After spending a few days in KTM, today was the day for the journey to Haripur. Fortunately, the roads have been improved, so instead of taking 9 hours on bumpy roads, it took us about 6.5 hours. We received the usual friendly welcome from Arbind and his wife Priya, and we went through the busy schedule for the next few days with them. After visiting a local market, we went to Little Africa, the poorest part of Haripur. There, we were once again confronted with the harsh reality. All our complaints about nitrogen, pensions, budget deficits, and inflation pale in comparison to the extreme poverty there. Children wearing rags, illiterate parents, straw huts for shelter, and hardly any prospect of a better life. So, we urgently need to work on education and long-term solutions such as creating a large vegetable garden and a goat stable to achieve self-sufficiency. I don't know if I will ever see that happen, but we need to start somewhere. In collaboration with Wilde Ganzen and The Nepal Trust, we hope to invest here in the near future. We ended the day at Arbind's home, where we heard a group of old ladies singing a beautiful serenade for a newlywed couple in the village. That thankfully brought a smile back to our tearful faces. More tomorrow.
