davethegrinch.net

Dave says:

In a effort to save our souls, atone for our self centered western existence and just to step off the tourist trail for a while, we have decided to volunteer in Nepal. Once upon a time one would have to give up two years for the Peace Corps but these days, with the influx of little time / much money do-gooders, one can buy ones way out of the confessional and onto the express elevator to karmic balance. Today volunteering means paying an NGO money to give you a “meaningful vacation experience”. As illustrated by the opening of this post, it is very easy to be cynical about the whole process but, nevertheless, here Sarah and I are, a few dollars poorer to help make someone else’s life a little richer.

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Dave Says:

Maybe because it sounds like Timbuku or maybe because its at the edge of the world, but to me, Kathmandu has always been a name belonging to science fiction. One could take the next space shuttle to Saturn’s Titan or Kathmandu, they both have the same number of layovers and both have the little screens in the back of the seat from where you can track your altitude and airspeed across the cosmos.

It therefore came as no surprise to me that Kathmandu actually feels a little like a space port (for Star Wars geeks think Mos Eisley). To further and probably strain the sci-fi analogy, its worth noting that we arrived here on New Years Day 2064. The strange planet that Nepal appears to be is 57 years ahead of us. Signs proudly say “Happy New Year 2064″ and people’s passports and driving licenses are all dated in the future. I have now overused the phrase “Great Scott, Marty - We have to get Back To The Future” but that’s not going to stop me if I think I can get a cheap laugh. In the future (your future, our past) we will post what you should expect from the year 2064 - it’s not pretty!

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