I was in deep slumber when I was woken up by a loud tooting this morning . It was at a god saken time- 6am. I almost jumped out of my skin.It then dawned on my fuzzy brain that my bedroom is literally on top of the bus terminus in Gorkha - a smart move by some one ??😡😡
My feet have not touched the ground since we arrived here @ 11 am yesterday morning. Shiva and Anu have been most hospitable, bearing in mind that this visit is to enable me to assess if KIKN can work together with Progress Nepal. Having spent 8/9 solid hours with them yesterday, I feel pretty positive of our future working together
Apart from the beautiful meals we enjoyed at their home,we spent sometime exploring the local fauna while talking business. It was a very enjoyable day, tiring though it was.
My fitness was tested severely when I climbed the 400 + steps to Gorkha Durbar- the birth place of King 's grandfather. It was a revered place of worship by the locals. It would appear that birds were sacrificed ad part of the ritual . There were different clumps of burnt feathers littered here and there. A young man was carrying something burning as I climbed into the forecourt of the palace ground.
What an amazing place! It literally perched at the peak of Gorkha mountain ( probably not the correct name). The 360 degree views were second to none. One could imagine the king surveying his Kingdom from up high. Each year, the orange French Marigold flowers were burnt, and it's ashes taken to the Durbar Square in Kathmandu to signify the start of the festival celebrations. The Ashes must be carried on foot and not by a motor vehicle to demonstrate their devotion and loyalty to the king. It is over 100 Km in distance between Gorkha and Kathmandu, and I am told that it usually takes only a day, with short cuts through the mountain paths. What fitness, even by today's standard. It would appear that the practice continues to this day.
The high street is busy and a very long one, served by many banks and shops. It is not rural as I imagine it to be. It is like a mini Kathmandu, that's the only comparison I can think of. Being a mountainous area, the whole place was shrouded in thick mist when I looked out of the windows at 6am. The building across the street was not visible to the eye and it was 2 hours later .The thick mists beyond the houses are obscuring the mountains from view. I would imagine it will clear by the afternoon like yesterday.It's been a non-stop cacophony of buses blowing it's horn, humans shouting early morning greetings to one another, coupled with the lorries' diesel engine reving. This little town starts the day early. And it is making sure that every visitor wakes too😊😊 at the same time . It looks like the mists are returning and is becoming dense again.It is really like a very dull grey winter's day in UK .
Lots of military presence here, probably to do with the fact that there are numerous depots where Rescue Relief agencies store their supplies here. Shiva is right. People are resilient. They have all just got on with life. Though the government have said that every household affected will be given 2 lakh ( around £1500), they are not holding their breaths! And I wonder why?
Here's to another good day spent with Shiva and Anu. Back to Uma tomorrow morning
My feet have not touched the ground since we arrived here @ 11 am yesterday morning. Shiva and Anu have been most hospitable, bearing in mind that this visit is to enable me to assess if KIKN can work together with Progress Nepal. Having spent 8/9 solid hours with them yesterday, I feel pretty positive of our future working together
Apart from the beautiful meals we enjoyed at their home,we spent sometime exploring the local fauna while talking business. It was a very enjoyable day, tiring though it was.
My fitness was tested severely when I climbed the 400 + steps to Gorkha Durbar- the birth place of King 's grandfather. It was a revered place of worship by the locals. It would appear that birds were sacrificed ad part of the ritual . There were different clumps of burnt feathers littered here and there. A young man was carrying something burning as I climbed into the forecourt of the palace ground.
What an amazing place! It literally perched at the peak of Gorkha mountain ( probably not the correct name). The 360 degree views were second to none. One could imagine the king surveying his Kingdom from up high. Each year, the orange French Marigold flowers were burnt, and it's ashes taken to the Durbar Square in Kathmandu to signify the start of the festival celebrations. The Ashes must be carried on foot and not by a motor vehicle to demonstrate their devotion and loyalty to the king. It is over 100 Km in distance between Gorkha and Kathmandu, and I am told that it usually takes only a day, with short cuts through the mountain paths. What fitness, even by today's standard. It would appear that the practice continues to this day.
The high street is busy and a very long one, served by many banks and shops. It is not rural as I imagine it to be. It is like a mini Kathmandu, that's the only comparison I can think of. Being a mountainous area, the whole place was shrouded in thick mist when I looked out of the windows at 6am. The building across the street was not visible to the eye and it was 2 hours later .The thick mists beyond the houses are obscuring the mountains from view. I would imagine it will clear by the afternoon like yesterday.It's been a non-stop cacophony of buses blowing it's horn, humans shouting early morning greetings to one another, coupled with the lorries' diesel engine reving. This little town starts the day early. And it is making sure that every visitor wakes too😊😊 at the same time . It looks like the mists are returning and is becoming dense again.It is really like a very dull grey winter's day in UK .
Lots of military presence here, probably to do with the fact that there are numerous depots where Rescue Relief agencies store their supplies here. Shiva is right. People are resilient. They have all just got on with life. Though the government have said that every household affected will be given 2 lakh ( around £1500), they are not holding their breaths! And I wonder why?
Here's to another good day spent with Shiva and Anu. Back to Uma tomorrow morning
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