As I write this article there are few buses with enough petrol to run. Yes, there is gas being brought in, but in such small quantities that even the rescue helicopters are not flying. I’m fortunate to be in a farming village in the Kathmandu Valley because few buses are bringing supplies to anywhere. They are so packed people are riding on the roofs and hanging onto the back. There aren’t many on the road anymore and we are just waiting for someone to make all this craziness go away. This picture was taken in 2012 during another fuel crisis, but this time the cars and motorcycles are just parked and abandoned for miles. The sad thing is that we finally got the constitution the Nepali have been waiting so many years for. Now it is clear why it’s taken so long to get. India wouldn’t allow it, but finally they did it and the people were happy, at least the people I know. I try to stay out of politics because it isn’t my issue. I am a guest in this lovely country hope I don't over-st...

Written by: Maartje Geverinck, volunteer from the Netherlands  Kay Garnay for Nepal, an NGO registered in Nepal, is the brain child of Amanda Summers, a retired expat living in the Kathmandu Valley. It is a humanitarian, nonprofit agency with the goal of supporting the artists, craftsmen and other residents of Changunarayan, an ancient village in Nepal, as well as those in neighboring communitie s. Clean-up Campaign in Changunarayan People talk about how Nepali are litterbugs and don't care about the environment. There are actually some good reasons for this to appear to be true.   First, there are very few sanitary landfills in the entire country. Additionally even municipalities will use the river as dumpsites. We, at Kay Garnay for Nepal, NGO, wanted to clean Changunarayan before the coming festival, Dashain. Our chairperson, Sajana, purchased gloves and other clean-up gear and about 50 people participated in the morning activities. This was our first of such community acti...

What to do if you can only be in Nepal for a week? You aren't going to have much time so you need to pick an area to explore . If coming by land you could see Lumbini and Chitwan area. Here in my village I say it's like a step back in time, but in Chitwan time just stops. You will hear yourself say 3 times, "Is it still Tuesday?" It's quite hot there throughout most of the year, but it's great in January. Tip: Bring binoculars. Bird watching is amazing. As I write this, in October 2015, there is a bit of a political problem in that area because Nepal didn't make the new constitution the way India wanted them to make it. So, be sure to check the news regularly. It's probably not a good idea to come until the blockade India has made is gone. The conditions are becoming quite dire. Be careful about just camping out in that area; a rino wandered through our guest house property when I was there. If you come by air you'll want to stay around th...