INDIA/NEPAL 2016

Arrived safely at 12.15 pm today after a long but uneventful 7.5 hour flight from Manchester. The connection at Abu Dhabi seemed better than on previous flights. So vast is the sprawling airport complex, it took nearly 15 mins to taxi to the terminal after landing there. Another massive terminal is under construction now sporting their motto 'From Abu Dhabi to the World'. Along with a sprinkling of foreign tourists, the 3 hour leg to Mumbai was packed with Indian nationals many of whom seem to have the knack of staggering on board with massive hand luggage.  

Dressed for the cold of the UK and the mountains of Nepal, I was not expecting quite the wall of heat stepping out of the air conditioned 'plane. 28 deg C -wonderful! Though not quite sure what to expect down south...

A pre-paid fare to the Hotel Accord proved more of a test for the taxi driver than expected, as we struggled through 5 lanes of traffic and brought the oncoming lane to a standstill as we did a sharp contraflow U-Turn. The chap didn't speak English, but cleverly knew where to find other drivers who did, but less cleverly only after over-shooting the urban motorway by a mile or two! 

The Hotel is conveniently situated between the airport and Lokmania Tilak Terminal where I get the Netravati Express to Cochin tomorrow morning. The place is basic but clean, the staff really helpful, and the rooms thankfully air-conditioned and sporting Wi-Fi. Just round the corner is a row of shops where I've managed to get a SIM for my phone. (919867249561). So I'm all set for the 6 weeks ahead!

Thursday 11th Feb.

A 30 minute tuktuk ride to the station. 22 carriages pulled into platform 1 at 10.40 and I was aboard with my fellow passengers in an AC2 (air conditioned 2 tier) compartment.

I was fortunate to have 3 great travelling companions including Jesse and her 81 year old mother from the USA, and Pradeep, a Timetable Manager for the Kerala area of Indian Railways! Time passed quickly as we headed south with c. 1,400 other passengers. Meals were provided from the pantry car, chai and coffee wallas passed by frequently, and clean bed linen, pillows, towels  and blankets were all part of the package. OK, it was not quite up to European standards, but who can complain at a ticket price of £48.


Friday 12th 

Arrived at Cochin around 1.00 pm on Friday, and a tuktuk took me to FortKochi where I was staying near South beach. 

A good hotel, thankfully with air conditioning.
Was recommended Dal Roti, as a nearby place to eat - amazing vegetarian curry with superb paratha. 



Saturday 13th

Backwater tour of nearby inland waterways by boat. Wonderful silence as we were punted through lush vegetation and coconut trees.

Really interesting people on the tour including Polish military attache, Dutch tax lawyer, French retiree and family, Austrian IT specialist in COBOL, Israeli couple. 

Lunch in village on banana leaves.
Back to Fortcochi by 4.00 pm. 


On a stroll through Fortkochi, passed a cooking school and ended up joining 3 others for a Kerala cooking class. 

A fascinating experience with Meera and husband in their family kitchen with 3 others, cooking chicken and aubergine curries with dahl and chapatis. Dinner sorted!

Sunday 14th February

Tuktuk tour around Fortkochi, including Chinese fishing nets which punctuate the shore. Not much caught at this time of year, but an abundance apparently in the monsoon season.

The beach here would not get a blue flag for cleanliness, and in general litter abounds. This afternoon I took the ferry to Ernakulam, the main town of Cochin, for th princely sum of 4 rupees (around 4p) for a 20 minute journey. You get a better idea of the port and it gave me the chance to book a ticket on the Munnar bus on Tuesday morning. £2.80 for a 4 hour trip.

On return, I went to Santa Cruz Cathedral where the 5.00 English Mass had been replaced by one for religious from near and far in Malayalam, the local language, with music that would not have been out of place in a rock concert. The iconography in Christian churches is quite overpowering and brash, and reminds me of Calabria in Italy. But people are very devout. Kerala has strong Christian, Muslim and Hindu communties which seem to live in peaceful harmony, unlike the north of India. Indeed on buses here, there are pictures of a Hindu god, a Muslim Temple and the Sacred Heart of Jesus, side by side, as if to say we all travel together.

After watching a singing concert with some superb music, I finished off the day at Oceana, just round the corner from the hotel, where I had one of the best shrimp curries I've ever tasted. The 3 courses came to £7.50.

Monday 15th Feb

Breakfast outside in the shade with the thermometer rising. A delightful Chinese family joined me, the mother with excellent English. It's been great to meet such a variety of cultures, and rather humbling that they speak a foreign language so well. I was then approached by a couple who noticed the BD postcode on my hotel register entry - it turned out they were from Grassington, so had a long chat.

A relaxing day followed walking around Fortkochi and taking the ferry to the northern island. Not much to see really, as it's got a massive LPG terminal, and the lighthouse was closed as it was Monday. Whilst waiting for the ferry back, got talking to Adhinav, a Research Officer from Mussoorie, whose brother was a naval officer based in Cochin. Hadn't realised a major army and naval base was just round the corner.

He recommended a good place to eat, and so headed there in the evening after a visit to the Ayuvedic therapy centre. I was reassured I wasn't going to keel over, so indulged in a massage followed by a couple of beers, and slept the sleep of kings.

Tuesday 16th

Got a tuktuk to the bus station, struggling through rush hour traffic, and found the Munnar AC coach. After a 4.5 hour journey, climbing from sea level to 1,700 metres, I was met by the brother of the homestay, and ferried/karted to my next resting place, leaving the main road for a narrow track which led down to the Green Magic Home.

View from my room in Green Magic Home

It's perched on the side of a hill with stunning views facing south. Robin, the Indian Manager, is a top notch cook and couldn't be more welcoming and helpful. A couple from London are staying here and we all had dinner together sharing experiences of India and beyond. They recommended a tuktuk with Ramesh who had taken them around the area earlier today and had proved to be a mine of information.

Wednesday 17th

Breakfast on the balcony before setting off with Ramesh. Before heading up the hills we visited Madupetty dam, and then up a private road through the tea estates. My cousin Midge's father, Charlie Robertson, was the manager of a tea plantation here in the 1950s so I was keen to discover where the bungalow was located where she and her brother John grew up. The views are magnificent in every direction, with tea plants wherever you look.

Tea picking as such is no more, as the tops of the camellia plants are now cut with a pair of shears, one side having a recepticle to collect the 'golden tippies', which are progressively bagged. Met up with a Russian, Dimitri, and his Ukranian wife who stopped for a chat in perfect English about their conflicting political allegiances. True love has no barriers!

It seems the eucalyptus trees were brought over from Australia, and a variety called Grandis now surrounds the plantations, with their tall slim trunks and peeling bark. Planted within the tea slopes are what I understand to be Grevillea (?) trees to provide shade for the young plants before being ring-barked and removed. 

On the way up we saw huge honeycombs perched high in an old tree, evidence that bees will draw their own comb without the aid of fancy boxes, though the harvesting of honey becomes somewhat more treacherous.

As we climbed further up the slopes, Ramesh stopped suddenly and pointed to a couple of wild Elephant feeding on the banks of the lake. Apparently a lucky sighting! 

The tour through the tea estate escaped from the tourist trail and gave me the chance to understand the sheer scale of the plantations. Some of the bushes are 100 years old and many of these are being ripped out and replaced by new young plants that will take four or more years till they can be harvested. The reliance on manual plucking has been reduced by mechanical tea harvesters which trim the bushes along gaps in the planting.

Back in Munnar, I visited the Tea Museum to see a fascinating video in the history of tea in Munnar and a look round a tea processing factory. I remember Charlie saying that tea bags provided a solution to deal with the residue left from the grading process, akin to floor sweepings. But the marketing men would no doubt say they were specially 'graded' to give a fuller flavour! 

Included in the tour was a memorable talk by Sunil Chalakat,

a lean elderly Indian sporting a Madonna style radio microphone, about the health benefits of green tea and the advantages of taking time over emptying ones bowels, with the help of a rather faded diagram of the large and small intestines. He had his audience captivated.

Afterwards, I asked him where I might find out which plantation Charlie Robertson was manager of, and he suggested a visit to the head office of the Kanan Devan Hills Plantations which had acquired a majority holding in the company from Tata which had taken it over from the Finlay Estate for whom Charlie worked.

So Ramesh took me to find the place and I eventually was let in without an appointment to see George Varghese who made a couple of calls and gave me the name of the Chokanad estate as having a CB Robertson as a manager in 1951. Bingo! I shall head there tomorrow to take some photos for Midge and John.
Back home for another excellent meal, this time with the company of Rory from Wexford, a botanist who is an expert on Irish mosses. An invasion of French tourists had there dinner elsewhere. Whilst it would be possible to eat in town, transport would be needed, and Robin produced some wonderful Keralan dishes.


Thursday 18th February

Ramesh dropped me at the junction with the main road, and I walked the back road to the Chokonad Estate where I was told Charlie Robertson was manager.

The silence was captivating, only broken by the sound of birdsong and the rustle of leaves. The road winds though acres of tea plants, past the tea processing plant, and up to the manager's bungalow which has the most superbly kept garden complete with lawn in immaculate condition.

I was greeted by the house staff as Morgan Varghese, the present day manager was working in other parts.

I was able to take enough photos for Midge and John hopefully to recognise their old home.

A short way down the road back to Munnar lay the High Range Club, a real colonial establishment founded by the British 120 years ago,

and reminding me of the Planters Club in Darjeeling. Sporting tennis courts, a cricket pitch and a 9 hole golf course, this monument to the past is kept immaculately maintained by an army of staff and patronised now mainly by rich Indians. There was no-one around as I explored the main reception rooms, but eventually the Secretary appeared only to confirm that there were no records of members going back to the 1950s other than presidents of the Club.

It called for a pot of coffee in the expansive lounge, brought to me by a smartly dressed waiter. As I sat and drank, I could almost here the piano being played and the hubub of conversation which filled the room in the days of the British, and thought about Charlie and Helen who would have no doubt enjoyed many a happy hour here. From the list of names on the President's Board, it looked like the Indians took over the management of the estates around 1974.

Back to Munnar to look around the town, and have lunch at the Rapsy Restaurant, before returning home in Ramesh's tuktuk for a lazy afternoon and evening, in readiness for my 6 hour journey by bus to Madurai, east of here in Tamel Nadu.


Friday 19th February

Rory, John and Vicky, left after breakfast for Cochin, whist I headed east on a public bus. Air conditioning was provided by open windows and we were treated to one of India's violent movies at full volume as if the repeated klaxon wasn't sufficient to keep us all awake. Changing buses at Theni after a surpriingly good veg. lunch including tandoori mushrooms. The final leg of the journey involved travelling at high speed down narrow roads and being thrown round hair-pin beds. I was relieved to reach my destination near Madurai at around 4.00 pm

Saturday and Sunday 20th/21st February

Took off with my good friend Selvam, a priest for the Madurai Diocese whom I studied with in Rome. His friend Anthony kindly lent us his car with driver Pandi, and we headed off to Kodaikanal up in the Western Ghats, staying with the Medical Missionary sisters who have a retreat house there. It was a relief to get some cool air after the scorching temperature of the plain. Some amazing views and wonderful hospitality.

Monday 22nd Feb

Selvam and Anthony took me in to Madurai to see the impressive Meenakshi Amman Temple, then back to collect my things and get the overnight train to Chennai, this time in AC1. Good night's sleep.

Tuesday 23rd Feb

Flight from Chennai at 10.40, stopping at Kolkata to pick up more passengers than on to Bagdogra airport near the Nepal border. From there a pre-paid taxi to Kurseong where I've been staying a couple of nights to retrace my Dad's footsteps, visiting the very bungalow he stayed in with Mr Patterson, the Singell Tea Estate Manager at the time.

Wednesday 24th Feb

A couple of nights at Cochrane's place was like stepping back in history, but it was comfortable enough and a chance to meet Elaine and Richard from Edmonton over dinner, and share our travel stories. Fortunately, I was leaving before the place was invaded by a group from Yorkshire that day.

The exact location of the bungalow emerged after a visit to the Tea Association in Darjeeling, situated beside the Planters' Club. John Norman and I became day members there in 2004 on our way back from Sikkim., and met Teddy Young, the sole remaining British Tea Planter who has sadly since died. I decided to get up at 6.00 a to catch the Toy Train from Kurseong - a great experience running alongside the road then suddenly crossing to the other side much to the chagrin of drivers!

However, the current Chairman of Tea Assn. Mr Sandeep Mukherjee, pointed the way, though did not have any records dating back to the 1930s. After a brief walk around Darjeeling, I caught a shared taxi which dropped me off at the junction to the Singell estate, just north of Kurseong. Darjeeling is a busy town perched on the side of a hill, with traffic congestion worthy of Delhi. With the Toy Train sadly now with a reduced service, and steam only used for tourist trips between Darjeeling and Ghum, the main form of transport is the Jeep.

The road to the Singell factory and bungalow zigzags down through the tea plantation, and I soon the Manager, Chandra Deo Gurung who was fascinated by the photocopies of Dad's photos which he confirmed were of his bungalow.

After taking present day shots of the same views, he invited me into his home for a cup of Darjeeling Tea (of course the Fine Tippy, Golden Flowery, Orange Peeko, 2nd Flush!). It was quite emotional to be in the very sitting room where Dad would have sat, drinking tea from the same now 100 year old bushes. It's been a long held quest to visit the place, and here I was.

Thursday 25th Feb

After an early breakfast, I got a shared 'micro' up to Kurseong from where the shared jeeps to Siliguru left. I bought two seats, a trick I learned last year, for more comfort at 75p each! Leaving at 9.00 am we were soon down on the plain by 10.45, and then another shared minibus from Siliguri to the Nepalese border for £2.00. After getting my visa exit stamped the Indian side of the border, and entry visa endorsed at the Nepali immigration post, I soon found a bus to take me to Birtamode for another bus change to Deonia, where I was staying with my Jesuit friend, Juel who had organised our group stay at Godavari in 2013.

This district is called Jhapa, predominated by more tea estates, but the wide expanses of cultivated countryside hide a desperate level of subsistence living. 

Friday and Saturday 26th and 27th Feb

St Xavier's school here is run by four Jesuits. It was founded 17 yeas ago to provide education for the many families eeking an existence from the land, many of whom were working on the local tea estate earning a pittance. It's an impressive establishment, offering many students scholarships to cover the tuition fees. For less than the cost of a pint a week, (£3.00), a child here can be sponsored through their education.

On Friday morning, I was introduced to the 600 pupils at their assembly and invited to give a speech after being presented with the traditional scarf and flowers!

I was then taken on the back of a motor bike to another Jesuit school nearby where I spent the day with Frs Paul and Sanjay, and Br Clarence, visiting the local tea factory in the afternoon. Nearby a new church was under construction for what is becoming a growing parish community.

On Saturday, Mathew, the Principal at St Xavier's asked me to accompany him to a Parents' Day at a school in Bagdogra, near the airport, where he was the principal guest.

After 3 hours of dancing, prize giving and speeches with the PA system at full volume under a very hot sun, I was glad to get back to Deonia. But before escaping, I was called upon to help give out prizes to some of the children.

Sunday 28th Feb

After waxing lyrical about bees yesterday evening, George asked me to take Year 9 for a class on the honey bee at one of this morning's classes. (Schools only have Saturday as a day off in Nepal). I was happy to oblige, so hurriedly put together a PowerPoint presentation last night. The feedback from the 60 odd students seemed positive, as did the suggestion to install a bee-hive in the grounds.

George then took me on the back of his motorbike to another mission station about 40 km away in Sadabari, in what must be one of the remotest areas of east Nepal. There I was called upon to be the school photographer for each of the 5 classes! Then back to Deonia for a farewell supper.

Monday 29th February

A walk to the nearby road junction for a haircut, beard trim and cut-throat shave, polished off with the statutory head massage which this time extended to shoulder arms and hands. Thanks, Ram, for the invigorating experience! 
Back at the school, one of the teachers then wanted to have a chat with me about counselling as she had been asked to help some of the children in this way. 

As the day progressed, the temperature was rising steadily. I was told that May and June in these parts are sizzlingly hot. 

At 3.30 I headed to the junction again to catch the bus to Kathmandu. This was going to be the mother of all bus journeys, arriving the next morning, west along the Mahendra Highway, then north to Kathmandu. This was the overland trip John Norman and I were supposed to take in 2004, but due to the Maoist insurgency at the time, we had to fly. 

The price of the ticket at £8.00 for a 'deluxe air-conditioned' ride seemed ridiculously cheap compared with £150 for a flight, and with two recent plane crashes in 3 days and Nepal's bad air safety record, I felt the wiser choice. Juel had thankfully managed to get me seat A1 with the most leg  room, but it was still a gruelling ride. 

In the dark of night we stopped at what seemed a deserted petrol station which soon burst into life to dispense diesel, firstly into the bus then 8 x 100 litre containers which appeared from the luggage holds. The black market for fuel was clearly active, but not surprisingly since the blockade of fuel from India was still restricting supplies.
  
Tuesday 1st March

I would say 'deluxe' was stretching the meaning, as was 'air-conditioned' since it was switched off after a couple of hours, no doubt to save on fuel. After a long 18 hour journey, I arrived in Kathmandu sustained only by a packet of biscuits and some mango juice, having been warned not to touch the food at the meal stops.  The delay was partly due to a huge traffic jam as we climbed into the Kathmandu valley. It took another 2 hours to get to Godavari where I would be staying for a few days.

I was surprised to see little earthquake damage in the capital, but realise that the old buildings and temples would have been hardest hit, and the poorly built houses of the poorest would have suffered most.

I've been the guest of the Jesuit Community here at St Xavier's for the past 6 years, having first come to the nearby Ashram in 2004. The Community were given the Rahner's old summer palace in the early 1950s, when the Jesuits were asked to found a school. As a result of the earthquake it is no longer safe, and it is possible it will have to be demolished.

I've told the story in a previous blog, but the first Jesuit here was Fr Moran, an American who was a keen radio ham with a call sign 11 Mickey Mouse. He managed to bring with him what must have been a huge valve operated transmitter-receiver which, from this very building, sent the news to the outside world of Hilary and Sherpa Tensing's conquest of Everest!

At that time, the Jesuits will have been educating the privileged classes of Nepal, but they have since focussed their work on providing schooling for the poor, the majority being Hindu, with Christians, Buddhists and Muslims in the minority. 

Wednesday 2nd March

After breakfast, I took a walk down to the village to visit the local bee-keeping workshop, and was warmly welcomed by Sanu Bhai Basel, the owner, who showed me the hives and foundation he makes and sells. It seems domestic beehives here are not dissimilar to those we use in the UK. I agreed to come back tomorrow to find out more.

I've decided to go to Pokhara on Friday to visit Victor who runs a day centre for adults and children with learning disabilities, He was the Principal here when I first visited Godavari. So Ratan, the Tai Kwando gold medalist who works here and who was our driver and guide when I came with a group in 2013, took me on the back of his bike to Kalanki to get a bus ticket - as if I needed another bone-shaking experience!

Then I met Binod, my friend and interpreter, over a coffee and pakora in the Jamal cafe, where we caught up with news and discussed the water filter system we are due to install at the Mahjkhanda School. We plan to go there a week on Saturday. 

Coming back to Godavari, we saw the huge queues of motor bikes waiting for petrol. Binod had to wait two days for his latest fill-up. Can you imagine it.

Thursday 3rd March
Outside the residence where I'm staying, I noticed a small bed of plants with ayurvedic properties, and was prompted to visit the Botanical Gardens just round the corner from the Ashram here. Dipak, the manager, was very welcoming and mentioned there were two horticulturists from the Edinburgh Botanial Gardens, working on a new scheme of native Nepali plants. Since I last visited in 2008, the gardens have developed greatly, and the new garden being developed is really impressive.


I was able to talk to David and Neil, who were doing the planting, and Nye, the graphic designer of the information boards, about their project which is to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the Memorandum of Understanding between Nepal and Britain. It would seem this is the reason for Prince Harry's forthcoming visit to Nepal. But plans for him to open the garden have fallen through. However, it is going to be an impressive planting scheme when the plants have matured a bit.

The weather here is warm, but the atmoshphere is misty, so I am unlikely to see the Himalayas until I reach Mahjkhanda, and even then it is not guaranteed!
Godavari is a great place to stay as it's on the edge of the Kathmandu valley (1,300m) and about 200m higher up so away from the worst of the pollution. 

Friday 4th March

Up at 6.00 for an early breakfast, then a bike ride with Ratan to Kalanki on the ring road to catch the bus to Pokhara which leaves at 8.00. I'm getting the bus which drops me just round the Corner from Sishu Bikas Kendra, the day centre for children and adults with learning difficulties which I visited in 2012 when Cap Miller was here. It's a great project, as anyone handicapped in Nepal, as in India, is normally hidden away as the parents think they are to blame. 

The journey was pretty uneventful, and not being a tourist bus, stopped frequently to drop of parcels/newspapers and collect some organic ginger from a grower en route. I eventually got to my destination at 3.30!  

I'm the guest of Victor, who was Principal at Godavari School when we first met, and Ignatius. Victor was the first Jesuit to go to Deonia, Jhappa in East Nepal, where I have recently visited, and was telling me how he went alone 18 years ago to start the mission, overseeing the building of the school, against initially much local resistance from the local community, and obstruction from the Tea Factory owner. The tea workers used to get 50 rupees a day (c. 50p) but now get 210 (£1.40) which keeps them trapped in poverty, as they live on tea estate land, in very basic dwellings. 

Two Hungarian cyclists turned up last night, looking for accommodation, so were given a couple of rooms here. They started in June last year and have come via Turkey, Georgia and Pakistan covering 13,000 km so far, with the intention of travelling round the world. I take my helmet off to them.

Saturday 5th March

I'm staying in the guest room on top of the house and would normally be able to see stunning views of Fish Tail and the Annapurnas, but they are covered in mist and the weather looking very unpredictable.

Took a walk down town to the Lakeside but was caught in an incredible electric storm with rain and hailstones, so took refuge in a local cafe. With any luck it should clear the air.

Walking down from Bagale Tole revealed another side to Pokhara than the tourist strip beside Lake Phew. Men were playing Carron, a board game of sliding counters akin to pocket billiards and kids playing table tennis on an improvised table with bricks as their net. Basic shops of every variety serving the local community with the contrast of a western style bathroom store selling modern earthenware, and one whose sole product was balls of string. 

Hindu temples punctuate the route, some embracing the trunk of a large tree, others built pergola style in red brick with bronze bell at the entrance. Stacks of sugar cane are appearing everywhere as Pokhara prepares for Maha Shivaratri, the Hindu festival celebrated annually in reverence of the god Shiva. It is believed to be the day Shiva married Parvati.
The sugar cane is plunged into a bonfire, then whacked on the ground to make a load explosion. What fun!

These few days have been a chance to relax a bit and indulge in the luxury of reading, and having siestas.

I decided to go back to Kathmandu on Tuesday so as to give time to prepare things for Mahjakhanda.

Sunday 6th March

Still the mountains are shrouded and the rain clouds are gathering again. 

I was invited to visit the Montissori school for infants at the Jyoti Centre, about 20 minutes walk from here, run by the Cluny congregation of Sisters. Never having really understood the Montissori principles, I was really impressed how 2 - 5 year olds were grasping simple tasks and concentrating on various activities without a great deal of supervision. Again, they struggle to finance it as the majority of children taught here are from the poorest of families, and they have to employ quite a number of teachers, with overheads of c. £1,200 a month, but what a start to life these kids are getting. 


This evening there was a prelude to Shivaratri with a huge party being staged just outside here on the road by the temple. Men dressed in various guises with masks and long dresses danced the night away with drums, cymbals, and singing till 2.00 am. 


Monday 7th March

At last! The mountains were radiant in the early morning light. This was worth the wait. From Pokhara, you can see Machapuchare (otherwise known as Fishtail) flanked by North and South Annapurna. This is the view of Fishtail from my rooftop room.

The photo doesn't really do the view justice, but it gives you an idea!







Tuesday 8th March

Bus from Bagale Tole, Pokhara to Kathmandu. A better ride and some people from the parish as company. Still long queues on the way up to the valley, so back by 3.00. A bus to Sadobato on the ring road, then a microbus to Godavari.
Once you know the routine here, travel by bus/micro costs very little. The cost is being crushed and bent double. The best way to travel is by Green bus, run by the Government, where seats are more available.

The Wi-Fi in the residence here is not working, so these blog posts are less possible at the moment, and when I go to Majhakhanda on Friday/Saturday, there is no internet for a week.



Wednesday 9th March

When I was in Maheshpur, in east Nepal, I offered to help find a bell for the church when back in Kathmandu, so today I visited Patan Industrial Estate where there is a foundry. 
A fascinating collection of craft industries, from rug making and wood carving, to jewelry making. The wood carving showroom wasn't doing much business today!


I guess with a significant drop in tourist business - one person I met claimed it was down 50% - these business really struggle to make ends meet.

I eventually tracked down the foundry and met the two brothers who now run the business. They use the lost wax method and I had a detailed tour of the process. A full size bell is first moulded out of wax with all the intricate detail in relief. 

It's then covered with layers of a fine mixture of clay before being covered with a mixture of clay and dung, with a hole for the wax to escape. When set, the clay is then heated and the wax is 'lost' from the mould, after which brass or bronze is poured in.

The cast bell is then finished by hand. The process takes two months. It seems bronze, although 40% more expensive, gives a better tone when rung.

The bell illustrated here weighs around 35 kg!

As I left, three huge sacks arrived, containing raw beeswax which is vital for the casting process. So the bees don't only help to pollinate!

I then went to New Road to meet Binod and plan the trip to Mahjakhanda. Ishan also came to discuss setting up a library in Mahjakhanda Government School. He has done this for a number of other schools around Nepal including one in Tipling where I first met him last year.

Friday 11th March

Got the micro into Langankel then a Green bus to New Road to get some money changed at the Bank of Nepal. Met Binod at his college then went on a hunt for the materials for the water filter system. Managed to get 2 dexion style shelving units which had to be dismantled while we waited, then loaded onto a bicycle rickshaw and taken to the bus to Chapagaun where Binod lives. We followed the bus on the bike!

Then in Chapagaun we bought buckets, plastic piping, connectors, and a 200 litre header tank, all of which we managed to get onto the truck which was leaving for Chapeli where they would be left at the ropeway station.

It was great to see Binod's family again, and to stay the night with them all in readiness for an early start for Majhakhanda the next morning.


Friday 18th March


Just returned back to Chapagaun after an amazing week in Majhakhanda. The school had a 2 day programme of celebrations for its 50th Anniversary. We managed to set up the water filter system but due to delays in getting the header water tank up on the ropeway, another visit will be required to commission the system.

I now have to rely on a borrowed computer so uploading of pictures will be difficult, but I'll try to get some up.

When I get more time, I'll expand on the last week's events. Meantime, bye for now.