KUPONDOL!

The Van der Veen house on the hill was a magnet for Filipinos. Aside from Ching’s cooking, or the supervision of her kitchen didi, and the general Van der Veen hospitality, there was the black Lhasa with the overbite, to play with (I’d forgotten its name, a relative of those given to the Umalis). Then there was Little Eric, who was a living baby doll!

Here we are, at one of their numerous functions at Kupondol.

QUILTED COAT FROM HANUMAN DHOKA

We discovered a Nepali tailor near Hanuman Dhoka, at a corner shop along where Thangkas were being sold, close to the Bhairab temple. He only did a few pieces at a time and it took about two months to get an order done. But the tailoring and styles were excellent, it was worth the wait. I think it was Susan Sossna who first knew about this tailor.

SHANTI NIKETAN- KOSI COMPOOUND, DILLI BAZAAR

Our compound was known as KOSI COMPOUND, named by the Indian engineers who built the road to the Tibetan border along the Kosi River. It was later purchased by the King’s accountant, a Bhandary. The Bhandary sons live in two of the houses, while the front house, the largest one, was occupied by the Kathmandu Tax Office.

Tenants of another house at the front were Elizabeth Hawley, ("I'll Call You in Kathmandu"), and the Himalayan Trust, run by the late Sir Edmund Hillary. And Snowy, Elizabeth's Lhasa Apso. Often, some very tired looking unshaved Kiwis or Aussies would arrive there from the Namche Bazaar medical missions, to replenish the pharmacy, go shopping for GI sheets and pipes, or just to take the first decent hot shower for months.

We were at the house in the back, just after a carp pond. Upstairs was occupied by BK Shrestha and family, a pilot at RNAC. Their daughter Priyanka was Pema’s age. There was a tall fir tree at the back of the Tax Office, which MoMo Vanderveen-Barker, the male Siamese, was stranded at the top for a couple of days, so afraid to come down until he got starved.

We so enjoyed our stay at Kosi Compound: we participated in the ceremonies, our doggies were puja’d, we were smeared with vermillion powder, the full treatment. The Bhandary landlords never raised our initial rent, throughout our ten years of residing there!

One of the Indian engineers who lived in the compound is central to a Han Su Yin story, The Mountain is Young, although much fictionalized.

Kosi Compound is just around the corner from where the Perdons lived. We inherited their double-petal Sampaguita bush (used by the compound Didis for their Tuesday Ganesh pujas), and raspberry cuttings (pero ma-asim!! Great to eat with salt).

AT WORK IN KATHMANDU

Luciano Lavizzari was my Program Officer at UNDP. His wife is a Thangka and Tibetan art specialist. After so many years, I met him at ESCAP a few years ago when he came for a donor meeting with Swiss aid.

This photo was taken at an evaluation meeting for a series of buyer-seller meetings for selected south Asian countries. The late Ms. Razon Haresco was a family friend, her daughter Prima Lee was a friend both of myself and my sister Delia, and her son Mike was a classmate at UP. She was working at ESCAP’s Trade Division at this time, and later went back to her post as head of Customs in the Philippines.

Dr. Sivali Ratwatte was my Project Manager in Kathmandu, the brother of Srimavo Bandanaraike, uncle of Chandrika Kumaratunga, both former presidents of Sri Lanka, and father in law of Upali Wijewardene, founder of the first Sri Lankan multinational company: everything from aviation to chocolates to newspapers to vehicles. He was in his private Lear Jet bound for Malaysia to inspect cocoa plantations when the plane dived into the sea, no survivors. Sivali had to resign and return to Sri Lanka to head up the company.

SIGNORE JAMES GIAMBRONE

Do you remember Thangka James? He had a shop in Thamel, specializing in Newari thangkas. He was supporting 40 families at one time with painting work. Now, he runs the Indigo Gallery located at Mike’s Breakfast House, and Mountain Biking in Thamel.

He was also the Manager for Phora Durbar, taking in the flak of complaints from customers, pepping up the waiters and cooks, ordering more popcorn for Flos. What a time!! Check him out on Facebook. He married Linda, an architect working with John Sanday at that time. They adopted two Tibetan children, one of whom will be attending university in the USA in the fall. James was Lincoln School commencement speaker last year. Yes, they do have K-12 classes now.

ANNAPURNA BASE CAMP TREK

David and I went on a week’s trek to the Base Camp. We hired two Sherpas, recommended by the Snow Lion Hotel in Pokhara. It was hard-going, during the dry season. We crossed some dry river beds and the stones were pounding our knees. The rest houses we stayed at were very basic: straw for mattresses, limited hot water, etc. but the sweet tea and dhall bahat tarkari were most welcome. And the views were so spectacular and in full Technicolor: the blue blue skies, green green valleys, starkingly bleached white snow capped Himalayas!

Dig into your Nepal files, and share your trekking stories!

WEDDING AT LINCOLN SCHOOL AUDITORIUM

I do not recall the names now, but a couple got married at the Lincoln School auditorium, Rabi Bhavan, just before the USAID compoound. He was with the Marines, posted previously in Bonn, Germany, the Filipina was visiting relatives working in Bonn. He was later assigned to Kathmandu and there was where they were married. Ingga, Pema's nanny, and Precy, Ed Canela's niece, were bridesmaids, Pema was a flower girl along with Cynthia's daughter Preeti. Cynthia in an aqua top, Manny with a moustache, Jo Dhungana in red tie, Tito Ed, and Gyanu, our Didi.

Do you have stories and/or photos to add to our Kathmandu Memory Marg?? Do send them in!!