Gathering Supplies in Kathmandu
We spent today in Kathmandu. We had a well deserved slow start to the day. We had a late breakfast and then we met with the
editor of an international Nepali magazine. He is a friend of Madhav's and he's been to West Palm Beach. We talked for a little
more than an hour about our organization and water projects as we shared a cup of tea. We're going to meet again later next
week and he will run a story about our work. After the interview we left for our shopping expedition in the city. We took a taxi to
Circle Road area of Kathmandu and first we went to a bank to exchange money. Banks close at noon friday and open again on
Sunday morning. Sunday does not have the same meaning here in a religious perspective nor in economic trade. Then we
went to the Nepatap pipe company where we met with the sales manager, Bermal. We have corresponded several times over
the past month so he was expecting us and he knows about our project. We negotiated to buy 2,000 meters (6,000 feet) of 1
inch 23mm thick HDPE pipe. The factory is within an hour of Kabilash so we will arrange for a truck to pick it up and deliver it to
the village. We shared a cup of tea with Bermal and established a friendship knowing we will need to buy more pipe in the near
future. We took pictures, shook hands and settled on concluding negotiations over the phone once he confirms how much pipe
they have on hand in the factory. We don't expect to know until Monday.
After meeting with the pipe company we headed to the center of the market part of the city. We took a taxi to Durbar Square.
There Rick was measured for a hand tailored suit - traditional pants and shirt and a western style sports coat ($100). Can't wait
to see it when we pick it up on Wednesday. Unfortunately the dress maker was closed where Cordella ordered a dress two days
ago so we will return on Wednesday. We walked the endless streets, allies, squares and market areas finding it difficult to resist
all the bargains. There were so many hand made items, shorts, hats, bags, carvings, hand bags, brass, silver and everything you
would expect find in a bazaar. We took a walk through a Buddhist temple and ran along the prayer wheels as we took in the
smells from the burning incense. It was a strange mix of Buddhist monks, local Napali and endless tourists from around the
world.
We found an embroider shop where they will hand stitch our logo (WFSV) onto a few of the hats we bought. After a few hours of
shopping we were very hungry and Madhav wanted to find the "best Napli restaurant in town". After a few wrong turns in the
maze of streets we finally found the restaurant. We climbed two flights of stairs and took a table near a window. It turned out to
be a wonderful all you can eat Thakali style platter. We had seconds on the rice, fresh greens, dal, chicken, fish and yogurt. Rick
had Nepali Ice beer. After we were full we paid the bill and went back down to the street to catch a taxi back to the hotel ($2.00).
We didn't climb any rice terraces today but by the end of the day we were exhausted. Struggling with the language and logistics
takes a toll. Tomorrow a driver will puck us up and drive us u into the high mountain region of Pokhara where we will take a 3
day tour to experience the wonders of Nepal to fully connect with the people and support the tourist economy.When we return
we will check on the progress of the pipe delivery and maybe take one more day trip to Kabilash. The mayor has been calling us
keeping us up to date on the curing of the concrete and commitment of the people in the village. We're going to tour a
mountain region while we wait for the concrete to cure and for delivery of the pipe.
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