To Australia and Back, then a Week with Kevin Rohan

After finishing our Annapurna Trek, we  had around 2 weeks left in Nepal before our visas expired.

The first week or so we split between relaxing in Pokhara for a few days (pretty boring, reminded Shoshi and I of the same pretty boring time we spent there 13 years ago after EBC) and heading out for 3 days trek from Australian Camp-to-Astam with Liat and Omer, who we had met on Annapurna.  It is a low level trek through the valley, around 2000m at its highest point, but with stunning views of the Annapurna Range, it was definitely worth getting up at 5am each day for the views!

It also provided us with two more 'only when travelling' experiences!  First, in our Astam guesthouse, we stumbled onto the birthday party of a Nepalese Government Minister (something to do with the Army but we weren't sure exactly what) who invited us to join the celebrations.  We helped them sing 'Happy Birthday' in broken English and then watched as they downed a couple of bottles of dodgy Nepalese whiskey and cake.

The following morning we got the bus back to Pokhara, officially the most overcrowded bus in history. Shoshi also made a livelong friend, who can be seen in the photo below, who for the last 3 weeks has been sending Shoshi daily messages of "I miss you so much".  I kid you not, Shoshi is officially being stalked!

For our last week in Nepal, we spent a special week volunteering at the Kevin Rohan Memorial Eco Foundation.  Kevin Rohan Gurung died aged 7 in 2008 after a tragic accident.  His parents, Krishna and Leela set up the KRMEF in 2010 to make a real difference in the lives of impoverished people in their local village in the Kathmandu valley.  9 years later, they have built an amazing Foundation which delivers life-changing opportunities for families affected by poverty, illiteracy, earthquakes and more.  A special couple who have taken a terrible tragedy and turned it into something that will be making a difference for generations.

Eyal with Krishna

We got involved by painting the library building, making children's toys in the carpentry workshop,  jewellery designing, working in the eco-garden and more.  We were lucky enough to share our time there with another Israeli family, also with 3 kids, and it added more to the whole experience.

The icing on the cake of our stay was a day in the village of Pharping, where Krishna had arranged for all of the volunteers to visit the village as part of their tourism drive.  Pharping is a very under-developed village and they are just at the start of their journey to attract tourists but they put on a brilliant day for us, we were immersed in the local culture, food, song and dance.

Me and the Village Mayor

A memorable day to end a fantastic month in Nepal, one that will live long in the memory.

We woke on 30th May and headed to the airport, ready to catch our flight to Delhi.

Bring on India, you've got a lot to live up to...