Summaries and simple steps

Many of you will know (and thank you for your caring responses in comments and emails) that the proverbial really hit the fan a few times this year. I reduced the length of my regular trip to Nepal but I am very glad I still went. The time with the Samunnat ladies was great and I will write of that later (or at the Samunnat blog) but for now a few photos from the Colourful Journey 2015:There were moments when, in the face of threatened domestic flight cancellations, political unrest, fuel and gas shortages, Bishnu and I wondered about the wisdom of going ahead with the Colourful Journey 2015. We worked out plans B to Z to cope with the known unknowns, emailed our prospective trippers who were all still up for it and rejoiced in meeting a group of resilient, determined, generous and laughing women. (The unexpected but wonderful arrival of a wee girl meant we had to modify the modified plans which we did with excited glee!) With the recent earthquakes and ongoing problems, many tourists understandably choose easier destinations. We are so grateful to those who come and spend money in Nepal, learn of our situation and encourage and help. Dhanyabad!!! We managed to visit many of our friends, all really trying to survive in spite of the crap going on around them.  For a thoughtful analysis of the aforementioned crap read this. They were thrilled to see us and our intrepid travellers and many golden moments were shared by all.  The situation is however deteriorating and my concern for my beloved and beleaguered Nepal grows.An aside: MSF revealed in their latest issue of The Pulse that pneumonia is the number one killer of children under five.  A key barrier to protecting 75% of the children of the world against pneumonia is the price. The drug is only made by two huge companies, GFK and Pfizer, who made US426 billion in global sales of a vaccine.  MSF have launched a global petition aimed at the CEOs of the two companies asking them to make the vaccine available at $5 per child for all developing countries and humanitarian organisations. Please sign it here and share it with friends who may also be interested.