Review of the past few days

Last Friday it was another public hoiday, but we went to the orphanage for the morning. I am glad I did for the schoolboys were all at home, and we had a great time. We played basketball, I divided the boys into 3 teams and we played against each other. They truly did seem to enjoy the company of aman, instead of all the women volunteers who had fone before. I must be one of the veryfew men to volunteer for the home. Ayway as I said we had a great time. One of the lads named Shankar is an absolute genius at origami. he made me garland, some birds, alovely flower for my jacket, wuite stunning. The boys then showed off their gymnasticskills, somersaults, brake dancing and hand stands, before presenting me with a small Nepali flag. How kind they were. I do believe they enjoyed my company as much as I did theirs!I enjoyed that morning as much as any since I have been here.
Saturday morning I have already described our Everest flight. In the afternoon we were invited by a lass called Shruti, who works at the home as a coordinator, to join here, her sister and her husband to a parents open day at their sons school.It was held in a huge auditorium, some 1,500 people were there, but for the first 2 hours it was like any school prize giving, there is always one speaker who does not seem to know when to stop! We were completely bored as we could not understand a word he and other speakers were saying, but after the prizes had been presented we were entertained to songs and dances by the pupils. All in all another nice experience.
Yesterday, Sunday we were to have what we believed to be a trip into the countryside to see rural Nepal.What a let down! We spent 2 hours in the most appaling traffic on roads too narrow for any rapid movement, there were plenty of holdups because of the huge lorries going up and down from some quarry and tryingwith enormous difficulty to pass each other. It was hot, very dusty and the fumes from the lorries got everywhere, all for a visit to a not particularly nice little Hindu termple in a somewhat down trodden forest. On the way back we did visit a collections of very poor hovels andin the centre of them a little barren square, whereI watched an old woman spin cotton just as it was done in Lancashire in the 18th century. Arkwright would have recognised her quite easily! The best part of the day, and that which rescued the trip was the visit to Durbar square in Patan a southern suburb of the city.Here are many temples, about 12 I would guess, all different and we visited the best museum of Hindu art in Asia. We had lunch on a roof top resturant, overlooking the scene. This was a worthwhile time. We then had to endure another 45 minutes through heavy dense traffic to get home. I fotgot to mention that the toilet at the restaurant was very dark and smelly and lit by one candle atop the toilet cistern! What a place!
Today a strike has been called by one of the political parties against the delay in formulating a new constitution which by law has to bein being by 28th May. No one believes it will happen.The strike was for us good in one way, for there were no cars, no buses, no taxis, no thousands of motor bikes around. All the shops were closed apart from tiny fruit and veg shops and fish and meat stalls Wewere able to walk the streets which were almost deserted apart fom pedestrians.Iris and I wandered down the narrow quiet lanes and came upon Durbar Square Kathmandu, anothe world heritage site and home yet again to a large variety of temples.Foreigners have to pay 3pounds to get into the precicnts butit was ascertained tha we were volunteers
we were given free admission. Nice gesture I thought.The sights andsounds the colours and the costumes were a true riot of colours a veritable kaleidoscope of patterns and hues, enchanting. After all this we decided to take a rickshaw back to the hotel. I fely quite guilty for the poor thin man hadto pedal as hard as he could to get us moving.He deserved the tip we gave.
Tomorrow we should all being well back at the orphanage. It is astonishing to think that we have only until Friday afternoon to go before we have to say goodbye to the children. I do not look forward to that, for we have made some nice wee friends. I do hope we have gven them just a little bit of love and care.
On Saturday we are going to fly to Pokhara for the weekend, returning next Monday when we shall have to pack up.
I intend whilst there to visit the Gurkha museum and then the Brigade of Gurkhas depot. Of cours I shall make a blog of that break.
Ajaa bihanna dherai ramailo chha ra sadak santa chha. Today itis very pleasant and the roads are quiet.
From a still sunny warm Kathmandu, I say again,
Namaste!