Matthew Ramsden and Tom Adam’s report - Sept 2007

We spent our first three days in Kathmandu at the Seoul guesthouse, which was friendly but slightly run down. We went sightseeing at the weekend, and began our language classes. These were challenging, our teacher Krishna gave us lots to learn in a short space of time, but she was very helpful and responsive. For the length of our placement (two weeks) the amount of vocabulary and grammar was a bit much, but we certainly had enough to see us through. The sightseeing was great, we especially recommend Pashupati.
We then spent two days at a training village- Sanga. We were well looked after by our families who made us feel very much at ease. In hindsight, however, again especially because of our short placement, it may have been better to have has some teaching preparation instead of or as well as cultural training as this was the real challenge. During the practice village we also did some sightseeing with a local guide who was brilliant. The trip up to the top of the Hindu statue was an experience!
After the training village we traveled to Pokhara for our placement, at Nilman Pokhari. Our first guest house at Pokhara, the Mountain View guesthouse, was clean and friendly. We were met there and taken to our placement by Krishna Ranabhat. He looked after us the following weekend when we came to stay in Pokhara for the night and he also took us trekking. He was very friendly, conscientious and reliable and we recommend him as an excellent guide and contact in Pokhara.
Our placement in Nirmal Pokhari was absolutely perfect. Laxman and his family looked after us very well. The local library is still fairly new, and already has a growing collection resources, but it needs lots more! There is small committed group of children that came everyday, but a much larger group of kids to try and entice in the morning and evening sessions! The secondary school at Nirmal is really good. The teachers were both welcoming and friendly to us. The children were a pleasure to teach. Taking an English class with 70 secondary school students is certainly an experience. The whole placement was excellent and we thoroughly recommend it.
After our placement, Krishna took us trekking in the Annapurna range. We spent 4 days heading up to Poon Hill, where we got an amazing view of Annapurna 1, South and Fishtail. We also went to a hot spring, which involved a long days walking, but was probably on balance worth it.
Following the trekking phase we down to Chitwan.  Jungle Adventure World looked after us, taking us on a jungle walk and Elephant ride. The guides were informative and welcoming. The cultural show in Chitwan was an experience.
After our jungle safari we returned to Kathmandu. This turned into a lengthy journey because of a student roadblock in one of the villages. We were in constant contact with Asim, who was very helpful. After catching a lift with a lorry and tourist van we eventually made it back. For our final few days in Kathmandu, we took a two day hike up to Nagarkot. The walk was great, unfortunately the weather ruined the views we would have got, but it was certainly still worth the trip. Shiva, the owner of a local tourist company organsied this for us. We would strongly recommend him for any trips, activities or hotel bookings around Kathmandu.
In conclusion the whole trip was excellent. Real Nepal were top class throughout. All the staff were attentive, friendly and helpful, and all the guesthouses and other contacts that they used were brilliant.

Anisha Patel - UK
Nepal write-up: Trekking 

Rising at the crack of dawn to walk for an average of 7 hours a day, hauling yourself uphill backpack in tow, struggling not to slip in 6 inches of snow and a serious lack of hot showers may not seem like everyone’s ideal way to spend 4 days – but put yourself in the stunning surroundings of the Annapurna mountain range, with breathe-taking views, fresh air, and isolation from the commotion of city life, and you may have one of the most unforgettable and amazing experiences of your life. 
When I was initially planning my gap year travelling, I knew Nepal had to be one of my stops: not only to absorb the culture of such a fascinating and diverse nation, but also to experience the enormity of natural beauty it had to offer.  It was my first time doing serious trekking, so naturally I was concerned at my ability to do it, but the team at Real  INFO was ever- obliging and great in reassuring me, especially Bicky, who accompanied us as our very entertaining and good-humored guide. 
Though tough at times, the overall experience of the trek was fantastic – I don’t think I have ever done anything as physically challenging that left me with such a sense of accomplishment at the end. The diverse landscape also meant you were constantly taking in a range of views of the vast terrain: from lush green covered hills, to blankets of fresh snow and muddy woodland.  
Even though The Royal Trek is one of the easier treks, there were some grueling parts (especially since I am not the epitome of fitness): at one point, we had to climb 3,300 steps up to Ulleri, the village where we spent our first night. After what felt like a never ending experience, especially as the sun had disappeared, and being extremely sweaty from the mornings stretch, all I wanted to do was have a nice hot shower, and not climb thousands of steps uphill. Getting to the top was tremendously fulfilling though, as well as a great relief, and it was exciting to see our first bits of snow. Having some snow on the trek definitely turned out to be a lot of fun – the boys certainly enjoyed attempting to play various sports using snow, including heading a ‘football’ and using a stick as a make-shift baseball bat. It also added to the picturesque surroundings, which were so tranquil and beautiful – at times, I felt like I was walking through the forests in Narnia. I remember a moment when we got to the top of a snow-topped peak, we were greeted with the most amazing 360 degree view of the mountain range – it was brilliant! But sometimes, it became less visually appealing, and posed as an additional obstacle… 
Walking downhill in the snow turned out to be a more arduous and difficult task than it first appeared, and after slipping and falling more than a few times, I found myself wishing for a pair of ski’s – it would’ve been faster and probably a lot easier! The boys were slightly more adventurous than me going down the big slopes – they just slid down on their bums! Something I refused to do at first, because let’s face it; frost bite on your behind is never a good thing. I must admit at one point, I became increasingly infuriated at my lack of pace compared to them and attempted to crouch and slide down a hill. But whilst I tried not to get too close to the edge (as there was a considerable drop down), I managed to flip myself over onto my side and crashed into the guys. Not so good, but very entertaining for the rest of the group… 
Climbing Poon Hill to see the sunrise was an incredible highlight – though getting up at 5am and then going out into the bitter cold and total darkness of the early hours, aided by only a torch to climb 400m was not my idea of the perfect Sunday morning. Nevertheless, making it to the top in time to see the luminous hue of orange creeping into the sapphire blue skyline, casting its warm rays onto the snow capped mountains whilst sipping on hot chocolate was absolutely sumptuous. What came to follow the spectacle of the sunrise, however, was possibly the hardest thing I have done – I think I pushed every bone, muscle, ligament, and all my other body parts to the maximum. We knew we had a good 8-9 hour walk ahead of us, so we set off early, walking 5 hours straight. After the first few hours, the sun had gone away, and the surfaces seemed more slippery than usual. I was beginning to think, “Why am I doing this to myself?” -  I was cold, tired, and hungry, my feet were wet, and it felt like our destination was miles away. Regardless, after a quick stop for lunch, we carried on another 3 hours to Ghandruk, our resting place for the night. I’ve never been happier to see a trekker’s lodge than I was at that moment. I remember hugging Bicky and saying, “We did it!” – 10 ½ hours of walking, finishing in one day what most people take a day and a half to do.  
Sometimes the best part of trekking was reaching your destination triumphantly, the trekkers lodge, at the end of a day’s walk. With cold, often wet feet, exhausted, and in need of a hearty meal, it was almost decadent warming myself by a nice fire with a hot cup of tea, accompanied by other trekkers from all over the world. The lodges, though basic, boasted a lively, spirited atmosphere - with only our banter to keep us entertained, we sat around the fire exchanging life and travel stories. It was also great being able eating copious amounts of food as this was probably one of the only times that I could eat so many carbs without wanting to kill myself! Finally, the evenings would end with people dropping into their beds one by one at shamefully early hours (I think 7:30pm was the most disgraceful of my bed times…). 
At the end of the trek, I was left with blistered feet, bruised toe nails and aching muscles – but I also had the most amazing and cherished memories of a fantastic expedition that rounded up my experience in Nepal perfectly – all thanks to the brilliant team at Real Nepal. I’m already planning when I can return to try a more challenging trek!

Nepal write-up: Orphanage Placement 

I have to admit, being the first stop in our travels, and our first placement, the thought of staying here for a month was a bit daunting – but at the same time, exciting, because I knew I would learn so much from it. I had decided that I wanted to volunteer in an orphanage rather than teach because I wanted to really give something back to children who weren’t as fortunate as me to have a stable family growing up.
Having stayed at the Happy Home for the first two weeks, any daunting thoughts were firmly expelled – the warm, welcoming atmosphere created by Asim and his family really made me and Menisha feel at home. He had warned us though that the orphanage we would be placed at wouldn’t be as comfortable as the Happy Home, which was described as the ‘Club Med’ of orphanages. But I had gone in with no preconceptions, and the beautiful, beaming smiles from the innocent faces of the children was enough to settle us in. They were what I can only describe as amazing – full of life, energetic, and always polite and courteous. I often found myself thinking back to how children in the UK had lost these basic childhood traits. All the children we had met in Nepal had been absolute gems, and the children at the orphanage were no exception. I was deeply touched by how cheerful and content they were with what little they had, and how much love they showed us: they were always singing and dancing with us, making us gifts, and above all, smiling. I wondered if I would have anything to offer them, and whether I could make a long-lasting difference. 
We mainly helped with the daily runnings of the orphanage. At only 22 years old, Ram looks after all the children at the orphanage, as well as his own two young boys. He’s the same age as me, but you’d never guess it. He does so much more than just running the orphanage; he is like a father figure, or at least an older brother, to all the children. It’s quite remarkable how selfless this young man is – there is so much genuine love from his heart to every one of these children. During the week we would help get the children ready for school, getting them their breakfast and making sure they were washed and that their homework was done. The evenings would involve us helping them with their homework, playing with them, and serving them dinner, before seeing them off to bed. It’s emotionally and physically draining work looking after 31 kids, especially when you consider the extremely tragic and heartbreaking circumstances of most the children, their ages ranging from 3 to 15. You can understand why they crave the love and attention.  It’s incredible to think Ram normally does this single-handedly. 
His hospitality to us was unbelievable; he was always looking out for us and making sure we were comfortable and happy. He often took us out to explore the charming village of Dhapasi whilst the children were at school, and took great care of us. It was rewarding to show him our appreciation for his kindness by helping him with his English - he had such a determination to learn, and it was a pleasure to help him, as well as the children with their studies. There were some real bright sparks amongst the children - their English is surprisingly good, better than I would have thought, really putting my knowledge of two sentences of Nepali to shame! 
It was difficult at times as my energy levels tended to wane, but I had to keep remembering why I was there and what I was doing. It was heart-warming seeing them after they got home from school or after we returned from a days’ outings, watching them pour onto the balcony from below, waving and shouts of ‘Hello Anisha sister’. Sometimes, your presence means so much to them: just being there for them and giving them support whilst teaching them a few basic life skills along the way was appreciated so much. William, the previous volunteer, had taught the children valuable lessons, such as always washing their hands before and after a meal, and they took great pride in holding their soap scented hands to our noses to show that they had remembered.   
Our last day there was particularly memorable – we had bought the children a new football to play with, and some sweets and chocolates. It was fantastic seeing the children sitting patiently waiting for us to hand them their treats, as opposed to crowding around us chaotically as we’d experienced when we first arrived. We had showed them how to be orderly, patient and wait their turn. They also had a lovely leaving ceremony for us, where we were completely showered with flowers, hugs and kisses, and had more red powder thrown at us, after having just removed the last remains from Holi. It was so sad leaving them and saying our goodbyes – as our cab pulled away they once again poured onto the balcony waving, faces still beaming. 
One of the young girls whispered to me as I left, “Never forget us” – and I never will. Nor will they forget us. It was an absolutely brilliant and worthwhile experience, and I learnt that although you might not change their world completely, you can still give them hope for a better future.

Volunteer Report – Brenda Holbrook

The information I received from ‘Gap Year for Grown Ups’ was that I would spend a few days in Kathmandu for training and orientation and then head for a placement to teach in a school in Pokhara.

The training was more thorough than I had expected, I had five days of language classes, we went on a few sightseeing trips and were given information on Nepali culture and customs.  I particularly liked eating in the restaurants in Kathmandu away from the Western tourists and learning to eat without cutlery.  A two night stay in the training village in Dhulikhel was a great introduction to a home stay. My trip included a trip to Chitwan where I really enjoyed the elephant safari.

My placement was to teach in Sirjana Community Secondary School in Dhikuipokhari close to Naudada.  My host family lived 30-40 minutes walk from the school.  The family was very welcoming and I can truly say that I experienced every aspect of Nepali life.  My ‘sister’ helped my buy a longi so that I could keep decent while washing.  I thought I would be fed up with daal bhat twice a day for three weeks, but I wasn’t at all, I really enjoyed it and was surprised at how many different types of vegetable curry we had.  Towards the end of my stay they did let me help with the preparation and cooking of the food.  Although the family included me as part of the family, they would often want to ‘wait’ on me.  I had to be quite assertive to do my own washing, and help with the washing up and sweeping my room, etc.

As far as the school placement was concerned I am a little disappointed.  I taught for 4 days which I enjoyed, but after that there was two weeks of examinations so in that time I just invigilated, which I couldn’t do very successfully because of my lack of Nepali.  However, what I did see was how difficult and different the education system is in Nepal compared to the UK because the majority was taught with English language text books, exams set in English and had to be answered in English. 

I could go on about the differences of the Nepali culture, education and home life to that in the UK, but then if you are about to start your Nepal experience you will want to find out for yourself and not read about what I think.

I will just end by saying that I have enjoyed my weeks in Nepal, even though I was here in monsoon time and never did see the mountains around Pokhara. I have some lovely memories of my host family which will stay with me for some time. All the staff at the Info office has contributed to a lovely stay. 

Louise Macaulay- Report

1st August – 3rd September 2007

 I have been well looked after from the moment I got off the flight.There was in a large group of 9 of us so it was always fun>

 The Nepali lessons in the office where useful and enjoyable, Rama and Bicky were our teachers. We did learn a lot from them, their teaching methods were effective.

 Training village: Dhulikhel. This is such a good idea to give volunteers a taste of rural Nepali life and only for a short time so that they’re not overwhelmed.

Very enjoyable time, I learned how to eat Dal Bhat, talked to the children and learned about the typical nepali family life. I stayed at Pashpati’s house, his English is wonderful and he takes very good care of the volunteers.

 White Water Rafting: Bicky came with us, this was a lot of fun and not too dangerous. The food was excellent and our guides had loads of character. Sleeping in the tent was almost impossible for some of us due to the intense heat.

 Jungle Safari

Bicky still with This had a relaxed holiday feel. Our days were jam packed with animal fun. The weather was great, our guide Raju kept us well informed and very safe

 Trekking

Pratik collected us in Pokhara, after one night there we and our guide Prakash trekked for 4 days. I enjoyed this trip the most, very relaxing and rewarding.

 Placement

I had requested to be placed with my friend Dimple. We understood we were going to Thulakhet, then we were told we were staying at Ramesh’s house. Eventually I was sent alone to Nirmal Pokhari. The confusion was frustrating.

For the first week I was alone. The family were very welcoming which helped a lot.

Being alone was overwhelming, culturally as well as in the library. The children were running wild, very hard to control them and get productive teaching done.

I had to phone the office a few times before talking directly to Asim. Within a few hours though Asim called back to say a new volunteer would arrive the next day named Michael. I was very happy!

Laxman KC was my host father. I do not have one bad thing to say about my experiences in nirmal pokhari. Everthing was above and beyond my hopes and expectations. The family I grew to love, they treated me like their daughter. The library I always looked forward to, it was non stop fun and I love each and every child there. I taught at the local high school during the day, this was more formal lessons and I believe the students benefited from having a native speaker teach them. My favourite part of the day was sitting in the staff room discussing  culture, politics and life in general with the teachers.

There were immensely grateful to us for coming each day, being friendly and chatty. They said we brightened their lives for the 3weeks.

In summary

I am indebted to Info Nepal/Real Nepal. I hoped I would have a great experience I didn’t expect to become so fond of my host family or the children at the resource centre. I don’t have a single complaint. I will tell everyone about this organization and encourage them to come.

Frontier will be getting a very negative feedback from me however. We were literally told bold lies about our trip and false advertising was used in all the information packs we were given.

Thank you to the entire team and especially Pratik, he was very dependable and made me feel that if I got into any difficulties that he would be there to help.

I genuinely hope to return to Nepal next summer and bring along a friend or two, maybe incorporate a trek to Everest Base Camp.

Thank you, you are all doing phenomenal work here.

Love Louise x

Susanne Allen and James Harris

After arriving in Nepal we spent twos days in Kathmandu having Nepali language and culture lessons, which were to be extremely useful in our month here. During this period we also went sightseeing around the capital including the fascinating temples, Pashupatinath and Bouddhanath. We took a trip to the new Happy Home currently under construction where it was clear that our money was being put to good use. Before we left Kathmandu we also experienced traditional Newari meals preparing us for the food we would be receiving in our training village.

            We were taken to Dhulikhel on the third day. Here we were introduced to the families we would spend the next 3days with. Experiencing a completely different culture came as quite a shock but was none the less an exciting and rewarding experience made even better by the warm welcome we received from the family.

            Arriving back in Kathmandu we were invited to spend the evening at the Happy Home where we got ‘ Rungi Chungi’ with all the other volunteers who were sharing advice about their own experiences.

             We were up bright and early the next morning as we had to catch our bus to the point where we would start our white water rafting. This was one of the most exhilarating experiences we have had out here. The guides were so enthusiastic and catered for everything from cooking our food to pitching our tents. When the river was calm it gave you time to sit back and admire the beautiful setting, and when it was rough, the adrenaline rush was unbelievable.

            Our destination was Chitwan National Park. Here we relaxed after rafting and watched the sunset over the river. Our stay in Chitwan definitely provided one of the highlights of the holiday, not only did we get to go canoeing, on a jungle safari, on a two hour elephant ride through the jungle and watch a cultural dance show, but we also got to bathe elephants in the river. The elephants were adorable, having them splash us with water and lifting us onto their backs using their trunks, was one of the most fulfilling activities of the entire trip.

            Leaving the extreme heat of Chitwan we made our way to Pokhara to begin our trek of the Annapurna Range Mountains. We did the Ghorepani - Ghondruk 4 day trek, which was physically and mentally demanding. However the sense of achievement at the end of each day when you look out the window of the guest houses is exceptionally rewarding. Being in a group really helps keep spirits up and morale high, and even though at times it can be tough, when you take a break and look around at the stunning location you remember how worth while it is to be there.

            After returning to Pokhara we moved in with our host family at Devis Falls to begin our teaching placement. The children at the resource centre were full of energy and so happy to have a place available to them where they could come and have fun. They were also incredibly enthusiastic about learning, and even though the older children already knew a substantial amount of English, they were always ready to learn something new. The whole experience is especially rewarding when you realise that they finally grasp what you’re teaching, and that you’re making a difference. Saying goodbye to the children was hard, but knowing that other volunteers would be out soon to carry on our work was reassuring.

            Back in Kathmandu, a group of us decided that we wanted to go bungee jumping, and seen as the 2nd highest jump in the world is here in Nepal we had the perfect opportunity. Its only when you get there and stand on the bridge that you realise just how high 160m actually is. It was the most exhilarating experience of our lives, launching ourselves off a bridge, traveling at 80km per hour towards the raging Bhote Khosi River below. We all wanted to go again, but this time did the canyon swing, where you jump off the bridge and swing down through the middle of the gorge. It’s the highest canyon swing in the world, and you travel at 150km per hour. The adrenaline rush on both occasions was unbelievably invigorating.

            As were here in Nepal, we though we can’t leave without at least getting a glimpse of Everest. Therefore we decided to do the mountain flight, where you depart from Kathmandu, and fly around the Himalayas. The views from the plane are simply incredible and are defiantly worth the $130.

            Our last few days in Kathmandu were spent relaxing, sightseeing and shopping at our leisure. INFO Nepal has been wonderful in the organisation of all our activities, going out of their way to make us feel comfortable and at home in a completely foreign country. They really have made this an incredible, once in a lifetime trip.

We hope you enjoy reading.

See you soon.

Real Nepal Family