Adam blogs from Pokhara, Nepal

 COUNTRY: Nepal - Pokhara
PROGRAM: UniBreak
PROJECT: Community Healthcare, Teaching
WRITTEN BY: Adam Blau

After fifteen long hours on a plane, eyes bleary from lack of sleep, knees aching from the inhuman amount of leg room, a spectacular view rears in the foggy windowpanes. A spectacular wall of snow-peaked rock punches through a white blanket of cloud and reaches towards the sky. It's the Himalayas; and its a powerfully intoxicating introduction to Nepal, the mystical country we will be spending the next month. The rugged mountains seem to speak volumes about this country and our upcoming experience with Antipodeans Abroad; stunning scenery, untold adventure, an ancient and mysterious locale; and most apt, difficult obstacles but with potential for great reward.

I am Adam Blau from Melbourne, designated blogger during our placement here. Two months back I completed a journalism degree and to celebrate a new phase in my life I joined the Antipodeans' November Nepal team for an exciting adventure. I hope can bring you - concerned parents, interested parties, bored friends - a taste of our time here on the sub-continent. It's a time myself and five other girls have chosen to travel halfway across the world to volunteer our assistance to local agencies in the majestic town of Pokhara.

But every great adventure starts at the beginning, bringing us back to arrival in Kathmandu, Nepal. The bustling capital is the industrial and social hub of Nepal. Typical of developing third world countries, roads are strewn with rubble, half-completed concrete shells sit squashed against with towering apartments and life seems to move at an accelerated pace. It's a spectacular location: ten million Nepalese squeezed into the Himalayan valley, with colourful buildings, electric wires and holy temples as far as the eye can see.

I meet those already arrived in the city's tourist district, Thamel. Brimming with souvenir shops, hostels and restaurants, Thamel's narrow alleys are alive with energy and general hullabaloo. Car horns, barking dogs and tireless vendors fill the streets with a persistent soundscape. Clare Brampton (Newcastle), the first Antipodean to reach Nepal, is busy readying her boyfriend for his solo trek across the local countryside. Meanwhile, I meet up with Katie O'Neill (Brisbane) and Alexandra Holland (Brisbane), who have spent the morning attempting, and succeeding, at financing a local boom in all things felt. Their already overflowing suitcases testament to the fact.

The following days are spent exploring, eating - its so cheap, indulging takes a whole new meaning - shopping and visiting some local sites, including the Monkey Temple, which overlooks the entire city. Gabi Doyle joins the group from Sydney and with barely sufficient time to recover from jetlag, the incomplete squad of five hit the skies once again. But this time we stay local for a spectacular plane ride sightseeing tour to Mount Everest. A four hour delay at the airport is worth the wait. It's a truly unforgettable experience, one even a journalism degree won't help me describe. When Sophie Byron (Sydney) reaches the hotel that afternoon, the group is complete, invigorated and ready to plunge into our placement in Pokhara!We have dinner with our in-country contact/guide/friend, Kalden who suffers the brunt of our questioning. A good-natured, humorous young man, Kalden is similar to many Tibetans in their easygoing, friendly nature. Always ready for a laugh and helpful almost to a fault. At 6am the following morning, when even Thamel is still in a sleepy lull, we are roused and Kalden guides us to the buses for the final stage of our journey. We endure seven hours through rolling hills, sparkling rivers and rest stops serving tea and curry. The bus rarely travels beyond 30/kph, due to the poorly paved, winding roads and the precarious drops beyond them. To the surprise of the group, in our bleary-eyed state, we are then informed we will be taken straight to our host families, our home for the next month. It's a bit of shock. After all the build up, anticipation and excitement, its a daunting, confronting situation. Finally it's real. And confronting. All the information and handbooks in the world couldn't prepare me for the stream of queries running through my head: Will they like me? Will it be awkward? How will we communicate? What am I doing here? Suddenly, dazed and confused, we enter the walled Tibetan Refugee Camp, Pao Jai Ling. In-country supervisor and Kalden's father Sonam is there to welcome us and introduce us to our host families. ...To be continued...