Last few days in Kathmandu

After Pokhara, I came back to Kathmandu with only a day and a bit left before leaving for Australia. I felt somewhat at a loss, so much that I wanted to do yet disinclined to do anything but potter about. It didn't help that Maria, with whom I'd spent pretty much 24 hours a day for the last three weeks, had opted to stay in Pokhara a few extra days and wouldn't be back before I left.

So in those days I mooched around Thamel, the touristy part of town, hung out with cute Maria, Jolie and a few other trekking buddies and tried to get myself in order for the next stage of my travels. I also caught up with Namrata and other teachers and parents from MotherCare and went for a tour of John Dewey School, which had finally opened (the one I thought I was going out to write curriculum for). It was also lovely to see Sapna and Rabi, who treated me to a delicious goodbye dinner.

I made it back to Orchid Garden for one morning and it was wonderful to see the kids I'd become so fond of again. It was the new school year, though, and many of my favourites had moved on. I spent the morning comforting a new boy who had not yet become accustomed to being so far from his mother and cried for her non-stop. I also went to visit Nishant, the little boy I'm sponoring, and Jenisha, the little girl my Mum is sponsoring, in their new schools. Here they are. Jenisha is the shy one in the back corner:

It was great to see Nishant looking so happy after reports from Maria that he'd been kind of glum at the end of last term: