In light of the large earthquake on the 25th April in Nepal, the effects of which have been so widespread and devastating to the Nepalese people, we wanted to write a short blog entry to give a slightly different perspective on the news you've all no doubt watched in the last few weeks. We were very upset to hear of the disaster; Nepal was a special place to us on our travels and offered us so much for so little. After travelling around India we found the country and its people a breath of fresh air, and although the average Nepalese person is quite poor, they were always generous, welcoming, helpful and showed great spirit.

After the earthquake we came to learn that Laxman, a very friendly and helpful travel agent and family friend in Kathmandu, had been living in a tent with his family for several weeks, in fear of further quakes and that his house was no longer safe. While lucky to be alive many others are also now having to live in such poor conditions. The streets of Kathmandu, specifically around the ancient 'Durbar Square' offered us some of the most eye opening and culturally rich experiences of our travels. Sadly many of the ancient temples and streets have been badly damaged or simply destroyed, wiping out hundreds of years of rich history and heritage in minutes. In Bhaktapur, one of the countires most pristine historical cities, over 80% of homes and historical buildings have been either damaged or destroyed, leaving the people homeless and without shelter and basic sanitation. This is a picture repeated over large swathes of the country. Over the last few days we have also been worried to learn that a landslide has blocked the flow to the Kaligandaki River. Thousands of people who live down river have had to flee for their lives due to the danger of flooding, and many people who rely on the tourism the river generates will now be out of a job. Home to one of the deepest gorges in the world we were lucky enough to be able to raft down it for 3 days, supported by a great team of locals who fed, entertained and looked after us along the way. We all felt like one large family by the end and it will now be a great concern of our guides and the many others who work the river that they won't be able to support themselves or their families if the river is closed.

Unlike many countries, the Nepalease people heavily depend on toruism as their income. Sadly the earthquake will have put progress back many years just as the country was coming out of years of political strife and economic hardship. We have not met nicer people on our travels, and while they are extremely resilient they really do need help. There is a large Nepelese community in the in the UK and many will have familes directly effected by the quake. We know that any donations to the Earthquake disaster appeal would go a long way in helping the Nepalese people rebuild and ensure that their families in the UK have some comfort knowing that they are getting the assistance that they greatly need. Not only this, it would also ensure others get to experience the same amazing country that we did, and that we ourselves are so keen to revisit in the future. We know this has been all over the news, but having visited the lovely country and getting to know people there we feel we really do have an idea of the terrible consequences of this disaster in the long term; a country that just does not have the money or resources to deal with this disaster, but truly has an amazing spirit, resilience and sense of community to rebuild with the right help!

http://www.dec.org.uk/appeal/nepal-earthquake-appeal