More Views from the Kathmandu Valley

A group editing session

Going Backwards

What follows are some thoughts from last week. I am getting completely out of order now......

At the heart of this journey are the children of Ama Ghar. They are truly an amazing bunch. Completely open and accepting from the start. Full of trust and courage, which gives them the ability to connect. Some didn’t like having their picture taken at the beginning. But, with time it seemed that curiosity got the best of them and soon they let go. 

Carla and I switched back and forth between writing assignments and photo assignments. With every exercise, without exception, I found myself amazed at the work that they have turned out. They took direction extremely well and would institute it immediately. It has been a very rewarding endeavor indeed.

I feel that I have gotten so much out of this experience. My biggest fear is that I will take away more than what I leave. I am so full of gratitude for what I have gained form this last week. This is by far the most amazing thing that my family has ever done.

First thoughts

Well, this has been a pretty incredible trip. I must say this is the most amazing thing that we have ever done as a family. Internet service has been pretty hard to come by as is electricity. We have been averaging around 5 hours of power during the day and then another 5 or so through the night. Keeping the gear charged has been a bit of a challenge but not too bad. Last night was the first night that we had electricity in the evening. It was due to a rainstorm that blew through two days ago, power generation in Nepal is mostly hydroelectric. It felt like a real privilege to have lights on in the house. Being here is teaching all of us to take nothing for granted.

The trip here went pretty well. The flight to Hong Kong didn’t seem as bad as 14 and a half hours sounds. Overall pretty smooth and everyone was no worse the wear. We put our things in a storage locker and took the bus to a near by town for lunch and a little shopping. The food was great and the shopping not bad. The flight from there to Bangladesh seemed a bit long. And by the time we landed in Kathmandu I was ready to get off of the plane. Everyone was in good spirits after enduring the 34 hour journey and we got all the gear through customs without a problem.

Driving form the airport to the hotel was pretty interesting. The whole city was dark due to power rationing. So as we drove it felt post apocalyptic. We got to the hotel with our 10 checked bags and 10 carry ons and proceeded to check in  in the dark. A side note: elevators run on electricity so it was a walk up to our third floor room.

We all seemed to adapt to Nepali time pretty well, no major jet lag issues. We were met the next morning by the director of Ama Ghar, Bonnie Ellesson. She is one of the most unique spirits I have ever met. Full of life and love. I feel I could learn many lessons from her.

Just now, as I sit here writing, the power turned off. It must be 10 o’clock, we have had all the juice that we will get for the day. Power in general is an issue here in Nepal. Very little electricity and long lines at the gas stations, which are surrounded with barbed wire. Life here seems to be difficult to say the least, but the people are very kind and gentle. Everything moves at a much slower pace with great difficulty and is always shrouded in pollution. Today for example, we drove around to 4 banks before finding a working atm. Again, something that we all take for granted everyday.

A few pics from Nepal

On the way Home

Well it goes without saying that I haven't been able to keep up with this blog while in Nepal. Between anly a few hours of electricity a day and very limited internet access, it was a challenge. I will try to play a bit of catch up now. I did write some while there but just never seemed to be able to get it uploaded.
I must start with the statement that this was without question the most incredible thing we have ever done as a family. It was for each of us, a journey full of learning and connection. We will all carry forward with a new appreciation for the things we have. And a better understanding of what things really mean the most. Everyone at Ama Ghar met us with open arms and hearts. I was blown away by how quickly we all connected. The photo part of the journey was yet another pleasant surprise. The children started out taking great pictures from the start. And just wanted to shoot more and more. I ended up printing out 700 4 x 6 for them. I printed right up to the moment that the extremely small van came to pick us up. That was the beginning of the adventure. We loaded up the van with our 10 pieces of luggage and 8 carry ons plus the 5 of us. Kira had to sit on my lap in the front seat, while Dawn, Paxton, and Carla were buried in luggage in the back. Ama Ghar is approx. 1.5 miles off the main road on a very bumpy, rocky dirt road. Half way up to the main road Dawn noticed that the back door of the van had opened up. We quickly stopped and found that one piece of our luggage was  missing. It had fallen out on the bumpy road. Just then a motorcycle approached with two riders. The passenger was carrying our lost bag.  They kindly returned it and refused any reward. After a brief repair of the rear hatch lock with a rock we were on our way.
It was the Hindu holiday of SHIVARATRI the night we left. We must have passed a hundred bon fires on the way to the airport.
The first leg of the journey has gone well. Sitting in Hong Kong for the next 5 hours or so. Looking forward to getting settled back in at home. 
Following I will add a few things I wrote while in Nepal but was unable to post.