I am Anthony but please call me by my nickname, Dai. Everybody in the UK calls me Dai so I feel easy with that name.
My wife is Nepalese and we live in west Kathmandu, in a suburb called Satungal. My Nepalese family is Newari. Most of Kathmandu’s inhabitants are of the Newari caste.
We have a modern house here, just a few minutes walk north of the main road through Satungal.
At present I am in Lisbon, Portugal for some months.
An Englishman's life in Lisbon, Portugal 
मेरो blog मन पराउनु भएकोमा धन्यवाद 🙂
living the dream 🙂 I love Nepal and contemplate relocating in a few years
Hi dai, thanks for going through my blog; went through yours too and was wondering how you ended up in Nepal? This story needs to be told (again, if you already did this on your previous blog), and I for one would like to read it 😀
Thanks for your visits. And you live in Nepal? wow. Fell in love with Nepal while I was there for a short while several years back. I’m still reliving my stay there through my pictures and memories. Hope to be able to travel back there again. If your rooms are still available then, I’ll drop you a line then.
Hi again. I just found this message by chance. Yes I live in the western part of Kathmandu. It’s called Satungal and we’re higher than Kathmandu City so we don’t get as much air pollution. Right now we have election fever and politicians are actually trying to kill and bomb each other. Total madness. I hope it all settles down again soon. Where are you ? I’m from Bournemouth in the UK but my wife is Nepalese and I live here year round.
Yes, I saw something posted by my friends in Kathmandu about it being election time and still alive (!)
Hope it all settles down too.
I’m currently in the US – New York/New Jersey.
P.s. I’m from the Philippines and see that you’ve been there as well. You’ve travelled far!
Wow if you’re from the Philippines, you must be glued to the TV right now. That’s all I’m doing these days and I feel so much for those poor people in Leyte and north Cebu. I heard that those two magnificent islands, Malapascua and Bantayan, have been devastated. I visited both of them a few years ago. I’ve also been to New York a few times but I much prefer the Philippines.
Hello Dai,
I am glad you came across my blog and liked one of my posts. Thank you. You have a pleasant blog here. Like tenzingsamdup above, I am curious how you happen to be in Nepal. It would be great if you wrote about it.
Regards
Hi Bamboo. It’s Dai here from Kathmandu. The story is not at all exciting but I met my wife while on a visit to Nepal and a few years later I proposed. Obviously there’s more to the story than that and I will write all about it one day. Where do you live in India ? Best wishes from Dai
Thanks for replying. I am living in Delhi right now.
Hi Dai thanks for introducing yourself by following our site. We look forward to exploring yours further. You’re priveleged to live in Nepal and will enjoy your stories about it.
We also invite you to visit the RAXA Collective facebook page. See you there!
Thankyou for following my blog… we seem to hab quiet similar type of blog
Great blog Dai, this is helping me out a lot with planning my up and coming trip.
Hi Tommy. oops maybe my latest blog is not the one for you but it is truthful at least.
Apologies, Dai, for my “faux pas”. Very best wishes to you for 2014, and I hope that Schumie recovers well. I watched him race for many years.
Hi Jo, sorry I was a bit slow there. We are getting so many power cuts now that we’re unable to keep our inverter battery charged. And it will get worse before it gets better. Happy New Year to you Jo. Best wishes from Dai
Hi Dai, wow what a fantastic life you lead! I’d love to see some of Nepal one day, it’ high on my bucket list. You couldn’t have chosen much more different from Bournemouth could you? Love your puppy too. Good luck from rainy Devon!
Hi Gilly, well it sure is different here and all the usual western rules of modern living don’t apply here. We do have beautiful scenery and a very rich culture but there are plenty of hardships too. I have a great family here so I am happy. Come over any time. No direct flights from the UK but Qatar Airways via Doha is by far the best.
Hello Dai,
Do you speak Nepali or do you manage with just English? Also, curious to know what made you decide to relocate to Nepal?
Best wishes, Nicola
Hi Nicola, it is a very complicated story but yes, my wife is Nepalese and she is a senior teacher. My real home is in Bournemouth, UK and I am in the process of going back to settle there. My wife’s nephew is already there and helping with updating my flat. Where do you live, Nicola? Is your name Italian ?
Sorry, Nicola… forgot to say… I speak Nepali very badly. People here can speak English, I mean at home here. I came to Nepal when I stopped working in the UK donkeys years ago. Then I went back to the UK, lived in Thailand for some years, then back to the UK and again to Nepal. My heart is in Bournemouth and I can’t wait to be there again but I want my wife to live with me, Are you married ?
The surname is Italian, yes. But I’m English. I live in Bournemouth at the moment!
Is your decision to move back a sudden one? I’ve read some of your posts, and there doesn’t seem to be any indication of it (doing up rooms for guests at the house in Nepal, getting the dog etc..). Has your wife lived in England before?
Hi Nicola. No It’s not sudden but I have lingered on here because my wife has not been willing to relocate to the UK. The house near Kathmandu where I stay is not mine but belongs to my wife and her sister jointly. So when I get the rooms ready for guests it is for the family and not for me but I feel as though it’s for me because I am a part of this family. The puppy was for Rasmi but yes I totally love German Shepherds. I am not allowed to keep a dog where I live in Bournemouth so it’s going to be VERY difficult leaving Flocky. No, my wife has never been to the UK before. She is not typically Nepalese because most would grab any chance to go to the UK. Where do you live in Bournemouth ? I live in Westbourne and I love that part. I am missing it a lot. I was there a few weeks ago. Bournemouth is a great place to live. Are you thinking of relocating? You say you are living there ‘at the moment’
Hi Dai.
I’m staying here with family temporarily – where I go next depends on where my next job is. It’s all a bit up in the air at the moment.
I came upon your blog via Lauren Mokasdar’s blog – I am interested to read about the experience of Westerners who move to vastly different countries, where the culture is very different, and where they don’t speak the language. I visited India a few years ago, and like many who do so, I half-feel that I would like to live there (although I realise it’s not an easy place to live). But after somewhere like India, England does seem boring!
It’s interesting to read Lauren’s blog as she is at the start of her journey – everything is new and interesting, an adventure. She’s at the stage where she is falling in love with India, and everything seems so vibrant and intriguing. By way of contrast and perspective, it’s interesting to read the blogs of British/American/Australian people who have been there longer, including those who eventually moved back to their country of origin. They tend not to be so enamoured! It would be interesting to know what percentage of those who move to India/Nepal/some other country, marry a native of that country, with the belief that they will stay there forever, return to their country of origin after several years. And just because they don’t stay, does that mean they would advise others not to follow in their footsteps?
Can I ask, when you moved to Nepal (for the second time around) did you think it was going to be forever? Has your wife agreed to move to England with you? If she won’t, what will you do?
When I think about the prospect of living in less developed countries in either Asia or Africa, the main deterent for me is concerns about health care provision. Has this been an issue for you?
Regards,
Nicola
Hi Nicola, it’s such a huge subject and I could write a book about it all. Believe me, the novelty of stayng anywhere in the undeveloped world wears off after a while. There are very few exceptions. Now I am in an awful situation with feet in both worlds. The problem about where to live has almost cost me my marriage several times. I’ve actually gone back to live permanently in Bournemouth several times but each time I’ve gone back to Nepal. I cannot be one hundred percent sure what will happen in the future but I want to go back home to live permanently. I am fiercely patriotic and my heart is in the UK. I have a three bedroomed flat in Bournemouth which I love. I don’t want to leave it empty because it is a ground floor flat so I rent the master bedroom to an old lady called Philippa. She’s a carer in a nursing home.She shares all the common areas and keeps them clean in my absence. It’s not my ideal situation but it works okay. We share the council tax and she pays for her electric. Flying backwards and forwards is a real pain and expensive too. I can’t walk very well in my old age and I would hate to become a burden on the state so I want my wife to live with me there in Bournemouth. She still has a contract to finish with the Nepal Government and then she will be free to go with me to Bournemouth. She is very close to all her family and wants to keep everyone together. That won’t be possible when she comes to Bournenmouth but she has three other sisters who could take care of Grandmother. We all call her Grandmother.
There is no state health care in Nepal so we have to pay for all medical treatment here. I am retired but I have my UK state pension and I also have a second private pension. I have to live very modestly so that I don’t start using up all my savings. The council tax and the flat service charges and maintenance are really heavy and now we are faced with a massive £7000 roof repair bill for each flat. It’s wearing heavily on me right now.
My advice to anybody who wants to live in the third world is to stay in the UK because life is great there and the UK Government takes good care of it’s citizens. People don’t realise this unfortunately. In Nepal there is no unemployment pay, no medical care and if you don’t have family, you are begging on the street.
In January I was in Bournemouth and I didn’t see any obvious signs of recession and hardship but I heard the usual complaints about how hard life is. Those people should try living in Nepal.. Supermarket trolleys in Bourenemouth still had lots of unhealthy junk stuff, crisps, candies and fizzy drinks. The school kids seemed as out of control and awful as usual. I bought lots of new clothes for my wife and other close relatives. I bought most stuff at George shop in Asda, Castlepoint. We can’t buy good clothes in Kathmandu very easily. I’m thinking of flying there again next month for a few weeks. I always get good weather when I go but I hear all about the gales and rain lashing the UK these days.
Please write more about yourself. I’m keen to know more WordPress friends in Bournemouth.
Best wishes from Dai (Anthony)
Namaskar Dai,
Sanchai hunu huncha ?
Your blog is really nice and interesting.
Hi Dai! I gotta surprise for you. I have nominated you for the Liebster Award. Check this out http://duniyaku.wordpress.com/2014/04/11/an-award-for-me-yay-ness/
Hi Dai, thanks for the follow! I’ve just begun exploring your blog and am already captivated … I’ll check out more posts tomorrow!
Hi Lexie and thanks. Greetings from Kathmandu at 4 am. I got up to see why Flocky (our puppy) was barking so I decided to check my emails as well and here I am, wide awake. Glad you like my posts Lexie. Talk to you soon. Dai
Thanks for the follow Dai. I will keep your rooms in mind for future KTM visits. All the best, Helen
Hi Helan and thanks. We’re a bit far from the tourist area of Thamel and it takes 30 minutes by city bus (8 kilometres) so we’re not so good for tourists. It’s not my place but my wife and family’s and they are interested in homestay. But everybody is always welcome. O’Gorman looks Irish. Are you from the Emerald Isle ?
Close enough. Liverpool.
I have friends in Lazimpat and Baluwatar, so usually stay around there. Thanks for the update anyway; I will spread the word to people who may be interested in a non-tourist centre homestay.
Thanks Helen. Baluwater is a nice area to stay. Lazimpat used to be nice but with the widening and all the trees gone, it has lost all its character. The people have now disappeared too. I was so shocked when I saw it. Have you seen it since it got bulldozed ?
Hi, I couldn’t find the post where we were commenting. “Venting off steam today”. Hope you are doing fine. 🙂 😀
Hi Gaurab. I can’t find it either. That’s weird. Let me look again after lunch. So strange. Dai
Hi Dai, interesting to read about your life! It is quite challenging to combine everything and to live between different countries etc… Good luck!! When are you moving back to the UK?
Hi Miia, I’m slow. I was away from my laptop all day. I had to go down to Kathmandu City to get some things. Yes it can be very difficult living in both Bournemouth and Kathmandu. We are trying to relocate to the UK or anywhere in Europe. I hope we can arrange it all in early 2015
Good luck!!
Kiitos, Miia
Hi Dai,
Namaste! Thanks for following my blog. I enjoy reading your stories, especially about Kathmandu. Fell in love with Nepal during my short vacation there last October. I hope to come visit again next year and stay longer. Cheers from the Philippines!
hi Dai ,
Kasto hunhuncha..? Thanks for the follow…
My husband being an officer in the Gorkha regiment (India) , was posted in Kathmandu ,Nepal for three and a half years , (It also happened to be the first few years of our marriage ! ) and that is how my love for Nepal began… Though my husband had learnt to speak the Nepali language in India itself ,I picked it up during my teaching days in Kathmandu…
Hence , it is nice to find another man , equally or perhaps a lot more in love with the country ,that is Nepal…
Looking forward to read more of your posts…
Now there’s a huge surprise this morning. Hi Sumi. Happy to meet you. Lucky you are not in Nepal these days because it’s so cold and we have endless hours of power cuts every day. I have only read one of your posts because our power is off (of course) and I’m using up my battery. I live in Kathmandu…. in a western suburb called Satungal. I have two homes. One in Bournemouth, England and one here in Kathmandu where I live in my wife’s house. I wrote a post this morning, Sumi. I can’t always write too often and sometimes we can’t access WordPress for days or weeks at a time. God only knows why. But I don’t have problems accessing facebook, just in case you have an account there. I’ve always hated the place but that’s the place where most of my friends prefer to be. My ID is Anthony Slark but there are some fake IDs there of the same name so take care. Mine will be obvious because there’s no swearing, no junk talk and just family stuff there. My email address is:- Anthonyslark@yahoo.co.uk My first impression of you is that you’re a thoroughly nice person. I usually get it right. Talk to you later, Sumi. Have a great weekend. Dai
haha ! ok..yes , in fact we were there in the times when it was still a monarchy and witnessed the revolution for democracy and the aftermath…. So I guess we lived there in the better times..more peaceful…We stayed in a nice house , in Bansbaari… next to the Thai embassy there…
happy weekend to you too 🙂
Hi Sweety. I’m finally connected to WordPress again. The internet failed after lunch yesterday and made a couple of feeble attempts to come back yesterday evening and then failed again all night. We are connected again now but it’s barely working and everything is taking several attempts and lots of waiting. Coupled with the petrol shortage here and lack of electricity, I’m starting to wish I was back in Bournemouth for Christmas. I know that little lane by the Thai Embassy. It’s much more peaceful over there.
Dia thank u for following my blog….Hopefully i could belt out more post in future and maintain the standard of blog for which you appreciated it….. 😀
Hi Namu. Don’t worry because we can’t be BEST all the time. Some blogs are great and some are not. Send some of your Bombay heat up to Kathmandu please.
Always dreamt of a lovely home stay Holiday trip in Kathmandu. Now i know whom to reach out to. Thanks a lot! 🙂
Hi Saritha. Thanks for connecting with me. Kathmandu is quite an insane place and I’m here because of the family. Have you been here before ? We have many shortages and Kathmandu City is an ugly polluted place but the UNESCO World Heritage Sites make it worthwhile. And then of course the rest of Nepal is mostly very beautiful.
We could not make it to Kathmandu till now. But surely one of our dearest dreams to be there. Thanks a lot for connecting . Good luck. Tc
Hi Dai,
I was reading through all the comments above and it read like a story full of posts. I loved it. You do live an adventurous life. In the 1970s it was fashionable for Westerners to go to less developed countries and experience their cultures and religions. I watched a Hindi movie on a similar theme- Hare Rama Hare Krishna.
I am glad you like it there, though you want to be in the UK too. I can so identify with that. I live outside my home country too. Every time I go home, the changes surprise me. I like change but not everyone around me likes it as I do.
I usually don’t mention where I live on the blog but that is a personal thing with me. I am rather shy and don’t like to be identified but I identify myself with so many of the stories and the lives of those who write on wordpress.
I think I will enjoy reading your blog.
I grew up on Enid Blyton books and I think some of her stories were based in Bournemouth, I could be mistaken though.
Susie
Hi Susie. It’s really nice to read all your comments. I’ve also seen that Hindi movie ‘Hare Rama, Hare Krishna’ It was actually filmed in Kathmandu, Nepal. I used to know one of the actors in that movie. His name was Prasanta I think but we are going back a long, long way.
OMG- it must have been 1970s.
Hello Dai, cool blog! Thanks for visiting and following my blog. Happy blogging! (>‿◠)✌
Thanks, Pat. I’m sure you’ve figured this out but my real name is Anthony and my nickname is Dai. Well you call me Dai so you already know. I normally (but not always) write a short blog every few days so I’ll never be overwhelming you. Thanks for stopping by, Pat. Great to meet you.
Pleased to meet you too, Dai! ヾ(*´∀｀*)ﾉ
Hi, Dai. Thank you for visiting my blog! And I have an interested in your AirBNB service. Someday I want to visit your house with my girlfriend! Thank you so much!
Hi Tamaki. Many thanks for writing. I hope you and your girlfriend will come here to Lisbon. We get many Japanese tourists here and they are definitely my favourites because of their consideration and perfect manners. I think you would love Lisbon. It is VERY different to Japan. ありがとう、玉置。
Hi Dai,
Glad to know your Nepal- UK connection ❤
Thank you for dropping by, happy to connect.
Happy blogging 🙂
Ekdum thanks Amrita. Have you ever been to Nepal ?
Yea, I visited Nepal with my parents about 10 years ago. It’s been a long time, however, planning to revisit the country by the end of this year!