In the Fast Lane

My landlord Ram giving me a ride into town.

Tihar (Diwali): Festival of Light

Festival of light
And
Of shadow
Of course
One cannot exist
Without the other
But who wants to celebrate shadow?
The dark side of the moon
The deep ocean
Our inner demons
The place where danger lurks

We are not encouraged
To engage
To explore
To confront shadow

It takes courage
Which, when taken
Can be most enlightening


Tihar festival in Nepal, also known as Diwali in India, is not only the festival of light but also the start of the Newari/Nepali New Year. Newars are the people inhabiting the Kathmandu valley.

Broken Boon in Need: Update 2

For the first time since Wednesday I saw Pasang smile. He also responded for the first time to my questions. His parents also looked a lot more relaxed. They must have finally realised that financial help was coming through. Pasang was released from hospital today. With that my involvement will end.

Last night I visited Swiss people who helped me with Teo’s text in German. It was quite late by the time I left. Public transport in the city finishes at around 9 pm. A bus did come my way. I waved, as you do here if you want to board a bus. It stopped but was empty of passengers. The driver and conductor were on their way home from work. That did not stop them to take me and drop me off where I needed to be, free of charge.

How is that for service, where in the (first) world would that happen? Little things like this make Nepal such a great place. Despite all the poverty and suffering human kindness prevails here. Even a 10- year armed conflict could not destroy that.