Now there’s a dilemma..how do you spot someone you don’t know (and how do they spot you) in the scrum which surrounds the exits of an airport? No problem really..and an early example of just how helpful and friendly the Nepalese people are..a taxi driver lent me his phone so I could ring the office and then they could contact my pick up person, who turns out to be the brother of the country director for Childreach-Nepal, where I’m working. www.childreach.org.uk/who-we-are/nepal-office I was given the traditional Nepali welcoming silk sash which will surely find a place of pride when I get home again.
Finding myself in Nepal was a very modern day exercise. The placement was arranged by a UK based organisation Accounting for International Development www.afid.org.uk/ which finds spots for accountants/businessy types with wanderlust and an eye to trying to help contribute, even just a little. So we have the interesting concept of an Australian using a British link to work in Nepal. Simple. Just like internet dating really…and I’ve been a fan of that since I met Anne! Another twist which makes this work is that the assignments are looked at as long term with several different volunteers contributing to a continuous improvement exercise. Part of the challenge is to make sure there are comprehensive follow up notes for the next person to fill the role. Great idea. Just a little daunting when I found out that I was the first person in the role for Childreach-Nepal.
I’m staying for the first few days very close to Durbar Square, Patan. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patan,_Nepal It’s a world heritage site and is an almost pristine preservation of Newari architecture.
(although it looks like I stayed in the bar, drinking beer all day I swear these were taken on two, separate occasions)
The guesthouse, Newa Chen www.newachen.com dates back a few hundred years..so was around before our country was even discovered by Europeans. It’s built around a courtyard and is charming. One drawback is that all the ceilings (of heavy wooden beams) are 1.75metres high..and I used to be 1.78…but now have a flat forehead from belting into them on more than one occasion. It seems the ‘remember to duck’ part of the brain is, inconveniently, at the front of the head and gets bruised easily.
(my room is the one with the open window. Breakfast in the room above)
Apparently another thing I need to get used to is that the only seats in my guesthouse are the very low window seats or cushions on the floor. I can feel my bones creaking as they are bent into unusual positions, luckily the roof is so low I can’t stand up straight anyway so there’s not a big problem. There was a ‘welcome’ masala chai and Nima Lama and I sat on the very low window sill chatting about his upcoming trip to Bhutan and the outreach programs he runs for Childreach. www.reallywildtravel.com
No comments:
Post a Comment