Nagarkot

Things didn't quite go according to plan today, but worked out OK in the end.
I met Gyan at 9 am at the KGH and we started heading for Nagarkot by "microbus". This is the kind of bus the Nepalis generally use, but there is no way I could use them on my own. If there are any destination signs they are all in Nepali language and script, but mostly they get their passengers by shouting from a side door.
At any rate, we got somewhere near the outskirts of Kathmandu, to be told that the roads were blocked; so we got off and walked about 2 or 3 miles before we could continue the journey. Why the roads were blocked I still don't really know, but it seems to have been down to some kind of demonstration. At least there was a string of women hand-in-hand blocking the road at each end, and men starting to burn barricades of old tyres. Gyan told me it was something to do with a man having been killed, but I'm sceptical about that. It certainly caused a lot of chaos. Maybe I'll find something about it in tomorrow's paper. We continued the journey in 2 microbus stages, first to the ancient city of Bhaktapur, and then on to Nagarkot. This last bit is all uphill through hairpin bends, and I'm pleased to say that it was my first rooftop bus journey here. I've been meaning to do that for ages, and I can assure you that it is far better than sitting inside. As good as a rollercoaster any day - and probably even better on the way downhill.
After some lunch we started the mostly downhill walk. The weather was fine for about an hour and then the heavens really opened. We took shelter with a calf and a couple of sheep for a while (in one of those primitive homes where the animals are on the ground floor and the people above). Finally we were able to continue a very fine walk, through the temple town of Changu Narayan and then down to Thaligaon and some other very tiny villages - in the dark by this time and in the middle of a power cut. Power cuts are more-or-less daily occurrences by the way.

I've now added a couple of pictures, firstly of the rain from our shelter. That's the road we were walking down a few minutes earlier, and then some time later when we had continued and the rain had stopped. And one of some boys playing football in the temple courtyard. They had all taken their flipflops off and the shoes were piled up as goalposts, while the boys were all kicking the football with their bare feet.

I bumped into Linda (Aga's pal from Holland) this morning and have arranged to meet her for breakfast at the Bistro tomorrow, and then I'll be heading for the Namuna School to try to make a more detailed plan of what I can do to help.