids some toothpaste, a tooth brush, some soap and a couple of sweets. And to top it off they were wrapped in a prayer flag, tied together with string and finished with a clip on koala. The koala, a gift from Angela she had brought from Oz, luckily she had enough for all kids.

The kids loved their presents. We also decided to watch the Incredibles movie on the computer with the kids, as an treat for us as well as them. Christmas Day dinner was BBQ chicken, creamy mash potato and veg, with a mince pie to finish it off. And what made it even better was that 2 other volunteers from another location, James and Liam were up for Christmas and James had been sent for Christmas a big bar of Dairy Milk which was offered out to us after the mince pies and went down very nicely.
The best part of Christmas day was when I got to speak to my family, I was very happy and sad at the same time, but it meant a lot to speak with them so that was my best present.

New Year was another crazy night, one to remember. It was more of a family affair. The owner of the Travel company Himalayan Encounters Tony, was here with His Nepali girlfriend, ex-wife and partner, his brother, his son from England, and many of their friends from Nepal. One family their who emigrated from Scotland a few years ago to live in Kathmandu, were a lovely people. The husband Jamie was a GP in Scotland for many years and is now working in a clinic in Kathmandu and helps with projects all over Nepal. Their son was their, a young teenager and he could play the bagpipes. And how could he not play them on New Year and so he did. It was great, he played flower of Scotland and of course Auld Lang Syne. Though once midnight came we all went straight to bed, as here in Nepal bedtime is usually between 8-9pm. So we were all knackered and not used to late nights. But it was definitely a New Year to remember.

'Keep Bandipur Clean' Update

2008-01-18T03:25:00.000Z

The Keep Bandipur clean campaign had a few weeks break over the Christmas period, due to exams and Angela and I being on our Trek. But now into the new year it is back into full swing.

You can see from the pictures above our incinerator where the rubbish is burnt, as there are no rubbish collections where we are and no facilities to land fill. So for the meantime they burn their rubbish. Though here in Bandipur, Himalayan encounters have upgraded their incinerator site, a smaller, compact burner for increased temperatures and better burning.

In my last blog, I mentioned the kind donation of 1000 rupees by Andrew from London. Well, that money has been spent on 16 pairs of gloves, so a BIG thank you again for your donation. You can see Angela buying the gloves in a chemist and they are actually post mortem gloves, but that's all we could find, but they are very thick rubber so should last a good time. You can also see the kids waving with their gloves.

We were worried that after the break the kids would be lacking the enthusiasm, but they actually still have enough to turn up, even if some do turn up late, they do make the effort. The one thing here in Nepal is that they don't really grasp the concept of punctuality, well actually I just think they are used to there long lasting culture of being very laid back. It can be frustrating at times, but has helped me get closer to the quote of 'Patience is a virtue'.

Anyway, it's still going well and I'm still attending while I remain in Bandipur and actually last weekend we had a rather bazaar festival, a sanitation festival, I've never heard of one of those before, but yes it did happen here. The next blog is all about it including pictures.

Bandipur Sanitation Festival

2008-01-18T03:02:00.000Z

Yes a sanitation festival, and to me and the other volunteers, a rather bazaar weekend. But fun!

We had all the children lining the streets to welcome 1 lady from UNICEF and what an experience that was. She and her daughter were greeted like a royal family, with flowers, gifts and the children and people lining the streets. Just take a look at the pictures above.

There was a stage and lots of talking, of which I couldn't understand, but in the evening it was great as they had lots of Hindi and Nepali dance music being played and lots of young teenagers dancing on stage. It was a fun night, I was dancing with lots of the kids too, but not on stage. And had many hanging of my arms too!

The main purpose is to try and educate and inform the people about proper sanitation methods and disposal of dirty water and even toilets. Still in Nepal, approximately 40% of Nepali's don't have a toilet and just use the land, a crazy statistic, so things like this are very important. Though sometimes it seems like a lot of talking and not much action, my slightly pessimistic view, but I don't have enough knowledge on this subject, so I can't really make too much of a judgment. Though it was a great photo opportunity! And hopefully made a few people think.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

2007-12-22T06:50:00.000Z

Just a quick blog to say a big Nepali Happy Christmas and a happy New Year to you all. Sorry I haven't blogged in such a long time but it is still very busy here and access to the internet is difficult.

I have just finished a 4 day small trek and I'm in Pokhara now, the second biggest city in Nepal. It was a great trip, quite relaxing not too strenuous with amazing views. I shall be updating the blog properly within the next few weeks with lots of pics and stories.

But for now I wish you all a great festive period and look forward to seeing you in 2008. My best wishes to you all!!! :) Ho Ho Ho!

The picture is from my recent trek!

More Wonderful Views from Bandipur

2007-11-28T14:06:00.000Z

Hi All!! Sorry for the delay in updating my blog, but I have updated with loads of blogs at one time, plenty for you to read over the next week. There are many reasons why, first I've been very busy sorting out new schedules for the children's activities from the computer class and second the internet café here has been having problems. But please read the blog below for more details of what I've been up to the past few weeks and please view the blog beneath it, which is dedicated to all those people who have donated money for creative bits for the kids and for those visitors to the Bandipur Old Inn who have donated the colouring books, pens, toys and clothes, the children have loved them all!

6 weeks since leaving British soil!

2007-11-28T14:02:00.000Z

On one hand it feels like time has stood still, then on the other it feels like it's gone very quickly. I think because I have seen and done so much, England feels like a long way away and my mind has been absorbing so much in the past 6 weeks. But I do miss home, my friends and especially my Mum, Dad and big Sis. I'm missing you lots and lots! Xxxx

So where shall I continue?? since I last posted, much has happened. I'm now on my own in Bandipur the other 2 volunteers left over 2 weeks ago and it's just me to hold the fort. I was nervous to begin with, but as the days have passed I've felt more and more at home. My relationship with the people and the kids has grown considerably and they are making me feel part of the family even more and I'm starting to become attached. I have even been given a nickname at the Hotel where I eat, 'Bhok lageyo', which when translated means, 'I'm hungry' and for those of you who know me, you will understand that interpretation :). If there's food I'll eat it!

In terms of where I'm volunteering, things have changed, something I'm becoming part of here in Nepal. It's not good to make long term plans here, the life is just living day to day, which I'm really beginning to enjoy, although still find it hard sometimes, due to my organisational nature, but it's good for me, I'm sure of that.
I am going to stay here in Bandipur for the remainder of my volunteering. You may remember in my last blog I said I'm looking forward to be sent to the other place, Trisuli. However, 2 things have occurred, first, a volunteer who has been their for the past few months is possibly staying their till January, meaning as there is no one replacing me here, then why should I leave, and the second is personal, because since the previous volunteers have left, I've really got my head into things and have set up a completely new teaching structure for the computer class and much more, see the blogs below.

Also, my school teaching schedule has changed. I dropped the teaching in the morning at Thudikel Primary and kept the afternoon Grade 5 at Dill Primary. Though, at the beginning of this week I was on the verge of giving this school up too! I just was not having luck, a lot of the children could not understand me fully and they could not keep attention and misbehaved. I felt so low on Sunday, really down, but on Monday I had a chat with an amazing American woman who was staying in Bandipur, for the second time this year. She gave me inspiration and most of all sincerely listened to me which was what I needed, especially because I'm on my own here with no constant natural English speaking people. I can't have an intimate conversation with one of the locals, because of the cultural and language barrier.

But after that warming chat, I was convinced to give up the school and concentrate on my other bits. But I would do one more lesson and this time I was adamant to have a Nepali teacher with me in the room, so that happened and all was different, I had some extra word games planned to use and because the Nepali teacher was their they were so much better behaved and the lesson was excellent!

What a difference a day can make and today I have started doing a Class 3 (8-10year olds) English, on request of the Nepali teachers. So I have to say a MASSIVE Thank You to Jane for listening to me and being there just when I needed it, I shall come and visit you in California! Or we may even meet in the UK?!

Well, I have written a hell of a lot today plus I have more to write more below, so I hope you are still with me and I look forward to hearing from you guys. Lots of love, the Tall guy! x :)

Thank You for Your Donations & Gifts!

2007-11-28T14:01:00.000Z

As mentioned at the top, this blog is first to say Thank You, to all you guys who came to my leaving dinner in Luton and the money you donated, which enabled me to buy and send a 10kg box of goodies for the kids, you can see some of the stuff in the picture above taken in my bedroom. I will be updating with more pictures in the coming weeks, when they use there craft sets.

This blog is also to say Thank You to those tourists who have been to Bandipur and donated anything from pens to pencils. And a big Thanks to the Spanish guests from The Old Inn who donated lots of colouring books, pens, crayons, toys and even some clothes, they are greatly appreciated and the kids have had so much fun with the toys and especially the colouring books, I can't keep them away from them! :)

I also want to say a last big Thank You to Andrew from Radlett, UK who not only donated 1000 rupees to our 'Keep Bandipur Clean' campaign(please see blog beneath), but got up early to join us on one of our rubbish collections as well, Thank You!
All your help and donations mean so much to the children and people of Bandipur :)

'Keep Bandipur Clean!'

2007-11-28T13:59:00.000Z

With the help of Ramsaran, the amazing manager of 'The Old Inn', the hotel which looks after my dietary needs and general wellbeing including the use of the showers and the most important of all their great company and friendship, I have set up a 'Keep Bandipur Clean' campaign.

Well actually Ramsaran and I discussed it a few weeks ago and it's only just starting to develop, but I'm hoping for it to grow and have an impact, I'll at least try my best. The idea came when I mentioned to Ramsaran that Bandipur has one of the cleanest High Streets in Nepal(See picture above during the recent Tihar festival), but as soon as you leave the High Street towards many of the different scenic routes, rubbish litters the paths everywhere. So I said can we get the kids involved, and he said yes. And when I looked at their computer class schedule and saw they were in their 6 days a week, I thought it would be a great idea to break up the week. So Wednesday, being the middle of the week, has become the 'Keep Bandipur Clean' day.

Actually, we start at around 7am armed with big empty rice sacks and go and find a route to clean. I am amazed with the turnout, some of the children are very enthusiastic. Today was the 3rd time of trying and so far we gone from 12 children on the first, 15 last week and 21 today out of 29 children I teach daily, which is great. As a thank you, they are served Nepali tea, some bread, a banana and a chocolate éclair afterwards :)

You can see a photo of today's gang above, just finished cleaning a beautiful hill spot called Thani Mai, it has a small Hindu temple on top and has panoramic views, where most of my view pictures have been taken.

Finally, I'm hopefully going to make a website for the campaign and start trying to raise money to buy more bins, create signs, buy gear and keep the children happy :) I will give you more details sometime in the future and hopefully you guys can contribute :)

Getting and keeping the children fit!!

2007-11-28T13:54:00.000Z

I have yet added more things for the children I work with to do, this time it involves something I really enjoy, not that I don't enjoy teaching the kids and picking up litter :), and that is, Exercise!!

There is no school or computer classes on Saturday, so I took advantage of this free time and asked if any of the children would like to do some circuit training on Saturdays mornings and the response was pretty good, especially from the teenage boys and we all know why, and is one reason why I decided to start this with them. They don't really get to do any exercise at school, there just aren't the facilities, that is in the local schools. It's a totally different matter for the private schools.

So I've started this activity morning and their eager, those who want to do it, we start at 7:00am. We have only started it last Saturday, but it went very well. We did it on one of the most beautiful spots around Bandipur, with 360 degree views of the Himalayas and surrounding valleys, beats a smelly gym :) You can see 2 pictures above, one with us doing press ups, the other with the boys doing a Tug-of-war, which was great fun.

As Saturday went so well and there are now no computer classes on Wednesday afternoon, I thought I should fill the gap with more activity, which the boys happily agreed with. So we are now training twice a week, no complaints their!

Finally volunteering :)

2007-11-07T10:29:00.000Z

Well I have finally arrived in my first destination the beautiful village of Bandipur situated on a hilltop with a view of the Himalayas(the Annapurnas). I arrived here last Sunday after a great weekend of rafting, which was so much fun. Our guide Dill, the one in the picture above was so much fun and he kept pushing everyone in and in the end we were diving off the raft in between rapids.

My first week has been a great one, luckily there are 2 volunteers already here, so they have showed me what's going on here. The daily schedule is generally as follows. Get up about 6.30am have a cup of tea then opposite where I'm staying is a small room in an old building where there are 2 computers for teaching computing skills with English to some of the local children. It is here at 7.00am I have my first class, young age mixed boys and girls. Then at 8.00am another class of about 6 students mixed but older, in teens. Then between 9-10am I have breakfast and at 10.00am I go to one of the local schools to teach English, one class level 5, 10.15-10.45am, the other level 6, 11-11.45am then break for lunch and at 2.00pm I do an hour teaching at another school. Then 2 hour break and between 5.00-7.00pm 2 more computer classes. Dinner at 7.30pm and bed at 9.00pm.

It's so funny here everything is all shut up by 9pm, they are all in bed, well most that is. On the other hand most people are up between 5-6am.

The kids have a lot of energy and are a mixed bunch but are affectionate, which I think is part of the culture here. I'm starting to bond with a few already, but some of the children I'm working with are not as under privilged as I was expecting. Though it looks like I'm only here for a few weeks and they are sending me to a place where I'm more needed, which sounds good!

The people in the Hotel where I live next to and eat are fantastic and I get on really well with them already. Again all the men are really touchy feely with the men and same with the girls with the girls, but not the girls with the boys. But again I have no problem with that and have fitted in really quickly, so I'm hugging all the guys and stuff, a very friendly ambience.

Well I must go for now, will hopefully be uploading next weekend. Oh before I go, I have to rub it in, but the view is amazing and since I've been here I've not seen the mountains until this morning. The mountains have been hiding behind the clouds for the past 3 weeks, but there was a stoem last night and it rained and the locals said when that happens you get to see the mountains. And this morning at 6am, what a sight, the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. I walked up a hill at 6 this morning and took the photo of myself, the one you see at the top. So if any of you decide to come to Nepal some time in the future then please visit Bandipur, it's very beautiful, as the locals say...

...Ramro Sunda!!!

Kool Kathmandu

2007-10-29T11:59:00.000Z

A few days have past and I can say, as expected, I'm very happy to be Nepal. The difference between India & Nepal is obvious, everything here is that little bit calmer. There are a lot less people in your face and they expect less from you. Of course there are still beggers, people trying to get you into shops and selling drugs, but all of that is a greatly reduced version of what I experienced in India, so it doesn't bother me at all :)

I have to cut this blog short for the minute as I need to go to a nepalese lesson. This blog is just to let you know I'm well Mum & Dad and I'll try to phone you very soon!! :)

Hello again, I'm just quickly updating this blog with some pics and to let you all know, it's going to be hard for me to get to the internet over the coming weeks. So I may not be posting for a while as where I'm going is beautiful but small and may not have internet. But just to let you all know that Nepal is great, already seeing the laughter and fun in people especially children. I hope you enjoy the pictures.

I hope all is going well with you all back home. I'm sorry if I can't reply to emails or any blogs, the time here in Nepal so far is very busy with the volunteer group. But I'll hopefully be in touch in the coming weeks :)

One final word for my Mum, thank you for your message, I'm missing you and Dad lots, I hope your Ireland trip went well and like I said, I'll try and ring when I get the chance, lots and lots of Love xxx :)

Nepal here I come!

2007-10-27T12:44:00.000+01:00

I'm now in my final day at Varanasi and I'm a bit sad, I like it here and have met some really nice people. The hotel I'm staying in has a good ambience and there's a communal area where we can eat, read or chat. Time here has gone too quickly. You can see some of the guys I met in the picture above.

There's something about Varanasi that's special, even with the madness and dirt. There are some amazing little alleys and back streets, but many are full of rubbish and animal manure releasing not the most pleasent of aromas into the air. But there's just something here that makes me want to stay longer. I think one reason has to be the spirituality of the city and its people, which is all down to the Mother Ganges, the reason why millions of Hindu tourists/pilgrims come to Varanasi every year! And there's no doubt I will come here again sometime in the not to distant future and please, anyone is welcome to join me on my voyage, an experience you will not forget :)

On the other hand, this time tomorrow I'll be in another Hindu country. Although not wanting to leave Varanasi, I can't wait to get to Nepal. So, keep an eye on my blog to see how the home of the tallest mountain in the world leaves its mark on my body, mind and soul!!!

The Holy Varanasi

2007-10-25T13:25:00.000+01:00

I have now comfortably arrived in the holy city of Varanasi after an epic 15, hour 2 train journey. However, the trains were both sleeper trains with air conditioning and very clean. I haven't decided to go it real and hang out in 3rd class just yet, one step at a time :)

My final day in Agra was one of the best, I finally got to experience some real Indian culture. A rickshaw driver approached me on Tuesday as I was leaving my accomodation, and as always asking 'Where can I take you?' As I needed to get into town I said yes to him. And again as usual they try and take you to shops as they get commission and the shops they usually take you to are very expensive. But the driver I had was different, he was honest with me and said, 'I would like to take you to a shop, you don't have to buy anything, but I get 20 rupees(about 30p), just for taking you their'. So because he was honest, I agreed to help him make some money.

I then decided for my final day in Agra(Wednesday), I would ask the rickshaw driver to drive me to see the Taj Mahal from the back of the river and the baby Taj(see picture above). Then after lunch I said to him to take me to lots of shops where I wouldn't buy and he would make money. By late afternoon he had made about 150 rupees, which is very good for him. He kept saying how happy he was, and I had fun looking at expensive items and having the best sales tricks fed to me, always to leave empty handed.

After I had dinner at a restuarant, we went back to my accomodation to pick up my bags for him to take me to the Train station. Before we left I paid him for the days work. and because he was such a nice guy a gave him 1 US dollar each for his wife and 2 sons, who he told me about, and because I liked him so much I gave him a 10 dollar note. He was so happy, he asked if I would like to go and see his family. And of course I said yes. His family were so nice his Dad spoke very good English and they gave me food and drink. His youngest son was fascinated with me, you can see him with me in the picture above. This was the best experience so far, being with an Indian family away from tourists, they were so hospitable.

On my journey to the Train Station Vijay the rickshaw driver said to me 'You are not my friend, you are my brother'. And asked for me to come again to Agra and bring my Mum & Dad and sister and we could stay at his house for free and he would show us Agra, he was so happy, and so was I, it was so nice. So mum, dad and bec's, next year we are going to stay with Vijay in India :)

This blog has gone on far too long, I still have lots to say, but it will have to wait. I hope you are all well and I hope you are enjoying reading so far and big thanks to everyone who have made comments and to just read and see my pics!! :)

P.S. The picture at the very top is in Varanasi looking onto the Ganges, outside my hotel, which is cool, tell more soon...

Hello from the Taj Mahal

2007-10-23T08:32:00.000+01:00

Thank you for your comment Mum & Bec on the previous blog, I'm missing you guys too, lots of Love.

It's been harder to get to internet here in Agra, but finally had time to get to a place today.

The train journey on Sunday morning was great, better than most trains in the UK. There was air conditioning, lots of leg room and we were fed and watered. Though, looking out of the windows on the journey to Agra wasn't pretty, the poverty's very bad, people living in horrible conditions. The crazy thing here is that money and poverty often live side by side. There can be a house/flat that's looks very middle class and next to it is a 3 metre squared shack housing a whole family of 6.

I can't put any pictures up just yet, not possible in this cafe, but will put them up when I can. I will also try to put up some albums on Facebook or Flickr when I have the time.

I went to the Taj Mahal on Sunday for sunset, wow! what a beautiful building and built in the name of love. You can't really appreciate it until you see it. But the only downside was that there were so many people there you couldn't take it in, I tried pushing on my ears to block out the sound and tried to ignore all the people, worked for a few seconds. But still, a magnificent building.

I also went to Agra fort, which also had some beautiful architecture. But again, the roads here in India are crazy, vehicles, people, animals all going in any which direction they wish. We were waiting at a roundabout for our driver and what we saw just kept us laughing in disbelief. One of the funniest was when a dog stopped in the middle of the roundabout and did a poo whilst the traffic went around him! :) Hopefully I may get some videos up one time.

That's it for now, just before I go I'll let you know I surcome to a Delhi belly, but funny enough not in Delhi. Thank god for Immodium, I'll stay away from the graphic details.

I'll probably won't blog again until Varanasi, which will be on Thurs/Fri. I'm taking the overnight train on Wednesday, I tell you how that goes then!

Hope the weather's not too bad there in England! :o)

Last day in Delhi

2007-10-20T15:02:00.000+01:00

Final day in Delhi was a bit of a chilled one, went to see the Gandhi museum and memorial and you can see in the picture above, me at the sight where Gandhi was cremated.

But before that, I went to get myself a new camera SD card because, can you believe it, but yesterday when I was trying to transfer some of the images from my camera card it crashed and all my pictures from the first 2 days are gone :( But hey, these things happen :) Luckily, another traveler who was with me took similar photos and he said he would send me a copy. I only managed to salvage about 10 or so.

Anyway the Gandhi bits were great and the weather again today was amazing 34 degrees, but still quite comfortable, it's quite bizzar, the heat of the sun isn't as bad as I thought it would be. I've not seen a cloud since the UK.

I'm looking forward to tommorow will be getting a 06:15 train to Agra to see Taj Mahal, will have pictures in the coming days, hopefully!

Come on England and Dad if you read this please text me the result as I may not get to see it, thanks and bye for now...

My second day!!

2007-10-19T13:42:00.000+01:00

I'm very lucky at the moment have a great internet cafe right by the hotel. There is one in the hotel, but it's not so good. So I'm able to blog every day so far.

Today's a lot better all round, finally done some sightseeing and not so much hassle from people and even if they do, they're pretty harmless, and I've worked out that the best thing to do is say hello to them in Hindi and smile. Gets the best reaction, 'A smile goes a long way' :)

Hi Bec's, in response to your ? The temperature is just right, not overpowering, a surprisingly comfortable 32 degrees. And as for the food, so far it's been very nice and so cheap. Last night I had a lentil curry, plain rice, naan bread and a mint tea all for the crazy price of 50p.

Today I've been to the large Red fort, India's largest mosque, where myself and another traveler were the only non locals in a restaurant and we ate with only our right hand and no cutlery, so much fun, just like being a kid. We were constantly being looked at by other diners, some with blank faces, others with smiles.

The afternoon was great, we walked up some amazing, hustling and bustling streets(checkout the pics). One of the best bits was going to the Spice Market, the smells were so overpowering, what an experience, I'd recommend anyone going to Delhi to go their!

As for the cows Clare, they seem to be treated just like us humans and they don't seem to belong to anyone, well at least that's how it seems. They just roam the streets and do what they like, people put buckets of water out for them.

Hopefully I can get some pictures up, but having problems with this computer, let wait and see! :)

My First Day in Delhi!

2007-10-18T10:38:00.000+01:00

Well, I have finally left the UK and have firmly landed my feet in India. Good for me that the hotel I'm staying in had a driver pick me up from the station, the culture hits you straight away! The streets are amazing, nobody seems to drive in straight lines, horns constantly hooting and just about anything is on the road, cows included!

It's been hard work, you can't trust anyone, they all try and be your friend and then try and sell you something or take you to a shop or travel agent. You just have to persevere and be polite and they finally move on to someone else.

Trying to get my rail tickets was a mission too, there are so many people at the station telling you to go here or their, of course none of them tell you where you want to go. But I prevailed and found the tourist ticket office and booked my tickets to Agra and Varanasi.

I haven't slept yet, so off for a kip and then get ready for a second day in Delhi, hopefully do some sightseeing!

Here's a few photos for you!

Hello everyone, I'm saying bye to the West!!

2007-10-03T19:44:00.000+01:00

For 6 months that is. Less than 2 weeks till my departure and I'm getting excited and a little anxious. As you may know, I have set up this blog for all of my family, friends and some occasional passers by to see what I'm up to whilst on my trip to the East. All the highs and hopefully not many lows :) So please, do reply to any of my blogs, ask questions and let me know how you are all getting on, I would love to keep up with the news from home!