Have you ever heard the saying – it goes through you like a hot Indian curry?
Well, it really does.
Whoever uttered those infamous words was spot on the mark.
Curries in India are seriously hot and can force grown men to desperately call for water, to cringe and cower in pain, and to lose weight in less time than a Todd Carney binge drinking session.
The final leg of the 50th anniversary Australian Old Collegians (AOC) World Tour took us to Asia and while India was on the cards, first stop was the home of the Himalayas – Nepal.
We arrived and immediately the humidity hit us like an Anthony Mundine jab and we left Kathmandu airport with sweat on the brow, flowers around our neck, an orange dot on our head and a spot on national television.
A trip down town on our air-conditioned bus (all windows down and overhanging fans, covered by nothing more than a rusty metal cage, at full throtle) was a real eye opener.
Sacred cows wandered the streets, poverty lined the pavement, monkeys posed as sparkies on power lines Energy Australia would not believe, and piles and piles of stench-ridden rubbish dominated the gutters.
And the traffic – there’s lots of it and there’s no road rules.
It’s dead set honk the horn and go for your life.
And I mean literally grit your teeth, hold your breath, cross your fingers, pray to whatever God first comes to mind, hope your girlfriend will take good care of your car at home, and go for it.
But after another novelty horn honk we made it through and while still alive in Nepal our touring group was able to kick a big one off Morgan Freeman’s and Jack Nicholas’ bucket list.
A flight: over Nepal’s answer to Kosciusko, over Edmund Hillary’s playground, over the mother of all mountains – Everest.
Absolutely magic!
We also tried rice wine (code word for rocket fuel) and travelled to a traditional Nepalese village, hidden amongst the rows of rice paddies, and we witnessed the real faces of this country, beautiful friendly children and an old bearded man smoking out of a large cylindrical instrument (but that’s another story).
On the cricket field, which was beautifully set at the foot of the Himalayas, we played three Twenty20 fixtures in hot and humid conditions against many of the Nepalese under-19 national players (They won three matches at the under-19 World Cup in Malaysia earlier this year, reached the plate final against the West Indies and gave Australia a run for their money as well).
We were well and truly outclassed in all facets of the game, especially with the ball and in the field, and consequently lost all three matches.
Former Sri Lankan representative Roy Silva is the head coach and he has done extremely well with local talent.
Not only that, but the interest in cricket in Nepal was unbelievable.
We had at least 300 people at each of our matches, including many village children, and made the Himalayan Times each day.
Hopefully the Australian Cricket Board can help out the Nepalese cricket family with junior development through money or equipment because it would go a long way towards assisting a developing nation striving to improve its home grown talent.
Josh Callinan
Well, it really does.
Whoever uttered those infamous words was spot on the mark.
Curries in India are seriously hot and can force grown men to desperately call for water, to cringe and cower in pain, and to lose weight in less time than a Todd Carney binge drinking session.
The final leg of the 50th anniversary Australian Old Collegians (AOC) World Tour took us to Asia and while India was on the cards, first stop was the home of the Himalayas – Nepal.
We arrived and immediately the humidity hit us like an Anthony Mundine jab and we left Kathmandu airport with sweat on the brow, flowers around our neck, an orange dot on our head and a spot on national television.
A trip down town on our air-conditioned bus (all windows down and overhanging fans, covered by nothing more than a rusty metal cage, at full throtle) was a real eye opener.
Sacred cows wandered the streets, poverty lined the pavement, monkeys posed as sparkies on power lines Energy Australia would not believe, and piles and piles of stench-ridden rubbish dominated the gutters.
And the traffic – there’s lots of it and there’s no road rules.
It’s dead set honk the horn and go for your life.
And I mean literally grit your teeth, hold your breath, cross your fingers, pray to whatever God first comes to mind, hope your girlfriend will take good care of your car at home, and go for it.
But after another novelty horn honk we made it through and while still alive in Nepal our touring group was able to kick a big one off Morgan Freeman’s and Jack Nicholas’ bucket list.
A flight: over Nepal’s answer to Kosciusko, over Edmund Hillary’s playground, over the mother of all mountains – Everest.
Absolutely magic!
We also tried rice wine (code word for rocket fuel) and travelled to a traditional Nepalese village, hidden amongst the rows of rice paddies, and we witnessed the real faces of this country, beautiful friendly children and an old bearded man smoking out of a large cylindrical instrument (but that’s another story).
On the cricket field, which was beautifully set at the foot of the Himalayas, we played three Twenty20 fixtures in hot and humid conditions against many of the Nepalese under-19 national players (They won three matches at the under-19 World Cup in Malaysia earlier this year, reached the plate final against the West Indies and gave Australia a run for their money as well).
We were well and truly outclassed in all facets of the game, especially with the ball and in the field, and consequently lost all three matches.
Former Sri Lankan representative Roy Silva is the head coach and he has done extremely well with local talent.
Not only that, but the interest in cricket in Nepal was unbelievable.
We had at least 300 people at each of our matches, including many village children, and made the Himalayan Times each day.
Hopefully the Australian Cricket Board can help out the Nepalese cricket family with junior development through money or equipment because it would go a long way towards assisting a developing nation striving to improve its home grown talent.
Josh Callinan
Pic: A typical passenger on a Nepalese ute.
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