Travel report February 2016
February 20
This time we're starting our journey much more relaxed, because we know roughly what to expect.Since there are three of us now, we can take more luggage. We're taking full advantage of this and have a hefty 90 kilos with us. Again, we've brought a lot of children's clothes , but this time they also requested a stretcher, blood pressure monitor, and thermometer. Since the situation is much more relaxed, we're also packing a chocolate bar and some sweets for the children in each of the 32 houses in the village.
February 21
In Kathmandu, we were warmly welcomed once again by Narayan and his wife – it almost felt like coming home, as we had visited so often over the past six years. The time we spent there was always very intense; we spent all our time together – often in close quarters.
February 22
The first day in Kathmandu will be used to organize transport to Bhumeshtan. We also want to bring a small gift to the school and will be buying lots of footballs, volleyballs, and jump ropes for the children.
February 23
Today we're taking a jeep to Dhading and from there on to the village. The driver is a very kind man who drives extremely carefully – so the journey takes 10 hours, but we arrive safely.Just before we reach the village, the first children run towards us, and as soon as we arrive at the Lazy Stone, we see a large crowd of people. Everyone is waving joyfully. As soon as we get out of the car, we are led to three chairs, we have to sit down, and the people almost overwhelm us. Everyone presses a tikka to our foreheads, hangs flowers on us, and wants to shake our hands. Almost a bit much for our taste – but extremely touching.
First, set up the tent and wash your face, then the first Dal Bhat will be served.
The temperatures are very pleasant, more like a cool summer day back home. But as soon as it gets dark, the cold sets in. We can warm ourselves by the campfire and are served tea.
We sit happily with these people by the fire. Everyone is beaming at us – so different from last time.
You can tell that last time we were the strange strangers who promised them something in their time of need, something they could hardly believe – the shock and grief were still deeply ingrained.
But since construction has already begun and everyone is getting their share, we are now friends who have helped them in their time of need – and they make us feel that in every conceivable way. Tired and extremely happy, we settle into our makeshift accommodation, which is rather small for three people.
February 24
The next morning we crawled out of our tent to find the whole village waiting for us at Lazy Stone. The news that we had brought something for everyone had spread quickly through the bush. We distributed the supplies and the chocolates.
Then you want to show us what you have already achieved.
Walking through the village, you can see that a lot has changed since our last visit.
The ruins of the old houses have been mostly cleared, and the stones stacked into neat walls. For some houses, the building materials are already on hand, while others have begun digging the foundations. One house is even completely finished and ready to be occupied. Almost, at least – only the housewarming ceremony is missing. When a house is completed in Nepal, it is consecrated according to ancient tradition. We are invited to attend the ceremony.
A priest leads the family, us, and a cow around the house three times, accompanied by the ringing of bells. Afterward, a hole is dug in the still somewhat damp ground inside the house, which will become the hearth. The priest lights the first fire and consecrates the house with a lengthy ritual. The family's cow is present in the kitchen throughout – cows are sacred in Hinduism. The first meal can now be cooked and served. Everyone involved is fed.
was financed entirely with funds from WIR BEWEGEN Almost, because the wood for the upper floor was recycled from the old, collapsed house. The corrugated iron sheets for the roof came from the emergency shelter where the family had been living. We asked why they weren't using the beautiful old stone roofs – and we realized the fear of another earthquake was immense – they preferred to build with lightweight materials and survive another collapse.
We inquired about how the village manages the construction order. Once again, we realized that Bhumesthan is more than just a village – it's a community that sticks together and supports one another. Based on need and available resources, it's determined who can or is allowed to build when. Then everyone pitches in.
We continued through the village and were impressed by the way things worked on such a construction site. There are no machines here; everything is done by hand. The materials have to be carried by hand from the road, which can be several hundred meters, and Bhumesthan is also situated on a rather steep slope. Even the holes for the pillars have to be dug with picks and shovels.
Everyone is delighted when we arrive – everywhere we go, we're offered tea, local coffee, and something to eat. While people were somewhat shy on our last trip, this time they greet us with genuine smiles!
We realize how important and meaningful our "work" here is.
When the children returned from school, we distributed the Clothes . In the end, 42 children were the proud owners of new clothes – the laughter in their eyes was priceless.
We enjoyed a cozy dinner and spent the last few hours around the campfire. Unfortunately, Nepali is incredibly difficult to learn – but the people were delighted by every funny sentence we tried to say.
February 25
After breakfast, Dal Bhat, we visited the school. Gopi told us that a Nepalese aid organization, Journey Nepal , is now taking care of rebuilding the school. Of course, we were also eager to see what they had been able to achieve with our money.
Upon arriving at the school, we met a friendly Frenchman who is overseeing the construction on site. They are building natural structures, very simple but efficient. When it's finished, it will certainly look beautiful! We also learned that there is enough money to build the classrooms – so we can stop our fundraising for the school.
We presented the headmaster with the toys, which he was very happy to receive – sports are very important to him, and he would like to promote them more.
With the money from last summer, they were able to build temporary classrooms and have furniture made – we helped them a lot during the initial period. A huge thank you to all the donors from Switzerland!!
Happy after so many positive stories, we strolled back to the village.
Tomorrow we are invited to a wedding. Narayan's niece, the daughter of his eldest brother, is getting married.
The day before the wedding, everything is prepared for the ceremony – in fact, the preparation itself is a ceremony. The temporary "altar" being built must be made of specific types of wood and include a whole banana plant.
Many villagers are there, everyone pitching in, whether to prepare the food or offer their help in other ways. Around 300 guests are expected – but there's no catering or anything like that – the family buys the food, and the village organizes the celebration. Every child who has time off helps out, even three-year-olds washing dishes or sweeping the grounds.
On the way back, Narayan's second-eldest brother shows us the small hydroelectric power plant he built. A small turbine is driven by water from a small reservoir via a pipeline. Unfortunately, the pipeline broke in the earthquake, so a new, smaller, and makeshift solution had to be installed.
This turbine can generate about one kilowatt of electricity at approximately 220 volts. This is enough to provide light for a few households in the evening. The inventor himself can even run a small television to watch the news. During the rainy season, there is enough water to operate the turbine all day. But for most of the year, water has to be collected in the reservoir throughout the day to generate electricity for a few hours in the evening. We are very impressed.
In the evening, we meet with the construction committee – they go over everything in detail again – Narayan also reiterates what he has received from us and what is already in the village. Another 9,000 CHF, which was still in his account, is handed over to cover the material payments. It's great to see how transparently everything is discussed in the committee.
We ask if anything else is needed. The suggestion is made that it would be wonderful if, instead of the thin corrugated iron sheets, attractive blue corrugated iron sheets could be used for the roof. These would be more stable and wouldn't be blinding when the sun shines on them. Perhaps some paint to lovingly decorate the concrete houses.
We promise that we will try to raise the necessary money.
February 26
Wedding day. We're happy not to be the center of attention for once.We head back to the wedding house in our best Clothes that we have with us – everyone is already busy preparing in a harvested field nearby. Potatoes are being peeled, chilies sliced. Curries and rice are sizzling in large pots over the fire, and of course, the meat is also on the menu.
We go to the house and wait for the groom to arrive. He walks from his village, about a three-hour trek, with all his guests to Bhumesthan. As soon as he arrives, the ceremony begins. We are asked to take our seats at the front with our cameras. An incredible number of people are gathered – there's a huge crush in the small courtyard in front of the house.
The ceremony lasts for many hours. In between, we go to see what's happening in the large field – that's where the food will soon be served, and we're asked to take a seat. A delicious rice dish with dates and almonds is served, and the curry is incredibly spicy, but very tasty. We decide against the meat, as they really do eat everything here – brains, heart, liver, and even skin end up in the pot – it's almost impossible for us to stomach.
After the meal, we were allowed to present our gift to the bride and groom, which of course wouldn't be complete without the tikka. We weren't particularly skilled at it, but the bride and groom were delighted that we were there.
In the family's garden, there's also music and dancing going on. We're invited to join in, but since only one person dances at a time while everyone else watches, we're too shy.
The ceremony lasts for many more hours. Even the cow, which is given as a gift, is blessed. It doesn't find this amusing at all and resists vehemently. But that's all part of it.
Finally, Narayan's family gives the bride away to her new family. The entire party then sets off for home – another three-hour journey.
We feel honored to be part of such a traditional wedding. Everyone is extremely friendly to us; even people who are not from Bhumibol and don't know us show us great respect and gratitude for what we are doing here.
February 27
Today we're invited to Gopi's for a late breakfast – there are delicious spring rolls with fries – a real treat after four days of dal bhat. We explain to him that we call such a late breakfast – a "meal between breakfast and lunch" – brunch. He likes that idea. And yet, an hour later, he still brings us another dal bhat. We're practically bursting with food.
On the way back, we see the villagers busily building their houses. Some don't have quite enough gravel, but they're resourceful, so they simply break large stones into smaller gravel.
In the afternoon, a truckload of materials arrives. It's quite something – over 100 trucks have to come to the village to finish all the houses.
Of course, tea is served everywhere again – everyone wants to invite us and is very happy when we accept.
February 28th +++
Today we continue our journey to Lumbini. After so many visits to Nepal, we finally want to admire this historical site.
We pack up our tent with heavy hearts this morning. Once again, there are many people there, all wanting to pay us tribute.
We must promise you that we will come back when everything is finished. Then we will have a big party!
The days in Nepal were once again very impressive.
This visit was even more impressive because the people opened up to us more – they wanted to talk to us and recognized us as friends.
We already miss these special faces, marked by life!
During our last visit, a five-person construction committee was appointed to coordinate the work. This committee has now been expanded to include a three-person inspection committee. This ensures that every order and every action is meticulously checked. Each family receives the same amount of materials. They explained that our funds made it possible to purchase two truckloads of sand, one truckload of gravel, and 25 packages of cement for each house in the village, as well as enough reinforcing steel for two rooms, or six pillars.
Thanks to the building materials that WIR BEWEGEN was able to pay for, each family can build a two-room house. Families who contribute some of their own money can afford a slightly larger and more "luxurious" three-room house. These houses often house three generations, with six or even more people. Luxury is defined differently there than it is in our culture. Most people don't own furniture – a mat of straw is simply unrolled, and the bed is ready.
The donations helped ensure that the social divide in the village does not become too great, which makes us very happy.
