a busy week..

we've had a busy week. settling in, more settling in, J's birthday, making a few friends, and still more getting settled. plus i'm learning how to navigate the nepali kitchen and make some half decent food.

first big event and good news: our shipment of stuff from Canada arrived. it is amazing how much 'stuff' we thought we needed so badly and then forgot about once we got to Nepal. I forgot many of the belongings we had packed in our boxes. That said, having my cast iron fry pan here has drastically improved my cooking...
we spent a few hours at the customs warehouse waiting for, and then inspecting our goods that we had shipped. the baby came with us and was a big hit at the male-dominated warehouse. Men were vying for a turn to hold her and snapping photos with their mobiles:

Miss popular

U with our boxes at the customs warehouse

The next event was J's birthday. I used the cast iron pan to make a half decent omelette for breakfast and surprised him with framed photos of U for his desk at work. There are some beautiful handmade paper frames and other crafty items here, made by various socially-concious organizations and sold to raise money.

After work we headed through Kathmandu and partway up the himalayan foothills for a birthday family getaway for two nights. After a rather bumpy ride, and steep uphill walk, we came through the bush...

the adventurer

 ...and to a stunning lodge with even more spectacular views of the valley we had just come from.

view of kathmandu valley from Shivapuri Heights

Here we had a chance to put our feet up, catch up on some reading, and eat very well. We were not disappointed with this fantastic introduction to the country. We also made a few friends with the lovely staff,

J got an open-air birthday haircut and straight-blade shave,

And we still found time to relax in the bean bag chairs.

Most importantly we let the magnificent views and fresh air rejuvenate our souls, while we wondered at the reality of our new home.