COMINGS AND GOINGS 2

Since there were no more lessons, but only exams, Amanda, Tess and Maya decided to return to the childrens' home where they would be more useful. I decided to stay at the monastery for a few days to continue my English lessons with the Lama and I wanted to walk out further along the road to explore the district a little. I also thought it would give Amanda a few days by herself, or as she put it a few nights without my snoring.

I had planned the afternoon walking on the day they left, however an hour after their departure two new volunteers arrived. These were two Dutch girls, Ronne and Eva, who were with the same agency as us but had been working at a different orphanage in Pokhara. They were medical students, both in their final year of becoming doctors. They had come to the monastery to work in the clinic there.

However this afternoon they joined me and one of the monks on a 10km walk in the countryside. It proved very interesting. We met another group of young monks who lived in a rented house. They were out the front with their gowns hitched up playing cricket when we arrived. On the way back we joined them in their punja or prayer session. They were a lot more disorganised and rowdier than at the monastery. At times they were even flicking rice at each other during the prayers. At times during the prayers they played drums, cymbals, horns and two very big horns. These were about 4 metres long and when they played them I could feel the vibrations in my chest.

We met a lot of other interesting characters on the walk and even helped push start a bus. We observed a man milking his cow, men making baskets, women carting rocks in baskets and women carting huge loads of wood. Many were happy, even amused at us wanting to photograph them.