I started this weekend hoping to get a good view of the Annapurnas from the top of Sarangkot (1600m) unfortunately the view was obscured by cloud but the two hour trek up was good exercise. I met some really nice local people on the way up and I spoke to them about their simple lives of farming. Hari (now known as my unofficial Nepalese fixer) asked if i wanted to attend an engagement and wedding of one of his friends. I was taken aback by this offer but I knew he wouldn't put me in a situation where I wasn't welcome. The engagement began with many people drinking ginger tea and multiple hands on knees which I am used to by now! Everyone was so sweet when I arrived at their house totally unannounced saying "welcome" ... read more

There were no operations scheduled for the afternoon so I decided to trek to a lookout with some of the other medical students. We were unsure how to get there and we asked many people about the best route to take. With a text book Nepali answer they all pointed to the lookout and said "that way." Anyway, we got lost multple times and ended up bush bashing our way to the top through jungle and leeches. It was definitely worth it. We past through farms, meandering cows and bleeting goats to reach the top where there was a Buddhist temple. The view of the Annapurnas was amazing. I also noticed blood on the steps of the temple and followed it round to the sacrificial alter where some animal had been slaughtered. We got lost on ... read more

I didn´t sleep well last night at there was a fire fly in my room. I didn´t have the guts to squash it so I ushered it out with his light flickering with worry! Anyway, today I went to the Nepali Football final and it was such a great experience. I caught the local bus there and had to ask a few locals which way to the stadium. I could tell this event was going to big as the traffic on the way there was horrendous. I saw heaps of people crowding around and passing money through the fence so I did the same and got a ticket (100NPR) then a kid was ripping the tickets in half at the gate and letting the waste fall on the ground. A fair amount of rubbish considering there ... read more

Yes, I know today is Sunday but they have a 6 day working week here (tough gig) The radiotherapy department is located on the ground floor of the hospital, morbidly located next to mortuary. I just need to make sure I head through the correct door in the mornings. So far it has been interesting, it is difficult to understand some of the Doctors when they quiz me in "Englese" at the bed side. It seems the most common cancers in Manipal are: cervical, head/neck and breast. Unfortunately, this area does not have any real screening programs which is a shame as some cancers have a very long latency period and hence treatment can be employed early with an excellent prognosis. This is especially true with cervical cancer (what we do pap smears every 2 years ... read more

Finally a clear day to see the beautiful Annapurnas surrounding Pokhara. I have been doing a rotation in Radio-diagnosis in the hospital. There has been a few interesting cases of TB ascites, massive lung cancers and infective brain lesions. This morning I attended a TB lecture with the other students studying their MBBS at Manipal. It was a totally different experience to what I have in Sydney. Everyone wore their white lab coats, constantly answered "Sir" and stood up when they were spoken to. They were also assigned numbers for a roll call and we had to all stand when the lecturer arrived. TB affects 1/3rd of the world's population, 95% of these cases are in developing countries and 98% of deaths also occur in developing countries. I think approximately 45% of Nepalese people are infected ... read more