5 March, Thursday. Last day workshops. Cooking institute

08.00 alarm
09.00 last session with Sagar in which he tought me the technique of ‘rebirth’, leaving yesterday, last week, the past behind. Start a new day as a new life.
This session was his gift to me, along with a CD with meditation music.
10.00 breakfast together in the garden.
He was wearing the mala (necklace) I was supposed to receive along with my ‘initiation’, but whether or not he ‘sensed’ I was sceptic about it, he only gave me a businesscard of his Om Family House in Kathmandu and wrote a message in Nepali in my diary. If I ‘need’ this mala – he said – I could collect it there. We parted with a Thank you to each other, wishing each other joy every single minute and I left.

I sat down at the Perky Beans coffeeshop and sitting in the sun I read the daily Kathmandu Post. They ran an article that the Sun Kosi hydropower plant was suffering from technical problems (unusual noise and vibrations) so they were forced to shut this plant down for repairs for a period of 3 months. This will mean: even less hours of available electricity to be expected, not to exhaust and overheat the still working plants (like my laptop).
As good news next to this article I read an article about negotiations with India for alternative electricity supplies.

To the Internet where in 2 hours I gave you enough to read with an update up to the 26th of February. By the time I arrive home we will be synchronized with the actual date!

To H.E. where Kay was having her lunchbreak. Together we ‘fixed’ the boxes with the beads which we will take to the home on Sunday, probably a half day school due to strikes of the teachers. She said she will come tomorrow to Mahendra Pool with me to buy a Gurtha, which we will wear Saturday at the picnic and Thursday on Pizza night. The kids will be very excited about that!

On our way to school. I left a message for Maria in the office (she already left) with the invitation for the picnic on Saturday and maybe that we could have dinner together Friday evening to have a nice chat about our adventures.
The kids love her, they were thrilled when I told them that I invited Maria for the picnic and the Pizza-evening. For sure she will love the kids as much as I do.

And again on route together with Thak on my last mission: the cooking university.
And here counts the expression: saving the best piece for desert!
I was so impressed with this Institute. A big clean building in Mahendra Pool. We were welcomed by the director, a young man from Kathmandu, with perfect English explaining me the course.
A 3 months course for Rs 8000 (80 euro), with discount Rs 6800. (68 Euro).
This course includes: 2 months practical lessons: cooking, ingredient knowledge, hygiene, housekeeping training, serving the prepared food in their own restaurant, serving cocktails made in their own bar. The chef is an amazingly young ‘boy’.
The director gave me the website of the school (running soon), he will send the new brochure (at the printer at the moment) to my email address and the detailed program.
After the 2 months lessons Rasilla will be placed in one of the 5 star hotels of Pokhara for one month traineeship, working in the restaurant and bar, training with the housekeeping of the hotel and assisting in the kitchen.
I am sure she will learn so much in those 3 months and she will love it.
After finishing those 3 months with good marks she will get her certificate.

A tour in the building showing us the classroom for theory, the housekeeping room that looks exactly like a hotelroom, the clean well equipped kitchen, being introduced to the chef. The restaurant with coffee lounge and the bar, where they will learn how to prepare the cocktails and drinks. For the bartraining is a top barman from Kathmandu employed, who will teach the students everything about making cocktails (with joggling with the bottles!), the ingredients of the drinks, which glass to use, how to serve the drinks.

The director gave us a copy of the recipe handbook containing a full range of recipies (Nepali, Indian, Chinese, Internationl Cuisine, soups, desert, just to mention some of them). Taking a seat in the lounge area where coffee was served with banana pancakes with honey (my favorite), fantastic yummie brown Newari pancakes and Newari style potatoes.
Time to leave with a full belly – no dinner for me tonight, I almost explode of all the delicious samples served.

Thak and I very impressed and pleased with the choice of this excellent Institute back to the home.
The same ritual: Rita! Hugs, kisses, got to run to H.E. See you tomorrow! A last kiss from Sofia who followed me, a wink from Bimal who was trying to get my attention all the time and my promise promise that from tomorrow I will stay with them all afternoons for the rest of my stay.
A big YES and blow kisses from every where and Kay, Pramot and I were on our way.

Talking with Kay I said to her that Thak and I are getting along better each day, becoming friends, and that I will try to persuade him to keep Pramot as homework teacher. All the kids adore him, he loves the kids, has a good control over them in the study room, spends even his days off with them and I think he is capable of helping Thak with the accounting and other tasks Thak is not able to perform due to his lack of education.

A busy H.E. basecamp. A group of trekking clients had their end-of-trekking dinner and despite the buffet looked inviting, smelt fantastic, I could not eat any more.
A coffee with Doreen in the garden and at 21.00 to my room, writing down my full, eventful, beautiful, successful, filled with love day of today.

Writing down this sentence, the lights come on, but I only have one more thing to do.
To close my diary, to close the lights and to close my eyes for yet another good relaxed sleep with once again 46 arms around me.

Suba Rathri.

Thank you Universe for another beautiful perfect day!

(For sure I will include cooking lessons as an option in the sponsortrip!)