This week they were excited at gaining an extra room so that the cooking area would no longer need to double up as a bedroom. We were surprised at the nonchalant way they slid aside one of the corrugated roof panels to release cooking fumes and step out onto this fragile cover to a roof garden. The sight of them placing pots and pans under dripping streams when the rains came started to make us feel we could contribute something here. Unable to do anything to improve their roofing, we realised that one small filament lamp and some dodgy plugs and sockets could be upgraded. Amrit and I returned from a small electrical shop (don't have B&Q in your head) with 3 low energy lamps, several plugs, sockets, tools and 20 metres of wire for just over a tenner.
So we were sat very nervously that day because having removed the smashed socket, pulled 2 sticky wires from the crumbling wall and then used fingers crossed methodology to rewire a new socket and wire up the 3 new light bulbs, we needed the scheduled outage of Kathmandu power to finish to see if it all worked.
We were also all apprehensive about Anu's pending exam results. It seemed crass to utter parent-style phrases such as "you'll be a success in whatever you do". In this education system there are no second chances, you gain the 75% to move to a hotel management course or nothing. Fingers crossed for Anu and her future, she is truly amazing. By way of thank you we plied Anu with chocolate and took her out to Bhaktapur for the day.
It was nice to be in Nepal at festival time, nice for us but probably not so good for the 35,000 goats that are due to be shipped in to the Kathmandu valley in readiness for the Dashain festival later in September! On our second day back from Tibet we witnessed the astonishing Kumari who, as a living goddess, finally appeared from the ornate wood clad building in Durbar square. We sat in what seemed to be the best vantage point and later discovered that all the foreigners were being placed away from the action on the other side of the square. We dutifully passed a 2 year old from mother, to father, to grandmother and back to mother, opened and closed umbrellas as monsoon showers threatened to dampen things, and got pins and needles as our limbs were crushed during the 4 hour wait for the Kumari. The stone steps which were once empty were now standing space for not two but four layers of spectators, the cart carrying the goddess crashed into and demolished a stone lion, and the band played on as the festival progressed in its haphazard way. You couldn't say proceedings ran smoothly, but they had an exciting energy and we definitely felt part of it.
After a week in Kathmandu it was necessary to get out. An hour south got us to Godawari and the Botanical Garden. Not particularly blooming at this time of the year but the clean air was good.
Under an hour north of Kathmandu and we were in the Shivapuri National Park. We spent the day toiling up 1200 metres of stepped path, nearly lost to the forest, to the peak at just over 2,700m. We saw wild monkeys on the way up, and were treated to a black tea from the Hatha Yoga teacher and his student in their ashram retreat converted from an army barrack perched on the top of the hill.
A visit to The British School of Kathmandu provided really useful material for our research on international mindedness. The school, founded in the late 60's, provides education to about 35 different nationalities of all ages and has much new building work in progress. Staff's concern about Nepal's next earthquake and it's impact on Nepali buildings is a reminder of the fragility of life in this part of the world.
Kathmandu, continues to evolve. Fusion of food as well as music is everywhere and as September draws to a close there is a rapid increase in the number of tourists- including the Chinese as a relative new-comer. The three-piece groups comprising of a flute, guitar and the evocative tabla (drum) fill the air with a subtle blend of jazz and folk (occasionally straying dangerously in to 70's rock!) It was quite surreal sipping a glass of Spanish red, eating grilled lemon chicken and chips in the warm evening at the New Orleans cafe! Is this Nepal. Maybe not but it is nice once in a while!
