Leaving Nepal and heading back to India

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We really love Nepal. I heard this is the poorest nation on Earth. Well, I guess if you trade that with the fact they are also quite possibly the friendliest people on the planet, its not a bad way to be. As well as being blessed with some rain to enjoy clear air, we enjoyed the backstreets, markets and landscapes here. I have fond memories of the Butterfly Foundation, who shared some of their time with us with lots of excitment, delicious food and so many children who were captivated with Sa Ta Na Ma. Just now, heading onto India a little earlier than we'd planned as the Maoists are getting quite active here.


We had a couple of nights in Varanasi. Beautiful on the Ghats though it was chaos with a festival on and sooooo many people coming to celebrate it and dip in the Ganges. Also saw a new dimension to the starving zillions of the world. I still can't deal well with the poverty here in India. I was out late at night after an adventure... well, being full moon and all! Met a lovely yogi, reminded me of one of my many fav yoga teachers.... chatted to her for hours and we solved a few of the world's problems! Walked home passed streets and streets of sleeping families out on the pavement where there were a few scraps of cloth under or over them.

It was kind of like a re-distribution of food in the morning when the festival started. Those that had made pilgrimages bought rice to offer and those slightly worse off held out hands to receive it and then pack it up to take home to cook. I gave out bananas to save them cooking. Sitting on the banks of the river drinking chai while half the city was waking up was a beautiful time.

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