In my earlier years of adulthood, I stumbled upon a book on the dimly lit shelves of the Edinburgh University library, and it stopped me dead in my tracks. It was the Scottish winter of 2001, the kind of winter where the sun slips away before you have a chance to notice it was ever there. But in the fading light of that cold grey…
Clouds on Tour began as a simple way to share the raw edges of our journey with family and friends - a journal documenting the challenges and triumphs of building a rammed earth home and a retreat in the Himalayas, and unschooling 2 boys. But more than that, it was a line cast out to one reader: Papa. I knew he would be watching with…
In the play of sunlight filtering down through the shady fig trees, a troop of little feet powered by an apparition of arching wild bamboo and a generous length of hemp rope, sauntering at first, then taking bolder strides, broke their locomotion into a mad run towards the swathe of cracked mud. There was an immediate urgency to fly and the many soaring spirits held…
Fog blanketed the sky like stained muslin hovering above, gifting nothing to vision. Devoured by darkness, dawn could not penetrate. Yet, darkness offers solace - so infiltrating, tranquillizing and still. The arrival of cool wind shifted the clouds. It was a relief but it was also a precarious prelude to a thunderstorm. The wind howled, ushering the mighty pavlova ones before the sky released its…
It will be 3 years soon since we left home. Back in 2019, we had the itch to start something of our own. Although life in KL was comfortable and good to us, there seemed to be a calling that there was more to experience in our short existence. So we took the plunge and moved to rural Nepal bringing with us our two young…
Ramming stopped on the final wall and a cry was heard from 24 feet above ground. Perched on the edge of worn-out formwork, a finger pointed down towards the muddy pathway between the thresholds where Surya stood. The little ones put a pause to their work play at the sand dune and leapfrogged toward the scene. Surya had just stopped a slithering creature in its…
As the snow begins to melt with the abrupt appearance of spring disrobing the stark towering granite, 11 pairs of boyish limbs came springing up from all directions of the village to seek new adventures. They appeared in unforeseen lengths and widths but share an insatiable spirit of curiosity and play with a whiff of mischief. Except for a beaten football, abundant wild bamboo and…
The boundary confused with punctuation of wild bamboo is displaced with sounds of slashes and whips. The Jumla boys take a playful swing along the green branching clusters and tamed them with their axes and machetes, tugging the hollow culms up the terraces with their sheer strength, trimming them into workable lengths and shouldering them onto the stage to act as props for the drama…
Everywhere we live, there is a place where we can linger in formlessness until form takes place. Everywhere we go, there is a path that leads the way; sometimes in the shadow of the moon and sometimes in the starkness of the sun. Every now and then, there is an unbeaten trail prodding a temptation. In this land where the sky meets earth and where…
As the buck moon wanes, Little A, filled with emotion and mortification, stumbled for words to express the absence of empathy in humanity. Squatting in moonlight, streams of tears flushed his sticky cheeks. He had witnessed the cold killing of his extraordinarily large tadpole, at first mistaken as a fish, ripped apart by deft and nimble fingers as little as his. He was vehement to…
There is the intention of letting the boys be self-directed most of the time in terms of their learning experience. From being immersed in the process of building our home, being with nature and feeling comfortable with the insects, worms, birds and animals, being a part of a new culture and language and making it their own, being with all types of people where age…
A grouchy hairy beast shoots a piercing look. In your direction. What do you do? Run like the Bolt and don't look back. Buffaloes don't have much sense of humour. They are dead serious and give no warning at all. We were told that one will never outrun a buffalo, nor survive them in a wrestle, so your only option is to get a head start and climb a…
With the global pandemic of 2020, Mother Nature has finally had some time to recuperate and restore a little balance in her ecosystems. It’s a time of contemplation for the human species and HOPE that our old habits of mindless consumerism may change and economies rethink to adopt more sustainable solutions. There is talk in the air that the internet may crash anytime soon as…
It has been 2 months since we made our big move to Astam, a hamlet tucked under the embrace of the Annapurna. The boys, much to our surprise, have adjusted almost seamlessly, soaking in new experiences with light-heartedness and a sense of fun. I couldn't be more thankful. Often enough, when the freezing waters and icy winds get me down, I would find inspiration in…