Young Weasel is currently in Nepal, working with a children's orphanage in Kathmandu. Apart from helping out, he is making a film to promote the work of the Nepali Children's Trust. Last week Young Weasel accompanied some of the kids from the orphanage on a trek from Pokhara. Here is part of an email he sent me. ( I have emailed him back to ask for more details!)
The trekkin was hard, but worthwhile for the fantastic views, waking up and going to sleep next to mountains was surreal, the whole trip could have been a dream. I have memories of showering under a 100ft waterfall, riding a rickety Nepali style big wheel made of wood, where you actually feared for your life! And boating on a lake surrounded by mountains! I got a bit of fever/saw throat on the trip, but pushed through it and am ok now. The kids were amazing and powered up and down the step rocky paths like mountain goats, despite the lack of limbs! Our bus was hijacked by Maoists settling a dispute!! long story!
The maoists he writes of are utterly unpredictable. They range from casual acceptance of tourists and foreigners to kidnap, torture and "re-education". According to the BBC,
In the summer of 2004, the rebels abducted hundreds of school children for a week-long "re-education" course on Maoist ideology right under the noses of the security forces on the outskirts of Kathmandu
Welcome to planet real! (more about Maoists in Nepal HERE)
More when I have it!
On a more sombre note, we had lots of discussions about the trip before Richard went. We both know that life is for living. At 23, Richard has experienced more in the last few weeks than some people do in a lifetime. What else is life for but to explore and to live it to the full? He is going to be in Nepal for a few more weeks and I shall post more soon, when he sends it.
4 comments:
If you don't hear from him in a few days it might be worth getting the British Consul notified. Phone communication abroad is unreliable but you could get him a mobile with a tracker. How do you send it out though? Can't stop mine from venturing out so far when they're old enough but it's hard to let them out into the big bad world.
Bloody Stagecoach.
Whatever, WW, you must be rightly proud of your son and heir. He, as he wrote, has some amazing memories which I am sure people would love to read in a book.
Bravo. Young men must get away and prove themselves to themselves. My son took himself off to Costa Rica, to surf Witches Rock, wherever that is, and gained a huge ammount of character from the experience.
I look forward to more news from Nepal.
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