Report of the trip to Nepal, October 16 to November 25, 2009 by Jan Laan

After considerable hassle concerning check-in and departure from Sifon, I spent 6 weeks in Nepal. As a result of excess baggage, the soccer shirts had to wait a while. The people in the refugee camp in Pokhara have been informed. Unfortunately, I was unable to sleep during my flight (Schiphol – London – Doha – Kathmandu), but after arrival and a walk through Kathmandu this was no longer a problem. Kathmandu was crowded: many tourists and all the little shops were open. The waste collectors were busy taking trash from point a to point b. There, women and children show up to separate the plastic and paper from the waste stream. I saw many familiar faces.

The next morning, I ate a delicious breakfast in the garden of Hotel Encounter. One more day in Kathmandu, followed by a bus ride to Pokhara, € 10 including a meal on the road but with three breaks. The people in Pokhara were very surprised as they hadn't expected me for another two days. As a result, there was no room available in Hotel Barahi, but I was welcome to come eat there in the mornings and evenings, which I did. However, there was a room in the nearby Hotel ABC.

The next day, I went to the Tibetan refugee camp. I had one soccer shirt as a sample to show the design. Because I had not heard from Ghorepani, I made a quick call. It turned out that the 'captain' had to rush to Chitwan on his motorbike because his brother-in-law was seriously ill.

The captain did not show up the next day either. I had no other option but to go alone with extra gear and an extra backpack. I could leave the backpack behind in Birethanti. No horses were available, so I had to hike it to Tikhedunga, more than three hours. As I arrived there, a Nepalese man approached me with two horses. He would go fetch my baggage. After 3 hours of waiting, I ran out of patience. Despite the heat, I started the 750-meter climb to the top of Ulleri. After an hour and a half, I was fed up. No horse, no guide, no baggage. I decided to stay where I was. Then my guide showed up with two horses and my baggage. The ride to Ghorepani was another 2 hours. Because it was already getting dark, I decided to go on foot the next day. I was, however, happy to have my clean, dry clothes. Bedtime at 8 PM and up at 6:30 AM.

The sky was clear and the mountains of the Himalayas were beautiful to behold. It was warming up quickly but I had the worst part behind me and was in Banthanti before I knew it. A sign said that it was another 1.5 hours on foot to Ghorepan and so imagine my surprise when I arrived there 45 minutes later.

People were waiting for me with flowers and tikas. They were worried because they had not heard anything from my guide.

The Healthpost was now complete. It had turned out magnificent. Devi and her mother were waiting for me upstairs. I was home again. I spent 4 days here and went to a number of meetings without the captain. In our last meeting, I discussed clean drinking water. We agreed that I would review the solar drinking water in Kathmandu with some people from Ghorepani. I was given a warm sendoff by the board and the women's group and covered with malla’s (flower chains). My guide, a teacher from Ghorepani, escorted me downhill towards Pokhara. Because he knew many people and wanted to chat with everyone, I lost him several times. After a rest stop and a glass of cola in Ulleri, we headed into the hardest part of our journey. Fifty minutes later I was at my hotel and was immediately given cola again. My clothing was soaked through and through. I could already feel my muscles getting sore and decided to stay where I was. Soon enough, a teacher and the school's management team came to see me and together, we visited the school. The classrooms that we had built a few years ago were in fine condition. The school was equipped with a computer lab, a library and 2 new toilets. Another new building is to be added, again with toilets. I was glad I was able to take a look at this.

The next morning, I saw the teacher and the management team again, just outside Birethanti. I told them that I had a laptop waiting for them in hotel Barahi and Pokhari, where by now I did have a room, and that they were welcome to pick it up. Next, I took a taxi to Chitwan, Travelers Jungle camp -180 km (3.5 hours for € 40). This is where I spend the remaining 20 days to visit all projects. The six classrooms in the two schools were ready and the training center for women was almost completed. All it needed was a coat of paint. The most important thing was the start of a training and education center for the visually impaired (both young adults and adults). There are as many as 600,000 people with visual impairments in Nepal and it would be wonderful if we could train them to make a living for themselves. The Kaparkhori School got two new computers. Computer classes are already being taught, and soon the school will have e-mail. The Malpur School got a laptop. They will use it to show PowerPoint presentations. (Thanks to Anne Brouwer of Dantumadeel). It would be nice if we could donate some more laptops in the future. Of course, I paid several visits to the hostel and school for the blind. It was great to meet all the kids again. The hostel has an important function. It currently sponsors two students for two years, so that they can finish college. Before that, one student had already graduated with the help of a sponsorship. In the past couple of years, he was a teacher at the school for the blind, and now... he is teaching at the Jhuwani School with another blind teacher: 3rd and 4th grade with sighted children. His place is now taken by a blind female teacher. Because mice had eaten the wiring of an LCD screen, it had to be replaced to enable teaching with the speech computer.

The Healthpost has an excellent reputation. Patients are given free drugs, as long as they show up every day. During my stay, there was a free eye camp, organized by the Lions Club. Patients from far and away were examined for cataracts. Out of 140 patients, 22 turned out to have cataracts. These patients were taken to Bharatpur the same day and underwent surgery the next day, at no charge. They were then taken home by bus! The Bachhauli Women's group, which has over 800 members, got a new floor on their existing building, including a training room which is also suitable for holding workshops, an office and a toilet.. The Belci women organize activities every day. Women from all over Nepal come to take part. This Belci women's group was given an award from the Nepalese government: 3500 Euros.

Our dikes were a good investment. No flooding has occurred despite the high water levels. New land is being added every year, with the river becoming narrower but deeper. In our long quest for suitable land for the Training and Education Center in Jhuwani, we finally agreed with the Nepalese board and the children of the hostel to build this new facility next to the school for the blind as a stimulus for Jhuwani and the blind. Construction can start in December.

As a result of new strikes being announced, we left for Kathmandu 2 days early. The 25-minute flight was fantastic. The Himalayas were clearly visible above the clouds. In Kathmandu, I paid a visit to the children's home operated by CEN (Child Environment Nepal). The kids, who have been in the home for a few years, are happy there and doing well at school.

Together with Ram and his friend I paid a visit to a company that sells safe drinking water. This project has been active in Nepal for 10 years. Drinking water is treated with ozone so that it is safe to drink. This will enable us to do away with plastic bottles, making Ghorepani a good follow-up to Jomson and Tatopami. Some other villages may also switch to this system. This project was made possible by contributions from the Nepal Group 2010, Nepal Pariwar and Jan Laan. Captain Pun traveled from Ghorepani to Kathmandu on November 23, to look at the project. He becomes a major supporter and we immediately make arrangements for taking the gear to Ghorepani. The system, which can work on either conventional electricity sources or solar energy, was introduced in December.

A perfect conclusion to my visit to Nepal.