Nepalese and Australian Rotarians are working together to provide emergency relief to villagers badly affected by the earthquake. David and Dianne Waterhouse, regular visitors to Nepal and who work on many construction and support projects, were caught up in the quake. They have stayed in Nepal and are working with Ashok and Kamala Shrestha and teams of volunteers to provide emergency relief and distribute food packages. You can read their report here.
Fading eastern light over western NSW plains on re-entry to Sydney.
Tough visit to Nepal this time. Struggling economy, massive inflation, increasing suicide rates, fewer and fewer jobs. Small wonder the drain of young people coursing out of the country, mainly aged 18-30 years, continues to grow. On average 3-4000 per day.
Villages are emptying. Schools are closing due to falling numbers of students. Families are breaking up, leaving the parents to grow into either a lonely retirement in Nepal or face moving to another country where they are with their kids and grandkids but without their daily neighbours and local community.
It’s great to see so many beautiful Nepalese working and helping in Australia and other countries, and seeking opportunities they can’t find in their home country but the social, structural and political fracturing back in Nepal is deepening. The next few years will be very interesting.
Namaste!!🙏🏽 🙏🏽
New Year at Shreekandapur. A chariot with a priest inside carried through streets to temples. Accompanied by drums, cymbals, flutes, dancing, orange powder showers, energetic testosterone and great hair. Gotta love this place 🙏🏽❤️🇳🇵
Golden. @floyd_thegolden
Himalayan French Cheese Shop roadside on Sindhuli highway, main road to India. We sampled and we bought. Delicious.
The Mister of the stupa caretaker couple once worked as a carpenter. Which explains the accuracy of the base to ensure the flag pole was straight first go, and Prem could sit safely on a very tiny wooden stool. Laso!!
ps this couple has been living in a tin sheet shanty for 8 years!!! Today there was much joy.
Many thanks once againto the local team and to @shane__marshall for design tolerance and understanding when the built structure takes on some local “adjustments”.
Back again. What a difference a few months make. Now dry and hazy and awaiting the mid year monsoon rains, then (October) lush and verdant. Namaste 🙏🏽
