I never really realised just how much abuse a Jeep could take.

Sorry this update has been a long time coming, finding a reliable Internet connection has been quite a mission.

I've had a week or so just bumming around, doing the temple thing and catching up old friends and making new ones.

From Kathmandu it was a 7ish hour bus journey to Pokora, from there I made it to Beni. It took me 3 hours in a shared taxi to get there on the worst 'roads' ever (later I found roads can get a lot worse). Most where just mud and the taxi was slipping all over the place. I'm amazed that it got here, I would have thought that you would have needed a 4 wheel drive to get up there. However the dude's cab was an ancient rust bucket that had a light switch instead of an ignition and we had to stop twice to top it up with water from a waterfall. Beni wasn't a particularly nice place and being the only westerner in the whole town I was a great source of amusement to it's residents. There's something very disconcerting about an entire, busy high street, stopping, pointing and laughing at you. Having swapped my shorts for a long skirt things improved, but it was all too much and a found a warm beer and retreated to my (bright purple) room from the night.

The next morning Chitra (I think he works for Wireless Nepal, but I haven't quite worked that out yet) I and 13 others, jumped in a Jeep (or cheap Dawoo equivalent) and precessed to drive for 3 hours on a newly created 'road' towards the village of Nangi. I never really realised just how much abuse a Jeep could take and have never in my life experienced a drive like it. We got stuck in mud numerous times, had to make a makeshift bridge over a river and did some of the climb in reverse while the passengers walked behind. Most of the time there's a 100 foot drop one side of us - even the local women where shouting as the Jeep started to slipped backward on several occasions! Still, at least it meant that I didn't have to walk for 9 hours, and all this fun for a little under £3...
Be sure to check my Facebook photos!

HeNN eLibrary

Google group joined: HeNN eLibrary

Group to discuss on the eLibrary that Help Nepal Network (HeNN) is settting up at Lalmatiya, Dang and Bhaktapur, Kathmandu.

Mailto: ubuntu-np Local community

Namaste,
In July I'm off to Nepal to help the village of Nangi expand their rural wi-fi network. I'm taking some laptops with me to donate to the local school and am going to install Ubuntu, it's free and Edubunu is perfect for the kids in at the Himanchal School.

I would be great if the Ubuntu Nepal Community would take interest in my project and be there if I need support. I'd also love to come along to any meets you might have while I'm in Nepal.

I'm my opinion, Ubuntu is going to provide a great opportunity to reduce the digital divide. To find out more please visit http://www.himanchal.org/, http://www.wirelessnepal.org/ and my blog at http://charlieinnangi.blogspot.com/.

Thanks guys,
Charlie

Do it with Ubuntu

Thanks guys for everything donated! Keep it coming!

My appeal for IT equipment has yielded a mixed bag of stuff. From a 6kg laptop from the 80's to a spanking new Dell D630, wi-fi routers and a switch, a selection of RAM and some wi-fi cards. I intend to make an inventory of everything - any stuff that's too old or just not appropriate will go on eBay. The proceeds will be ploughed back into the project and details will be posted on this blog.

I currently have three usable laptops of varying specs and am testing Edubuntu, a education distro of Ubuntu on them. This OS was chosen because it's free, comes with a suit of education software suited to a range of ages and many of the applications are appropriate for children with little or no knowledge of the English language. There's also a lot of sincere, and very much appreciated support out there. I am also hopeful that the Ubuntu Nepal user group will help me out, I'll be contacting them soon!

Charlie

FedEx, DHL, UPS, TNT and Trans World contacted

Dear Sir,
In July I am travelling to Nepal to do voluntary work with the Himanchal charity in the village ofNangi for 5 months. Nangi is a remote mountain village situated in west Nepal, it's a 10 hourwalk from the nearest road! Amazingly the village has a basic computer network with a shared Internet connection - this helps farmers trade livestock, families keep in touch with relativesand provides invaluable teaching resources for the local school. My time in Nangi will be spentexpanding the network and teaching the villagers how to get the most out of their IT resources. As the village has limited resources I intend to bring donated computer equipment with me.

Is there any way that FedEx/DHL/UPS/TNT/Trans World would be able to help ship IT equipment to Kathmandu free of charge? Even a few kilograms of equipment would help immensely. I will of course mention FedEx/DHL/UPS/TNT/Trans World if any media interest arises and will happily keep you updated on my progress while out in Nepal. For more information please visit my blog at

http://charlieinnangi.blogspot.com/ and the charity's website at http://www.himanchal.org/.

Many thanks,

Charlie

Clifford Chance's Lenovo supplier approached

Hi Rachel,
In July I am travelling to Nepal to do voluntary work in the village of Nangi for 5 months. Nangi is a remote mountain village situated in west Nepal, it's a 10 hour walk from the nearest road! Amazingly the village has a basic computer network with a shared Internet connection - this helps farmers trade livestock, families keep in touch with relatives and provides invaluable teaching resources for the local school. My time in Nangi will be spent expanding the network and teaching the villagers how to get the most out of their IT resources. As the village has limited resources I intend to bring donated computer equipment with me, is there any way Lenovo would like to get involved with this project?

It would be fantastic if Lenovo could donate some laptops, even older, end of line machines would be a great help. I will of course mention Lenovo if any media interest arises and will happily keep you updated on my progress while out in Nepal. For more information please vist my blog at http://charlieinnangi.blogspot.com/ and the charity's website at http://www.himanchal.org/.

Many thanks

Charlie

Equipment Appeal

I am currently collecting secondhand and broken laptops to take with me to Nangi. Nepal is experiencing severe power shortages which leave large areas without electricity for long periods. Batteries are often the only source of power, so laptops, due to their portable nature are the best choice.

Please get in contact if you have a laptop you no long use or if you have any other IT or networking equipment you think might be helpful. The following items would be gratefully received.

Laptops

Wi-fi adaptors

Network cards

Hubs, routers and switches

Wireless access points

Directional and omnidirectional antenna

Lightening arrestors and protector units

Deep cycle batteries and UPS

DC to AC inverters

Digital Cameras

Power tools

PC spares and anything else!

Air India - Increase baggage allowance?

Hi,

I have booked an economy seat on AI112 on 13th July. I am travelling to Kathmandu to do voluntary work in the village of Nangi for 5 months. Nangi is a remote mountain village situated in west Nepal. Amazingly the village has a basic computer network that helps farmers trade livestock, families keep in touch with relatives and provides invaluable teaching resources for the local school. My time in Nangi will be spent expanding the network and teaching the villagers how to get the most out of their IT resources.

As the village has limited resources I intend to bring donated computer equipment with me. Is there any way Air India could increase my baggage allowance? It would be amazing if Air India could help me out with the cost of excess baggage. Could you let me know your thoughts on this - if there is someone specific I need to write to please could you pass on their contact details?

Regards,

Charlotte Gonella