Settling In

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Geo: 27.6833, 83.4167

Okay so a week or so into our new house and we have experienced many new things. Load sharing (polite term for power failure) generally happens between 7.00pm and 9.00pm so we have learnt that dinner needs to be cooked and the kitchen locked down by the time the lights go off. Now if it was just the lights fine, but the ceiling fan seems to be more of a problem for Darren. Sitting outside at night is actually quite pleasant but the mosquitos have bigger teeth than the Crocs we saw at Chitawan. We have squeezed our tube of Soove to within an inch of its former life and soon we are going to have to admit we have run out already which after the first month is a bit serious really. Hmm this is defiantly on the critical survival list.

We have got quite friendly with a group of young girls who we met by chance in a Restaurant. They have been very helpful with house set up shopping. After having set up the kitchen, how they do theirs at home they offered to help me with Nepalese cooking lessons. This is another critical survival strategy as the ingredients here are quite limited so I really don't know how to cook anything we normally eat. I would kill for some tomato paste and soya sauce and herbs like parsley but have not seen yet. We headed into the market and for about $2.00 AUD we had enough food to sink a small ship. Now if you are going to cook you need people to eat so the girls invited a few friends and the cooking lesson fast developed into a party. We had something of a rage Party in our house with about 8 loud Nepalese. It is unclear whether they just sound load or they are actually loud but hell it was a noise. The food was fantastic, Sarala cooked as I was just not doing it right so I did my bit by holding the torch. That would be that load sharing again. I did however have a go at Nepalese tea after the meal which sadly got the big thumbs down but am not entirely sure why it was just not good tea. Anyway it was my first attempt and I felt a bit like the poor people on Master Chef.
Having watched them cook their traditional food I was fairly confused as to why the whole country is not on blood pressure medication. The girls put about 3 desert spoons of salt in every dish and being a good Australian I did not even have salt in the kitchen. The girls nearly had a fit and headed out to the corner store and bought a bag which I thought should see me out of the Country but I think was an emergency stash to just to get me out of trouble. They also put several huge spoons of ghee in every dish. Now given heart disease is not a problem in this country I am left wondering whether the Australian Medical System is having a lend of us.
The other thing when heading into third world countries it is advisable to travel with Mc Giver. Setting the scene, I am under the shower. I tend to try to shower without getting too wet as the cold water and I do not mix well so I pat water on, turn the tap off and then suds up. Once I have got suds all over me and in my hair then I psychologically know I will need to get under to wash the soap off. On this particular morning when I have finished sudsing and psyched myself up I turn the water back on and on this particular morning no water comes out. Being confident it is a minor set back I yell for Darren who grabs the multimeter and heads out the back to test the pump. He then starts yelling at me to turn the power off as he is about to electrocute himself. Fine I throw the towel around me and rush out to the rescue as he had his very serious voice on. By this time the young children from upstairs have got into the act and Darren tries to explain the pump has expired. This is the term the Nepalese use for died. I wipe the soap off me with the towel and plan to finish washing my hair later in the day. Just because the directions on the shampoo say to rinse thoroughly I am confident they did not necessarily mean immediately. I could not help but think Mc giver would have fixed the pump with rubbish lying around the yard and I would not have had to go into the office with totally tragic hair.

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Photos

Cooking Lessons
Bjay,Depa, Sarala and Lisa, What do you mean you dont know how to cook Dhal Bat!! We will show you.

Oh no Pump Stopped Working
Darren, Nejay and Babu investigating the problem

Look at Me
Bjay has obviously been watching too much Bollywood. PS taken in the family room, well that is what we are calling this area anyway

Babu
Quite a little cutie, came with the house and seems now to be okay with the funny white folks

Comments

[cousinbev]

You're not alone on the power cuts - we get many in rural Somerset. It was off here for a few hours yesterday evening too. I called up to let the electricity board know & the woman said *"I bet you get fed up of calling us...!" What f
un!

[davo]

dont forget to let us no when you get back will be along for some nepalese food darren dont look a pump just fix it

[cousinbev]

When do you get to watch tv - between power cuts? Tee hee.

[cousinbev]

perhaps he knows how to fix the pump!!

[travandkel]

GORGEOUS!Is she single? :P