From the fog drifting through the forest on the hill above to the valley of rice slowly growing below, Tansen is a very peaceful place. The dogs and crows make the most noise. Well, there is one exception: the bazaar. Everyone does their shopping here. Fruit and veg, bangles, digital clocks, bright fabrics and chunks of goat are all for sale. People walk the streets loaded up with goods and move over for the motorbikes, which beep their way through the crowds. Most of the shops sell brands from Nepal and India, but a few stock some familiar items like Berri juice (made in Australia!), Toblerone chocolate and Kellog’s cereal. In my spare time I like to hang out in the bazaar and practice my Nepali with the shopkeepers. We talk a lot about the FIFA World Cup! The common questions are: Which country are you from? How long are you here for? Do you like Nepal? Are you married? And I attempt to answer them in Nepali! The sentence structure is different to English, making it hard to become fluent. Mero desh Australia ho translates my country Australia is! But the Nepali people are extremely patient and forgiving, helping me out. There really is no rush to do anything here. Tomorrow might even mean next week, but that’s okay. I find it very liberating not having deadlines! So it is a very peaceful life in this lovely little place in Nepal.
Holidays!
Already? I hear you ask. Yep, and I’ve made the most of my two weeks off, travelling by jeep, bus, taxi, motorbike and on foot to various places in Nepal. Back in Kathmandu for a week meant stocking up on supplies not available in Tansen and catching up with the people I first met when I arrived. I joined 500 locals to watch the World Cup Final on a huge screen in a suburban street. Luckily Spain scored just before the rain started to bucket down. I spent two nights in Pokhara with Rachel, a med student from England. We swam in the hotel pool, rowed a boat on the lake, and while she was paragliding, I went off to a waterfall and a Tibetian refugee camp. I also enjoyed a day nearby Tansen, exploring an old palace by the river with a local friend. I’m so appreciative of the opportunity to enjoy the special things about Nepal, particularly its beauty, and I give glory to God for making such an incredibly cool, mountainous place! Come and visit any time; you know you want to!
