Pokhara: Hey Big Spender!

Good morning Phewa Tal

Phewa Tal

After sleeping on an actual bed we woke refreshed and ready to embrace Pokhara. Up early we headed down to the lake to see what all the fuss was about. We quickly realised that all of the fuss was absolutely, positively justified. The beautiful lake sprawled into the distance and the shapes and colours of the surrounding mountains reflected perfectly on its smooth surface. Colourful boats bobbed on the ripples as we wandered along the East bank. While the path unfortunately did not continue right around the lake to the South side from where you could properly enjoy the views of the snowy peaks, we caught glimpses of them from the boat jetty where tourist paid to be shipped across the lake.

American set breakfast

We wandered back to the main road, enjoying the peace and quiet that this time of the morning brings to a city. Coun had told us about Pokhara's 'set breakfasts' that most restaurants boast. We settled on an American Style breakfast and indulged in eggs, toast, sausage, beans, roast potatoes, capsicum and tomato, fruit, muesli, curd, fresh juice and coffee. Pokhara was having quite an impact on our waist lines and we hadn't even been there 24 hours.

As our hotel had no power this morning there was no rush to get home. We wandered slowly checking out travel agencies and trekking gear shops. When we arrived home to find that the wifi wasn't working thanks to the lack of power Chris put his electrician cap on and went to find the router. He returned triumphant having jiggled the wifi back to life. It didn't last long though as the real electrician arrived and, in fixing the problem, had to turn the whole thing off.

We went out again this time to finally get our laundry done. We agreed to pay about $4, which was more than we should have but, considering the amount of Gaunshahar dirt that was ingrained in our clothes, $4 was a bargain.

We found a little shop that sold multipurpose tubes of material that we could use as neck warmers, headbands etc. We were excited by the price of 30 rupees but, when we returned later to purchase a second one, we were informed that there had been a mistake and the actual cost was 100 rupees. No wonder people had called us liars when we told them how much we bought the first one for. They had limited material designs too so one of our delightful neck warmers is leopard print.

We couldn't resist going back to Godfather's for lunch and ordered spaghetti bolognese and lasagne. They were both the closest thing to actual Italian food we have seen on our journey so we didn't mind that they weren't perfect. After lunch we purchased our bus tickets to Kathmandu (there was no way we were getting a local bus with the goats all the way there) and changed some Indian rupees into Nepalese rupees. Then, as the rain showers started and cyclonic wind stirred all of Pokhara's dust up, we went shopping!

At Polar Trekking Equipment Shop we decided we may as well make all of our necessary purchases to save rushing around in Kathmandu. And buying everything in one shop meant we had some bargaining power. Two down jackets, one down sleeping bag, two head torches, two bandanas, two belts, two long sleeve breathable shirts, one pair of fleece pants, one wide brimmed hat, two walking poles and one large waterproof duffle bag later we needed to bargain hard. We settled on a price of 21500 Nepalese rupees or about $250. Not bad considering that one down jacket in Australia would set you back about $800. Then we had the issue of cash. While we had changed money earlier we did not have enough. We did have Indian rupees though and the shop keeper was happy enough to take those at an exchange rate without commission. I was left as collateral while Chris went to collect the moola. Meanwhile, the shopkeeper and I laughed at his Russian customers' shoes and discussed the pros and cons of Israeli vs Russian tourists in Nepal. For the record, Israelis are apparently loud but take less drugs while the Russians are quiet but take many drugs. The shopkeeper liked us, gave us directions to the peace pagoda for our adventure tomorrow and even through in a free map of Pokhara. What a guy!

Sweet and sour pork!

We returned home to play with our new toys and dress up in our new trekking attire. The leopard print neck warmer and pink diamanté encrusted belt were a great combination with the pink bandana.

When six o'clock rolled around we went out for some dinner. We ended up at The China Town restaurant that we had spotted earlier in the day. The food was amazing and exactly what we needed. Vegetable chowmein, sweet and sour pork, chilli spare ribs and fried pork momos. Add a couple of beers and we were in heaven. We left the restaurant to find a rainy Pokhara awaiting us and our walk home. As the power was still off when we arrived back at Hotel Harmony we had an early night.

 

Chris' visit to The Great Wall

 

Gaunshahar to Pokhara

Sunrise, Gaunshahar

At 5am we got up and went on a mission to watch the sun rise over Gaunshahar and the snowy peaks that surround it. Thanks to the huge storm we witnessed last night we woke to clear skies and set off in the dark towards the terraced fields above the school.

In the cold, we watched the sky turn orange and slowly begin to shine light on the reflective snowy peaks that stood tall before us. The sun crept onto the mountains changing their appearance with every inch it moved higher into the sky.

Braving the cold

Once the sun glare started marring our photos we headed back home for a final breakfast of omelette, jam, toast and tea. Delfina, the French volunteer, questioned why she wasn't getting the same special treatment we were and instead had to beg for breakfast. A quick discussion made it evident that the reason was her attitude toward Shamser and the volunteering set up. She didn't want to pay anything yet seemed to be expecting the same food and benefits as those who were.

Lion dog

After swapping emails and photos with Timmy we said our goodbyes to the Thapa family and headed down the hill toward Besishar. The village dog Lion accompanied us part of the way, seeing us off and saying farewell. The walk down was hot, despite the early hour, and we arrived in Besishar sweaty and ready to get on the road.

A break at the old waiting point

The man at the bus ticket office told us to kill half an hour and come back. We did so by visiting our favourite local cake store, enjoying some sweets and buying some snacks for our bus journey. Back at the ticket office people tried to convince us that we would need to pay lots of money if we wanted to get a micro bus anytime soon. They soon realised that they couldn't dupe us though when we laughed at the prices they quoted us. They directed us to another ticket office further down the road and we bought two tickets to Pokhara for 500 rupees. Much better than the 500 rupees we were quoted earlier that would only have only taken us to Dumre, half way. The only problem was that our bus wasn't leaving until 10:40am so we had some time. We spent it eating samosas and using Hotel Tukuche's wifi.

Local bus...goats

Our bus eventually turned up and we piled on, choosing to leave our luggage in the aisle rather than have it put on the roof. And it would not be the strangest thing to grace the aisles of the bus on the journey. Three goats were led on at one point and balanced themselves in the aisle until somebody got annoyed and relocated them to the boot.

We left only fifteen minutes later than scheduled and made much better progress than the bus that had brought us to Besishar from Kathmandu. While we did stop often to pick up passengers and while we did stop for lunch despite the journey only being scheduled to take four hours it was less painful than our previous experience. Just.

We pulled into Pokhara bus park around 4pm and got chatting to Bianca, another Aussie who had been on the bus with us. She offered to split a cab with us to Lakeside. We offered to walk the 5km with her. She agreed. We swapped travel stories while we walked and then parted ways as we approached the lake. Chris and I were headed to the north side of the lake where quiet was supposed to ensue. There were tourists everywhere and, having come down from the hill this morning, it was a strange sight. Adding to the strangeness were the Western girls getting around in short shorts and singlet tops when I had been covered up completely for months now.

After asking at a few guesthouses, turning one down when they let slip that they had different prices for locals and foreigners, we settled on Hotel Harmony after testing both their hot water and wifi thoroughly.

After about three weeks without hot water the showers we took were amazing. The water was so hot we even had to turn the cold tap on a little. That was a luxury we had not experienced in a long time. Once we had washed Gaunshahar off our skin we got dressed in the freshest clean clothes we had and headed out in search of Godfather's Pizzeria, as recommended by Coun. And it was just as fantastic as he described.

We started our feast with chicken momos and local Gurkha beer. Then it was on to the main course...a beef burger with chips and salad and a wood fired meat lovers pizza. But that was not the end of the banquet. We went on to have apple crumble with custard, a chocolate brownie with ice cream and two-for-one brandy cocktails. We were stuffed. We got the bill and noticed our main meals were missing. Being the honest people that we are we pointed this out to the staff. They returned having added our desserts to the bill but not the mains. Being the budget travellers that we are, we left it at that.

Grabbing a few supplies on the way home to returned to settle in for some wifi usage. Unfortunately, the power point that powers the router when the power is out (as it is quite often in Nepal) had decided to break this evening. Chris found this coincidence a little hard to bear but they got it working again so we couldn't argue too much.

We lay down on the bed and were thankful to longer be sleeping on a piece of ply wood covered only by a blanket.

 

Day 10: Building a Fire Pit

Front Yard Views

While the sky still wasn't clear enough to warrant a sunrise hike, when I did get up the clouds had parted enough for the mountains to glow in the morning light. We drank tea while sitting around the table discussing the 'extra flesh' a local villager had growing in his nasal cavity. They had given the doctor's records to Shamser in the hope that us volunteers could offer some advice. Apparently we are doctors as well as engineers, landscapers, teachers and stone masons.

Unfortunately there was no millet bread this morning and instead we had the usual omelette and toast which I was in charge of cooking on the campfire. Since we ran out of gas two days ago, Kulpana's kitchen was still an outdoor one.

Our job today was to continue as stone masons and create a decorative stone fire pit that would star in the new garden design. First, Shamser and Deelay helped us dig a hole large enough for the foundations. This was no easy feat considering the clay soil and giant rock which was located right where we wanted the fire pit. Once dug, we started work despite our cut, sore hands and began placing stone after stone in something that resembled a circle.

Last Day of School

Around 10am we cleaned ourselves up and followed Shamser and Delfina towards school. We took a few final photos before returning home to continue our hands-on duty.

Our Fire Pit

As Jengi was working on the stone restaurant walls I had to sneak the good stones from the giant pile so we could use them in our fire pit. Deelay mixed the mato (mud) that I carried over to our worksite and squished between the rocks Chris was laying. What a team!

We helped move the old recycled windows into their new home...the restaurant. While this did mean deconstruction of a small part of the restaurant wall, we got them in place without breaking the frame or any glass which was a bonus. While we worked Shamser asked Deelay, Jengi and the other worker if they'd be happy to come to Australia and help Chris and I build our house. We agreed that if we can get a property and pay for their flights they'll come and work for food and a little whiskey. Not a bad deal.

 

The workers fitting the windows

Once we had done as much of the fire pit as we could we planted a few plants then set off towards the shower. Of all of our days in Gaunshahar today was the day we needed a shower most. And...thanks to the fact that we have to pipe the water from the stream up the hill, many of the neighbours need to do the same and there is only one pipe, we had no water.

We killed time watching five or so Nepalis offer advice on how Timmy should best build his bed until we had gathered enough water to at least wash some of the red mud off our skin.

The site to date

Babu!

Fire vs Rain

As Kulpana cooked our dinner on the outdoor open fire we watched a storm tumble across the mountains towards Gaunshahar. Thunder echoed as the sky darkened and we watched the rain pour down and soak the surrounding villages. Before the heavy downpour had a chance to soak us and our new fire pit we quickly gathered wood and started a fire to give our work of art a test run. As we did so the droplets of rain got bigger and more frequent but the pit we had constructed worked a treat.

As the rains pelted down though our fire slowly died and we took shelter in Shamser's half finished house before retreating to the alcove near our room to watch the storm. And what a storm it was. We witnessed some of the most impressive lightning we had ever seen as small bits of hail bounced off the concrete into where we were sitting. Thunder roared, the rain was monsoonal and we loved every minute of it.

Starry storm

Once the rain began to ease we braved the flooded construction site, which now resembled a lake scattered with piles of white hail pebbles, and made it to Shamser's house. The three of us volunteers ate our dal bhat in Timmy's room as he was off drinking rakshi with the neighbours. Not long after dinner Timmy returned. Or rather, was returned. He was so drunk he couldn't walk and was slipping and sliding on the wet mud that leads up through the village. It took three men to guide him inside and the lake of water made the task even more difficult. Once we'd put Timmy to bed, and with the storm having passed for the moment, we took to the waiting point in the hill to watch lightning light up the mountains that surrounded us. It was beautiful and a perfect end to our time in the village.

Thunder bolts and lightning

 

Day 9: Our First Stone Wall

Moon-set, 5am

Constructing our wall

Chris barely slept again so, when 5am rolled around, he went out to take some photos of the full moon figuring he was awake anyway so may as well. With the sky too hazy to bother with sunrise he came back to the room to try and catch some sleep before the noise of the day started outside.

This morning's breakfast gave us our first taste of millet bread. Millet is the same seed or grain used to make rakshi, the local wine. The round, dark brown bread was crispy on the outside and soft in the middle. We ate it with jam and an omelette and it was amazing.

After planning the terraced garden we decided we'd try our hand at stone work and create the walls for the terrace. The head stonemason Jengi turned up just after we began work and offered some advice in Nepali. Either that r he was telling us not to touch the good stones that he wanted to use for the restaurant.

Building a wall from stone is harder than it looks. Chris accurately described it as a giant puzzle except that there is an unlimited number of pieces and none of them fit quite right. One small piece at a time, the wall went up though as we wiggled and spun and jiggled each piece of stone into place. We stopped for a lunch of bhat (rice) with spiced vegetables and tomato and chilli pickle, no dal today, before getting right back to work.

Mato

The final layer of rock was to be stuck down with mud (mato) so we got to get our hands even dirtier. Deelay mixed up the perfect consistency using the clay of the ground and water piped from the stream. You can't get much more local or sustainable than that.

Shamser arrived home excited as always to see the progress that had been made while he was at school. We continued working as it started to spit with rain so we could get the foundations of the next terrace wall laid before we called it quits.

As we sat back in the evening and admired our handy work we were impressed with how our beautiful stone wall had turned out.

The fruits of today's labour

We helped Timmy with the bed he was making and swapped sunlight for solar light as the evening came. Shamser had gone to Besishar to collect another volunteer and, around 7pm, they finally arrived. They caught a lift up in the jeep which was conveniently delivering glass for the new house's new windows. Delifina was the new volunteer, from France. We all ate dal bhat together and at 8pm, exhausted, Chris and I went to bed.

 

Day 8: Parent Teacher Meetings

Terraced fields of maize

Around midnight some strange noises started. It sounded like there was somebody on the tin roof or that the stonewalls around us were being pushed over. And, having just deconstructed one of these houses and having seen how they are held together, this was abslutely a possibility. It was loud, very loud. And, as we tried to work out what the noise actually was, I was convinced that the walls were going to collapse around us and used Chris as a shield. Thankfully, once we turned the light on, we realised that the sound was actually an animal running around in the roof. And, because the roof is a thin layer of ply wood, it was making a horrible racket.

We rose this morning to another stunning morning in Gaunshahar, the mountains lit up by the rising sun. Kulpana provided a breakfast of noodle soup once again, along with some milk tea, before we got to work moving rubble. The plan was to level the ground for the garden outside the restaurant and use the rubble to fill the raised parking area. It was tiring work and we were happy to have an early lunch of dal bhat at 11:30am. Next stop...school.

Villager

Shamser had requested that we meet him and Soorita at school at midday as we were to accompany him on his visits to students' homes so he could converse with their parents. Thinking that we would simply be stopping in at a few homes within the village I wore thongs. If I'd have known we'd be hiking a 6.5km round trip up and down hills to visit neighbouring villages, I'd have rethought my shoe choice.

The first half of the afternoon was extremely enjoyable. We walked through tiny stone villages where buffalo ploughed terraced hills, chickens roamed free and Mary Jane grew wild. The women we visited, despite speaking no English, were welcoming and kind and we were happy to be visiting their simple homes. The lack of males within the villages highlighted what Shamser had told us about so many Nepalese men going out of the country to find work. The women looked as though they belonged on a postcard. Huge gold nose rings, colourful skirts and beautiful head scarves along with cracked feet and hands that had seen more than their share of hard work. One lady gave each of us a glass of curd. It was lumpy, warm and sour and had chunks of sugar sprinkled on the top. Additionally, mine came with a bug in it. Chris and I each took a sip from our respective cups and, even with the best intentions to be polite and drink it down, we just couldn't do it. The gag reflex was kicking in and, while Shamser drank Chris', I had to give mine back and listen as we were told how weak our Western stomachs were.

A Buffalo's Life

The enjoyment we gained from wandering through these villages was soon quashed when we visited Deelay's home. Deelay is the hard worker from Shamser's construction site who is paid in whiskey rather than money. This fact was no longer funny when we met his wife and were informed that he has been known to beat her when he's drunk. Add to that the fact that she was party deaf, barely spoke Nepali, had a swollen face due to an infected tooth and it was a sad sight. Tears welled in my eyes as I watched her show Shamser and Soorita how Deelay would grab her hair and her throat. Without speaking a word of her broken Nepali it was easy to understand how sad and pathetic this poor woman was feeling.

A village nearby Gaunshahar

We left with Shamser promising to help by talking to Deelay, limiting his whiskey intake and getting the woman the medicine she needed. He was also planning to continue providing them with food and to build a new roof for the decrepit, tiny room that was their home.

The only way I could console myself after seeing this woman was with the fact that at least now the facts were out in the open and something would be done to hopefully help the situation. And, at least we were getting an accurate picture of Nepal...warts and all.

The rest of the afternoon was enjoyable enough as we continued to weave our way between stone houses, visiting the familiar faces we recognised from teaching at the school. One lady even donated some plants for Shamser's new garden. The terraced farmland that the tiny villages are built on seemed to continue forever into the distance.

We arrived home around 4pm, showered and settled in for a relaxing afternoon. For the first time in a long time we sat in a room, didn't talk to anybody and watched a movie. Driving Miss Daisy to be precise. It was a lovely taste of normality. We emerged around 7pm just in time to check on Shamser's dirt-removal progress before another delicious dal bhat. We chatted with Timmy for a while about the usual...brain washing in America, before bed.

 

 

 

Day 7: Holi

Kulpana cooking brekky

Chris had a lazy morning after a poor sleep so while he lazed around I watched Shamser demolish some more of the old house. Thanks to the lack of gas, I got to watch Kulpana brew tea on the open fire this morning, back in the same spot she had been when we arrived a week before...outside in the construction site. Chris rose in time for tea and we watched as Shamser eagerly demolished yet more of the house meaning the first load of eggs got a dusting of small rocks and mud.

Our breakfast was cooked in a frying pan on the open fire. Eggs were fried before two packets of dry two-minute noodles were added before water and the seasoning. A delicious noodle soup was the outcome and we ate up every drop. After breakfast Poojan got the coloured powder that Holi is known for and covered everybody within reach. Not even the animals escaped.

Breakfast with a view

Holi

The morning was a lazy one as we sat around sharing music and chatting with Coun. Before long it was lunch time and we settled in to some more dal bhat. I was expecting to be working after lunch but, I guess because it is Holi today, nobody seemed to be doing much. Chris, Coun and I played Rummy Cub with a couple of decks of cards we found which was made particularly challenging by the double ups of some cards being altered to replicate those cards that were missing. We listened to a mix of music that made me forget momentarily that we were high in the Nepali Himilayas. Meanwhile, Timmy slowly copied his entire music collection onto Chris' harddrive. It should make for interesting listening upon our return home, to say the least. With everything from Japanese hardcore to Amish punk, we were treated to many samples while we sat around and enjoyed our relaxing day in Gaunshahar.

The day didn't get any more strenuous as it progressed either. We showered, sat around some more and had a dinner of dal bhat, a campfire and some warm honey rakshi before bed. And, because Shamser had bought the wine from a lady who had made it for her husband rather than to sell, it was extra strong.

 

Day 6: Building a Door

Our Work Environment

This morning was the Malaysian volunteers' final time with us in Gaunshahar. We had a breakfast of milk tea, omelette, toast, chapatti and jam before exchanging details and saying our farewells. After their departure Shamser and Deelay got excited over demolition and knocked over the last of the old house. Then, while Shamser went to work, Chris and I were out in charge of building a door and door frame for the new restaurant. We were excited by the prospect and eagerly set to work.

Demolition

Rotten, third-hand wood along with bendy nails made the process difficult. Add to that the construction site not having been levelled, the wood being bowed and the saw being blunt and the going was tough.

We were instructed to use an old door that was from the old house we deconstructed a few days back. The door was 22 inches wide. That's a narrow door by any standards. To combat the problem we scavenged around for a similar looking bit of wood and tacked it on the side. Problem solved! Next was the door frame.

Sawing our frame

As we were using a recycled door we had been asked to use the old door frame also. This would have been fine except that the frame was in bits, the wood was rotten, the vertical pieces were different lengths and the horizontal pieces were missing. This meant a lot of chiselling needed to be done.

With an old chisel and a hammer we set to work making the grooves for the tongue and groove joints we were hoping would hold the unstable structure together. It probably would have worked except that the 'tongues' were rotten and mostly broke off as soon as inserted into the groove.

We took a lunch break and enjoyed a dal bhat, this time with pumpkin, before getting back to work. We soon realised that the Nepali way was to do things cheaply and without much thought and then spend the next moment trying to fix the problem they had created. So...to combat the rotten wood, we tried bracing the joints. The beams were not even strong enough to support this. We squeezed the door into the frame in an attempt to ensure it was square, or at least the Nepali version of square, while we fitted the hinges to the frame. I somehow managed to end up with my finger between the heavy wooden door and another piece of wood when Chris let go of the piece we were working on. My cuticle came out second best.

Shamser returned after a while and bought the carpenter with him. The carpenter had the same problems we had but was happy enough with the wobbly final product to take the door frame around to the new restaurant and prop it up in place. I guess we just have different standards if what constitutes 'good enough.'

Chiseller Extrordinaire

Some discussion with Timmy, who had been doing the wiring for the new house, helped us see the backwards way in which things are done in this village. Instead of hiring local labourers and inserted money into the local economy that way, Shamser uses volunteers to even do the work of skilled tradespeople such as carpenters. While they may not be considered 'skilled' by Australian standards, in that we did just as good a job as the carpenter probably would have, it's interesting that he chooses not to give back to the community in this manner. Instead, he takes volunteers donations and uses them to fix the occasional problem for those in the community who may have been able to fix the problem for themselves if only they had some work and it wasn't all taken by foreign volunteers.

We spent the afternoon watching the stonemasons work on the restaurant and the foundation wall for the parking area in the far corner of the yard. There is always a million things on the go at once here. A storm began to roll over the hills and the temperature plummeted as the wind picked up, the sun disappeared and the thunder rumbled its way closer.

Our work of art in its new home

Coun, a Dutch volunteer who had visited Gaunshahar previously and helped out for a month, returned from his trek to Anapurna Base Camp. To celebrate, the family slaughtered a goat. Shamser emerged from behind the house with blood literally on his hands and a big smile on his face that said 'I just killed something.'

While we sat and waited for dinner to be prepared the weather continued to turn. The sky turned dark blue, then brown, then darker yet again as the sun disappeared behind the mountains and lightning flashed in the sky. The snow capped peaks revealed themselves as the storm moved towards us and cleared an area behind it. Then, the rains came and we got a taste of what Gaunshahar is like during the monsoon of June and July. Local villagers came and went, buying small bags of goat from Shamser's family.

The goat was de-furred using boiling water and dragging a cup along the skin before the whole animal was chopped into small pieces using a giant sword-like knife. Not even the bowel was wasted. Instead, its contents were emptied out, the organ was cleaned and it was chopped up with everything else...skin and bone included. It was super fresh though and, thanks to the gas running out, was cooked traditionally over a fire.

I opted out of trying the freshly killed and cooked goat but Chris tried some, picking out the miscellaneous organ bits, and said it was nice enough. I got an omelette to go with my rice and was pretty happy once I heard the skin was in there. We had an especially early night after a tiring day of working in the sun.

Incoming storm

 

Day 5: School Tests and a Hike to Besishar

Good morning Gaunshahar

This cloud-free morning Shamser made Chris, Timmy and I the garden committee. After a breakfast of milk tea, omelette and toast we were to plan the parking area, landscaping and everything else garden related for the new restaurant and the front yard of the new house. We set to work throwing ideas around, battling Nepali logic and a lack of equipment. We came up with a decent plan though and even managed to convince Shamser to include a fire pit in the design.

As the stone masons were coming this afternoon we needed to finalise the measurements for the restaurant walls. Having lost the paper from a few days ago which had measurements written on it and with the stakes having been squashed in the process of demolition, we were pretty much starting from scratch. We put our heads together though and got things done quickly as school time was creeping up.

Throughout this morning of confusion we did manage to squeeze in a cooking class. Kopana taught us how to make the chilli and tomato 'pickle' that she serves with each dal baht. For a simple side dish it had a load of ingredients which I guess explains its deliciousness.

Chris the teacher

A bit before 10am, the five of us volunteers began the walk to school loaded up with exam papers for the students' final exam. Shamser had a meeting in Besishar so it was left up to Chris and I to unlock the school, introduce the other volunteers and manage Shamser's class during the testing.

Thankfully the class we were supervising consisted only of ten kids and they were relatively well behaved throughout the morning. Ironically, the son of the principal and the child who probably hears English the most frequently was the last in our class to finish the Maths test which was written in English. There was slight confusion over us holding onto the students' question papers as well as their answer papers as normally the question papers are usually left with the kids. We weren't sure how this would go when a child was absent and there were test papers floating around the village but never mind. It was a pretty chilled out morning and was made more enjoyable by a delicious lunch of more dal bhat back at home.

In the classroom

The path to Gaunshahar

Chris and I were then on a mission to finish what we attempted yesterday...a trip to Besishar. The 4km walk down the steep hill was painful on already sore muscles and took almost an hour. Once in Besishar we were on a quest to buy a SIM card. This proved difficult when they wanted to see Chris' passport rather than the copies we had with us but the passport was back on the hill. They couldn't believe that our passports did not include our fathers' names but eventually we worked something out and got a SIM out of them. It was a regular sized sim however and we needed a micro SIM so the next mission was to get it cut down to size. While originally quoted 100 rupees when we dropped our jaws in disbelief the shop keeper eventually dropped the price. We're getting good at this bargaining thing.

We bought a few snacks and treated ourselves to some creamy cakes before trying to use the wifi that Ram at Hotel Tukuche had offered us a few days back. Unfortunately the wifi was down (no surprise) so we used up our entire mobile credit amount on trying to post blogs and contacting parents. Apparently Nepal hasn't quite caught on to the idea of a SIM card that has data on it separately to the other credit. Oh well...we purchased some more before beginning the trek back up to our home of Gaunshahar.

The path to Gaunshahar

Even without our heavy bags the 4km climb back up the mountain was almost as tiresome as our first attempt. However, feeling a little lighter than a few days back, we enjoyed the views more and really took in the beauty of the simple villages that line the ancient path back up the hill. We saw the old waiting posts that are situated along the path for people to rest at and it was amazing to think that people have been walking this same path for so many hundreds of years.

Once in the bottom part of Gaunshahar we ran into Scott, an American who lives with his wife in Kathmandu and takes groups trekking and volunteering around the mountains of Nepal. Not a bad gig we thought.

We arrived home red and puffed and even the cold water bucket shower felt good before dinner and yet another early night.

 

Day 4: A Hike to the Top of the Mountain

Morning views

Nepali Orchids

We were up at 5:30am this morning ready for a hike to the top of the mountain that sits behind Gaunshahar. We fuelled up with a breakfast of milky chia tea, toast and an omelette before beginning.

Flower gifts

Shamser on the hike

The 9.7km loop took us past the ruins of the royal family's palace, a defensive castle and many traditional Nepali round houses. The scenery changed as the altitude increased and we passed through forest, jungle and open spaces. Soonita, the friendly teacher from school, accompanied us and as a result I ended up with flowers in my hair, flowers in my hand and her scarf around my neck. Also along for the journey was the largest dog in the village, who is affectionately known as 'Lion', and his puppy. A large leopard had come into Gaunshahar last night and eaten a goat. The dogs were with us to keep an eye out for the leopard. While Soonita told us that she could smell the leopard at one point but the closest we came was spotting some of its dung.

350 year old round house

Curious goat

On the way back down the mountain we visited the village where Shamser was rebuilding a lady's house and had tea and biscuits at the home of another teacher from school. The long hike back to Gaunshahar followed the stony, rough and slippery road. It was better than pushing our way through thorny bushes though.

After walking up 600m, and back down again, we were happy to be home and able to sit and relax for a little while. Lion joined us and lay down for a well earned nap. We had an early lunch of dal baht while we waited to be told what the afternoon would consist of.

Deelay

The afternoon was lazy one. Chris moved some bags of cement and then had a nap while I helped Deelay fill cement bags with sand and stone. The next stage of this event showed off Deelay's incredible strength and stamina when I helped him lift these giant bags onto his back, held in place by a strap around his forehead.

As Chris and I don't do sitting around well, we wanted to go for a walk and thought we may as well go down the hill to Besishar. Despite being advised by Shamser that nothing would be open, we took a bag and set off. We followed women and children carrying huge loads of firewood and were just reaching the edge of the village when Chris remembered we hadn't any money with us. Back up the hill we went. By this stage it was too late to do anything so I showered and intended to have a relaxing evening. Before long though, there was demolition work that needed doing.

Harnesses? Yeah right

Shamser told us that he needed the advice of an engineer before he could begin the deconstruction process. The old house was unstable and very close to the new house. He looked at Chris, who was apparently now an engineer, and put his complete trust in every word Chris spoke. Shamser took Chris onto the roof of the thirty year old house and piece by piece they began tearing it down. It was a complicated process made more so by the interesting Nepali way in which the house had been constructed in the first place. And it was dangerous work too. Kay and I were carrying a shelf away when a piece of the timber fell and hit us both on the head. Add to that a cut from the old rusty tin and I was glad we had had our tetanus injections.

To end the evening of work Shamser's had a gift for Deelay. As he won't accept money, had already had his large quota of whiskey for the day, and had been working especially hard, Shamser gave him a pair of hand-me-down shoes. Closed in shoes. Deelay could not have been happier.

Once darkness began to fall we started a campfire with wood from our deconstruction work and sat around it eating out dal baht and drinking our mint tea thanks to the mint we gathered on our hike this morning.

An insight into some of the people of Gaunshahar:

Shamser: the man in charge of it all. The principal of the school. Shamser is well travelled and has returned to his village of Gaunshahar with a vision to improve his community. While others in the community may not yet understand or approve of the changes, he remains steadfast in his plans

Kulpana: Shamser's wife. Kulpana spends the majority of the day cooking meals for the volunteers, workers and her family. She is a caring woman who works tirelessly despite not always agreeing with her husband's vision

Poojan: Shamser's son. An indulged eight year old who does very little work in school, especially considering he is the son of the principal

Babu: Shamser's nephew. Babu is a spoilt two year old who cries each morning until given cookies. Thankfully, he is especially cute.

Timmy: a forty-something American who, a month ago, sold all of his possessions and moved to Gaunshahar without ever having left his country before. Timmy plans never to leave Gaunshahar and is spending his time helping out Shamser while he finds a wife so he can stay in the country.

Deelay: a drunk construction worker. Every day Deelay arrives to work on Shamser's never ending stream of construction projects. Deelay doesn't know what to do with money. They gave some to him once and he bought it back unsure what it was for. Instead, they pay him in food and whiskey. Despite his constant intoxication he is probably the hardest worker of anyone.

Ba: Shamser's father. Ba is old. Really old. Yet he can still be seen having running races with teen boys while carrying loads of wood and animal feed on his back. Ba is fascinated by the iPad.