Customer Reviews

The Waiting Land: A Spell in Nepal

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In 1965 Irish born traveller Dervla Murphy sets off to Nepal to work as a volunteer with the Tibetan refugees. Having previously worked in Dharamsala, India with the newly exiled community, which had by this time found it's feet & in her opinion was no longer in need of another Western volunteer, Dervla's interest now lay in neighbouring Nepal which was still struggling with the influx of refugees.

Written in the form of a diary, Murphy recounts the months that she spent in the 'waiting land'. Sharing her lodgings with rats & an extensive range of insects, her no nonsense attitude & the equanimity with which she views each situation makes interesting reading. Even Miss Murphy cannot understand why the Tibetans made such a fuss over 'a few leeches' whilst trekking. Many westerners would find her experiences unacceptable, especially waiting days for a delayed flight & the hilarious but potentially dangerous airport at Pokhora where children play, animals graze & dogs fight on the runway until an aeroplane approaches & a whistle is blown to clear the way. As of yet, she declares that miraculously there has been no fatalities.

Although Miss Murphy believes that the Tibetans are probably one of the dirtiest races, her admiration for their spirit, wonderful humour & compassion shines through. After a heavy monsoon, the refugee camp was completely flooded. The scene, she said could have been extrememly depressing, except that the Tibetans thought it was the funniest thing that had ever happened to them.

A brilliant insight into Nepal, the Nepalese & the Tibetans.

Murphy continues to entertain in her 3rd publication, 'The Waiting Land'. Once again her sincerity and humour shine through in this description of her time spent living amongst Tibetan nomad refugees in the Nepalese valley of Pokhara. Her account successfully conveys the substance of life there - from the physical grandeur of the setting to the unusual personalities that live there. Highly recommended!