I was greeted with warm handshakes at school this morning by the teachers who had heard about my climb to the top of Devchuli yesterday. I watched a sign language exam in the Deaf Unit and then Ramesh took me on a tour of four primary schools. Nepal Schools Trust, on whose behalf I am in the village, have done great work here including putting in water filtration systems, building new classrooms and providing whiteboards for every classroom. During the afternoon,...

I have just returned from climbing Devchuli mountain - at 1,932 metres, a tiddler by Nepali standards but half as much again as Ben Nevis. Looking up at the peak which dominates the skyline, I cannot believe that I have stood at the top today and I am proud of that but also really tired as a result.. Nepali people are not great at estimating time - after all why should they be? The mountains have been here for millions of years and people have lived in these hill...

A local man just up the road has died overnight and friends and family are gathering outside his house to pay their respects this morning. There is a strong community spirit in all the towns and villages across Nepal and this is yet another example. He will be cremated along the river bank this afternoon and then his widow and sons will not touch anyone for thirteen days, after which the period of mourning will be over. I did some more teaching with classes 7 and...

I spent another day at Jana Jyoti school today. I love the assembly where the teacher blows his whistle repeatedly at regular intervals and the students do physical exercises accordingly, they then sing the national anthem before one young pupil speaks out loud that classes are to begin. I did a little Maths with the first year primary class doing 'carry over' additions! And then observed some science and Maths again with a year 6 class which is the largest in th...

If you have never been to Nepal, your image would probably be of mountaineers on snow clad Himalayan peaks or trekkers on valleys or mountain passes. Here in central Nepal, in what is the now the 'pre monsoon' season, the picture is somewhat different. Yesterday, according to Shankar, was a staggering 42 degrees Celsius and it zaps your energy. By 7.30 last night, I was in a deep sleep and had to be woken for my evening meal. Today is equally hot. I spent the mor...