peggycumming.blogspot.com

peggycumming.blogspot.com

Ottawa airport

33 hours later and we arrived at the Ottawa airport. Brian and Bob were waiting to welcome us.
It is a week later that I'm writing this and I'm still struggling with jet lag!
Although the trip didn't go exactly as planned, I was very happy and extremely grateful for the great adventure that we did have and for the wonderful people that we met.

At the top of my list is the opportunity to reconnect with my adopted Nepali family: my friend Damodar, his wife Sanu, daughters Bandana and Chandana, and son Apil. It was a joy to see these lovely young adults that I has known as children 10 years ago. Dianne and I were delighted and honoured with their warm hospitality.

We also loved meeting our trek leader, Ram, and his staff of assistant guides and porters, and the other members of our trekking team ... Rita, Lee, Richard, Elizabeth, Lana, John, and Steve.

Highlights include a visit to the Child Haven Orphanage, the Stupa at Bodhnath, elephant safari in Chitwan,
flying into Lukla and seeing views of the Himalayas from the air, trekking to Namche and seeing Everest, a daytrip around Kathmandu guided by Api,l and moments of pleasure and delight too numerous to mention.
As with all travel, it is really the people who make the memories. I can't express enough appreciation to Dianne for her steadfast good nature, her ever-present positive attitude, and her willingness to Go For It, for every new experience and new adventure!
Dianne, you are a wonderful, fantastic travel partner, and a stubbornly loyal friend!
I also want to say an enormous and special thanks to Apil, who tirelessly showed Dianne and I around and explained All Things Nepali. Most of all, Apil, we enjoyed your company tremendously and appreciated your friendship !!
That is my official closing of my part of the blog for now!
Thanks to everyone who followed us!
Namaste,
Peggy

Another garden photo

Dianne with some of our trekking team:
Top left - Richard from Australia and Lee from Toronto.
Bottom - Rita from Picton Ontario, and Dianne.

In the Katansu guesthouse garden before we leave

On the Sunday that we left, we spent the morning relaxing in the garden. Richard, from Australia, took this photo.

Hospital Tour

Apil took us for a tour of his hospital; 'his' in the sense that he spend the past six years there at medical school. In many ways, it was like a hospital here - lecture rooms, departments for specialities such as pediatrics, gynaecology, ear nose throat, orthopedics, etc. In other ways it was very different! I think that the emergency department struck me the most! It was all in one room ... Patients and their families were waiting in the same room as doctors were diagnosing and treating patients! Most beds had 3 patients to one bed. Apil told us that the doctors are literally grabbed and pulled from patient to patient by the family members! In spite of those distractions, the doctors on duty were really focused on patient treatment and seemed able to block out the distractions! It was hopeful to see such good quality of medical care being given to patients. We appreciated this tour and the opportunity to see where Apil works.

Dianne loves her first cup of coffee in the Kathmandu morning chill

Back in Kathmandu

Yesterday afternoon we flew back here to Karhmandu, and0 met up with our trekking team after their flight back from Lukla.
It was great to see everyone and to know that they has all stayed healthy and were successful with the trek to Everest Base Camp. Obviously, they had jelled as a group and were really supportive of each other over the difficult trek. They reported that it was indeed very difficult, but very worthwhile doing. Best of all, they said that they really missed us!!
We had dinner rogether at night. In a happy atmosphere of celebration and satisfaction. Even though we had not been there for the whole trek, wre were really happy for the success of the others.
Everyone was praising Ram, the trip leader. Certainly, when I was sick, he was very concerned and caring and so sad that we had to turn back. Our tour company, 'Intrepid', sure knows how to pick great leaders!!!

Sent by the iPeg