hello again

I'm glad you found the blog grandma!

So...

The monsoon season hasn't really started... it's just hot. But the wind has made for some clear days with beautiful clouds. I've been in Kathmandu a few weeks now and it's kinda fun to bump into people you know on the street. Thamel (tourist area) is a pretty noisy place to stay, even though I'm at a Meditation Center. At night I fall asleep to cover bands playing 'The Wall' or 'Cocaine' over and over at the nearby pubs.

Kathmandu is also getting pretty developed. I've been bowling a couple times at the newest shopping center (there's escalators and everything) and been to the climbing wall at the fitness center as well- Lisa would be proud. But don't worry, Nepal shines through despite the advances. While bowling, the power went out across the whole city for about 5 minutes (then the Mall's generator kicked in). And at the climbing wall, once I reached the top, I could see the streets outside flooded with people and communist flags following the funeral procession of a major Maoist leader.

The past two weeks I've been teaching English to the staff at a local NGO. Teaching the staff or teachers is a really great way to ensure sustainability, since volunteers can't and shouldn't always be necessary. Oh, and we found our first scam orphanage a little while ago. They'll bring the kids in when they know someone is coming, or they have a couple businesses to 'support' some charitable cause, but pocket everything. One guy told me about 70% of all Nepali incomes are from foreign aid that turns into salaries for workers at NGO's. It's a business.

Ok, some Czech friends and I are headed to Bhaktapur tomorrow to get away from the stress of Kathmandu. I'll try and get some pictures together...

Love you and miss you all.

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