Postal (mis)adventures

Many things could explain why you haven’t received my letter or card .... many things could explain why I haven’t got yours. I do know that one envelope leaving Bhairawa with stamps on the reverse side made it to the intended destination, clearly the PO worker here knew better than me that was going to be OK. However I’ve been emailed by two friends that they sent things I haven’t received (and it’s been a while). I haven’t kept a list of who I sent what to so sorry, can’t oblige with any questions on that front.

Some family and friends have been lucky enough to get evidence of what I sent but not actually the item ........ one got an envelope addressed by me, inside a card to and from complete unknowns! That led me to whack a staple mid envelope to keep the contents within. The others however received photocopies of my cards and messages along with a note from Australia Post ‘your mail did not meet Australian quarantine requirements’  – pay $42.50 to have the unidentified plant matter irradiated if you want the actual item. I’d thought the packet of cards was nicely decorated – no thoughts about AQIS whatsoever!

Meanwhile, please don’t let that deter you from mailing me if the mood strikes you – emails are great but so is snail mail – and things do arrive. I’ll continue too.



the rest of the pack that won't see Australia



July

Schools have been closed. I had a wonderful week in Bangkok, a couple of interesting days in Bhaktapur (near Kathmandu) and time here to work on planning and paperwork that you can do without needing to visit schools. Now that July is over I am crossing everything that the weather really is cooling down as I found June and July very difficult. It’s been consistently in the high 30s with some days low 40s. Load shedding is less now than in the cold months but every day there are at least 2 hours in the evening without power, another couple in the early hours of the morning and other times during the day too. The thing I miss at those times is the fan flapping over me as I try to sleep, or read by torchlight.

In Bangkok I met up with Chris, Anne, Lois and others in Chris’s family – and had a great time catching up with them and enjoying the sights (and food) of that city. Bhaktapur was a medieval city-state close to Kathmandu that’s very well preserved. Temples, narrow cobblestone streets, redbrick houses, pottery and woodcarving.

On the work front - schools are opening now after the rainy season holiday, and unlike Australia there is no set date so it varies by up to a month across our twelve schools. Rain makes it hard for some students and teachers to get there however, with swollen rivers and muddy journeys. An indicator of cooler days is that when they open, hours return to the 10am start unlike June when many schools worked from 6 or 7 am. Excellent!




Enjoying Bangkok

below: Bhaktapur