First clear day in the foothills of the Himalayas. 22/3/2024

We had been holed up in a homestay for two days due to rain and strong wind. Our hosts of Nepalese descent were lovely people, who spoke very good English and were keen to chat. We learnt a great deal about the local environment and culture.

Sami and Poonam, our hosts

Sami and Poonam had spent many years working in Dubai (and Poonam in Hong Kong) so had  experienced western cultural ways and ideas.  They had one child, so had decided it was better for her to live in their own country.

They made us feel very welcome and fed us great Nepalese food, including traditional momos with wholewheat flour.

Momos

Making momos.

The house was quite modern by Indian standards, but heating is not the norm.  After spending time on the hot Indian plains the cold was a bit of a shock to the body.

Our homestay

We talked and talked with our hosts – religion, culture, IVF, child rearing, tourism marketing and so much more. He comes from a Christian family, she Buddhist, and much against her family’s wishes converted to Christianity. Some parts of her family still don’t converse with them, and there are ongoing cultural issues to navigate such as the important role he, as eldest son-in-law, should have taken at her mother’s funeral but didn’t.

On the second morning the rain had stopped and the clouds lifted for long enough for us to catch a glimpse of the high Himalayan peaks to the north, south out across the Indian plains and east to Nepal, just a couple of hills away.

Looking towards Nepal.

Our hosts’ rooms were fully booked for the following days so we moved to another homestay in Sukhiapokari called Gurasay Sherpa Homestay, a slightly bigger, more rustic place that promised a great view when the clouds lift!

After moving, it was still pretty clear, so we took the opportunity go walking and check out the local markets. As the clouds started to roll in again we wandered through an eerie pine forest scattered with Christian grave sites.

We eventually came to a Hindu temple on a hill top.

On the way back we passed many churches and a brand new Buddhist monastery. Such a small village but it seems to gave strong religious tolerance.

By mid afternoon we retreated to our room as the clouds enveloped us again and the temperature dropped.

Later in the evening we paid a social visit to our previous hosts and wandered the village in the mist.