The Pin
When we were in Pyongyang, The Pin was a much coveted souvenir. Everyone wanted one. But they were not available for sale anywhere. Sure, you could quite easily get one of a North Korean flag, or a torch surrounded by patriotic words exalting the victorious motherland. But a pin bearing the Great Leader’s portrait? These...
The Kids Who Went To Jail
Krishna is 14 , Srijana, 11. They share an unusual bond. Both have spent time in Kathmandu Central Jail – not because they committed crimes, but because their mothers did and they had nowhere else to go. Krishna lived in prison for a short time before he was passed around from shelter to shelter. He...
On Youtube: Blind Cricket
In August last year, we made a little documentary about a blind former army captain and his gutsy team of visually-impaired cricket players. The film has since aired and is now on Youtube. We hope you like it. We especially love the song at the start of part two – sung by an amazing young...
Amrit
He is nine, but looks about six. Quiet, but all smiles. When you first see him, he’s sitting on the stone steps outside the children’s home. The woman who rescued him says he arrived only three months ago. He just got out of prison. His father was put there for murder. No one else wanted...
Coming And Going
The last time round, we didn’t really leave. There was still the room in the big house. A cupboard full of winter clothes. Yak wool socks. Bedding. Books, DVDs. Strange how things can link you to a place. Now though, now that the movers have been, and the packing’s done, now it feels a little...
The Weirdest Kimchi In Kathmandu
Next to the cluster of shops near the Yak & Yeti, there’s a red sign that says Pyongyang Restaurant. Walk up the steps, past the smiling girl in traditional Korean garb, take a deep breath, and prepare for the strangest culinary experience Nepal has to offer. The service is impeccable The waitresses – all barely...
Democracy Inaction
Just do nothing. That’s one way of solving problems here in Nepal. Make sure no one can do anything and then maybe something will get done. It’s been a week of continuous bandhs. First, students angry over fare hikes brought life to a standstill in Kathmandu. Then the transport union took over and taxis stopped...
Maoist Encounter
You smile at her and she smiles back. She’s tiny. And you can’t help wondering what on earth she’s doing in that uniform.
Kathmandu Cab Ride
You’re back in Nepal. You know there’s been momentous change. But everything feels the same. The king is no more in the palace, says the cab driver. Gone. We are a Republic now. The Maoists in power. Elections planned for, postponed, postponed again, and now, over. But everything feels the same. You ask the driver...
Only In Nepal
Remember the bomb blasts in Kathmandu last September? The ones that left three people dead and scores injured? The press had a field day that day – footage of blown-apart bodies and bits of people flooded our TV screens almost as soon as the tragedy happened. So. What do you do when you’re accused of...
Not Quite The Christmas We Were Expecting
Definition of a miserable Christmas : the one just past. The one wasted at Tribhuvan Airport, freezing our butts off, sipping overpriced weak tea, waiting for the skies to clear. Waiting for the plane to take off. Waiting, waiting, waiting for Christmas – the brilliant one we’d planned with exotic wild animals, and hot chocolate,...
Boudhanath
A string of visitors in recent days means three trips to Boudhanath in just two weeks. Sweet swirls of incense, chanting monks, a thousand fluttering prayer flags, this is a great place for the foreigner to indulge in some people gazing and chocolate cake. A steady stream of tourists has inevitably led to a mushrooming...
