August 1st
Safe arrival reported!
". ...both the flights were fine, ... the monsoon season is
in full swing,...... the hotel is respectable and safe
(it has a guard at the gate), and this evening we will be going to find
somewhere nice to eat. The whole culture is really different ; it might take a
bit of getting used to.
Actually it is very cheap and easy to e-mail, so this might be the best way
to keep in touch rather than phoning.
All the group are enjoying the experience , Mr. Webster's trousers blend in
nicely ...."
"Hello, we have arrived safe and sound and have just had a
really nice dinner at a restaurant. We sat outside until it started raining
quite heavily but we went for the nice traditional curry and naan! Mr
Webster has started a diary so we are all adding our bits now and
then,.......... there were lots of comments about lack of sleep on the plane due
to my constant laughing!
I was stopped at Doha and had my bag searched three times coz of the camera! It
was really scary coz they all carry guns!! The weather in Doha was really hot,
it was 36 degrees at 6:30 in the morning! Kathmandu is really weird, not at all
how I had expected! The roads are just organised chaos and the drivers seem to
go wherever they want....lots of horn beeping! When we arrived at
Kathmandu the people met us and gave us all a flower garland which was really
funny!...."
"We have arrived safely in Kathmandu and have just had the
experience of our first evening meal - veg curries all round! Kathmandu
seems to have been hit > badly by the monsoon rains but we sat eating our
meal on an open terrace under the almost full protection of some
huge umbrellas.
Despite the long tiring journey everyone has arrived in excellent spirits
and we received a very special and unique Nepali welcome at the airport on >
our arrival; each member of the group was 'garlanded' with flowers.
>We look forward to some fine weather to explore the busy little streets of
Kathmandu and hope to visit Durbar Square tomorrow to see the various
temples..........".
August 4th
"Its boiling here today, it rained very heavily on Wednesday
and we were walking round in it for 3 hours+!!! Yesterday we were out for the whole
day which was really good, saw lots of things including a cremation which I didn't
want to see, obviously and
all the girls in particular, disliked it. think it was a bit insensitive
of Mr Webster! Last night I ate meat for the first time, chicken, so I was
waiting to feel ill coz of all the bacteria. But I was absolutely fine! yippee,
cant go without meat! I'm the only girl
who's eaten meat, so all the others are kind of veggies at the minute!
Anyway, I'm off to Pokera for a few days and then
then the trek begins in a few days."
"....It's now our third day here and things are developing
well. Today we paid a visit to Bhaktpur, Nepal's most historic town. This
was followed by visiting a cremation site along side the river, which
included a> fascinating array of mini-pagodas that were swarmed with monkeys!
The food here has proved to be excellent, although it is early days yet...
There is a fantastic range of shops and stalls selling artifacts ranging
from wooden carvings to carpets! Tomorrow sees a free day for the students
where they can peruse at their leisure around Kathmandu.
You'll be hearing from us soon. Off to Pokhara on Saturday!
This is bye from us, we're off to dinner!......"
Yesterday we were out for the whole day. Firstly, in the
morning, we went to Bhaktapur to see some temples and to buy some wooden
carvings which are specially made in that area. It was a great chance to
see some > more of the Nepalese culture, which we are now > becoming
accustomed to. The food is still good, a few of us have ventured into
eating meat and we're pleased
> to report there's no trouble on the southern front! In the afternoon
yesterday we went to a place on the river where Buddhist cremations were
taking place , for all who wanted to to see. Some of us found it a
little upsetting. It was a long, but interesting day. More soon
hello people of the civilised world, Today was our free
day in Kathmandu, and we've been rambling around the city in small groups. There
has been lots of bartering, and we've bought lots of things, a lot of them
are useless. We had lunch in separate
restaurants and enjoyed the food and culture. We ate out at the
"third eye" and had chinese and Indian food. Alex (Bof) tempted
fate by eating a big fork-full of green chillies which he could not
handle. A group of us tested the Kathmandu transport system by racing
three of the Autorickshaws, (see picture), as
we did a circuit from near the Hotel to a big market and temples and back.
The Rickshaws were quite scary as they virtually fell apart however
fortunately they only reached a maximum of about ten miles per hour before
almost crashing.
While visiting Durbar Square earlier in the morning, we climbed the temple
and looked at the market while trying to escape the harassment of the
local street sellers who chased us through the streets trying to sell us
the useless objects, namely bits of bendy metal, chess games and flutes.
We are having a great time in Nepal. The weather is so hot!!
>>Yesterday we saw some public human cremations which was a bit scary, and
lots of 'sadus' (holy men) impressing the tourists by lifting a three
>stone rock with his penis! What a talent but I have to say I didn't watch! I
was stopped and searched at Doha airport on the way which was really scary coz
they all carry mental huge guns on their belts! We arrived at Doha at 6:30 in
the morning and it was 36 degrees!! It was too hot! Nepal is really hot too
although we have had some serious rain!! MR King has serious diarrhea coz he is
the only one who has braved to eat
meat!! Mr Webster was shocked coz they do serve marmalade in Nepal - he didn't
think you could buy it so brought his own supply from England! THE ULTIMATE
AMAZEMENT OF THE DAY THOUGH.............WE SAW A NEPALESE GUY
>>WEARING A READING FESTIVAL T SHIRT!!!!! wwwwooooohhhooooo! (have fun
Fisher and lee) There is no real system for traffic on the roads here, it is
total chaos...Mr Webster has been run over twice and Roger once...........by a
bike!!!
We went to the Irish pub and sampled all of the cocktails which were really
nice, and last night we went to play pool at 'Tom and Jerry's' and tried theirs
which were good too, then we went to the Serpa pub and sampled theirs!! They
even have a music menu so w had REM, Nirvana and the Chillis playing! Amazing
(lee + Chris, they actually had counting crows too!!!) hope you are all ok,
tomorrow we will leaver for Pokhara so I won't get to a computer for a week or
so but please send me a reply and tell me whats going on at home!!
August 7th
......Off on the trek tomorrow so I hope Ill be okay, but some
people are feeling much worse than me.Looks ike miss Moulder might have caught
flu today and Patrick (Mr King) has been feeling rough since Katmandu. I'm on
the old imodiums! Yeah, so we're off trekking tomorrow and won't be near a
computer till a week Friday when we come back to Pokhera. getting up at 4.30am
tomorrow morning! flight can be any time around 8.30am up to Jomsom and then
once we're there its a short trek. Wednesday will be a nightmare as its 5 miles
up a steep hill and its mostly steps. But apart from that I'm still having a
great time.
Bonding well but getting the occasional bursts of homesickness! .......Today
instead of going on a big uphill walk, all up us
who were feeling shite went onto the lake and found a amazing waterfall and me,
Roger, and Matt all went in it and got absolutely drenched in our clothes, but
it was so much fun and so refreshing! But i was wearing a white t-shirt!!! Oops,
never mind it was fun. I was beginning to get annoyed this morning because I
felt I was missing out on things as I didn't go to a couple of places yesterday
as I was feeling ill. but today made up for it and I'm beginning to feel a lot
better.......
August 8th
All is going very well and I am enjoying it a lot. I have
seen some amazing sights and other things which I will tell you about when
I get home. We were supposed to start our trek today but our flight was >
cancelled however we are going tomorrow and will be able to catch up on lost
time. The rest of the group is having a good time as well and we are all
getting on really well.
I'll write again after the trek and this has to be quite quick because
it's not that cheap (unlike everything else). Highlight of the trip
so far?: Loads of birds of prey, really different , culture to experience, very
hot weather and eating out three times a day!!
More later........
August 22nd
.............We have just got back to Pokhara from the visit to
the school.It was absolutely excellent!! We went to see two schools because Mr
Paudayal the head master has just moved to a new school so we stopped at that
one too. At both schools we had an excellent reception with flower >garlands
etc. At the Purnamrit school we were given souvenirs and a blessing thing (red
spot on the head!)
Over the last three days I have learnt Nepalese dancing, Singing and even the
drumming so tomorrow I am going shopping for a drum!! So far however I
have been sick every day. I am now taking three tablets a day, two malarial
and one anti nausia!! It seems to be working so far! Tomorrow we have a rest day
in Pokhara so we plan to go out on the lake again and the following day we
travel to the Chitwan National Park to see the elephants etc!!
.................................
August 27th
Mr. Webster writes..... Trip to the School
Hannah was near the front of the classroom surrounded by a group of girls
eagerly asking her questions. James was in the same room pointing out to a
group of boys where Great Britain was on our giant inflatable globe.
Somewhere at the back of the classroom the teacher was sitting back, not
at > all bothered by the disruption we had caused. During the two days that
we visited the school there were many such scenes and two lucky classes
now know the stories of Jack and the Beanstalk and The Pied Piper of
Hamlin thanks to Sarah and Lisa in the role of cover teachers.
We had arrived to an overwhelming reception. Lined up, all seventeen of
us, we processed between two ranks of pupils lining the route all the way
up to a field where we were assembled in front of the whole school.
Various
people were invited to place garlands (malla) around our necks and
we listened to several speeches welcoming us to the school. Michael,
Sunniva and Hannah had the nervewracking job of saying a few words on
behalf of the group which they did superbly and confidently. It was
perhaps the sweat pouring on to our garlands after two hours in the sun
that thankfully and
mercifully provided the signal for our hosts to announce a break for a cup
of tea and some lunch.
Our tents had been pitched, nine in a row, in front of an old
guesthouse nearby which provided a simple kitchen, a verandah for some
welcome shade and even a flush toilet. Raju, our helper, had taken great
pride in a erecting a beautiful toilet tent at one end of the row of tents
but mention a western-style toilet and it had little chance of being used
by anyone
other than the very bravest. I say western-style toilet because you
could sit on it rather than squat although features such as a flush handle
and proper filling system needed some improvisation. Lorna, by the way,
has made it known that she has mastered the art of squat toilets or so
she tells us.
After a wonderful meal in the evening children came from nearby to sing
and dance to the accompaniment of drums and those of us that wanted to
joined in into the early hours. Over the last year some of the money
that was donated by Theale Green
School students has been used to build some proper Science furniture
and worktops. The Science lab is beginning to look more and more
impressive and there is even a sign above the doorway acknowledging Theale
Green School's contribution. The microscope, telescope, steam engine and
other new equipment which we brought with us will, hopefully, be useful in
years to come. There still isn't enough equipment for class practicals but
that may change in the future. I hope that visits will continue in the
future and keep the link between our schools. There will always be a
guaranteed warm and friendly welcome! Some of our group may even want to
consider the possibility of 3 or 6 months teaching in the school as a
volunteer in a year out after "A" levels.
Hi everyone!
We all had a brilliant time in Chitwan where it was much hotter and more
humid than in Pokhara. The place we stayed at was really nice too. We had an
hour and a half elephant ride in which we saw rhinos, mongoose (plural)
and deer. We also did a walk through the jungle and a canoe ride where we
saw crocodiles and visited the elephant breeding centre. We are now back
in Kathmandu and early this morning we did the Everest flight which was
absolutely superb with spectacular views - worth every penny!
Hello all,
It is now 8:30 in the morning and we have already been up for over 4 hours and
been to Everest and back! We flew with Buddha Air at 6:30 this morning,and it
was absolutely amazing!
This week has been so busy, at Chitwan we went in the jungle on an elephant ride
and saw some rhino, then we walked in the jungle and saw loads of scary insects
and monkeys and deer. In the evening we went to see some Tharu Stick dancing
(think hyped up morris dancing without the bells and stupid frilly clothes) It
was interesting but it's like watching speed skating or the luge....you wait to
watch someone miss and get hit! In the morning we took a dug out canoe style
type thing down the river and saw some crocodiles and then we went to the
elephant breeding centre where we played with a two and a half month old
elephant. That was really fun coz she was really playful and kept chasing
everyone, she also stood on my foot which hurt!! MUM, CAN I HAVE AN ELEPHANT?!
From Chitwan we were supposed to leave at 11:00 to go by bus to Kathmandu but
our bus broke down so we had to wait for the parts to arrive. We left some time
after 12:00 however we didn't arrive in Kathmandu until 9:30 as we were held up
due to a land slide and our fine bus couldn't cope with the hill start in
the queue so we broke down again and waited by the road for three hours!!I'm
going to go back to bed now and then we will hit the town later for some serious
bartering and shopping , and rickshaw racing!!
August 28th
Mr. Webster writes .........
The Last Leg of our Journey
It is hard to believe just how much we have done in the last four weeks
and what a wonderful holiday it has been! In the last few days we have
visited Chitwan where I think we will all remember the fun and games with a
very playful 3 month old baby elephant. There was the early morning elephant
and canoe rides when we saw several rhino, deer and a few crocodiles and an
afternoon walk with guides into the jungle. You will have heard by now, I am
sure, of our eventful journey back to Kathmandu. A recent landslide had been
cleared but the road was narrowed and whilst waiting in the long queue of
traffic our bus broke down. I am glad to say that we did arrive in Kathmandu
later that evening so that we could make our early morning mountain flight
the next day. By 5 am we were up and on our way to the airport. Our flight
to Mt Everest was one that won't be forgotten easily. In the early morning
light we were able to see Mt Everest clearly with Nuptse and Lhotse on
either side, Makalu further to the east and Cho Oyo to the west. It was a
fantastic sight that
we shall all remember. There will be so many personal memories that each member
of the group will
bring back from this trip. I know that everyone has loved Nepal and found
the people to be overwhelmingly friendly. For myself and the other staff the
group has been fantastic to be with. They have got on well with each other,
shown a real interest in the country and culture and never once complained
when there were delays or when conditions were difficult. As parents you
must be very proud of what they have achieved, as we are with the way they
have conducted themselves. Every member of the group will be looking forward
to the things they have missed most and a few nights' sleep when they
haven't got to wake up at the crack of dawn for a flight, bus journey, long
walk or elephant ride. It will probably be something of a culture shock
returning home and I hope you will be ready to listen to many a story for
the next few days. In early October I hope to have a Nepal evening for all
the parents so that we can show slides of the trip and keep you entertained with
some travellers'
tales. I very much look forward to meeting you all then.
Namaste!
There is not one part of the trip I can say that I enjoyed most because I enjoyed everything for different reasons and in different ways. The trek was exciting and seeing people’s ways of life in the mountainous villages really brought home the differences between our two worlds. Pokhara was relaxing with its beautiful lake and friendly people. The school was amazing. It was so satisfying to see all of our hard work helping these children. All the students were so interested to hear about England and our school and many of us are keeping in touch with friends we made there via letters. I will always remember the evenings when many of the students came to the campsite where we stayed to teach us traditional songs and dances. Chitwan National Park was adventurous with the elephant ride, canoeing in crocodile infested waters, the walk in the jungle and the beautiful sunset over the park. Kathmandu was a swell of people, bright colours, spicy smells, street sellers….and as for the flight around Everest!
One of the best things about the trip was getting to experience everything with such a great group of friends and staff. I only hope that the link with Punamrit School will continue and other students will have this amazing opportunity in the future.
Catherine Kidd
15 – 10 - 01
November 2nd, 2000
I think I can safely say that for the fourteen students and four teachers who travelled to Nepal this August it was a brilliant adventure. There may have been delays, illness and the occasional complaint but nothing that came even close to overshadowing the fantastic experience. We carried out a ten day Nepali style trek (‘Nepali flat – little bit up, little bit down’), rode on elephants, flew around Everest, helped in a remote school and all in all enjoyed ourselves.
It is impossible for me to choose any moment that was my favourite – being entertained by Nepalese villagers singing and dancing was pretty special, but then so was relaxing on the lake in Pokhara and seeing the six month old baby elephant. And I can not possibly not mention the satisfaction that I think we all felt when we delivered the Science equipment to Purnamrit Secondary School knowing that it would be well used and fully appreciated. Therefore, rather than choosing a favourite moment I think that I will just say what an amazing experience it was. Being surrounded by temples, mountains and some of the friendliest people that I have ever met will be something that I will never forget.
By Sunniva Taylor
The Group
Buddhist Boys Everest
