Monday 21 March 2016

Prince Harry in Nepal: Day Three

He's lived most of his life in palaces but as day three of his visit to Nepal came to an end, Prince Harry settled down for a night in the house of a Gurkha widow and her family.


Prince Harry meets his hosts for his homestay in Nepal on day three of his visit to the country
(photo @KensingtonRoyal Twitter)

This evening, Harry is the guest of 86 year old Mangali Gurung. The prince said before he left he wanted to meet as many of the people of Nepal as possible and this is another chance for him to do that as well as find out more about the Gurkhas and their family - he served alongside them in Afghanistan and has spoken of his admiration for them in the past. But this trip is also helping him highlight a big tourism initiative in Nepal right now - homestays. And as his adventure began, he got (another) rapturous reception and ended his day in the traditional headwear of a village head as he enjoyed a cultural show.






It had all started much earlier with helicopters and rafts. Harry hopped on the helicopter to hitch a ride to the Bardia National Park where no sooner had he landed than he was setting out for a trip along the river. His raft ride was part of a day designed to highlight environmental issues and tourism in Nepal.




Also on the agenda was wildlife with a tour of some of the camera traps used to monitor tigers - Bardia is part of the biggest tiger conservation area in Asia and in the last seven years has seen its population of the animals grow from 18 to 50.There was also a talk about poaching and the damage it does to the wildlife in the area and Harry was shown traps and homemade guns seized from illegal hunters by military in the area.





Continuing the military theme, when it was time to say goodbye Harry had a special sign off and plenty of words of praise for those he had met.






Day three continued with a visit to Dalla Village, Bardia where there was a traditional dance display to get the royal party started.  Maybe his grandfather, the Duke of Edinburgh who has had a long association with the World Wildlife Fund, gave Harry some tips for this stop which saw the prince chatting with villagers about the support WWF gives them to grow crops and make a living.  




There was a chance to find out more about another money making venture which combines tourism with the environment as Harry heard about the scheme that offers visitors to Nepal the chance to pay to stay over with villagers - tapping into the trend for authentic tourism. It's bringing much needed revenue to this part of the world, as Harry found out.





And then it was his own turn to experience local hospitality as he trekked through the foothills of the Himalayas and made his way to Leorani, a tiny little village perched in the mountains. It was there that his home for the night awaited him and he sat down to talk to Mrs Gurung and her family.



This was a first chance for Harry to really talk to the Gurkhas and their families - something he made very clear was a priority for him on this trip and in general. He spent time talking to some who had lost their homes in the earthquake and there will be more chances to talk and work alongside these soldiers as the rest of the trip unfolds.






There was a traditional cultural show and food before bed and Harry will wake under the sunrise of the mountains as day four of his visit gets under way. That will include a trek to a local school that Gurkhas helped rebuild following last year's earthquakes and a visit to the British Gurkha Camp at Pokhara where Prince Harry will lay a wreath.



There are more special moments to come as Prince Harry visits Nepal.
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