The former British ambassador to Nepal has been missing near his home in UK for the past three weeks Who would have thought it, such a nice, modest man. A quiet, measured man who would be astounded at all the fuss — police searches, global press and media swarming around…
So Far So Good
Coronavirus Nepal Lockdown Month 2
After 50 days what is utterly extraordinary has come to seem normal, the unimaginable is commonplace The ancient brick walls of the Patan Darbar absorb the dull afternoon light like spilled claret. A black dog slinks behind a doorway and a woman in a pale sari gazes immobile from a…
Feeding 1,000 a day in Kathmandu
Quiet heroism feeds the hungry during the COVID-19 lockdown in Nepal The web of wrinkles are etched deep into the soft bronzed face, a lifetime of gritty wind and harsh realities on the Tibetan plateau, smiling out of the phone screen. Brightly painted furniture frame her long plaited hair in…
Losing a colleague to COVID-19
The coronavirus fells the consummate consultant Oliver Bennett 1943-2020 Oliver Bennet is the first person I know to succumb to COVID-19. On 11 March he cheerfully informed his Facebook followers that he was testing for the virus, then silence until on 26 March his brother posted that he had passed…
Aussies and Kiwis homeward bound from Nepal
The saga of getting back home down under after Nepal suspended all international flights The plane flew in an elegant arc silhouetted against the sunset far above some lazily circling raptors, a victory lap around the purple hills of the Kathmandu Valley before heading southeast. Who would have thought a…