Farmer House is situated in a valley overlooking Lake Phewa, set amidst rice paddies and lush vegetation.
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Farmer House is actually two houses; the two-room building where the family live, and where some of the children sleep at times, and the building which I originally rented from them. The two houses are next to each other, separated by a vegetable plot.
When I first arrived, the family’s house comprised only one room. They cooked over a wood fire outside and had no toilet. "My" house, a basic one storey, metal roofed, four room block was built about 14 years ago with the help of some tourists. It was in a very bad state of repair when I arrived, and was inhabited by goats and various types of vermin. I renovated the house so that it was inhabitable, and installed a simple kitchen. With my first year’s rent, Laxman was able to build on an extra room, an outside toilet and a covered kitchen area.
Although there is now a separate room for the children to sleep, they are currently unable to sleep soundly there, as they have to share the room with their grandmother, who had tuberculosis and coughs persistently during the night. With extra funding, they could build a small separate bedroom for her. My house has hot water (when the electricity is not out!) and flush toilets, although, due to lack of water pressure, the showers don’t work very well and we sometimes have to use a bucket!
The children generally use two of the bedrooms, but there is always one room free for guests and sponsors to come and stay, as long as they are not expecting luxury! As the corrugated iron roof is not completely water tight, during the monsoon season when there is heavy rain and strong winds, the roof tends to leak. If funding can be found, the building needs to be re-roofed. This would provide a healthier sleeping space for the children and would also make the rooms easier to rent out, thus generating a modest income for the family.
The garden is beautiful and has a fireplace around which everyone congregates during the winter months. The views of the lake, hills and surrounding jungle are sensational. It is a tranquil and inspirational setting, and visitors will spend many peaceful hours sitting on the verandah, gazing at the lake!
There are lovely walks from the house either along the lake or up the jungle-clad valley behind the house. A two-hour uphill hike starting right by the house leads to the hamlet of Sarangkot. From here, on a clear day, one can enjoy spectacular views of the sacred peak, Machapuchare (the Fishtail) that is the symbol of Pokhara, and the whole Annapurna range.
Sponsors are invited to come and stay at the house as guests, and to get to know the children. We have also had several young people on "gap" years who have stayed at the house for several months, kept an eye on the kids and volunteered during the day at local schools or at the Tibetan Buddhist temple in Pokhara.
