Below are a few videos that we took during our time on mission. They give a brief glimpse into our time in Nepal, the difficulties and the fun times that we all shared together. As we re-watch them now, there's a bit of nostalgia creeping in and we do miss Nepal and their people.
This is just a snippet of the traffic in Kathmandu. Using your car horn isn't considered rude in Nepal, it is used to tell other drivers that you are there and it's a courteous gesture so other drivers can acknowledge your presence and not crash into you as you go past. Blinkers are also used differently, they're sometimes used to indicate direction however they are often used to indicate to the vehicle behind you which side to overtake you on.
So essentially, everything you learnt about driving is thrown out the window.
Don't use your indicators, mirrors are optional and you don't have a blind spot, you'll hear them coming.
This was at Gongabu church in Kathmandu on our first Saturday in Nepal. We really loved the Nepalis joy in singing their praises to God. Their tamborine skills are great too!
We visited the 'Monkey Temple' on one of our first few days in Nepal. One particular monkey almost hung itself.
Our home for three days in Matra Guan. Kumar (the person you see in the video) belonged to this family home and he came with us to do mission as well. The family were so gracious in allowing 16 unknown people stay with them. The video pans past Kumar, to the outside bed that Dan and Joan slept on (next to the rooster which woke them every morning), then to our toilet (blue door), then past the steps out of their yard and past the bare bones of our makeshift shower. Oh, and you see the view too.
On the first morning of our stay in Matra Guan, the septic tank that belonged to the family's one toilet was full. Tim and Bruce stayed back that morning when the rest of us did ministry to dig the pit that you see at the end of the video. They then dug some channels which ran the sewage down to the pit. Then...they pulled the plug. They have to do this every six to eight months each time the septic tank becomes full.
These guys just crashed a school yard and started trying to play soccer with the kids. Apart from Yona, it looks like that the team weren't as agile in their hiking boots next to kids with flimsy footwear or none at all.
This video shows the walk from Kimghech and Kimjeng's room down to the toilet and sink area in Thansing. It shows our precarious stairs and all the animals around our lodge. Imagine that walk at night time! The soapy water that you see on the ground just before the pipes is from our shower, next to the sink at the end. The pipe just flows out onto the path. Just as a side note, Tim and Colin were both wearing the same thing that day.
This was the first bridge that we encountered on our two hour walk to church in Ratomate from Thansing where we were staying. Look how fast the local Nepalis did it, they got skills. It was also a very foggy morning, the fog usually hung around until about 9am.
Gosaikundu Lake sits at 14 366ft (4378m) - twice Kosciusko, but less than half of Everest. It is incredibly desolate and surreal...until you see the Korean tourists.
They decided to improve the serenity by chucking ice along the top of the lake.
This was our drive from Dunche to Kathmandu, at the end of the mission trip. The roads are cut into the sides of the mountains so we drove over landslides and sometimes precariously close to the edge.
Thamel markets, Kathmandu. All the locals do their shopping here, including Suresh who you see at the end of the video.
