I write this diary entry from the comfort of a hotel in Pokhara (Nepal) after a mission of a journey I have been on, to just get here, to start scoping potential Foundation projects. As mentioned in my previous Doctor’s Diary entry I am taking this year as one to start focusing on the Foundation, laying the foundation for years to come.
In recent years I’ve gone from a place where I knew very little about Nepal and had never met anyone who identified themself as Nepalese, to exploring the country through the lens of sustainable development and wishing to contribute to the development of the country through the Foundation in the areas of health, sanitation, education, gender equality etc.
As I started to research the country suddenly through a cumulation of random events I made my first Nepalese friend on a short course, was allocated a line manager at the university I started lecturing who originated from Nepal and was even introduced to Helen who has visited Nepal several times. All these people have shaped my understanding and encouraged me in my efforts.
This trip nearly did not happen, and this year could have been like many others that flew by. Conscious of how quickly time goes, I booked my tickets and jumped on a plane with a close family member (…who I also consider a friend) within days…two women hitting the road (…as they say), to explore Nepal further through the lens of sustainable development.
So far, the physical journey to get here was not easy to say the least, comprising of two delayed Qatar Airways fights (…I will leave my Qatar flight review for another day). In essence I had literally travelled 24 hours since leaving my front door to arrive in the Kathmandu’s (the capital) international airport.
During the flight to Kathmandu, I was taken back of the influx of international travellers/passengers on the flight, from all around the world. You had the thrill-seekers, hikers, mountain climbers and then the brave Mount Everest climbers heading to base camp. They were all packed and booted up for their journey with great pride. It was interesting just to observe, something I did not even anticipate coming across but a scene I witnessed with great admiration.
Once we landed, we faced a dilemma of whether to take a domestic flight to Pokhara (city); confused of options and worry of domestic plane crashes we had been informed of led to us arranging a driver to drive us from Kathmandu to Pokhara, that journey was ONLY another 7 hours on the road, driving on very rocky mountainous roads….I can confirm it was extremely scary at points and we were worse for wear on arrival in Pokhara. We will probably be taking a domestic flight back with an airline that we have been informed has a record of 0 plane crashes (…things you have to consider nowadays).
Here are a few things I have taken note of so far:
– Strong views for organic food and preference by locals.
– Zero traffic lights during the journey from the capital (Kathmandu) to Pokhara city. A 7-hour drive which operated fine with no traffic lights, no chaos on the roads, no road rage through the challenging mountainous driving landscape.
– The Nepalese culture is very calm and gentle.
– The importance of quality physical infrastructure such as roads and how it plays a role in the development of communities, industries and country at large.
– The local language is similar to other south Asian languages. I can personally say 35-40% of the language is the same as Bengali/Bangla (the language of Bangladesh). I guess language is not black and white, it flows through countries and is blended by people.
– The area we are staying has a lot of carefree international travellers and I’m learning more about that culture and what brings them back to Nepal year after year.
I’ve now eaten, showered, slept and settled into the hotel and feel a bit more human (…again). Tomorrow, we venture out to meet organisations, visit hospitals, and rural communities to understand needs of communities through their eyes.
Source: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:ugcPost:7318359227582861313
