Rural Nepal Here We Come - From Pokhara to Village Life in Mulkharka

Nepal Trip Day 12

From Pokhara to the First Steps Himalaya Project 

Today we were up bright and early for our flight back to Kathmandu. It was muggy even at 8:15 a.m. when we were packing in to the van for the airport. 

At the Pokhara Airport waiting for our flight!

The rescue helicopter that we saw while on the Annapurna track rescuing hikers from the Annapurna Base Camp

Randall was particularly withdrawn this morning, but when we got to the airport it became evident that he was sick again, and much worse this time. While the rest of us enjoyed the scenic flight back to Kathmandu and views of the snowy peaks out our window, he was barely hanging on, trying valiantly not to use his air sickness bag.

We arrived with a little dread into Kathmandu domestic terminal. Such a madhouse, but with Durga on point and the kids on bag duty we managed to get everything on trolleys and out into the car park.  Not for the first time on this trip we are so glad that we have a local guiding us. Navigating this system as a foreign woman with a bunch of kids on my own would be stressful to say the least.

following the car with all our bags through the outskirts of Kathmandu

But travailing Nepali style will always have it's challenges. The 4wd car we are using to get to the next phase of our adventure is stuck in traffic - leaving us to wait in the hot car park watching monkeys climb along overloaded power lines and guarding our baggage from ambitious taxi drivers trying to get our fare. Poor Randall. Sigh, it's all part of travel.

Once both the cars arrive we pile in and head off onto the "Tibet Road" towards the project villages, thankfully skirting downtown Kathmandu and the worst of this chaotic town. At least we are acclimatized and ready for it now!

heading into the hills - local bus service... I like the natural air conditioning!

One thing you really get the feel of in Nepal is the amount of Western Money that has poured in here. It's big business. All improving the lot of the country, but it seems a bit strange to drive along a road leading to Tibet that is built by the Japanese, past buildings built by the Germans and later through a forest that was replanted by the Australians and heading to a school project mainly funded by New Zealand. Nepal is like many developing countries where there are an abundance of eager aid projects ready and willing to lend a hand to bring the third world up to scratch. But does it do any good?

We shall see. It seems that "progress" is certainly inevitable. And, in principle, I am definitely for uplifting the plight of the poor where possible, but my personal jury is still out on the blanket aid that takes money from the west and dumps it into a country that isn't ready for it, or doesn't know how to use it. It seems to create a nation of beggars, rather than uplifting their plight. And who doesn't want to have pride?

I'm not fully getting that feeling here in Nepal, and one of the things that attracted us to the First Steps Himalaya project is the grass roots aspect. They're whole focus is on teacher training and empowering the locals with a good Nepali educational system. Not fancy things, but fundamentals. We shall see if it can do anything to make me feel better about the modern concept of charity.

buying some last minute fruit before heading into the hills north of Kathmandu

We drive out of the city of Kathmandu and soon the suburbs fall away as we wind through the mountains and past increasingly rural towns. The smog and congestion gives way to rice fields and the traditional mud brick houses. After three hours of winding our way through the back roads and up into the hills we finally stop at the First Steps Himalaya flagship project.


The husband of one of the teachers has laid out a lunch of spicy pumpkin soup that we eat on the clay floor of his house. And Randall finally gets to rest in their spare room. He's done well to hang on this far!

Once we are done with the soup, the kids, Fiona and I walk up to the local state run primary school. It is an interesting thing to ponder that education has only been legal in Nepal since 1953. Before that it was illegal and reading and writing was strictly for the upper or ruling class. When Nepal started opening up to the outside world the westerners brought their ideas of education for all, changing the cultural dynamic here forever. But although the idea that all children should get an education has arrived, the knowledge of how to actually teach hasn't shown up yet. And the adult literacy rate is still only 60%.

As we walk up the dusty road the children are all just returning from lunch and our kids cause quite a stir. We are WAY far off the tourist track and to have a bunch of blond and red headed children to gawk at is irresistible. At the end of the road is a school of concrete classrooms with wooden shutters. The children all pour in to their allotted classrooms, presentable in their official blue uniforms.

Ever the intrepid adventurer Clara wants to jump right in by herself and we leave her in a small cement box classroom with the other children her age. She only lasts a few minutes before coming to find us. Liana, Liam, Jaimie and Rhona go into the year eight class who are studying science. In fact, the teacher is actually shouting facts at the children who are obviously used to this and aren't paying much attention. None of our kids last long and soon we walk down the hill to the preschool that sits below the state primary school. Here is something more along the lines of what we westerners are familiar with. 

Liana, Liam and Jaimie join in a year 8 science class at the local school

First Steps Himalaya have done a good job of setting up a preschool here on site and as part of their strategy of working their way up, have recently taken the year ones down to their building and paying for a trained teacher as well. The idea is to build up one year at a time. The biggest thing is to educate the teachers on how to teach and they are trying to lead by example, showing what proper teaching can achieve at a preschool and year one level will hopefully trickle upwards. Seems basic but it's got to be first steps just as their charity's name implies. Smart.

Clara and Juliet have a ball joining in the year one class. Juliet leads them in a song and Clara assists in the English lessons. It just goes to show that all children have something in common, it's only as we age that we layer the judgmentalism of our cultures onto our view of the world.

Clara and Juliet enjoy their afternoon in the FSH flagship preschool classroom

We spend the most part of the afternoon here, but the hall of the mountain king is rumbling again and the nearby mountains are threatening us with another deluge. We need to get moving, before the rainstorm keeps us from getting to our accommodation for the night. Think - all dirt roads from now on.

Hiking back through the village we stop for a quick peek at the flour mill where ladies haul up huge bags of rice from their farms to be turned into flour. The lesson for the kids was big when it comes to how much work these people put into just the daily necessities of life. And that this is not very far removed from what village life would have been like for our ancestors as well.

Grinding rice into flour

Covering the hay before the nightly rainstorm

We return to the cars to find Randall somewhat improved after a long lay down and we continue on to the turnoff to Mulkharka, the (even more remote) village where we are to be staying with a local family. 

At the turn off we walk the rest of the way while the one car takes all of our bags (the non 4wd wouldn't make it down the rutted dirt road) it's a twenty minute walk and we are followed by the local children and some young women curious about these strange foreigners in their very closed neighborhood. We must look so strange to them. The girls are dressed so beautifully in their colorful dresses. They shyly wave at us and giggle when we try to speak to them.

Finally reaching the house of Gyan Tamang, our host in Mulkharka

The family we are staying with are absolutely lovely. Gyan is of Tamang descent, a tribe that immigrated over the Himalaya's from Tibet many years before. His house is traditional in every way. It is obviously the families pride and joy to have this house and it is pristine and the food is amazing. Dal Bhat of course! The kids are spread out through the bedrooms and Randall and I get a comfortable room up the ladder on the second floor, above the kitchen. There is a cement outhouse behind the house that boasts a western toilet and even a hot shower!

From our window we can look down the valley at the terraces of crops. Not too far below us is another little farmlet which belongs to Gyan's parents. Gyan and his wife have a son who is in Kathmandu and a daughter of ten. She is home from boarding school for the occasion of having western house guests. Her name is Sumi and Clara, Juliet and Sumi are instantly best friends!

The night brings thunder and lightning and with no power brings the evening to an early close. We all keep our flashlights near so that we can navigate the wooden ladder in the dark. The sounds of the night surround us and lead to a dreamless sleep...

Tomorrow we will be working in some of the more impoverished schools. 

Goodnight.