Blogs from Sarangkot, Pokhara, Nepal, Asia - page 2

As I said in the last blog our time as volunteers was coming to end. By this time the two girl volunteers had also left. We decided to leave for two weeks and visit some places in Nepal. Just to back track a new child arrived just as we went to Chitwan. He was adoreable, but a meance! The face of angel but the temperment of a pit-bull. And an evil one at that. He was only 4 years old so that meant that we had to take it in turns collecting him from school at mid-day. He took alot of occupying! Anyways so we planned to go to Pokhara to see some mountains. When we got there it was dark so didn't get a chance to see them. However the next day, (thanks to some ... read more

Ai ai aiiii cantava ! la gambetta cigolava ! maremma la montagna bufala impestata !! Io faccio il ganassa dopo sveglia psuedo mattutina, ricca colazione , con un bus ci dirigiamo verso un tempio e da li ci perdiamo subito .dopo aver chiesto a dei tizi troviamo la strada che ci portera verso la cima di sarangkhot. dopo lungo camminare , passano pure dei bus ,ma noi indomiti saliamo fino in cima dove troviamo ,per nostra sorpresa, lancio di paranpedio sul lago .( dimenticavo la sera della partenza da katmandi mi son preso in prestito una guida lonley planet datata 1997 molto fresca e aggiornata ... ma comuque utile ) . Alla fine sgroppelliamo per 5 ore credo e dopo la lunga discesa , ( pure io che facevo tanto il gallo ho le gambette ballerine ... read more

I just finished volunteering for two weeks at a foster home for children. DB and Rekha have adopted 8 children in addition to their 3 biological children from remote mountain areas of Nepal. Some of the children have fathers who have left or died and others were street children that did drugs. The rural areas in Nepal are very poor and without Foster Foundation Nepal these children would not have food security, healthcare, or go to school. DB and Rekha dream of adopting more children and expanding their program to include a handicraft business for single women with children. In Nepal, divorce is basically forbidden and women whose husbands leave them are branded witches by their family and village (this happens in rural areas), making it impossible to support their children. The organization is brand new ... read more

Phewa festival dagen ... Met het Nepalees Nieuwjaar op komst worden er tal van festiviteiten georganiseerd. Waaronder ook het Phewa festival die ook als doel heeft geld in te zamelen voor het behoud van het Phewalake en de bevolking bewust te maken van hun bijdrage hiertoe om het meer een langer bestaan te gunnen. Toen de speech hier omtrent beëindigd werd, bleek er echter weinig aandacht geschonken te worden aan dit eigenlijke doel van de festivaldagen. De dagen werden gevuld met verschillende dans- en zangoptredens die meestal niet extreem boeiend waren. Toch hadden we het geluk een goede kopie van Michael Jakson's dansstijl te mogen zien. De derde dag van het festival, woensdag 13 april, werd speciaal voor ons en zal mij zeker nog lang bijblijven. Aangezien onze lodge eigenaar meehielp de Tourist Run te organiseren, ... read more

Do you have chocolates?" "Where are you from?" It must have been a non-school day as many kids greeted me along the "trail" while trekking Sarangkot's hillside. Pressed for time due to delays caused by the bandh or strike on my way to Pokhara, I opted to just take a day trek after watching the sun kiss Annapurna. The trail is actually the road that cuts through about five villages. Quaint houses made of mud and bricks, corn fields, milk cans, goats and occasional water buffaloes dot the path. Overlooking Pokhara and Fewa Lake with clear view of the Himalayas, the villages lie at an altitude of 1,592 meters above sea level. The villagers are economically and socially underprivileged, with 90% living below poverty line (Quality of Life Nepal, 2009). Among the things I learned from ... read more