As we’ve walked through the mountains over the last few weeks we’ve had plenty of time to ponder many things. So firstly – to share a few thoughts on trekking off the beaten track:
So in October 2012 we spent 3 weeks in Nepal visiting our friends Phil and Jenny who live in Nepalgunj. It was a great opportunity to see where they have been working for the last few years and to get a feel for the non touristy side of Nepal, and to see the work of INF and Maya Sadan. Visiting the neonatal unit in the local hospital was particularly confronting for Sue, with the aged equipment and lack of facilities; however, understanding that updating equipment and new technology brings with it the need for also updating the knowledge and skills to both use and maintain said equipment, means simple (and old) is sometimes best.
A few days with Phil took us to Jumla where we visited the INF hospital, meeting many of the health & community development workers who were in town for training, as well as having the opportunity to share meals and meetings with INF and TEAR workers from Australia and Germany. Trekking out of Jumla to Dailekh is a story all to itself! Suffice to say that the nice road shown on the map does not exist and it was a challenging three days! Despite that, the enduring memories are of wonderfully hospitable and friendly people, amazing scenery, warm milk - fresh from the buffalo, apples fresh from the orchard, maggots in the sultanas, a goat who refused to "eat up quickly" the remnants of our very spicy meal, the resilience of the local people and a small, small insight into the challenges they face on a daily basis. From Dailekh we took the bus back to Nepalgunj, a car to Pokhara for a couple of days R&R, where we recovered from our blisters before heading to Kathmandu and home. Many of our conversations with Phil and Jenny had been discussing how our skills might be useful, so on our return to Alice we contacted INF and began the process of exploring opportunities to serve in Nepal during our extended leave in 2015. |
AuthorRob & Sue from Alice Springs, heading to Nepal for a while. Archives
December 2015
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