Scotch College

The experience of a lifetime in Nepal

Twelve Scotch students spent 18 amazing days in Nepal over the summer holidays.

WORDS: CONOR O’BEIRNE – YEAR 10 Photography: Ms Katrina Stalker

On Sunday 28 December 2008, 12 Scotch students set off on the trip of a lifetime. After months of planning and preparation we began our Nepalese experience. Having experienced incredible views of the Himalayas from the plane, we touched down in Kathmandu, and we were all amazed at the scene that confronted us as we stepped out of the airport and onto our bus. The drive through Kathmandu to our hotel was truly eye-opening and an experience that no one will forget.

After two days of working our way through Kathmandu’s many tourist attractions and shops, including Hindu temples and the Boudanath (the world’s second largest Buddhist stupa), we set off for the Fred Hollows eye hospital, and later the Child Haven orphanage. The recently-opened eye hospital was great to visit and we were given a full tour of the premises, including watching an eye operation.

The Child Haven orphanage proved to be one of the many highlights of the Nepal trip. The children offered great hospitality and showed us many traditional Nepalese dances, and in return they asked us for a song. We obliged and sang ‘Waltzing Matilda’ and ‘I Am Australian’ reasonably well!

Playing a friendly game of basketball with the children was the real highlight. To both of these organisations we donated money to help run an eye hospital in the mountain region of Nepal, and to help the orphans with supplies of school equipment and clothes.

We began our trekking journey with a morning flight to Pokhara. Unfortunately, as is the case quite often, there was intense fog surrounding the airstrip which caused our flight to be delayed by four hours. Still, the views were spectacular as we flew over the western range of the Nepali Himalayas.

The next morning we were woken with what was to become our usual ritual: a welcome cup of hot tea at 6.30am and some washing water, followed by a filling breakfast. Next came a couple of hours walking with spectacular views, each day ending by arriving at our campsite and enjoying the fantastic meal provided by our cooks.

The next few days of trekking were incredible. We passed through many little villages and helped to boost their economies with numerous purchases of Mars bars and Snickers. We climbed through great forests and became fully aware of just how beautiful the surrounding scenery was. There were so many great photo opportunities.

At the halfway point of our trek we camped at the busy trading town of Gorepani. By this stage we had all become experts in numerous card games. We were also learning a lot about each other, and importantly we were learning about ourselves.

Early on Wednesday 7 January we reached the summit of Poon Hill. This provided us with the most amazing panoramic view imaginable. It also signified that we had reached the highest point of our trek. During the next few days we began our descent and on many occasions we still found ourselves in awe at what confronted us visually.

On the last day of trekking we visited a local school, and we were once again provided with amazing hospitality and made to feel very welcome. The end of our trek came too quickly. It seemed only a few days since we had landed in Kathmandu, let alone trekked 10 days across some of Nepal’s most beautiful country.

We spent this night celebrating in traditional Nepalese style with lots of singing and dancing, much to the enjoyment of our Sherpas, cooks and porters. We owed these people so much, and the donations of clothes we handed to them were the least we could do for their families and communities.

The next few days were spent in Chitwan National Park exploring by foot, by jeep and by elephant. Unfortunately we all failed to see any of the big wildlife attractions at the national park (Bengal tigers and one-horned rhinoceroses) but everyone enjoyed the experience, particularly riding on the backs of the elephants.

Arriving back in Kathmandu everyone enjoyed the luxuries of the Western world, including having showers for the first time for a while. We spent the final afternoon at leisure doing some last-minute shopping in Thamel, and took time to reflect on what an amazing 18 days it had been. Dinner at a traditional Nepalese restaurant proved to be a great way to say goodbye to our much-loved head Sherpa Rishi, and our guide Mani.

The following morning we all woke up feeling a little sad about the prospect of returning home and saying goodbye to the place we had all come to love. We arrived home safely in Melbourne, some a little thinner than when they had left, but wiser for the experience.

This fantastic trip would not have been possible without the hard work of certain people. We would particularly like to thank Ms Katrina Stalker, Mr Olivier Marquet and Dr James Elder for their organisation, fundraising efforts, support, medical expertise, stories and fun during our adventure. ‘Thank you for your kindness in Nepal’. GS