January 4th 2006

It was 2 in the afternoon before I got all of the last minute errands done and was heading out Rt. 33 towards Weston on a journey that would eventually lead to India and Nepal. The reality still had not taken hold that I was going back to two of the places I have most enjoyed visiting in my life. For the past five months, there have been many people assisting me in some way to make this a reality. Last years experience was so incredible that to not return, continue the work in the villages, and strengthen the bonds of new friendships would have left something missing within me. It began with a dream of continued service, the writing of the grants to fund the travel from Rotary International and a District Simplified grant to support the service projects. To elicit additional support I made presentations at clubs, called on folks thru email and by phone, and generally pleaded for donations of materials from around the state. It had all come together and of course only through the collective efforts of people who care.

Well, almost everything. Rotary International had sent me the tickets for Jim and I weeks ago and we were waiting on the balance of the funds that was to pay the additional expenses we would incur in the travel end of this. I had called RI last week to let them know I didn’t have the check and then again yesterday to get them checking on it. In the end it took them over 24 hours to track the funds and on my way up I-79 they called to let me know that on the 29^th of December they had been electronically deposited in my account. It would have been good to have my bank send me a deposit notice or RI to send a confirming email. But it all worked out, I wrote Jim a personal check that he took to his bank just before the flight from Morgantown.

We had collected a lot of donations and in weight had four 50 + lb. Bags of school supplies, five laptops, and assorted other materials. Since we were flying out of such a small terminal, the planes had limited weight restrictions and we ended up paying $330 in extra baggage. Had we been leaving from Pittsburgh or Dulles we would not have incurred the charges.

We spent the day airport hopping form Morgantown to Pittsburgh to Chicago. We had a seven-hour layover in Chicago. We found our way to the international terminal and settled in for the wait. This was really the first chance Jim and I had to spend time together. We have worked on putting this together by email, phone and two very short in-person meetings. So we shared some lunch a couple of beers and began to explore each other’s lives.

The flight to London was seven hours. We flew British Air and if you are ever flying to Europe or Asia, there is no finer airline. The legroom is more than other airlines, the service is personal and friendly, and the food very good, and the only extra charge is for alcoholic drinks, although you do get a red or white wine with your meal at no charge. Additional tips get an aisle seat or an exit row because then you can move about more freely.

The flight was comfortable but it is near impossible for me to really sleep on a plane. I need to be pretty exhausted to do so. We were hoping to get some sleep because we would arrive at around 9 am and have the day to explore a part of London. Heathrow is a series of four terminals, all seemingly built helter-skelter although there may be some sense in the maze that took us around the complex. When we landed, we were at a remote location of the airport and had to take a bus into the international terminal where we had to clear customs and collect our baggage because our layover was 24 hours. Instead of hauling it to the hotel, we checked it into the "Left Baggage" department (four of the six bags) for a cost of $30. We then made out way to terminal 2 and station 12 where we would catch the H8 bus that would take us the hotel.

The Rotary International Travel Service had made us a reservation at a Comfort Inn at a very modest cost of only $73. The catch is that if you watched TV it charged by the minute, if you wanted Internet it was by the minute, etc. We touched nothing! We were soon on our way to London by way of Heathrow Airport. It seems that in order to connect with appropriate transportation it was based out of the airport. Each ticket one-way cost 4 pounds which is about $7+ and we ended up doing this 4 times each! London is very expensive; the exchange rate does not favor the dollar here. The weather was very chilly but tolerable in our walking. We took the "Tube" to downtown, also 4 pounds but is was very clean, comfortable and of course filled with all of these English speaking people. The tube exited under "Big Ben" and the parliament building. We were essentially in the heart of the tourist area and within walking distance of Westminster Abbey, which was incredible. We went in the side chapel and it had beautiful stained glass windows, high arched ceilings, and bodies buried in the aisles. We saw the English "Bobbies", one with a machine gun, the red coated and horse mounted Queens Guard, went to Trafalgar Square and then to the National Gallery.

The National gallery was a real treat and one that we just came upon. It was free admission (rare here) and the exhibits were divided into time periods. We happened to go into the late 1800 period and came upon the Van Gough "Sunflowers", a Picasso Blue Period painting, Matisse, Cézanne, and on and o n. It was an incredible cultural treat.

By then it was dark and neither of us had eaten since the evening before, passing on the airline breakfast. So when in England you’re supposed to do fish n chips and English beer. We found a nice little pub and settled in for the meal. We met some American students at the next table that were here for two weeks of study and fun. They were also doing the fish/chips/beer thing. While we were waiting on the food, an Ethiopian Protest march came by the pub with police escort. There were about 20-30 protesters who were making others aware of the rights not afforded immigrants and others. London is a very diverse city and the country has had in the past a liberal immigration policy. We have seen this issue be very politically sensitive in our own country for many reasons.

Earlier in the day we had stopped to speak with a man (Brian) who has been holding a peace vigil in the same area four for years. He is protesting Britain’s involvement in the war in Iraq. He is also running for a seat in Parliament. We thanked him for his dedication to the "No War" policy and wished him luck in his bid for a seat in the political process.

So after a fair meal (the fish and beer was good the "chips" were half done fries, we headed back to Heathrow via the tube and then by bust to the hotel. We were up at 6:30 and on the 7am bus to the airport the next day ready for the next leg of the trip.

We retrieved our "Left Baggage", checked in for tickets, got thru security pretty easy and settled in for a cup of morning coffee. We had a little over an hour before boarding. Part of the fun being in public places is watching others. We are so fascinating in our need for both individuality and conformity and our expression of both in dress, hairstyle, and mannerisms is totally entertaining.

We had to again take a bus to the plane entrance. They don’t have enough spaces for the amount of flights they have so there is a constant flow of bus traffic to and from the far reaches of the airport. We were also about 45 minutes behind schedule as the plane had landed late from a previous flight and refueling and cleaning took time. I always hope they take time to kick the tires and check the oil!

The flight to Kolkata is 10 hours. We cruised at about 600 mph at 39,000 feet and it ranges from minus 50 to minus 72 degrees outside he plane. On BA you have a televised map that keeps you updated on all this info as well as a choice of 8 movies, or 8 other TV and audio programs. We got two meals; dinner was traditional Indian cuisine and then the breakfast version, both tasty. During the flight there is plenty of aisle activity as we get tired from the sitting and begin to wander around the plane just stretching or visiting others. There were a number of babies this time but they did well. These flights are usually 85% Indian nationals.

We landed on 1/08 about 2 am. It took another hour to get through customs, collect baggage and head out to our ride. Binod, our host had sent a driver and car to collect us and he was there with my name on a sign. Luckily the vehicle was small SUV type as we were loaded down with baggage. The driver did not speak any English. It took only moments to remember the terror of being driven in a country like India and many other developing countries. Even though it was near 3 am and light traffic, driving as fast as you can while laying on your horn, flashing your lights, weaving between cars, trucks, bicycles, ox-carts, scavenging dogs, and people, with all of them seemingly in the wrong place, gives you a new perspective on the fragility of life. Live in the moment is what you must do, it may be your last!

Binod was up to meet and greet us and show us our room. We were exhausted and looked forward to a few hours sleep before getting into a very busy Sunday schedule.

We were to awaken at 7:30 am after a few hours sleep to begin our day’s activities. Binod Khaitin has been my contact for the Kolkata project. He has graciously opened his home to us for the next five days. Binod as we fund out over the curse of the first few days of meeting others, is one of the engines behind much of what has developed with the Avoidable Blindness project in Kolkata as well as many other activities improving the life of rural villagers in the area.

Bionod had to be at a meeting at 7:30. We are left to be served breakfast and then meet with his wife who will bring us to the District Conference. Breakfast is four fresh fruits peeled and cut up, a grilled tomato and cheese sandwich and hot tea. Binod’s wife comes ad introduces herself and tells us about he morning activity. She works with a group that on this day they will be feeding about 1000 poor students, arranging games, gifts, and more. It is an annual event that many women are involved with. Jim and I agree that we want to tag along for a bit.

It turns out to be a lot of fun. The smiling faces of the kids was a good start to the day. Many wanted to shake our hands and wish us a happy new year, they wanted their photos taken, and generally wanted to be engaged. We saw dancing, singing, and short educational plays, all done by the students in costume and make-up. It was an encouraging service activity by this group of women.

We made it to the conference around 11:30. There are 2000 registered attendees, this district being the largest in Rotary, encompasses parts of India, all of Nepal. Much of the activities are happening outside, the club displays are under tents, there is a large beer garden and social area and the food tents, one veg the other non-veg are also under huge tents. The main stage is in a huge auditorium that used to be open air but ha since been covered in canvas.

When we go to the main stage area the business meeting is in progress and there is a heated the going on about every Rotarian paying an additional 100 Rupees (about $ 1.25) per year into a special fund for projects. It gets so much opposition that it is finally tabled. We meet several people between sessions that will become prevalent in our activities the next five days. One is an English eye surgeon and the other a young female intern that is here to assist and learn about the Avoidable Blindness project and to be involved in some of the surgeries.

The next program is very powerful, the GSE team presentations. The presentations were not that good but the fact that they had an incoming team from England, one from Mongolia and the outgoing team from India to Mongolia. To add to this they had a Rotary Peace Scholar from the US who is studying here. The eye physician intern also spoke about the opportunities she has before her these next few weeks. Jim and I were introduced and spoke about our experiences and what we were doing there as well as in Nepal. I also spoke about the RI grants and the GSE as it relates to foundation giving.

It was then time for lunch. We headed to the veg tent and had an absolutely wonderful meal, an Indian buffet that had more variety than I had seen previously. We ate standing while meeting and talking to others. We spoke with the Peace Scholar from the US, and several folks from Nepal before wandering off to the patio area to sit and visit with other Rotarians. We had someone get us a beer and then tell us about their club project and seek our support in this. We heard several stories of wonderful projects that are positively impacting lives like the building of 400 toilets in a rural village, teaching women to sew, planting apple trees, providing free prosthetic limbs, and more, all seeking partnerships for financial support. They are doing some great work within these clubs and it is difficult knowing how limited we are in our finances because of being so small a district.

Jim headed back in to the sessions and I followed shortly afterwards. We were both very tired and asked Binod if he would mind taking us back for a rest before the evening events. Of course he did and it allowed us to get a couple of hours of sleep.

We were on the go again by 6:30. We first were going to have a drink with PDG (Past District Governor) K. Chandramohan and his wife. Binod dropped us off at a private club where we met K and his wife. Mr. Chandramohan told us that Binod was a Jain Hindu, is a strict vegetarian and abstains from alcohol. We would join then later at dinner. We had great conversations while sipping Indian whiskey.

From there we went to the Bengal Rowing Club to meet up with Binod and wife, their son and his wife and two teenage children. Mr. Chandramohan and his wife also joined us. We had another excellent Indian meal and it was topped off with a freshly made saffron ice cream! I had never had this and it was sooooo very tasty!

We then headed for home. Binod has Internet access so Jim and I both had some time on-line to at least let everyone know we are ok. We were also bone tired after a 10 hour flight, a long day and two short naps in between it all….and we were stuffed!

We both slept pretty well last night. We have a bed that is a least 16 feet wide and 9 feet long, plenty of room to stretch and not bother the other. I got up at 6 and turned on the hot water heater and then by 6:30 when I got up for the day had hot water. Now, showering here is not like at home. We have a large bucket that you fill and then a small pitcher that you use to pour the water over you. Water pressure only comes from the gravity fed tank on the roof. No matter, in the end to be clean feels good.

We have breakfast with Binod, again fresh fruits and tea. We talk about the eye projects and the matching grants they have secured to increase the funds to buy equipment for the hospitals to do the surgeries. They are very good at this.

By 8:30 we are on our way. We first go to the Eye Care Center, a hospital built by Rotarian and other donor funds. It is a four-story building with exam rooms, operatories, pharmacy, optometry, and is fully staffed. This one of the hospitals in which surgeons come to volunteer their services. Although the hospital does free surgeries for the poor, they also market to the self-pay and insured and offer separate admission areas. They are planning on expanding by adding buildings to the land, becoming an accredited teaching center, and further marketing the services and the hospital. This concept of marketing healthcare is relatively new in India.

We are off next to another small hospital where they are going to be doing surgeries and our new friend Dr. Sharon the English intern will be a part of those. We are shown the facility, how the new equipment operates (we also got a demonstration at the Eye Care Center), and then offered to go view an eye surgery. I volunteer, along with the videographer that is shadowing us as a part of a film about the Avoidable Blindness project. We put on gowns, caps, and masks and wait as they prepare the room for the patient. When she is brought in we watch as she is prepped, sedated, and then they prepare the eye area for the surgery. I stay (Binod had graciously given me a half hour) until I get several photos and then thank the surgical team for the opportunity.

I miss Jim and Binod and wander around for a bit before someone comes to find me. We are then off to another hospital where we find many patients waiting while one surgeon does the operations. She states that she may do thirty a day. They are just to begin a lens removal and implant and ask if we want to see….DUH! This time we get to see the entire process and it is amazing. I didn’t realize how much the eye can be stretched. After cutting the lens away it was sucked into a saline bag, the new optically correct lens inserted and adjusted over the cornea, and all with no sutures. And… the patient goes home that day! Wow, this is so rare of an opportunity for a non-medical person to see this and two within the hour!

We did stop for a late lunch. We are taken to the Bengal Club, India’s oldest private club. It is one of the many remnants of the British Rule which ended in 1947 but of course it was well into the 1960’s before other aspects were relinquished. The club was established in the 1820’s and to give some perspective on Binod’s status/connections in the city, he is card holder # 6 in the club. We initially were going to eat upstairs in the formal dining room but they wouldn’t let us stay as I wasn’t properly dressed. For that matter I never am and am pretty stubborn about attire and its status in societies. We did go down to the casual room and had an excellent Chinese lunch, veg of course.

Ok we are off again, this time to "Mother Theresa’s Home for Sick and Dying Destitutes". Humbling….you bet. This is sometimes the last stop in a person’s life. We met with the Mother Superior (it just seems an appropriate title, I really don’t know what it was). Jim asked questions relating to long-term care and hospice. I was surprised at how many young people were there as volunteers but there were also a good mix across the age span in volunteers. We ran into a young woman we had met on the plane and she stated she was returning for a visit and had worked there for almost eighteen months previously. She gave me a tour and then introduced us to several of her closest patient friends and they were absolute dears. Anyone volunteering has to be screened as not everyone can do this a work and it may create emotional issues for some. In reflecting on the work of the center and these volunteers, it puts what I’m doing in perspective. It doesn’t de-value it, it just sheds a different light and you see the possibilities for service much differently.

Next door to the Home is the famous "Kali" Temple. It is home to the deity for which Kolkata is named. We walked around the temple that is surrounded by a small market based on religious artifacts and temple offerings of flowers and incense. There was a constant flow of worshipers going thru the temple and market. We were shown around by a self-appointed guide and then asked for an offering, which we don’t think was going to the temple.

We then headed back to the house for a brief rest before the evening activities. I tried to email the first part of this journey but the computer says that "A" drive doesn’t have an IP address???….so I keep writing. Hopefully you will be able to read this soon.

After a short break we are taken to the "Rotary Club of Calcutta South East" for their weekly meeting. We meet up with Dr. Sharon again and several other Rotarians we have met before. There is also a woman visiting from the NY Metro Club, just happened to be in town. We are each recognized, Jim and I both present club flags and I add our district flag and bring greetings from our District Governor, Dr. J. We are provided with their club flags and then I am invited to speak about our reasons for being in Kolkata and Nepal. The meeting is interesting, cell phones going off and people getting up and leaving and then returning. It was a little rude to the main speaker but seems to be the norm.

After the meeting we stayed at the same club and had dinner with the club president, Shyam Binani and his wife; Ratan Arora; Santosh Arora, and Dr. Sharon. We had Kingfisher beers (Indian brewed}, a nice light ale while waiting for our dinner to be prepared. The conversations flowed thru Rotary Projects, children and service, getting to know more about Dr. Sharon and her husband, as well as learning more about each of us. We had dinner inside, another exquisite Indian meal topped off with a hot fudge ice cream! These social times are the defining moments of the Rotary experience, the times where differences fade and new bonds are made.

So again, we say goodnight to incredible hosts as Mr. Binani drops us off at Binod’s. When we get to the room we find a note and a sample matching grant that Binod wants to discuss in the morning. Jim and I share our thoughts on the manner in which we may want to approach this with our district. We may call Dr. J to discuss the options. We are sold on the relevance of the work here and want to assist. We are not in a position to commit the district although over time we could raise the funds for a matching grant. So again it is the process of approaching this that is the question and will be the topic I’m sure at breakfast.

January 10th, Tuesday

I didn’t get to bed until after mid-night last night and woke at 5 to the sounds of the Muslim call to prayer in the distance. After turning on the hot water I went back to bed until around 6:30, bathed and got things ready for the day. As you know I was able to email out this morning after finally catching up on writing. We had breakfast with Binod, talked more about the eye project needs throughout the district and how we can be involved.

We left a little after nine. We were headed to Dakshin Barasat Eye Hospital, about 1-½ hours driving from Kolkata, near the great delta (largest in the world) that flows into the Bay of Bengal. The ride would take us into the interior of the Bengal countryside where few foreigners venture unless they had a specific reason. This is also the home of the Royal Bengal Tiger, which unfortunately is near extinction.

The ride was an extraordinary journey into the heart of Indian life. This is where little has changed. It is still an agricultural culture and has very fertile lands due to the annual flooding and leaving of silt over the land. Vegetables, fruits, and seafood due to the proximity to the great bay are all grown and harvested for export to Kolkata and the 13 million people living there. Here you will see people even more resourceful than Appalachians. Electricity for the home is extremely rare and water has been a problem for many years. The water is naturally high in arsenic and has caused many health problems and forced the government to create safe drinking water by pumping it from elsewhere. One thing is evident, the people are full of smiles and seem happy in the midst of their poverty. If you followed last year’s notes from Nepal, I stated the same about what I found in the rural areas there. Life is very hard. The Hindu faith sustains the spirit, work sustains the body, and life is ever changing, no permanence, no guarantees….be happy, don’t worry!

When we arrived at the eye hospital we were greeted by a party of Rotarians and hospital employees, garlands of flowers and a Hindu blessing. This is always special and I never feel worthy of the honors because they always give of themselves so intensely and I don’t think I can give enough of me. We were shown around the hospital, talked about the number of people impacted, costs of a surgery here ($13) as opposed to Kolkata ($20), and looked at the equipment needs. We were also asked to assist in distributing food and blankets to the patients. We are pleased to assist in the project, the needs being served are real, but my role is for PR purposes only (the film crew was with us again today). We had a wonderful lunch fixed on site, more than we should have eaten (speaking for myself) but it is so hard for me to resist the tempting flavors of the Indian spices. Jim and I went for a short walk into the small town area and we were curiosities to most.

We were next off to see a 3 H project, which is a Rotary funding process to have access to increased sums of monies for large projects. This project is located in Ramnagar, about 45 minutes from Dakshin Barasat, still deeper into the countryside. What the Central Calcutta Club has done is to purchase land along with some that was donated and construct brick homes for the most indigent of the area. It is like a small housing project with about 20 homes and each family has a 50x 25 ft. space with the house to have a garden. They have also provided a clean water source, built a clinic, school, and vocational training center for the residents. They have planted a variety of fruit trees on the land, created a pond that filters through a sand-based system whose capacity is greater than the current needs. It is an impressive project, a coordination of fund through grants and donors, and the vision of Rotarians to respond to the basic needs of the most vulnerable of the population.

Our next destination was to the Sundarban Rotary Club’s sponsored eye clinic at Canning. This was about a 30-minute drive and again we were greeted with a small crowd of Rotarians and hospital staff. They provided roses for each of us and we later exchanged club flags. They also gave Jim and I each a letter expressing their appreciation for our visit. We toured the small clinic and saw the current equipment which was much more antiquated than the other hospitals but they still saw 4662 patients last year and provided 107 free lens implants. An encouraging aspect is that due to their proximity from a major care center they generated 100 paid lens implants during this same time. Before we left they brought out an Indian meal! It had not been 2 hours since we last ate. We had to eat something to be hospitable but I was pretty well satisfied already. Indian hospitality is overwhelming at times.

We had a long and fulfilling day. We learned a lot more about the Avoidable Blindness Project, its success and the need for growth. It is evident that Binod wants us to be part of a matching grant or take on one of the hospital projects. I am also in favor of this but for us it is a much more long-term process. We are here to explore the possibilities for partnership and we see they are pretty well endless with this 1.3 billion population.

The ride back to Kolkata is a little over two hours. We wind back through the small villages seeing life in the sun’s warm evening light. We had several close calls today and did actually run into one bicycle, a man coming from the left around a corner and we met. It was a good thump, he stayed on the bike but we kept going, not stopping to check if his tire was bent, etc. The biggest vehicle rules. Same in WV, many times pick-ups have forced me onto the shoulder on a back road, mainly young boys full of themselves.

We had an hour before dinner. Since we got back so late, Binod decided we should eat at home and so his wife and daughter-in-law cooked another excellent meal. Jim and I were both glad to stay home, visit, and hopefully get to bed earlier than last night. We talked about the places that Binod and his family has been in the US and they have traveled pretty extensively having been to NY, Texas, Florida, Pennsylvania, and Washington DC.

There is a huge relatively new Hindu Temple a block from us and Binod had mentioned that his grandson might take us there. I asked Sriwat if he would be so kind to do that, he agreed, and so after dinner we set out. You cannot photograph in the temple so cameras and shoes are left outside. Inside there are many painted and gilded statues of the Hindu gods, reliefs of scenes from the stories such as the Bahgvad Gita (sp), the birth of Krishna, etc. At each of the major gods there was an attendant to provide a holy offering of sugar for devotees so we accepted the offerings and bowed in prayer to each. It is a very beautiful structure and to be in this spiritual space was an honor.

As soon as we returned it was time to get to bed. For me that means writing the story of the day’s events. I enjoy the process of trying to capture some small essence of what the experience has been like but know that it falls short due to my limited writing ability. If you have a chance to see the photos, maybe they will add some clarity to the story.

January 11th, Wednesday

I was finished with writing and had the light out by 10 pm last night. It was the earliest we have gotten to bed and I slept soundly until 3:30 and then slipped back into a slumber until 6:30 and feel great. It does take a while to have your system get into a new rhythm especially when you are on the go so much.

After a refreshing bath I came out to find Jim and Binod on the computers checking their email. I had asked Binod yesterday if he knew where I could get an Indian calendar with illustrations of the Hindu deities on them. He had called immediately from the vehicle and they were here this morning, large and colorful. Jim and I thanked him for his kindness and all he has done. He has also provided us with two CDs of the eye projects so that we can better present the needs to our district, clubs and others. I checked email and sent yesterday’s story. Kim (WVRHEP Administrative Assistant) had checked on the cell phone service for me and apparently I had not completed the transaction on line for the World Traveler service. As usual she took care of the details and once I reset the phone did have service, so thank you Kim. At the rate of $2.30 per minute not including other local/international charges, I won’t be making many calls but for emergency contact it will be a safety net.

I spent some time this morning re-packing some clothes and other items. We have gained a few things from Rotarians and hopefully we may be able to leave a bag at the hotel where we will be staying when we return from Nepal. When we leave Nepal we will have left 75% of the luggage we brought.

Binod’s wife, Chandra Kala showed us the family prayer room. It has a small alter with prayer mat, an offering area, and several color posters of Hindu deities on the wall. They have a young man that tends the room and offers prayer throughout the day.

Jim told me that when he and Binod were on-line this morning, Binod shared a little of his life. He is retired from his business, owns a school in Delhi and has placed his funds in a trust to draw a salary. He also has a separate trust for his charitable giving. His grandfather finished his career service with the British and Binod also had business ties to them that made the transition easier for his family as the British pulled out of various segments of Indian business and social structures. He has done quite well, is appreciative of his prosperity, and shares that and his time with ease and pleasure. One of his sons, his wife and two teenage children also live here. He has another son, a lawyer in London. They have four people that work in the home doing various tasks. He is building another apartment complex ( 5 story) next to where we are and has already sold all but those he will keep for family.

Binod will not be accompanying us today as he has board meetings. We will be going to Budge Budge to see the GRSM Rotary Eye Hospital there. We will be accompanied by PDG K. Chandramohan whom we had drinks and dinner with on Monday evening. Binod’s driver took to meet Mr. Chandramohan at his house and we left from there. Budge Budge is southeast of Calcutta, about 1 hour drive. The traffic is light today as it is a Muslim holiday and the schools, banks, and some businesses are closed. Our travel takes us through some of the outlying areas of Kolkata and along the roads are the homeless squatters that have come from the rural areas to the city to find opportunities. Unfortunately, there are not many jobs for the unskilled so they make shacks out of whatever materials are at hand, pick through garbage for things to sell, buy produce in the country and try to make a few rupees on it in the city, or any number of other small paying enterprises. The outer area is developing and these people, who number in the many thousands will be displaced and no one knows to where or how.

When we arrive at the eye clinic we are greeted by a small group of Rotarians, staff and others and are honored with beautiful garlands and a single rose. Please remember this ceremony for my arrival home!!! We are shown around the clinic that is named for the parents of the German funders. The Rotarians have been very resourceful in building these clinics and the list of funders (from around the world) is very long throughout the district.

At the end of the tour we sit for coffee (Indian style, heavy with milk and sugar). The administrator, Debashis Banerjee, gave us an overview of the patient numbers, income, and expenditures so that we have an idea of how they operate. They operate in the black, which is impressive. We are also handed a listing of equipment and costs needed to upgrade and expand the services they offer. We are here on an exploratory mission to see what the needs are and how we can be involved and the Rotarians are very clear and precise about that role. What I mean by that is that they have developed the proposals for each of the facilities that have the greatest needs and are willing to step us through whatever process is necessary to help build funding. The matching grants and 3-H project applications are not something I am yet familiar with and have much to learn.

We met Pradip Chitlangia at the clinic also. He is the director of the Indian Chain Private Limited Company in Kolkata and a member of one of the Calcutta clubs. He accompanied (Jim went in his car) us to the Rotary Eye Clinic that was just a few miles away. The clinic has two chairs, one dentist and two assistants. They provide free care to those in need (they have to be screened to assess that) and are also staying in the black with paying patients.

From there we went on to Kolkata and lunch. We were taken to the Calcutta Club. The British left a club culture that has been embraced by the elite and wealthy of Indian society. The clubs in their heyday were very impressive in size with large high ceilings rooms, beautiful woodwork, great lawns for play, many bars throughout the facilities, ballrooms, dinning rooms, pools, huge flower gardens, etc. Once again we were prevented from going to the main dining area because we were not properly attired. As we did at the Bengal Club, we ate in the Chinese dining room and the food was great.

From here Jim and I had a free afternoon, although it was already 2 pm. We asked to go to a street market to look and shop. On the way we stopped by the huge lake that is in the middle of Kolkata, almost two miles long. It is a favorite of runners, walkers, and young lovers. Mr. Chandramohad dropped us at a shopping area and would return in two hours. The area was actually an older mall that had many small Indian craft shops but not the variety that I know is available. We really want to be in old Kolkata, where the Indian life is vibrant and western influences not as prevalent. We decided to walk the streets for a while to see what we might run across. It was interesting to see the street life, and sidewalk vendors in this very gritty city.

When we met Mr. Chandramohan later, we decided to go to a local museum that was featuring works by modern Indian artists. It was interesting, some very creative and some copies of other artist’s styles. The ones I liked the most were done in the traditional Indian style of depicting the Hindu faith and deities. We spent about an hour going through the exhibit.

Our next stop was back at Binod’s to relax and clean up before dinner at 7:30. We are going back to the Calcutta Club and will be meeting Mr. Chandramohan, Dr. Sharon and her host there. When we got there we met in the Tandori Room, a specialty area for barbeque meats, poultry and fish. Jim, Sharon and I had Kingfisher beers as we waited for the food. I had another excellent vegetarian meal of vegetable rice, mater paneer, and nan, a traditional bread. The conversation was very relaxed and full of laughter. I am still in awe of the incredible hosting we have experienced.

As we were leaving the club, Mr. Chandramohan ran into a friend of his, Amita Dutt. Amita is a world-renowned Hindi dancer and a professor of dance at Rabrindra Bharati University in Kolkata. She gave us a photo publicity card and then signed it to us personally. I also found out that the Calcutta Club was founded in 1907 by one of the local Maharajas in response to being refused membership in the Bengal Club, at that time an all white club. The current membership is 6000 but only about 1000 are active. The others do not want to give up their membership since it is so prestigious, many live out of the country, and there is a three-year waiting list for membership.

So, another wonderful day in this amazing country. We are blessed!

January 12th, Thursday

The morning arrived around 5 am with the Muslim daily call to prayer. I was able to drop in/out of sleep for another hour before getting up for the morning bath. Jim was up and on the computer shortly before that, checking emails and getting his presentation together for the Nepalese physicians.

I made a call to my son Kane in Everett, Washington and it was great to hear his voice. Yesterday I called my daughter Kara in WV. These are the two loves of my life. Kara emailed me to say she was enjoying reading the daily adventures, missed, loved me, and wished me safety in the travels. It is the most simple of things that sustain us through our day.

At breakfast we (Binod, Jim and me) talked more about the ways that our clubs/district 7530 can be supportive financially of increasing the capacity for providing eye surgeries for the rural poor in West Bengal, India. We decided to jointly complete a matching grant application. I called Dr. J. (our District Governor) and spoke with him about the availability of the DDF (District Dedicated Funds) and it appears that we have sufficient funds to put forth the application for review.

We have also made a donation of $250 to the Jyotirmai Society. This is the organization (all women) that sponsored the day of celebration for the almost 1000 rural poor children from 13 different schools. We had visited the activity our first day here and were very impressed with all that they were doing to improve the lives of the children.

We are off today to the Hooghly Rotary Eye Hospital. It is a 1-½ hour drive into the rural Indian countryside and will be another exciting, visual, and stimulating activity. Today Dr. Sharon Morris and her medical preceptor, Somar Samar Das will be going with us. is an Indian national who has practiced as and eye surgeon in Britain for many years. He is one of initiators of the Avoidable Blindness projects and is an absolute sweetheart of a man and a pleasure to be around. During her stay Sharon will be working at several of the hospitals we have visited to assist in the surgical eye operations as a part of her training. Binod has also arranged for her to go to Kathmandu with him on the 20^th, the day we return to Kolkata. From there and before returning to England she will be able to get to Agra, the site of the Taj Mahal. It is the most beautiful building that I have ever seen and she will be in awe of its qualities.

After last night’s dinner, Sharon had spoken with Binod about her program schedule and had arranged to have some breaks from its intensity. On our way this morning it was a topic that we all shared in conversation, easing the weight of the situation. Coming into a totally different culture and having an intensive schedule can be overwhelming. With little time to be alone, process, and reflect you can easily become overloaded. I have found in these situations that you only have to make your needs known and folks will understand, as was the case for Sharon.

For the first time in our travel here we found ourselves on a major highway, mostly smooth, straight, and with more room for the drivers to maneuver. It did take us about 2 hours to get to the clinic. Film crew trailed us again. Upon arrival there were greetings by Rotarians and hospital staff. The Rotary Club of Hooghly, which only has sixteen members, hosted this visit but they have done some tremendous work with several projects. They had made a banner with all of our names on it and it was prominently hung in the main entrance.

We had a tour of the hospital in the middle of a very busy patient flow. The main part of the hospital had been rebuilt and was over 200 years old. Samar Das said when he first saw the building he had little hope for it but when he returned the club had done wonders in saving it. They have a small van for transportation and to do the outreach work in the more rural villages. There were three surgeons there and it was going to be a busy day. They are in the process of building a new clinic and we visited that site later in the day. Their equipment also needs to be upgraded. None the less, as with the other clinics we have seen, they are providing free services to the rural poor when they have an inability to pay and building a paying client base that sustains the service work. At some point Sharon was whisked off to surgery for an operation.

Several times during the day, the Rotarians had small services/meetings with us. We had coffee, exchanged club banners, and they gave us an incredible arrangement of flowers with roses as the centerpiece. All the while the film is rolling…They are going to show this film at the Annual Rotary International Convention in Copenhagen in June to highlight the work being done throughout their district on Avoidable Blindness.

At one point Jim and I are taken on a short rickshaw ride (the bicycle type) to a local Hindu Temple. The temple is over 400 years old, and has 4 or 5 onion like spires topping the structure. It was surrounded by a moat for defense and next to it was a terra cotta temple that had its entire outer walls carved in relief.

When we returned, I asked about Sharon and was told she was in surgery and then was asked if I wanted to photograph, again…no brainer! I passed Sharon on the way up to the OR; she had just finished with several surgeries (observing). I was quickly helped into scrubs top to bottom and admitted into the room. They were just finishing with one patient and were laying another one down. I watched as they prepared the patient and then began to open a space to cut out the lens with the cataract. In the other operations the lens had been sucked thru a tube into a saline solution. During this procedure the lens was cut out and then removed manually. The surgeon held it up for me to see. It was about ¼ inches thick and very brown (the cataract). For the first time in any surgery I felt slightly faint and looked around to see what I might fall into should that happen. There was a smell that came that seemed to bring this on and I backed up and gave consciousness all of my attention and the feeling quickly passed.

I came down to find us ready to head out to lunch. On the way we stopped by the new building site to see the progress. The land had been donated and was now owned by the Hooghly Rotary Club. The old eye clinic will become a vocational training center when they move to this location.

Our lunch was at the Aquatic Hotel, a rather new place but I didn’t see a pool or water around. The food was excellent. Binod ordered for us and we just passed around the dishes until we were stuffed. While some had coffee afterwards I walked around up/down the road to have some little movement/exercise for about 15 minutes.

We next headed to a small village to see the work being done there. They had drilled a well (300 ft) to supply fresh water to a community that previously had to walk quite a distance for a source. These wells usually cost about $500 to complete. I was asked to drink from the pump while being filmed. We also saw rice flower being made by soaking it overnight and then pounding it with a large wooden hammer operated by foot, like a giant lever. It was a three-woman operation, very efficient. Sharon took a turn at the hammer. The villagers were probably either amused or confused by our presence.

Our next destination was the Vivekinanda Ashram. We were going to distribute blankets to the most needy. There also ended up being quite a few "dignitaries/Rotarians" there that stepped in to be a part of the program. It does get chilly here at night at this time of year and for those without adequate covering it would be uncomfortable. Most of those chosen, as in the other blanket donations, were the older population. There was quite a speech by a Rotarian prior to the blanket distribution, all of it in Bengali. Again the service provided is necessary but the manner in which it is done makes me uncomfortable. A lot of show (yes PR is necessary) and sometimes the "givers" don’t seem all that enthused by the activity or connected to the recipients.

After the distribution we were shown the boys quarters of the orphanage. They have about 60 young boys they try to adopt out, most appeared to be between 10-15 years old. Their "home" was a single room with many beds, a makeshift kitchen at one end, and bookshelves/storage on the walls. It was nice and tidy. We were told that just to educate the boys it costs about 500 rupees per month or about $7 and does not include feeding, etc. So…if any of you are interested in educating a child let me know and I will make the contacts.

Our last stop was back at the eye clinic again. We had coffee and then the Hoogly Rotary Club formerly thanked each of us again for all that we done and stated they were honored by our presence. In a surprise to us all, they made Sharon an Honorary Member of the Hooghly Club. With her experiences during her stay she will be a great ambassador for Rotary. She was moved and surprised.

I will say that meeting Sharon was a pleasure for us all. It is unfortunate to have so little time together while sharing such incredible experiences. Just as we were all getting comfortable with each other it is time to move on. She is a quality individual and will make a difference in the world.

Just before we left we were given another small gift form the club, a yearly planner. I also shared district pins with them that are in the shape of the state with our district highlighted in blue.

It was dark by the time we were getting on the road. Sharon was staying for two days of training, getting to work in outpatient and then participating in a rural clinic in one of the outlying villages.

Dr. Samar Das, Binod, Jim, and headed back to Kolkata. It is even more interesting driving/riding at night here. So many bikes, ox-carts, even motorcycles and cars don’t have reflectors or working tail- lights. So you are flying down the road, on-coming lights in your eyes, swerving around the slower moving traffic (at least from your perspective) and out of the dark emerges another obstacle. There were many times we swerved or braked hard to avoid things in the dark and barely missed oncoming traffic. It’s all a miracle at the end.

When we arrived home, Chandra Kala has fixed us dinner. It was around 8:30. After this Binod, Jim, and I finalized some figures and filled out paperwork for the matching grant application. The application will be for the Rotary Club of Purulia. Purulia is about a seven hours drive, southwest from Kolkata. It will take several months to process the grant application and then we will look towards returning later in the year to explore the possibilities of a 3-H grant, which has funding for larger projects.

We still have to pack and sort thru some things that we can leave until our return. It had been another great day. There was incredible hospitality, we met more wonderful people, saw more of India, and began the development of a partnership to improve people’s lives.

It is now midnight and time for a little sleep. I hope all is well in your lives.

January 13th, Friday

Nepal…there is no explaining the experience of the vibrancy of the life here. You must live it, walk in it, smell its smells, and take in its aura of spiritual permanence that runs through it all to have a sense of its impact upon your heart and soul.

We both woke at 5 am. Jim got up to go on-line and share his story with those in his life. I lingered in bed until 6, and then bathed, washing the previous day away, opening the way for another fulfilling experience. I finished packing, sent our previous day’s story, ate breakfast, and spent time relaxing. Binod was up and out early to meetings and came back a little after 9. We spoke briefly, thanked he and his wife for the intensely personal attention to being our hosts. Binod Ji…the Ji being a title of honor for wisdom and leadership. He has taught me much in a short period of time about giving unselfishly and he will continue to be a mentor in many ways.

Binod has instructed his driver to give us a driving tour of parts of Kolkata on our way to the airport. We also stopped at the Victoria monument. Built in the early 1900’s by the British in honor of the queen, it is a large palace with many acres of grounds. It houses various museums and it is a park of leisure for the citizens of the area.

We got to the airport with time to spare. Our flight was scheduled to leave at 1:40 and the policy here is that you are not allowed in the check in area until 1-½ hours prior to flight time. Kolkata is a rather small airport for 13 million residents but when 60% of the country is unemployed, there are few nationals who can travel. When we did get to check in, we had to again pay for excess luggage, another $70. When we consider the five laptops and almost two hundred pounds of school supplies, the $400 we spent on excess luggage throughout the journey, it was money well spent. We could not get these items for that cost in Nepal.

The flight is only 2 hours. Once we were in the air, a noon meal was served, a traditional Indian vegetarian fare and for airline food was quite good. You would not get a meal on this short of a flight in the US, nor going across the country unless you paid extra. It was hazy flight but we could see the Himalayas in the distance as we approached the Kathmandu Valley. Lesser mountains ring the valley although the city is at about 4000 ft. in elevation. As the plane landed, it lurched sideways slightly and I think we all thought we were going to have a serious incident but the plane righted itself (or the pilot saved us) and we taxied in safely.

It took about an hour to gather luggage and get through the airport. We got a taxi from the airport service after being skeptical of the taxi fares quoted outside. They ended up being the same but were twice last year’s cost. The ride to the Café De Patan at Durbur Square in Lalitpur was about 20 minutes. We had this small taxi packed with as much as it could hold (it was like a Chevette). The driver told us that tourism has been seriously affected by the political situation between the Maoists and the government. They will have elections in the next couple of months and no one is sure what may happen then. Yesterday in the western part of Nepal around a thousand Maoists were reported to have attacked police stations across the area. 10 Maoists were killed in that offensive.

Seeing familiar sights was a great energizer. When we got to the hotel, the same beautiful Nepalese woman was working as last year, with the same warm smile. I was also given the same room, and many of the employees remembered me and were very welcoming. I arranged to have our luggage stored so we would not have to lug it up the stairs. We got a deluxe room, one with a bathroom and potentially hot water. Last year this was $8.00 per night. It is a simple room with two single beds, a table and fresh towels. Not many Americans stay here, it does not offer the amenities so many want but then again you miss the adventure if you are not in the middle of life here.

After we settled in I took Jim for a short walk and showed him some of the immediate sights. We are in the middle of one of the oldest parts of the Kathmandu Valley and it is filled with centuries old temples that reflect a variety of architectural styles including Nepalese and Tibetan with the Hindu and Buddhist faiths intertwined in many ways. It is simply incredible to be in the midst of such history and culture. Needless to say Jim is in awe of the intense saturation of life here.

After our walk we went to the rooftop café and had Nepalese beers. The air here is much cleaner than Kolkata but when there is an air inversion in can be much the same as the air settles in the valley. It was an enjoyable break to be on our own at this point.

When we had first arrived, I had called Mr. Pradhan and Dr. Piya, my Rotarian contacts

from last year and set a time for us to meet and go over the travel plans. We met in the café downstairs and it was great to see them. After a year of exchanging emails and clarifying some of our mis-understandings from last year (my expectations of accountabity of funds), we each have a better understanding of how we approach our work and service.

After introductions and a lot of conversation the plan is set. Essentially Jim and I will go our separate ways tomorrow, he with Dr. Piya to Chitwan where he will address physicians about pallative care and Mr. Pradhan and I will go on to Bandipur to get my contacts for the schools and review of the goat project in order. Jim and Dr. Piya will come to Bandipur in two days. Dr. Piya tells me that the Maoists are in the Bandipur area but that they have not created any problems for people. He does say that they are adamantly against American money being used for projects here so if we are stopped and questioned we will say that wee working through the Rotary Club. Our government policies have not endeared us to many in the world.

We will return to Kathmandu on the 19^th to attend the Patan West annual club assembly. That will give us one half day to explore the area before heading back to Kolkata.

It has been another good day and it is good to be back in the mountains.

January 14th, Saturday

I slept from 10 last night until around 2:30 this morning. After that I tossed and turned in a very restless space between sleep and thoughts turned loose. In the moment you can’t really pinpoint what the issue may, it simply disturbs your ability to rest and be at peace.

Jim was up and outside around 5 and I followed about 6. After what is probably our last hot shower, we headed for the streets to be in the thick of the morning market. From the countryside many farmers come with fresh vegetables, eggs, live poultry, fish, fruit (this is the time for oranges and bananas), and the meat cutters have freshly slaughtered cow and goat, all being cut up before your eyes. There are also the many merchants of clothing; shoes, kitchenware, and a seemingly endless supply of Chinese or Taiwanese low quality watches, radios, and plastic everything (kind of like Wal-Mart!).

We stopped in a small pastry shop for coffee and a Nepalese version of a doughnut. They are the same shape and sweetness but much harder and more crumbly. The coffee is all instant and heavily sweetened with sugar and milk. There are times when even a Go-Mart coffee would be excellent! We walked for a while more before heading back to grab some breakfast and gather our things for travel. We had omelets and toast, Jim a vegetable and me a tomato/cheese and then shared them. With coffee the bill for the breakfast was 220 Rupees, or just under $3. When we checked out the room charge had remained $8 from last year. The staff at the Café de Patan is excellent and so personable. It is a hidden treasure.

Mr. Pradhan is meeting us along with the driver and car he has secured for my transport to Bandipur. Dr. Piya will be transporting Jim to Chitwan for his talk to the physicians. We are first going to a local gallery where Mr. Pradhan has arranged for a photo show, taken by his son last year of a trek to the Mt. Everest base camp. Three individuals made the final ascent to plant the Rotary Centennial flag on the summit. Mr. Pradhan has asked me to help arrange a showing of the work in the US. We have not spoken more about this since the viewing but the photos are not high quality, some are out of focus, many have the date electronically imbedded on them, and there is dirt printed onto the prints. I would not ask anyone at a gallery to exhibit these. I don’t quite know how I will handle this should it come up before I leave.

The last task for me before leaving is to go to a pharmacy for the first aid kits supplies. Dr. Piya has arranged for the purchase of metal boxes for the kits and then in subsequent visits we can simply replenish them. The first pharmacy we go to does not have an adequate supply. The next has good connections and over the next several hours has people on motorcycles gathering what we need from several other stores. Mr. Pradhan goes to pick up the boxes. We have a few minutes when he returns for tea together. He asks if I will take shawls back to the US to sell for him. I state that I don’t know how much space/weight we will have available but maybe able to manage a few. I have mixed feelings about doing this. He also asks about the laptop for his club and I tell him I will decide when I see the schools needs. He had asked in an earlier email for a laptop for his club. Again I have mixed feelings. I have to sort this out or not make a big deal about it. Mr. Pradhan above all others has assisted me in many ways to be able to do what we have accomplished. The issue with the computer is that Rotarians in developing countries are generally the wealthiest of the population so to take something from a school to give to the wealthy grates on me a bit or even the fact I would be asked. There is much to learn of another’s culture and this may be entirely proper within their context.

So we are finally finished gathering the supplies, load them into the car and me and the driver head out on our four-hour ride to the mountaintop village of Bandipur. The traffic is surprisingly light getting out of town and I find out it is a holiday but don’t quite understand the story in the broken English of the driver. He is of course more literate than me because I don’t speak any Nepalese! The drive is up, down, around, and through the mountains that stand on average in this area 4-6000 ft. The roads are mostly narrow although several section shave been improved since last year. There are three major military checkpoints along the way where the driver (I’m sorry I forgot his name) has to get out and explain our situation. Surprisingly I never get asked for identification. Also along the way at various strategic points (heavily populated villages, hydro-electric plant) they have placed old tires, rocks, and miscellaneous items in the road forming a slalom that you must slowly weave to continue the journey. We also come across three very serious accident scenes where a truck, a car, and a van have had head on collisions and then been left in the road with rocks and other debris marking the area to avoid. As I said last year I have never seen a tow truck here so have no idea how these vehicles get removed.

From the river we turn left to climb the mountain to Bandipur. It is a slow and very winding road. We come upon a pickup truck over-loaded with people and they carefully move over for us on this one lane road with no guardrails. These trucks serve as buses from many of the more remote villages to the larger towns along the river where more goods are available and public transportation to Kathmandu and other major areas can be accessed.

When we arrive at the top and go to the lodging house, the gate is locked. We then drive to the "resort" where I will need to speak with the manager. They were not expecting me and initially say that I should stay at the resort. I tell them that I cannot afford to do that and they finally send someone to unlock the gate and room. They are very helpful and want me to be comfortable. No matter the situation, because I am an American it is assumed that I have money. This creates some interesting dialogue because I am very wealthy by their standards but not wealthy enough in western standards to pay for a resort room, nor do I feel the need to.

On the way back to the lodging house I see Sahadev, my teacher friend from last year who is also my guide and interpreter. We greet and then he follows us to the lodging. We unload the huge amount of luggage. We have now added to our initial 5 large bags, the first aid boxes, medicine and world maps which were sent to Mr.Pradhan’s home. The good thing with the luggage is the majority has finally reached its destination.

As soon as the luggage is unloaded the driver leaves to return to Kathmandu. There is a 6 pm curfew on a section of road due to the Maoist-government conflict and he wants to get through that or he will be stuck there overnight.

We carry everything up to the third floor (Dr. Piya suggested this as it has a private balcony). I choose the room with two single beds but the bathroom is out on the balcony. From here, Sahadev and I walk back to the resort to have tea. We talk about the Maoist issue and he says that he and others have been taken to "education camps" for propaganda and his father was kidnapped for 15 days. He advised that when we travel to the out-lying village schools that I carry nothing of value. I remember Dr. Piya stating that we be clear about doing Rotary work, not specific to any one country.

The manager of the resort encourages me to stay for a cultural program that is supposed to begin at 6:30. By now I am very tired from the day and lack of rest the night before. I wait until 7 and they have not yet feed the guests and so I excuse myself. Sahadev walks me back to the lodging. The manager has also sent a worker to sleep in an outbuilding and be available should I need something. There is no need to argue, they will look after me.

Sahadev and I will meet at 10 tomorrow. We will sort out items for distribution and make plans for visiting the rural schools. It has been a long day and sleep comes fast.

January 15th, Sunday

I was asleep by 8pm last night and slept soundly until three. From then until 7 I fell in/out of sleep but it was not as troubled as the night before. I had spent 11 hours in bed, an obviously needed rest after the past nine very active days.

I had purposely asked Sahadev for a late start. There are things that I need to do and sort through before we tackle the entire collection of materials. It also gives me time to write the journals. In themselves they may not be much but as a method for my own review of the days events, to process and reflect, they are helpful.

It has been unusually misty here with limited visibility and no direct sunlight. There is a slight smell of smoke and the air is more like smog. That is very unusual as we are far from any industrial pollution and high enough at 6000 ft, it should blow away. So this affects two things. First you cannot see the river valley almost 2000 below or the view of the Annpurna Range of the Himalayas for which the mountain village is known. Secondly without the sun the black plastic water tank on the roof cannot collect heat at least warm bath water.

Sahadev comes at 10 with his friend Bhola Bhattarai who is president of a local child development organization. He wants us to talk about possible funding of their programs.

We walk into the village for tea and run across several individuals who we remember each other but not our names. This happens throughout the day with school children and others. Many ask also about Jeannie, my friend and Catholic Worker who accompanied me last year. I give them all her greetings.

While having tea, we get the news that the Maoists have staged two attacks the evening before near Kathmandu. Ten police and two Maoists are killed. It seems that this has made everyone especially nervous that they would attack the most heavily armed and guarded area in Nepal.

We comeback to the room and the three of us begin to put the first aid kits together. To the contents from the pharmacy, we add a flashlight and germicidal hand wash. We don’t have any Rotary stickers so I tape my Rotary business card to the kits and laptops so they will have some reference of the donation. We then take everything outside on the balcony and arrange it for a photograph. I take one photo with Sahadev and his friend holding up one of the Rand-McNally maps.

Next we are off to see the office of the child development organization. Like most areas available here it is small, unpainted, in need of repairs, and not very well lit. We go over the goals and objectives of the group and ten the variety of programs they offer to improve the lives of the children. Sahadev is a very dedicated teacher and community activist. As we go around the area many students speak with him, assign that they like and respect him.

We also go to Sahadev’s small private office where he allows me to use the Internet to send the journals. It takes awhile to log on and he states it is expensive so I only do two emails and do not have time to check for messages. I also meet two more of his friends, one of them a former student that is the resident computer guru.

I have decided to donate one of the laptops to the child development organization so they may more easily be organized for the benefit of the children. We again had back to the room so I can give a short lesson in laptop use. Sahadev tells me that laptops are very expensive in Nepal and difficult to get. This may be why the Rotary Club has requested one and alters my view on that somewhat.

While we are doing the lesson, Dr. Piya and Jim arrive from Chitwan. Their drive was about 2 -1/2 hours. Dr. Piya is leaving immediately for Kathmandu and wishes us well. We will see him on Thursday. Jim has had a good experience in visiting the cancer center, doing the presentation of palliative care and making some contacts for possible future teaching opportunities. Hopefully he will be more explicit for those of you on his list.

We catch up a little and then go for stroll thru town. We run into Sahadev who is watching while our friend the resort manager is gambling at a game in the square with others. The game board looks very close to the game "Sorry". The manager has apparently won some money and is ready to go. He invites Jim and I to a friend’s home for some local wine that he says is organic and very nice. We go into a typical Nepalese home, up the wooden stairs thru small doorways and into a small room. A woman brings us the wine and we sit and talk while sipping. He calls it a wine that is made from millet and the taste is not overpowering and very different. I think it is a whiskey if it’s made from a grain. The manager talks a bit about his family, job, and the political situation. It is obvious he is not a fan of the current government but not totally a fan of the Maoists either. He has a wife and two children that live in Chitwan where he works most of the year.

From here we walk to the resort and get a short tour of the facility and rooms. I is getting dark so Jim and I head back to the village. We have been advised not to be out at that time. We stop by a local restaurant, Jim had a big lunch and is not hungry and I order a vegetable soup. I had come in earlier in the day and had a tomato soup. Both were excellent, made on the spot with all fresh ingredients. Sahadev shows up and has candles for our room, as the electricity is off from 4-8 pm in the evenings.

He walks us back to the room we agree to meet around 8 am to go to our first school. It is about 8 pm and we drift off to sleep for the night.

January 16th, Monday

Some days you just don’t know where to start to relay all that has happened. Jim and I were both up at 6 am, although Jim had a restless night. I spend about an hour writing yesterday’s journal before he gets up. We both clean up a little although it has now been three days w/o a shower and only sponge cleaning w/o the sponge.

We head down to the restaurant to have breakfast. It is tomato omelets, toast and black tea, a good way to begin the day. We go from there to the room and collect the items for distribution to the fist school we will visit today. We are riding down to the valley floor to the Pabitra Secondary School. We go to the bazaar in Bandipur to catch the truck/taxi down the hill. This doesn’t leave from either way until it is loaded beyond capacity. We are placed in the front with the driver. He actually drives very sanely and we are at the school in 20 minutes.

We meet with the teachers and principal just before school begins to explain why wee there (they knew we were coming). We witness the students gathering before class for exercises and singing of the Nepalese National Anthem. We get to visit the classrooms and photograph prior to the official ceremony of presenting the materials. We set up a table in the schoolyard and place all of the donate items on it and have two teachers hold a world map as the youngest of the classes in placed in front. It is a great PR photo but also shows how little we can provide compared to the size of the school. Kara, this is where your donated computer will be. I will send you a photo.

We then walked down to the town of Dumbrea where we would catch the truck/taxi back up the mountain. The scene is very busy and chaotic, with many buses, taxis, street vendors, and just life happening in all its Nepalese glory.

We waited for the truck to fill, mostly with women and children. I rode standing on the tailgate with five others, wanting to get the full experience of the ride. It took about 45 minutes to get to the top with only two stops, most everyone going at least to Bandipur or beyond. We headed for the restaurant to have some soup and relax. I chose fresh vegetable this time and it was again delicious, freshly made. We had gotten two Nepali newspapers in English and devoured the county’s news. The elections are coming on February 5^th and the Maoists have called a strike to disrupt them. I’m glad we will be gone although on our last day in Kathmandu there is a major protest for democracy and they are expecting 500,000 people. It is tense here at times but it’s not Iraq!

After lunch we again gathered materials for distribution, this time to the Bhanu Secondary School in Bandipur where Sahadev is a teacher. This covers class 6 to 10. Many of the students are from outlying areas and stay at the hostels in town where they are looked after, boarded and fed. We met with the teachers and then the principal took Jim and I around to each class, introduced us and then told about our reason for being there.

They brought a table to the schoolyard and we set up the donated items with students holding a Rand McNally world map, the teachers standing behind the students, and proceeded to take the pr photo. At both schools the principles provided, on the spot, a letter of thanks to District 7530 and Ripley Rotary. We specifically asked that our names not be used. When we set out to collect items, it seemed we had so much but to distribute them between 29 schools, they do not go far.

Yesterday I had run into a young schoolgirl (16) that I had met last year. Her name is Basune Sheesther. We ran into her again today and she gave Jim and I each a Bandipur postcard with a personal message to each on it. It was a wonderful gesture of friendship. I have set aside a District pin, WV pin and one of the finer writing pens to give her before we go.

One of the things I wanted to accomplish on this trip was to assess the Goat Distribution Projects form last year and had spoken to Dr. Piya about this. He arranged for Sahadev to connect me with Laxmi Nath Bhattarai, the program coordinator for Bandipur. We met up with him and walked a short distance to the village of Sarki Graun, where the caste of untouchables lived and were part of the project. There we met Bhunti Nepali, an elderly woman that is chair of one of the groups receiving goats there. I asked her about the project with a number of questions and the overall result was that the project is a benefit to the people but it is too early to actually say how much. We went on to visit three other families in the village that received goats. All of the goats were health, several had offspring, and the families were pleased to have gotten the animals to potentially improve their economic situation.

We then headed to Sahadev’s office to us the Internet but it would not connect. From there we went to have tea, review what the day had been, and talk of tomorrow’s plans. Sahadev provided all of the relevant names of individuals who had assisted us throughout the day. Tomorrow we will be walking to a rural village that is about 3 hours walk on way to visit a school in dire need of financial assistance for improvements. We have been asked to please make the time to visit the school by the Bandiput Multi-Development Committee.

As we were heading back to the room, we decided to look into a hotel that was in town that I had never been in. It is called the Old Inn. We were so impressed. It is a building that has been completely re-done and has both single and double rooms, 24x7 hot water (a rarity in Nepal), 3 meals a day plus tea/coffee anytime, all for $20 per day per person! Now Bandipur proper is about two blocks long, this place is so inconspicuous that I had missed it the first time. This is definitely where I will stay next time. So, Jim suggests that we stay and have a beer (Everest), which turns into two, by the outside fire, conversing with the Nepalese manager.

Soon we head for the room after a long day. I begin to write the day’s journal, Jim is reading and listening to music. We have to be at the restaurant at 7 tomorrow where breakfast will be ready. We will leave from there to begin our long hike to Keshavtar.

January 17th, Tuesday

We each had a good rest last night. At 6:30 we were up and then out the door close to seven. We had arranged with the local inn to have our breakfast ready by then so that we could begin our day’s journey immediately after that. Sahadev and Bhola met us there. Sahadev briefs us on what to do/say should we be confronted with Maoists, but to cut out the drama, we do not encounter any, thankfully. We shared tea and then set out for Keshavtar and the secondary school there. The school is not in the Bandipur Ward but the organization that Sahadev and Bhola are a part of was asked to look at the needs of the school and assist in connecting funders.

The day is like the past few, still hazy with little visibility of the mountains around us. We have loaded up our backpacks with a first aid kit and other school supplies, and bought plenty of water. We head around the backside of the mountain that the high school is on, immediately climbing to the ridge. This part is one-person passage and deeply rutted. We will encounter only a couple of small villages on the way and it will take us at least three hours walk.

The views we do have even with the haze are spectacular. We are going deeper into the rural mountains of Nepalese culture and the two villages we will pass through are only accessible by footpath. We pass few people on the way but see small woodpiles, cut fence posts, and cattle/goat feed by the side of the paths, evidence of the daily chores of survival here. We hear a variety of songbirds and Sahadev says that there were and may still be bears, tigers, jackals, and other small game but they are rare.

I have mentioned before that we are in the middle of the country and the climate is temperate. They grow bananas, oranges, rice, millet, wheat, greens, and root crops. They keep buffalo for meat, milk, and butter but they do not drink milk except with coffee, not do they make cheese. Their bread is chapatti, a dry cooked wheat product that is eaten with rice and dhal, a gravy like dish. Chicken is popular here also as is fish where available. There are of course some things that just are not necessary to culturally embrace, like Tibetan Yak Butter Tea and the Nepalese Ghee, a butter made from buffalo. With the latter, you might as well inject lard directly into your veins; it’s pretty much the same.

We wind up and down and around the mountains, probably at around 5000 feet elevation. We see several varieties of cactus, lichen, and fungus. The few water springs that villagers has counted on seem to have slowed to a dribble, possibly since there has not been rain for awhile but we see land slips also that could have interrupted the flow. Water is a premium in some areas, especially this high up, and safe drinking water very precious, throughout the world, especially developing countries where the infrastructure for this is not yet developed.

The first small village we pass through is Ramkot, maybe a hundred residents. We encounter a few young school children and stop to hand out pencils, pens, and blow up balloons for them to play with. The commotion begins to bring others and we have to move on, as we don’t have enough for everyone we run across. The children and older women are so precious in their interactions. We always wish we could do more or at least do something that would improve their lives. Shared smiles do that sometimes.

He second village is Kulunz and it had a rest area directly across from a primary school. A few teachers came out to talk, as they knew Sahadev. The school has about 130 students class 1 thru 5. Sahadev blew up a balloon for the kids and then I blew up a beach ball (thanks WV PRC) for them to kick around. It doesn’t take much to brighten a child’s day, we just happened to be lucky enough to share in that.

After close to four hours of trekking we finally arrived at Keshavtar. We could see it on a lower ridge as we approached and had to descend close to 1000 ft. on a very rocky trail to get there. Although there is a road to the village, a jeep provides taxi service only twice a day and it is a long ride to the nearest town down in the valley where goods and connections to other destinations can be made.

As we come into the schoolyard many children surround us. They are curious, some eager to practice their limited English. Jim stops to blow up a balloon for them to play with and they end up chasing it around hitting it into the air to each other. We didn’t anticipate their eagerness and one small girl is bowled over in the process.

The school consists on one large main building and three smaller ones. There is a three room one being constructed in the back of the main building but they have run out of funds to complete it. In our eventual tour we see that the classrooms are over-crowded, the supplies inadequate, especially the science lab. One of the things that disturbs me and I mention it to Sahadev is the fact that everything is so dirty, There is litter everywhere, the stairways and other areas of the school are not clean. I state that this does not give one the impression that any donated items would be cared for and valued (a risky statement not fully understanding the culture). His response is that it simply has not been a priority. He says that this is one program/attitude that the Multi-Development Committee has incorporated into their training with children.

We meet with the teachers, everyone introduces himself or herself and we then present (in a less formal way than before) the items we have brought. We have brought so little compared to the needs. They are very appreciative.

We then go to a small eating establishment and have something to drink and eat. The only thing available that is not meat is chapatti so I have a few of those. The only thing to make them softer is Ghee, and I have given my views on that food item.

We begin our journey back around 2:30 and will return by a different route. We immediately descend to another ridge by a rocky path. We end up having to do little uphill surprisingly, until our final ascent to Bandipur from the valley floor much later. We do pass an incredibly beautiful waterfall flowing from the mountain. It is only about 50 ft. in drop but forms a wonderful blue/green pool at its base before slipping into a stream feeding the valley below. It was an idyllic scene as was the valley floor where we spent a good deal of time walking through.

The valley was the heart of the agricultural economy. Here were the many rice fields, recently harvested and now many planted with wheat. There were houses/farms scattered throughout and there seems to be a sense of pride here unlike in the higher villages. Things were in their place, some houses were freshly painted, and the terraced fields also gave a sense of order. It all seemed so like a small paradise but of course in paradise you do not have to work like the Nepalese do for survival.

When we finally reach the base of the mountain to get to Bandipur, we are extremely tired. The looming mountain is a challenge this late in the day. We have been walking almost six hours to this point. There is not much to do but put your head down, concentrate on your breathing, and pace your steps until you need to rest. We take a number of rests along the way. We pass many school children on their way home. They walk this both ways six days a week for an education. Throughout the day we have passed a number of people mainly women carrying heavy loads of lumber, feed or water. Nepalese women, like their Appalachian counterparts are a hearty breed, they hold the families together, raise the children and take the brunt of the both culture’s male domination.

In my pacing, I leave Jim and Sahadev a little behind. I finally reach the room about 6 pm after a very long and satisfying day. I am hot, sweaty, dirty, smelly and in need of a bath. There is nothing but cold water and after three days of no bath I say the hell with it. When the water hits my body it is a shock that makes me almost spasm, chill, and curse but once you begin there is only one thing to do and that is "get er done"!

Jim shows up about 30 minutes later. They have stopped to see if the Internet connection could be made but the electricity was so unstable they were not successful. Jim is also exhausted but is not about to attempt a cold bath. He climbs into bed, I write a little of the journal, and before long we are deep into sleep.

January 18th, Wednesday

Our day began around 6:30. I went to the patio and saw that the sky had cleared just enough to glimpse the very tops of the lower Himalayas and called Jim for his first look at what draws people to this mountain top village. When the lower valley if filled with early morning fog they call it the white lake. The smaller mountain tops poke through and look like islands. A breeze has moved in during the night to help move the air and clear the view.

We head down to breakfast and Sahadev and the hotel manager find us there. The manager, Dhirendra, is very apologetic about the lack of hot water in the room and insists that we move to the main lodge for the last night. We were going to check on moving to the Old Inn we had checked out a few nights ago but do not want to refuse this gracious offer. Dhirendra will arrange to have our luggage moved. Jim is going try and get on the Internet and then go to the local hospital/clinic as her has not seen that as yet. I head back to the room to get things together personally and with the donated items.

When we first arrived, Sahadev and the Bandipur Multi-Development Community had developed a letter to all of the schools to have them arrange for a representative to come to Bandipur to pick up the donated school supplies. We were only going to be able to visit a few schools in the short time we are here and so needed a central pick-up point/time. Sahadev and a friend came shortly after me to assist in sorting and packaging supplies into packets for the schools. He also arranged to have five high school students come by and transport the materials to their organizational office. Jim will meet us there around 11 when the representatives are due.

When the students arrive we all head to the BMDC office. Once there, several other organizational offices show and the teachers begin to arrive. As we are waiting, Sahadev takes me for a short walk to a local metal smith and has me pick out a small pot as a gift from him. In addition he is having a small version of the Nepalese knife that is the multi-purpose tool in their lives. He is very kind to do this for us.

We get back to the office and the majority of teachers have arrived. Bhola, the organization’s president has gotten a funding resource guide to distribute to the schools and is explaining how to use it. Sahadev explains to the group who we are and what our purpose is coming is. We also do introductions and then Jim and I each have say a few words. Essentially, Jim thanks them for being teachers, a highly respected professions and I state that this is not about us giving but in them having the materials they need to educate the children. They are all very appreciative and we have an opportunity to take photos before they all scatter for the various villages.

Jim is going to move to the main resort and spend the afternoon writing small articles, press releases, etc. of his experience at the cancer center. Sahadev and I are heading down to the valley floor to visit the Dip Joti School and his parents home.

Since the Dip Joti school representative has already picked up the school supplies, I only take a few extra materials. The walk down is over the rocky, mostly one-person path. In the past year they have cut a rough road to the valley floor, destroying centuries old, hand-laid stonework that made the travel ore sure footed. It is probably progress, not well thought out but will in the end make transporting good for the valley to the village an easier task for everyone. For most of the way down, you get a wonderful view of the valley; it’s numerous rice fields, the homes dotted throughout, and the small figures of people and animals working in the fields. We do stop at one resting area and meet an older woman that happens to be Sahadev’s aunt, she is very sweet.

When we arrive at the school, I am a little overwhelmed. I visited last here last year, this small primary school of about 42 beautiful little children. We danced together and they sang us songs, and we chewed gum and blew bubbles together. The Ripley Club also sponsored the building of a toilet facility for them, as they had none.

As I walk into the schoolyard, the children are lined in separate rows of boys and girls the teachers are waiting in front and each has a small bouquet of flowers for me. I am instructed to walk down each row and accept the flowers from each child. We each exchange the greeting of "Namaste", meaning "I see the light in you". It is a very touching moment for me, one again I don’t feel deserving of, I have done so little and they offer so much.

I meet with the teachers for a bit, they show me a few needs of the school for improvement and I inspect the toilet facility that we have built with them. It can accommodate two children on each side, being separate for the boys and girls and each side has a hand-washing sink. It is a large facility having been built of concrete, one of the dominant building materials here. It has yet to be painted and the Maoists have come by and painted their political slogans on it. We also blow up the beach balls and some balloons for the children to play with and they are very excited. I also distribute bubble gum for their recess.

Sahadev’s sister is on the porch with another woman and a teenage girl. She was sent to Kathmandu by the Bandipur Social Development Committee (Patan West Rotary is involved in this) to receive training in sewing and given a sewing machine. Her task is to train at least five other women but so far she has engaged 15 of the valley women in the training. The sewing machines are the older belt-driven machines made in India. Throughout India and Nepal the training of women in the textile fields is one of the economic tools used to improve their ability to earn a living.

Sahadev’s mother invites he and I into the kitchen for snacks. She makes me black tea and then provides me with buffalo milk that was very tasty. The snacks she provides are mostly sweet and one very greasy but good. She asks about Jeannie, the woman who accompanied me last year and I tell her she sends her greetings and is doing well. She asks me to spend the night on my next visit and then provides a small jar of chutney for Jeannie and I to share.

When we go back outside I take a few photos of Sahadev’s father and friend and then of the friend’s family. I give his father one of our Rotary District pins and he really likes the gift but feels he has nothing to give me but I remind him that I have his son’s friendship. Sahadev’s sister brings a small purse, bracelets, and necklace she has made for me to take to Jeannie. We say our goodbyes until the next visit.

We are now on our way back up the mountain. We have just a short distance across the valley before we begin our climb. Just as we are headed up the path, a man comes form a nearby house and asks Sahadev to have me to take he and his wife’s photo. They are in their late 50’s and there is also a younger couple there and Sahadev says it is his uncle. As we begin our walk again I’m told that the uncle I just met is one of the Maoists. At this point it is just someone else I met, I have no reference to make anything else out of it.

It takes us about 45 minutes to climb back to the town. Once there we stop at Sahadev’s office and try the Internet connectivity. We finally get on and I quickly send out the 15^th – 17^th journals. I see that I have 11 pages of emails, mostly junk to delete but I do not have time to see is there is anything from friends.

From here we go to the resort where we will meet Jim and spend our last night visiting with he and Dhirendra. We also meet a couple for the U.K., Nigel and Amanda. They live in the UK but have a business out of Jaipur, India where he buys silver jewelry to wholesale in England. We spend the evening sharing beers, dinner and conversation out on the patio by the campfire.

It has been another long day and my little trek down and back to the valley floor has left me tired but happy from a full day of Nepalese experiences.

January 19, Thursday

I woke again at around 3 am. It seems to be a pattern here for some reason. I tossed and turned until 6:30 when we both got up for the day. When Dr. Piya left on Sunday, he was to advise the driver to pick us up at 8 am on Thursday. This would give us plenty of time to deal with traffic, road checks, etc.

From our room we overlook the "white lake" and see the tops of the Himalayas, a fitting view for our last morning here. We showered (hot water!!!) and then headed up for tea. We are offered a free breakfast. Dhirendra still feels bad about hot water in the other room and is being overly generous. There was also no charge for dinner last night.

Breakfast consists of black tea, omelet, Nepal home fries, Nepalese pancake (very similar to a crepe), beans w/ tomato sauce, and toast with both marmalade and local honey. It was of course delicious. Over breakfast we scour yesterday’s "Himalayan" the Katmandu newspaper. We have been following the upcoming demonstration planned for Friday, where they are encouraging at least 100,000 Nepalese from seven different parties to march for democracy. The Maoists have agreed to not disrupt the event. The King has stated he won’t allow the demonstration and the showdown is here. It is a tense political and potentially dangerous situation for everyone.

It is well past 9, then 10 and close to 11 am. We have tried to call Dr. Piya and Mr. Pradhan to see where the driver is. Finally at 11 Mr. Pradhan calls to state the driver left Katmandu at 6 that morning. Within 5 minutes the car arrives. He has been delayed by the traffic and military/police checkpoints.

We load up, say goodbye to Dhirendra and head back towards the city. For most of the way the traffic is light. We are delayed on three different occasions for lengthy times at the military checkpoints. The traffic is backed up because each bus must unload its passengers and they must pass through an inspection checkpoint. The road is always full of buses. It is the major transportation in the country so this creates a backlog of vehicles.

Outside of the checkpoints, the trip is uneventful. We are both a little tired. It is warm and the air full of exhaust fumes and dirt. It takes us five hours to make the trip.

We are supposed to attend the Patan West Rotary Club’s annual assembly, the celebration of the club’s birth. We don’t make that of course and no one is at the hotel to meet us. We settle in and go for a short stroll. We see more police here that when we left and also see some young people with handfuls of signs on sticks, probably for tomorrow. We go back to the hotel and ask at the desk about where the demonstration will be and apparently we are in the thick of it. I ask about getting to the airport and if it will be a problem. No one knows what to say, they are waiting to see the outcome also.

I have no fear but have concern that we may be caught up in something that we don’t want a part of. I only hope we can get to the airport and that there are no problems there with leaving the country. I ask the hotel owner to please advise us of whatever he feels we should know about the situation as it unfolds.

We have eaten dinner and Jim has gone for a walk. Mr. Pradhan and I need to meet to settle up bills. He has fronted some purchases that we need to reimburse him for as well as providing some additional funds for purchasing more goats for the rural poor. We have seen much that needs attention and will have to prioritize the projects and budget accordingly. In both countries we have been exposed to many deficiencies in both health care and education. We also need to develop an on-going method to gain financial support for the projects and get more Rotarians and others directly involved. This is easily another full time endeavor!

So as I ready myself for rest, I am curious about the coming day.

A look Back at the last days of the Journey………..

January 20^th, Friday

We woke on this morning to find that the King had brought a city-wide curfew to Katmandu in his effort to stop the demonstration for democracy planned by a coalition of seven political parties. The Maoists had agreed to stay out of the fray and not disrupt the plans. The King used the pretext of potential violence from demonstrators to bring a military state to the city. Initially all of the phones were cut off, including the mobile services. By 8 am the in-city phones were on but the mobile was not restored which kept much of the outside world clueless to the situation. During the early hours, 150 political leaders/dissidents (from the King’s view) were arrested.

We were up by 6:30 and found out quickly that the curfew was to begin at 8 am. We had made arrangements for these few hours before leaving Nepal to explore the area and do some shopping for gifts. Thanks to the King we did not have the opportunity to leave any US dollars in the economy. My apologies to those whom I would usually bring a gift to or even send a postcard, we did not have the opportunity.

Jim had surprisingly run into Mr. Pradhan and he suggested that we go to the Police Station and request a pass to get to the airport, the only way you could be on the streets. The newspapers had said that the King had given permission to the Army and Police to shoot violators of evening and day curfew if necessary. Mr. Pradhan drove us to the station and we waited in line with many others seeking permission to travel to work, or conduct other business that day. We witnessed many being interviewed in line and denied the opportunity to have a pass. Curiously while we were waiting, an elephant walked by behind us, the first I had seen in Nepal, it was going to be a bizarre day.

We waited for about an hour before getting into the actual station and we could only be at the mercy of what influence Mr. Pradhan could have by showing our flight tickets. He was also able to get the pass to cover himself so he could transport us. He was successful and we were appreciative of his efforts.

On the way back to the hotel, Mr. Pradhan was driving very fast and then coming to a quick stop at each military or police check-point. This made me nervous. The streets were almost empty now and many of the military were young men, barely out of their teens, heavily armed, most likely with poor training, and all of us nervous about the situation.

Our plane was scheduled to leave late afternoon. Everyone was confined to their homes and for the city it meant that everyone was on the rooftops. It was quite a scene. People were doing things they normally didn’t have the time for, cleaning, playing, hanging out and enjoying the day as best they could. One of the positive aspects of the curfew was that for one day the city would get relief from the constant stream of pollution from the enormous amount vehicles almost all w/o pollution controls.

Mr. Pradhan came by about noon so that we could settle up on finance that he had fronted for some of the supplies we took to the village and schools. Unfortunately we could not access the banks or money changers so the financial support for the goat project (as with several other funded projects) will have to be done from the US side once we are back.

Mr. Pradhan also asked us to sell some all wool shawls for him so Jim suggested that we take the profits from those and place them in a Nepal fund for future projects there. He will establish an account through the Morgantown North Club for this.

Prior to leaving for the airport, Jim asked Mr. Pradhan to not go so fast to the checkpoints and he agreed. This plan sounded good but didn’t work quite the way we had hoped. Mr. Pradhan, being in the upper financial strata isn’t used to being in a submissive position in his society. He kept the vehicle pass in his pocket as we drove and would drive up to the check-point s and the officers had to ask him for the pass instead of him simply displaying it. It was slightly arrogant and dangerous from my perspective.

We got to the airport about three hours before the plane was to leave. Getting through baggage check and security was fairly easy. When leaving Nepal you have to pay a departure tax of about $13. We just hung out until we were to board. An interesting thing here is that once you have checked your bags thru the airline, prior to boarding you have to again identify them before they will load them onto the plane. We went through three different security checks prior to boarding.

Once in the air, the flight was a little over an hour to Kolkata. We were happy to be headed towards a democracy.

When we landed, we had made reservations near the airport at a budget hotel. All that was required was a bed and hot water. We also inquired about getting some laundry done as we were both a little in need. They had fed us on the plane so dinner wasn’t an issue. We decided to have a beer in the bar next door.

This was an interesting scene. Throughout the evening there was only one woman customer, the rest men. It seemed like a "losers" bar, and we were in the midst of it, maybe we fit in! There was an Indian band (three instruments) and then four women sitting in front of them, all in traditional dress and two men who were apparently the leaders/managers and part-time singers. The women would sing a song and the men in the audience would send money through the two men who scoured the crowd and the money would end up in a large bag. One of the men was pretty well taken with himself as evidenced by his body language and need to be up in front all the time. Towards the end of our time there, one woman ended up dominating the singing and was getting a good flow of money from several "suitors". It really needed to be videotaped!

We headed off to bed and as usual our sleep was not deep or restful.

Chuck Conner PhotographerJanuary 21st, Saturday

We were up early as usual. We had the entire day to ourselves, the first actually on the entire journey, with no place we had to be or plane to catch. We went for breakfast, read the paper and talked about what we would do for the day. There was surprisingly little in the paper or on the news about the vents in Nepal. When a country does not have a vast array of natural resources, is not viewed as strategic military site, or have some other value to the world’s developed countries, little attention is paid to events there. This is evidenced by the events of the past 50 years in Tibet by the Chinese, by the genocide in African nations, the starvation in the same areas, and on and on.

We had talked previously about wanting to go to "old Kolkata", not the tourist area, but the market where the locals shop. We had a difficult time getting people to understand this. We finally went to another hotel and were told that we wanted "New Town".

So we grabbed a cab and headed into the inner city. The ride was about ½ hour long and we went through many parts of the city, it was very interesting. We passed through several areas that we thought might be the "old Kolkata". This day the city was especially smoggy. Kolkata is a very dirty city (not unlike most developing cities) but has its own charm beyond all of the problems of over-population, homelessness, lack of employment, poor health care facilities, many beggars, and incredible traffic jams.

Anyway we get to the "New Town" and it still is not what we thought we wanted but is a very vibrant market that is filled mostly with Indians and not tourists, although there are some. We wander through the streets some shops, buy a few things, and mostly look at the wonder of it all.

We stop for lunch at a fantastic Chinese restaurant that by Indian standards is expensive. We have beers and wait for the buffet to open. The restaurant is very posh, numerous waiters, fountains, and tapestries on the wall. The buffet is pretty incredible with an array of both Indian and Chinese dishes, a cook to for special orders, a dessert bar, soups, breads, and great atmosphere. It is a step outside of the teeming mass of humanity just outside the doors. We paid a total of $20 for the beers and food, a steal anywhere.

Next we head to Binod’s to pick up things that we left there that we didn’t want to transport to Nepal. It is good to see him and his family again. They have been in the middle of a traditional Indian wedding which lasts about four days. We visit for a bit and then he has his driver take us back to the hotel.

It was around 6 pm and we had to be at the airport by 3 am for our 4:55 flight. Neither of us rested well and we woke after 2 and had to rush somewhat to get out. As we were loaded in the hotel van ready to leave here were three employees waiting to be tipped. We were almost out of rupees so had to pull out dollar bills which seemed to suffice. My personal option on tipping is that if the service warrens it I will but a simple expectation of a tip doesn’t get it. I generally don’t like being waited on and have to struggle to avoid the services.

We were some of the last to arrive for our flight as evidenced by the long line waiting to check in. They had over-booked the flight and were offering $800 is cash or flight miles for those that would take a later flight. We briefly considered but we had too many connections that probably could not be met.

Once we passed thru security we headed upstairs to wait for boarding. While there we ran into Carmel Hussey, a young Irish woman that we had met on the incoming flight from London, over two weeks ago. We had also run into her at Mother Teresa’s. She had worked there for nearly 18 months and was returning to visit friends. It was good to see her and quite a coincidence. She has a BA in psychology and is looking to get into an Occupational Therapy school is Ireland and then continue her work in service.

I had asked for an aisle seat and was lucky enough o get one in an up-graded section with more leg room and only two seats in the row. The man that was next to me had been separated from his wife and was trying to get the stewardess to make arrangements to put them together. It wasn’t going well and he was not happy. Once we were airborne, he went to speak with his wife. I saw where she was sitting and Carmel was in the seat/row across from her. I told him that I could work this out and asked Carmel if she would sit with me and let the couple be together, she agreed.

This flight was 11 hours to London. This was an hour longer than coming so evidently we had a slightly different flight pattern for the return. For most of the flight Carmel and I watched movies, tossed and turned in/out of an uncomfortable sleep. In the last two hours of the flight we had an opportunity to talk more about our lives. She is one of those individuals that you sense will affect positive changes in all that she does. We had a great time in our wandering conversations and I offered to send her some links to higher education opportunities with the Rotary Peace Scholarship and the Future Generations program here in WV, both Masters level situations.

Our layover in London was about three hours. We stopped to have a beer while waiting. We tried to get help in rescheduling the Chicago to Pittsburgh portion of our flight but the tickets that Rotary International books are restricted in the sense that you cannot change any flight that is noy on the same scheduled day. Our flight to Chicago was 7 hours.

We arrived in Chicago around 4 pm on Sunday. We had been in the air or in airports for 23 hours. We had a forced layover here with our flight the next morning to Pittsburg at 10 am. We found a Super 8 motel near the airport for only $65, pretty decent deal. We happened to arrive in the middle of the NFL playoff frenzy and so tuned in to watch some each of the two games. I fell asleep in the second quarter of the Seattle game.

Our flight to Pittsburgh the next morning was an hour. We then had a three hour layover in Pittsburgh and initially had thought about renting acre but we were both tired and probably not up to dealing with of the arrangements or even driving. The flight to Morgantown was ½ hour and we arrived at 4:30 pm on Monday.

Jim and I said our farewells for now and headed in different directions, the first time in three weeks. Jim was headed home and me to another Super 8 Motel. I had a meeting and activity at WVU the next day that wouldn’t get me on the road towards home until 5 pm.

I was asleep (still restlessly) in a short time and woke around 4 am and couldn’t get back to sleep. Nothing to do but get up and be ready for the day. I had a meeting in am and then a 3 ½ hour rural rotation fair at the Health Sciences for students. By 5 pm I was dragging. The drive home was almost three hours and I probably shouldn’t have driven but home was my goal.

Once there I was in bed and asleep by 8:30 and awake at 3 am. My sleep patterns are pretty screwed up still. I got up, unpacked, did laundry and was at work at 6 am. Last night was the same, waking at around 3:30 and at work early. Hopefully the weekend will get me back in synch.

So…..the physical journey has ended but there is plenty of work to be continued. We did accomplish the following:

1. We learned about the eye care needs of the rural Indian population and are partnering with an India Rotary Club to do a matching grant to move towards their goal of upgrading hospital with the purchase of two new surgical microscopes, one mobile for field use; an operating table and new hospitals beds. ($1000 in donations and $5000 in District Designated Funds - proposed)

2. After personal observation of the Bandipur, Nepal Goat Project, have agreed to fund the purchase of more goats. ($500 in donations)

3. After observing the efforts of the Bandipur Multi-Development Committee with schools we will fund that organization’s goals with this year’s children’s programs. ($250 in donations)

4. Jim will continue to explore the development of cancer trainings and personnel exchanges with Dr. Piya and the hospital connections in Nepal.

5. The laptop donations were a huge success and we will be seeking more for the next trip. We may ship these ahead of time.

6. Will be making connections with the schools suppliers in Katmandu for our next trip so that we do not have to transport items that we can purchase in the country.

7. Provided first aid kits to the 25 rural schools of the Bandipur, Nepal, school district. We learned that the Nepalese branch of the Red Cross had provided these in these in the past and we will make connections to purchase these on the next go round as they were excellent.

8. The donation of laminated world maps by Rand McNally out of Huntington was an excellent gesture. The schools were thrilled to have these as many schools had no maps.

Again, we would like to thank everyone who made donations and put forth energy to make the service trip possible. Your efforts have touched lives, developed relationships, and exemplified the Rotary motto of "Service above Self".

Peace

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Chuck Conner- Photography.  All rights reserved. Unauthorized use is strictly prohibited.