Holi Hallelujah
As there is no work here on Saturdays, it was quite fitting that this was the rainiest day of our stay in Manekharka so far. Therefore we could not really use the day to explore the area.   We made up for that on Sunday morning. Again, we climbed up the peak of about 2400 m in order to admire the mountain panorama which was not covered with clouds this time. Thanks to the rain of the previous day the mountains were covered with snow and in the other direction the clouds formed a sea of cotton wool over the valley. After that we waited again in vain for the welder, so that we started again for a little hike along the road to discover even more in the surroundings. While sitting together in the kitchen in the evening, we learned that tomorrow the Hindu Holi Festival, the festival of colours, will be celebrated in Nepal.   This means a holiday and the third day in a row where the construction site is closed. Furthermore, the steel plate from Kathmandu is still missing, without which the construction cannot be completed and whose arrival will probably be further delayed due to the rain and holidays. Only with a very small spark of hope that the plate has made it to the metal dealer without our knowledge, we set off this morning with the doctor and cook. Arrived at the metal shop we hardly believed our eyes. Right at the entrance was the steel plate, which looked like a mirage. HALLELUJAH! Now we can finally continue tomorrow. Overjoyed by this surprise, the local chef led us along trails towards his home town, where we bought vegetables and chicken for dinner to celebrate the day and he invited us to his house for a short break. The landscape along the path was contradictory in itself and therefore very beautiful and interesting. Beside barren rocks goats grazed on green meadows, between the terraced colorful fields grew tree-high cacti and agaves and in front of the clear view of the snow-covered mountains the blossoms of the trees showed themselves in magnificent colours. To crown this already perfect day, a hot water solar system was installed on the roof at the weekend, so that we can now enjoy the luxury of a hot shower.  
Text: Henning Risse