Ozbus11 in Nepal - Part 2

At a comfortable 10am the 26 inc. Phil the bus God (we had left Bernie the crazy but lovable frenchmen to his own devices at the border)borded our Nepalese bus and headed to the resort town of Pokhara. Here we found another comfortable hotel overlooking a beautiful lake and mountain scenery. We had arrived just in time for Dwali and there was a definite party feel in the air.

Our first day was spent rising before day-break to trek up a mountain to see sunrise. A slightly arduous trek but I set my own pace and kept to it and was one of the first to arrive at the summit. Here we had to pay for a ticket to set foot upon. Gradually we all gathered and watched the sunrise together. We took photos, posed for photos, watched some crazy Nepalese guys drop their camera over the edge of mountain and climb down steep rock face to get it. As you do. We departed in good light ready for the bus at the bottom to take us back to hotel in time for breakfast. Some chose to walk all the way back to town. Well those of us who chose safe, easy, non-tiring four wheeled option were a tad dissapointed when told bus had gone and had to wait somewhere along road for silly busman to come back for us. All in the perils of miscommunication. What jubilations were cried out when bus eventually did show and arriving back at hotel we barely beat those who had set out on foot. But we were just in time for Breakfast - which was the main thing.

Nepalese breakfasts were good. Well anything was good - we had been in India where they don't believe in Breakfasts at the places we were staying. I slept for a good long while after a good helping, until it was lunchtime and afternoon in fact. We had met Rob's "brother" in Chitwan (wasnt really Rob the camera/Curry's wizard's brother but looked identical). He told us of a little orphanage to visit in Pokahara which was on the itineray of things to do that afternoon. I had always intended to visit an orphanage that Phil knew of in Kathmandu so thought I'd go to this one.

We were met by Helen Henderson, a wee Scotish woman who lead us from the hotel to the Orphanage. We walked up a dirt track off the main road by the lake (behind Base Camp Resort) and to my surprise we entered a small plot of land through a new gate, up a garden path into a small house. It wasn't what I was expecting at all, when I think of Orphanages, I think of big unfriendly, godforsaken looking places with hundreds of children in dorms. Here, at Shangri-La new Dawn, I was pleasently surprised. There mission statement is "A loving secure small family orientated home for orphaned and abandoned children of Nepal". That was certainly the impression I got as I was invited to sit in the main living area/school room by Krishna and his wife. There were just five of us from Ozbus who were visiting and each of us asked our own intrigued questions as we ate fruit and drank tea they had laid out for us.

There were only approx. 8 children which is as large as they wanted their house to be, focussing on keeping a family atmosphere. The children were from a variety of destitute backgrounds and hadn't really been there long as the house had only been set up for about a year. Those of school age all attended the local but Nepalese education being what it is, were all tutored after with an empahsis on learning English. As it was explained - in Nepal where tourism is the 3rd religion, a future is not bright without a good grasp of the language. As we listened to Krishna and Helen tell us heartbreaking stories of the origins of each child, I looked out to the front lawn where most of them were playing. Helen had recently splashed out on a swing and they were all making good use of their new toy. They were running around, screaming and laughing - exactly how children should be. It was an immense happy sight. But inside, the realities were harder to deal with.

The children didn't have enough clothes. They were constantly running out of basic educational materials such as pencils and books to read. Toys were very limited. There was a shelf or so of toys we could see - that was the extent of it. The house was constantly struggling to pay eletricity bills and in the winter it got incredibly cold. The children were cared for by Krishna and his wife but there was just an underlying constant struggle that this orphanage had to deal with that tore on our heartstrings. Helen did what she could, dividing her time between Scotland and Nepal where she would arrive with what she could fit into luggage. But it was impossible to send things without human escort, a nightmare to get money to the orphanage.

It was clear that what this orphanage needed to continue the safe and nurturing environment for these children - something that every single child deserves. Because I know what some of you may think - these were just 8 children out of hundreds in the country, millions in the world but do these 8 children deserve less becuase they are simply so few? To continue - more man power is needed, more time from caring individuals, more donations, more attention from the outside world. Linda our resident shopaholic was one such person who was so moved by the time she spent with the children that she vowed to return and help.

Some of us were having fun outside aquaintng ourselves with the children when it was time to leave. We had memorable photos taken with them all and it was a sad goodbye that was said. Walking back down the dirt track I felt a queitness inside me. I didn't want to speak, I didn't want to think. I just felt. Felt so deeply and so moved for these childrens' incredibly uncertain futures.

Shagri-La New Dawn, Pokhara, Nepal
Krishna Acharya (Project Co-ordiantor)
manhimalayan@yahoo.com

Mrs Helen Henderson (UK contact)
mammychef@googlemail.com