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From 1995 to 2000 I lived in Bardia in western Nepal. During my first couple of years there bottled water had to be ‘imported’ from Chitwan and things like bread were just not available. At that time I did my shopping in Bluebird (where Big Mart is now located) on Lazimpat maybe three or four times a year. What we did have in Bardia was time… plenty of time. 

Having moved to Bardia from Singapore (go figure!) the pace of life was very different. Long hours of sitting around, especially in the hot months when to move was just too sweaty anyway. The time passed at the same rate as the seasons and was reflected in the crops being grown. There was high excitement when a salesman came along, pushing his bicycle full of wears such as lungis, ladies hair ornaments, children’s clothes, and jackets in the winter. That always passed an hour or so as everyone pulled out their wares to inspect them carefully. 

In the summer a guy came along selling basically frozen water on a stick with a slice of coconut inside. Despite the immense heat I always turned down his offer. After the initial couple of years we could get blocks of ice from Nepalganj, which were delicious to the touch and cooled off fizzy drinks as well as our hands! In short, life was laidback and slow-paced, for me at least.

Yesterday, sitting on my balcony during the lockdown, I was sipping my morning tea, watching a neighbor irrigate his newly created vegetable field, and reflecting how the world has been forced to slow down. Here in Kathmandu, instead of the clothes seller (although they do come to my neighborhood also), the vegetable seller with his basket of goods perched on his cycle is what causes a flutter of activity.

The arrival of the guy spraying disinfectant on the street brought everyone out of their houses to watch—masks tightly worn against the pungent smell. A truck with jar water caused my heart to race as my usual supplier is not delivering. With the help of my neighbor, I got four jars (two-week supply) and only had to pay for the water, not the bottles. Guess he is trusting we are not going anywhere with his empty bottles. I felt I gained entertainment, goodwill and financial bonus all rolled in one! Women are gossiping from balconies and rooftops and the men are playing cards. I can see children and grandparents interacting on the same balconies and rooftops, the children perhaps fed up with TV cartoons. Yes the pace of life has slowed right down.

The supermarkets I missed in the 1990’s are again ‘missing’. But now there are online deliveries—something the village never had. Although it’s true there was always a helper in Bardia willing to cycle off to shop to pick up whatever was available that day. Or spend the day in the next town when, eventually, a little bakery opened. Small loafs, far too sweet, were produced, but bread never the less.   

Isn’t it just as exciting waiting to see if and when your supermarket delivery will turn up as it was waiting to see what was on sale in that week’s haat bazaar? Isn’t it true today that we would all love to fight our way over the boxes that block the aisles of a certain well know supermarket chain or visit the organic market that is way over-priced? We used to stress over the amount of time activities took, trying to fit shopping in between work, looking after children and meeting with friends. Today, we have all the time in the world.  But our regular entertainments are not available to us. So for now I watch the neighbor irrigate the land, and spend more time (virtually) with loved ones.

In my personal opinion the only positive to come out of the 2015 earthquakes was that many young people went into different villages around the country for the first time. They saw for themselves how people live in rural areas and hopefully came to realize how privileged they were in their homes in Kathmandu, Pokhara, etc. Where we stand now, it’s hard to see any positives from Covid-19 other than we all know how to wash our hands!

Flippant and ridiculous as it seems, earlier we did not know how to properly wash our hands despite our mothers telling us over and over.  And for decades now development organizations have been pushing hand washing as part as their water and sanitation (WASH) projects in villages and communities around the world. The biggest challenge is that water resources are often limited and most communities have shared water taps.

So it was with interest I learned of an innovative yet simple hand washing station which involves no touching of the water ‘tap’.

A few years ago I met Sonia JM when we both worked on the communications team for Jazzmandu. After a couple of years our paths diverged and it was only recently we bumped into each other again.  Sonia was excited to explain about a low-tech hand washing technique she had come across called Tippy Tap. In these days where washing our hands may save our lives, it seemed too good an idea not to share. 

Tippy Tap is particularly useful at community level where one central tap is used. What about using such a thing outside shops that are currently providing a bucket of water for hand washing before entering?  And when we emerge through this nightmare, it would be an excellent facility for village schools.

Sonia explains further: “I was looking through the Facebook page of a friend who works in Africa and came across Tippy Tap. Wow, I thought to myself. This technology would work so well here in Nepal.” Being that Tippy Taps have worked well at community level during epidemics, including the Ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone and in school settings, Sonia says she was surprised they were not being promoted here. And decided to take matters into her own hands (no pun intended).

Just a week prior to the lockdown in Nepal Sonia installed two Tippy Tap washing stations in a project community she is working with through UNOPS HQ and rural based offices of the organization have also been encouraged to set up these washing stations and to promote them to the communities they are working with.  

So what exactly is this great low-tech washing station device?  [JT1] Tippy Taps ensures no one touches any tap since a water-filled container is tipped up to enable hand washing by using your foot to tilt the container.  Soap is hung on a string next to the container. You can even mix disinfectant directly into the water in the container. But Sonia stresses if this is done where children will use it, the soap on a rope is a better idea in case the kids try to drink the water.

Designed and initiated by WaterAid, you can follow the link below to get instructions on how to build a Tippy Tap—which I am told takes only about 30 minutes. Sonia points out that in the longer term “this can lead to long lasting behavioral change in hand washing hygiene and also demonstrate that low cost initiatives can really work. Saves water too!”

Download the super easy instructions from WaterAid here https://www.wateraid.org/uk/sites/g/files/jkxoof211/files/schools-challenge-ks1-tippy-tap-instructions.pdf

I know we are all tired of hearing about Covid-19, the fake and the real news. And as I write this no one has any idea what will happen between now and the publishing of this column. Meantime, all international flights in and out of Nepal have been cancelled and inter-city buses stopped. It feels like the earthquake, blockade, conflict years, and the curfews of the early 2000s—all rolled into one. And as I write from my self-isolation, the supply of electricity has been patchy. So add the load-shedding era to that list too. But this time we are not alone. This time the whole world is under quarantine and holding its breath. So although I’m tired of talk about this damn virus, there is nothing else on my mind.

There has been plenty of apocalyptic things written—and yes, it certainly is a seriously worrying time. But there are those who are looking on the brighter side.  You will have noticed the pollution level in the valley has gone down as the number of vehicles on the road has decreased. You might have seen the pictures of the canals of Venice running crystal clear for the first time in goodness-knows-how-many decades. Wildlife is venturing into the deserted city streets and the environmentalists are taking—we cannot call it a break but let’s call it a pause—from their relentless campaigning. 

We see governments and corporations acknowledging that it’s not those in the high- income bracket who are the (so-called) pillars of the economy and society now. It is the dedicated medical staff and self-sacrificing retail and delivery personnel keeping us all going. Yes, indeed, the world has turned on its head.  A new order is perhaps beginning. A levelling of society, a redistribution of wealth maybe. And we will have to suck it up and get used to it. 

Meantime in Nepal, as I write this, nothing fundamentally has changed in my area.  Small teashops are still crowded with chatting men, women are still buying from well-stocked vegetable sellers, and children are still playing in the street. I don’t know if this will still be the same by the time you read this. Right now, however, it seems we have still not accepted the reality of the situation, or we are still depending on whatever deity we believe in to protect us. 

While we are in a semi-lockdown, some parts of the world are in complete quarantine. Whether because things have gotten so bad or in order to try and prevent the worst.  ‘Levelling the curve’, is a phrase we are perhaps now familiar with. Like ‘social distancing’, these are phrases we did not know until a few weeks ago. My parents are in long-term government recommended quarantine in the UK as they fall into the over 70 and therefore more vulnerable, category. My sister is in lockdown in California along with another 40 million people in that State. My other sister and her family are in self-quarantine. And billions of people have similar stories.    

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if Covid-19, like the Angel of Death who passed over the Israelites, passed over Nepal? But realistically, this is highly unlikely, regardless as to which religion or deity we believe in. So, it’s up to us. Nepal has an amazing capacity to stand on the brink of disaster and somehow pull herself back. Let’s do the same this time. Let’s not fall into the abyss. As many Facebook posts tell us—when else are we going to be able to save the world by simply lying on the couch and watching Netflix? Good luck and stay home.

I soon discover that Fluffy not only likes outdoors, he loves the mountains and has accompanied trekking clients on several treks. So where exactly has Fluffy been? I was told so far he has gone to Manaslu and Upper Mustang. Ideally, he pre­fers to run on snow but as long as the temperature is low he is happy with whatever trail he gets to follow.

And what do the clients on the trek think of having Fluffy along? “Clients just love to have Fluffy on the trek. He runs ahead and waits at forks in the trails as if he is really guiding them,” explains Guragain. “Somehow it makes the guests feel secure to have him along. You know, because dogs in other coun­tries are used as both rescue dogs and as pets. People just feel more comfortable knowing he is there, and in the evening he loves being petted around the fire.” Seems he is a goodwill ambassador for Nepal!

From the pictures I was shown of Fluffy on Manaslu, I see he was at Larke Pass. With a height of 5,167m I wonder if he feels altitude the same way we do. Well, seemingly dogs can get altitude sickness, but it’s not as common as in humans. “Since our clients are going slowly for acclimatization reasons, Fluffy automatically goes slowly too. We just need to ensure that, like us, he drinks enough on the trip,” adds Guragain.

When not on treks Fluffy lives in Kathmandu with Guragain and a new addition to the household, Charlie, a nine-month-old Golden Retriever who although too young yet to go on treks, is a wonderful companion for Fluffy. Currently Fluffy accompanies Charlie on day treks around the Kathmandu Valley. Perhaps getting him ready for longer treks in the future?

I for one would love to have Fluffy on my trek and I’m sure the clients have lots of great stories and photos to take home of the time they went trekking in the Himalayas with a Husky! 

For more information about Fluffy’s experiences on the treks see Magical Nepal on Facebook or https://www.traveloutset.com

You might have noticed some countries going crazy over toilet paper. And in case you think you are missing out on something, and personally I am wondering a bit myself, here are my top six things we can do with it.

1. Insulate your home: As we know houses in Nepal are rarely, if ever, insulated. Particularly those made of concrete. Hot in the summer, cold in the winter. So while those living in traditional mud brick or bamboo houses are laughing at us in the winter as we shiver in our fridge boxes made of concrete blocks, we can now have the last laugh. Use your hoarded toilet paper to create a barrier between yourself and outside world—for insulation I mean. But of course if you don’t get on with your neighbors you could always use it to block off your windows and gate to keep nosey parkers out too. Saves money on curtains as well. Bonus!

2. Ear plugs: As your neighbors retaliate to the fact they can no longer peek into your home to see what you are up to by turning up the volume on their TV or YouTube channel, simply stuff your ears with toilet paper! Excellent also for those with teenagers who play MTV at high volume.

3. Escape route: If you really cannot stand your neighbors (or kids) any longer, simply unroll the toilet paper and create an escape rope to climb out of your window. Don’t forget to use double-ply for this. Also very handy for teenagers trying to head to Thamel without parents’ permission in the evening!

4. Decorate early for Tihar: I’ve always been surprised that Tihar decorations tend to stay up for months after the festival has been and gone. So here is another way to get one up on the neighbors—decorate now for this coming Tihar! If you are artistic, you can color the toilet paper or make spectacular flowers out of it. Alternatively, spend a little more money and get some already decorated with dolphins. Also good practice for your next wedding. Just think how lovely the party palace or bride’s car will look decorated with toilet paper flowers. More savings!

5. Get the kids involved: Once you have the house decorated, your kids will want to do more! One suggestion is to wrap yourself up in toilet paper and play Invisible Man or The Mummy. Hours of fun! Too exhausting? Use the empty cardboard toilet roll holders you now have by the dozen in a more peaceful activity. There are a million and one things—okay, slight exaggeration—to do with the toilet paper inners.

Make puppets. Either the more basic kind by simply drawing faces onto the cardboard roll. Add legs and arms by cutting up another roll. But come on folks, let’s get more artistic here. My favorite is wrapping the roll with wool you have stolen from Grannies knitting bag. Cover the roll with glue first so it sticks. Add eyes and a tail and there you have an animal of your choice. For older children, let them make gifts such as pencil holders or (artificial) flower holders. The list is limited only by your imagination!

6. Write your memoirs: Forgot to stock up on writing paper? Fear not, you can always write your memoirs on toilet paper. Who knows you might become the next big thing in print! And if your potential Booker prize winner is a flop, you know what you can do with the manuscript. 

Almost a year ago I wrote about the Nepal Padayatra 2019, the brainchild of Homraj Acharya to help bring social justice to the millions who suffer from caste discrimination in Nepal. In March last year I met Acharya along with fellow walkers Ashok Darnal and Reeta Pariyar in Kholpur on Day 11 of their 54-day journey. This week, I caught up with Acharya again.

In a brief recap, Acharya explains, “In my earlier work, I came across a lot of caste discrimination in labor-intensive work places. I wanted to find out if this was still the case at the household and community levels: What were the drivers behind continued, although legally outlawed, discrimination and what were the blocks to ending this discrimination? Hence Nepal Padayatra.” And what are some of these drivers and blocks? Overall, the Padayatra team saw that while on the surface equality tends to be practiced, caste discrimination still exists. They witnessed many excuses for this continued practice. Acharya gave the example of grandparents passing down their prejudices to grandchildren, and of social pressure from neighbors and other family members; which perpetuates the system.

As caste discrimination is a touchy and potentially volatile topic, I asked whether there were any incidents on the road. I was told there were threats in some areas and they were aware that if they fell sick naysayers would use this as an excuse to say ‘look what happens when you go against tradition’. Thankfully there were no serious problems and no one got sick.

I wanted to know about the positives of the journey. According to Acharya, meeting and connecting at a personal level with different communities—being welcomed and offered food and accommodation—was the highlight of the actual journey. “Wherever we went, people would come out to listen to us or walk alongside us. We had no real expectation as to how many people would turn up. But by the end of trip the vibration rippled out and over 5,000 people came to meet with us at Baglung,” says Acharya.

Last year Acharya told me the walk was organized entirely without NGO or other funding. To accept funds would be missing the point of the initiative. It turned out the generosity of communities and individuals was enough. Many of those who came to listen were open-hearted enough to give Rs 10 or Rs 20 to this self- and community-funded walk.

Any negatives? Blisters! The least pleasant part of the 54-day walk were the blisters (yes, I saw those blisters even on Day 11). And the permanent damage done to two of Acharya’s toes with all that walking. Sometimes 40 km a day.

What comes next? Acharya tells me he expects the momentum to be kept up. Having reached out to Bipin Sharma, chairman of the Suchana Chautari Sanchar Cooperative Society Ltd, Sharma will be working to galvanize the cooperative machinery in the country. “We need community-led change, whether it be through cooperatives, user groups, cottage industries, clubs, etc. Hopefully a conglomerate of them all,” says Acharya. To ensure this, over the next four years, a ‘compliance fellow’ will be selected, motivated and trained within every municipality. This fellow will then connect the community to the government through talks and discussions, to bring social justice at all levels.

And what of the walkers themselves? Acharya will be involved in working with the potential compliance fellows on social justice, climate change, and local entrepreneurship. Ashok Darnal continues to write about social justice through his journalism and Reeta Pariyar is continuing her social activism.

To see more of their story, you can find them on Facebook under Nepal Padayatra 2019.

Festival time is here again in Nepal. Scotland has basically Christmas and New Year, which kind of blend into one, and Easter. There are a few, what we call Bank Holidays—which just means public holidays when offices are closed and they are always on a Monday. And generally everyone has their annual leave. But overall there are around 10 public holidays through­out the year and 2-4 weeks annual leave depending on your employer’s policy. I’ve just done a quick count of Nepal public holidays for 2020 and have come up with 32. This includes some that not everyone will get (Christmas Day for example). But this figure does not take into account that time around Dashain and Tihar when employees simply disappear. So we can call that ‘annu­al leave’. Although in another coun­try we would call it ‘unofficial leave’ and they wouldn’t be paid for it.Ever tried to not pay someone here for the days they simply didn’t turn up?

So overall it probably works out about the same number of days off in a year. But there are definitely more days in Nepal when the whole country is shut down for some festi­val or other. And there is a definite culture of taking that unofficial time off.

Then there are the working hours. With official offices still working 10am till 4pm in the winter, an hour longer in the summer, it’s no won­der private companies also don’t keep their doors open longer. I have noticed over the past couple of years that the traffic at 9am is much heavi­er. I assume from this that perhaps offices are opening earlier as previ­ously at 9am the roads were pretty empty. Or is it just people trying to beat rush-hour traffic? Even if the working hours are say 9am till 5pm, how many staff are at their desk at 9am? Or at any given point during the working day?

I recall back in Edinburgh my bus time changed slightly meaning I was rushing into the office around 3 or 4 minutes before 9am. I was told by the boss that this was not on at all; take an earlier bus he said. Why? Because any office, or place of business opening at 9am expects to have their staff in place, calm from their journey, fresh from the bath­room, and probably with a cup of tea consumed in the break room by 9am. On the dot. Not still hanging up their coat and looking harassed from running from the bus stop.

What if that was implemented here?

Recently I had, what I can only describe as a meltdown, at my reg­ular hairdresser. He had changed premises. Again. Sixth time in sev­en years. Because it was small and extremely busy he could not do what I had made the appointment for. Yet I was the only one in the room who had actually made an appointment, one week in advance, with a reminder one day prior. My thoughts ran something like ‘I didn’t get what I expected even after seven years of loyalty to him’. His thoughts probably ran something along the lines of ‘after seven years of being my customer, she didn’t have the understanding to come back anoth­er day’. To me it’s simply lack of planning (no appointment system) and lack of commitment to a long standing customer. To him—well I have no idea. Business as usual perhaps.

What if we had, functioning, appointment systems here?

I do think the number of public holidays will decrease and the work ethic will grow. Why? Because those who live or work overseas have ingested these habits. But in the short term, I feel, like their shoes, the majority will continue to leave their work ethics at the metaphoric door in the Arrival Hall

Several years ago, I was invited by a mutual friend to attend an art exhibition opening. The event, and I forget which artist it was, was staged in a hotel in a small alleyway off Lazimpat Road. My interest was further piqued as I used to live with­in 50 meters and knew the proper­ty. This is how I met Thomas and Annette Tingstrup, the owners of the lovely Tings Tea Lounge, also known as Tings Kathmandu. Over the next few years I became a reg­ular at the many art exhibitions and social gatherings held in Tings. I also frequent it for the fabulous breakfasts with sourdough bread and cheese. Meantime, in 2016 Thomas and Annette moved to Lisbon to open Tings Lisbon but return frequently to Kathmandu. Earlier this year I vis­ited them in Lisbon and finally had time to sit down and hear the story behind Tings. “Having had quite stressful and responsible careers, in 2000 we took a year out and trav­elled the world,” explains Thomas. “During this time we noticed a lot of out-of-school children and won­dered how we as individuals could help.” And so the idea of opening small guest houses was born. The initial idea, I was told, was to open a guest house in five different coun­tries, staffed and run by locals.

First up was Kathmandu. “We wanted to keep the guest house small so that it could be managed locally, to give back to the local com­munity. So hiring local staff was a must. With our partner, Dorje Dol­ma in place in Kathmandu, we have achieved this,” explains Thomas. During their time in the corporate world, the Tingstrups stayed mainly in 5-star hotels but while travelling had been more at the budget end. What they wanted to achieve was the ambiance and friendliness of backpacker accommodation with more comfortable facilities such as on-suite bathrooms, heating and good food. An ‘oasis’ if you like for both social interaction and comfort. Exactly the type of place they would love to stay in while travelling. Job done!

I noticed when I was in Tings Lis­bon that the staff were a mix of Nepali and other European nation­alities. And the Lisbon-Nepal con­nection does not stop at the staff. While the Tingstrups’ love of art is obvious throughout both properties, in Lisbon there are two guest rooms dedicated to Nepali artists. The Kit­ten Room, with a beautiful, clean line mural by Shradha Shrestha, and the Chirag Room with paintings by Nepali artist Chirag Bangdel. Other Nepali artists, such as Aditya Aryal, are also featured in other rooms, along with artists from around the world.

An interesting twist at both loca­tions is Tings Art and Tings Tings. Tings Tings is a collection put together by Annette which includes cashmere, organic soaps, paper lamps, and jewellery all made in Nepal, and bed linens made in Por­tugal. The soaps are hand-made, as are the rings. With stones sourced from Myanmar and the settings cre­ated in Nepal, each ring is a work of art in its own right. Tings Art speaks for itself… with the aforementioned artists gracing the wall of the guest rooms and public areas and colorful murals in the Lisbon garden.

In their Kathmandu property art exhibitions have never been of the boring kind. Take the wonderful bronze sculptures feature frogs in various day to day (human) activities by Mzn Shrawan. I actually own a pair who are playing chungi. And then there is the fantastic street art of Aditya Aryal. I think I am correct to say Thomas Tingstrup took up the promotion of Aryal’s work around the world to the extent that Aryal has exhibited in New York, Copen­hagen, Hamburg, Lisbon, London and Nantes.

Like their guest houses, the Tring­strups take their art very seriously. More information can be found on their website, https://tingsart.com/. As for the guest houses, go visit, eat, sleep, explore—I know you want to