Day 9 in Nepal - Market Day, Patan Clinic, A Tiny Room, and A Long Bridge.

I am sitting here in the dark with the flickering light from a candle and the glow of my laptop accompanying me. Powercuts in Nepal are common, they happen constantly throughout the day and the power tends to cut off during the night. Although all the power is gone, somehow the wifi is still working though… hence you receiving this blog post.

We started the morning at 4:30am, as the team and I were booked into an early morning flight over the himalayas… but as we sat on the plane anticipating take off the crew informed us that the flight was cancelled as there would be no visibility. So with time to kill in Kathmandu, I headed off to the market in Patan to grab some breakfast. I love markets in England, but in Nepal they are even more glorious, full of smells, colours and vibrant people. I was drawn towards the shops and immersed myself into Nepalese culture by haggling away and getting good deals for the items I purchased.  

At 9:30am the Patan Leprosy Clinic opened, so we headed away from the bustle of the market and went to the hospital where the clinic was held. The Patan Clinic happens every wednesday morning, they treat leprosy patients, diagnose people with suspected leprosy and offer scholarships to certain children of leprosy-affected parents. It was great seeing this clinic in action, the doctors and staff working hard so they can see all the patients who have turned up.  

After the clinic we headed off to the village of Danchai outside Kathmandu to visit the Barsha Self Help group that was set up by the lepsosy mission. This is a group was given 20,000rupees seed money to start, this money has been invested in cattle and now the group has grown to 11 members, all of whom are investing into the fund so that they can improve their own economic status, see their children educated, and eventually get out of the conditions that make them so susceptible to diseases such as leprosy. While visiting the group I was invited inside the small 80 year old house owned by the group’s secretary and his wife. The house was small, without electricity, and full of flies… upstairs there were two small rooms and a tiny storage space, the room pictured is where all their children sleep.

After the long and hot journey back to Anandaban hospital, I ventured out for a walk around the surrounding countryside, we found a narrow bridge that reached from one side of the valley to the other, I love the symmetry that can be found in bridges and structures such as this. 

I’m off trekking tomorrow morning until saturday, so internet is very unlikely. You’ll get a big blog post on Saturday!