October 6-7, 2016
We are at the airport and will
soon be going to our gate. Friday was as
planned, with us lounging around the room, watching TV, eating, writing
reports, etc. Swimming was unappealing because it had been raining off and on
and it was cloudy. We were picked up at 1:15 PM by the CHOICE driver so that we
could meet with them while they fed us lunch.
It was a good deal, and as usual, the ladies fix a very nice slightly Americanized
food. They kept the hot stuff separate
in little dishes. Jim touched one of these
bits to his finger and put it on his tongue and thought he would die…
We discussed the fact that CHOICE
has 100% success rate (they said) and what their model is for water projects
and how they develop a community, and then a project begins from there. It really is a perfect model. They make the people pay, the government pay,
they monitor for a long time, they make sure lots of people have to sign a
check for any monies to be used, etc.
Afterwards we went back and
relaxed some more. It was so pleasant,
although somewhat boring. I didn’t mind
boring as much as Jim did…he thinks we ought to always be doing something, and
I do agree, but I also cannot feel sad that we didn’t get to go to Lamjung
because of the slide. We heard that it
took many hours to clear the slide, and then it slid again! We were so glad that we made the right
decision—what if we’d made it through, only to be stuck on the other side and
not be able to get back!
Friday we checked out of the
hotel at noon and Oliphant’s favorite cabby drove us to their apartment. It really is nice, even though they have to
put up with partial electricity and other irritations. Still, it is a lovely place and even has a
yard where they can sit on chairs outside in the breeze. It is beautiful there.
The living room at
Oliphant’s. They have 3 bedrooms, one that
they use as an office, 3 bathrooms, a walk-in closet and a large kitchen and
dining room. The complex owner also
provides a girl that cleans all the apartments—so nice! Sister Oliphant said that help would have
really come in handy when she was raising 9 children. Outside is a nice lawn. This is also where the owner worships as he
is a devout Hindu (inside the pagoda is a statue).
After we hung out a bit they took
us up to the owner’s home that is in the same complex. Weaver’s also live there. The owner’s home is incredible, with chandeliers,
wood floors, stairways leading up and up, two kitchens, many rooms, with views
at every level. They have spiral
staircases with beautiful wood railings, and slate stairs and floors and marble
countertops and too many rooms to count on each floor. Living there is the owner, his wife and 3
children and his mother and their maid/nanny.
Also there was a White women from San Diego who is a partner with this
man who helped him build his beautiful home and the apartment complex. She is an older woman and apparently he lived
in San Diego for years and she taught him English. There is a view in every direction from their
home.
Then we had a wonderful homemade
spaghetti dinner with Oliphant’s, and Weaver’s also came and brought
dessert—great company and great food…can’t beat that. The only problem is that we left for the
airport at 8 PM for our 11 PM flight, and I felt like we’d traveled already and
I was tired and wanted to take another shower…
We asked them to play
us a duet; he has played the cello for years, but she learned how to play the
viola in middle age, just so that she could play with him. They performed some Christmas songs since
they will be playing in the schools soon. At one school after a performance they asked
them all about the beliefs of our church.
You cannot proselytize, but you are allowed to answer if asked. They purchased
and had these instruments sent from India.
Because of the difficulty in getting them home, they will probably
donate them to a school if they can find one where they will actually be
used. They do not typically use these
instruments here in Nepal.
Well, time to go to the
gate. We just read that Kathmandu has
the distinction of being one of the worst 10 airports in the world. They said it was like a crowded bus station. Yes it was. There were at least twice as many people
standing as sitting, not because they wanted to get on the flight, but because
there are not enough seats. We also
raced to the gate when we were notified that they were pre-boarding. Well to them, that means going to the
gate. No one was boarding, so we stood
there for 15 minutes waiting to actually board the plane. You just have to know the lingo of the
country that you are in… There we flew with one stop again in India, onto Hong
Kong for a 5+ hour layover; we leave from Hong Kong at noon, and get home two hours
earlier in LA. Yep, we are on opposite
sides of the world and opposite time zones.
It is nearly a perfect, night/day difference between here and home. And we were just beginning to get over our jetlag…
Hong Kong: As we flew towards the
runway we saw another bridge that they are building over the water. About 75% of the concrete columns were in
place, and in some spots they had the road completed in between. I never can figure how they do things like
that. What amazes me the most is when
they put tunnels under the water…I can’t comprehend it, but then I never was
really that smart, like how do planes fly, really? How do huge boats float? I have no science in my brain…or civil
engineering.
Just one of the many
beautiful rooms in the owner’s multi-level home. There are two kitchens, slate and wood floors,
views in all directions, spiral staircases with beautiful wood banisters, and
chandeliers…
The business class
on the Dragon Air flight is really nice—they have gotten smarter about how to
lay back a little without going back into someone’s face behind you. They simply slide forward a bit. Not all planes are configured that way, but
it sure is clever and so very nice. I
fell asleep easily, woke up to eat, and then passed out like a dead woman till
they made me wake up when we landed.
And, I was sitting up, with a small recline. We have a long layover in Hong Kong, so Jim
usually takes advantage of the shower here.
There are comfortable couches if you can manage to snag one, so you can
also fall asleep again. And in this
lounge they have food to eat, even Haagen-Dazs Ice Cream, my favorite.
I found this Orchid
College building rather unique—a stand-out color—a view from the top of this
owner’s home. There is a view in all
directions from their uppermost floor.
One long flight to go, this time
no upgrade. Jim got sick a bit on the
last day and slept in a bed at the Oliphant’s, but by the time we had gotten to
Hong Kong he was already feeling better.
This is good. All I have to do
now is not get it. It is always good to be home.
Love, Jim & Karen, Mom &
Dad, E/S Greding
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