Feb 10....

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<strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">C’tnd 10^th Feb

Yong wasn’t about I’m back at the hotel again and after replying to a couple of mails go down to the terrace to order my dish for this evening, Chilli potatoes and I’ve asked for the Pokora with a bit of a twist. Could they make me cheese and onion in the same pokora. No problem. It has been the best dish. Must ask them where they get their cheese from.

I’m off to Chitwan on Monday (18^th) so have spent some time looking up the best place to stay. It’s very difficult which one to choose. I have always subscribed to Tripadvisor in the past and nine times out of ten they don’t disappoint, but at the end of the day it really does depend on the reviewer and what specifically they are looking for so it will never be 100%!a(MISSING)ccurate to each persons taste. Also, there aren’t any tourist buses that go from here only local buses. I really would, if I didn’t have this claustrophobia thing. I can’t bear the thought of being jammed in between people with no way out. I attempted it in Greece, had a panic attack and dived off the bus leaving the rest of my family to enjoy a lovely day on a private beach somewhere which is where the bus was to take them. I’ll get a few quotes for taxis. If they prove too expensive, I might negotiate a seat with the luggage on the roof. The food arrives, the best dish so far.

Off to bed, I switch the lights off and bid goodnight to my new roommate, Gregory. (The ghecko),

I awake in the morning and it is a national holiday today. I am looking forward to our walk in the hills with Parboti which we have arranged to do this afternoon. She is going to meet me here at the Inn, we’ll have some lunch and then set off. We do head off into the sunshine up the hills and take in the glorious scenery. We take a route I haven’t taken before which includes a bakery. Smells divine. The owner allows me a peek out the back, even more yumm. They have machines which knead the dough so it is effectively more hygienic. I thank them for allowing me out the back a promise that I will return to purchase some of their fine produce.

We ascend once again and pass some lovely village houses, families sitting outside, the ladies having a natter, the men cutting meat, the kids playing marbles. There are plenty of free-roaming chickens and goats. There are a few baby goats (the name escapes me, kids?). Parboti wants to show me a school which is a municipal school but one of the best in Gorkha. As it is a holiday, there aren’t any kids about except the class that has blind pupils who are tucking into some food in the playground. I have a chat with one young girl who speaks perfect English. We say our goodbyes and pop into a radio station that Parboti worked for some time back. We walk into the humble studio but her friend isn’t there so the jingle that she had planned that I would do in English, wasn’t possible. Another time.

We then arrive at Parboti’s sisters house. It is made of the traditional material used before bricks became popular, mud and stone. It is a cosy cottage, perched on top of a hill overlooking valleys, hills and mountains from one perspective. I am allowed a tour of the little cottage which is over two storeys with one room on each. The ground floor is crowded with two beds and a TV which are used as sofas and beds dependent on what time of day it is. The inside of homes are rarely used during the day with most activities, cooking, eating, cleaning etc., taking place outside. In the monsoon season, the overhanging roof over the building makes a shelter and allows them to continue day-to-day life outside. They have a well-stocked garden growing peas, cauliflower, garlic, onions, potatoes to name but a few. The upstairs of the building is pretty empty and used for storing grain and rice in the winter. There is a kitchen attached to the side which has a two-hob gas stove on the floor and a makeshift clay oven. There is also a guest room attached to the side which also doubles as a storeroom, or vice versa.

We sit on the terrace and her sister serves us some peas and what tasted like chick peas in a curried liquid which is probably the freshest food I have been served since being here. Then she kindly brought out two types of sweet potato which had been pre-boiled and only need peeling, which is done with your fingers and they are delicious too. She packs some in a carrier for me to take back with me. I will endeavour to do my best to keep them fresh as I am so in need of some healthy food after snacking on chocolate and Bombay mix. That’s breakfast and lunch tomorrow.

It is so wonderful sitting there in the quiet surroundings with the magnificent views. However, it is pretty lonely for her sister as her neighbours are far and few between and she spends most time looking after her two kids and tending the vegetable garden. Women tend to get the raw deal here in the fact that they tend to stay at home. Husbands on the other hand can play cards or other pursuits with their male counterparts at a chosen location.

We say our goodbyes and pass by the radio station again, Parboti spots her friends bike and we wander in once more. He is there and she asks if we could do a jingle which he obligingly agrees to. I write down the words and step into the recording studio. I repeat it three times and the DJ seems happy. He then asks if there is a song about Radio I he could play it too. The first song that springs to mind is Queen, and Lady Gaga. He does a bit of mixing and dubbing and voila, ten minutes later we have the jingle. It doesn’t sound too bad if I do say so myself. I’ll attempt to post it on the travel blog for the record (no pun intended).

We head off to another school. This is a school Parboti attended as a young girl. We meet with the headmaster and I am very impressed that there are two classes taking place, due to the fact that it is a national holiday and 17.36! We leave after I have made a few notes on how the charity may be able to assist the school in the future.

The sun is now setting as we make our way back to Gorkha. We have walked around 5km. We were going to have to venture onto a micro bus should one pass, that or walk for the next hour or so in the dark. One happened upon us. It was full but not cramped. I bagged the seat at the window. The 3km drive cost us 15rs (about 10p).

We part midway between our two rooms and I arrive at the hotel around 7pm. The latest home yet. Hurry upstairs to take in my bits and pieces and collect my PC and go back downstairs and order the chicken curry and japati. He specifically gave me chicken off the bone and it was far better than what I had eaten previously.

Arose at 6.30 and there was a knock on my door. The chap from downstairs had said that Yong would be here in 15 minutes. He hadn’t been at the telephone shop each time I went over so he was coming here. We had a quick chat and he agreed that we would return to the school I had visited yesterday and he would make a report to put forward to the committee.

I then had some breakfast, wrote for a bit and prepared for school. The kids were all sitting being well-behaved with their colouring. I sat with each of them praised them for their work. We went through some colours in English, fruit and animals. The teacher said that she was off to teach another class so would I be okay on my own. I made sure that I knew which class she was in so that I could call upon her should I need her. She left, the kids were fine, except the autistic one and the one with little attention span who decided to go outside and play football. I wasn’t going to argue. The teacher came back at 3.15 and I went up to use the computer in the staff room. I then left for the evening.

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