Kathmandu relaxing at Dwarikas Hotel. The hotel is elegant and expansive with detailed wood carved artifacts salvaged over the years by Dwarika Das Shrestha and his wife Ambica from ancient buildings being destroyed in Kathmandu dating back as far as the 13th century. These pieces have been incorporated into the hotel building structure. His mission was to save this Nepalese heritage for future generations and to this day the hotel employs and trains woodcarvers and restorers on property who continue daily to repair and pass this skill and art on. Unfortunately Mr Shrestha passed away several years ago.
In the morning, it was breakfast with Ambica who is vibrant and always has staff and friends coming to her with calls and asking for her decisions or directions. Both she and her husband opened this location in the 70’s and it is truly an amazing place.
Ambica handles as honorary consul the affairs of Spain, is active in many organizations, Rotary, charities, and was and is instrumental in the international organization, Women in Professional Business. You can find her in Wikipedia and locate the hotel at www.DwarikasHotel.com for more information and photographs of this place plus the several other locations and businesses the family operates.
My friend and fellow Habitat volunteer James Vargo first met this family through a daughter Vinita, who lives in the U.S., in his hometown, Geneva Illinois, and volunteers for St Vincent DePaul with him there.
On Ambica's last visit with Vinita in the US, James had a chance to get to know her and also met her other daughter Sangita from Nepal. They offered to host both James and myself prior to the beginning of our Nepal Habitat home build next week in the Dhulikhel area.
My flight finally arrived late last evening in Nepal and this morning at breakfast I met Ambica, and her daughter, Sangita, who lives here. Both are very active in providing support and temporary living space at Camp Hope a tent village housing 360 individuals displaced since the earthquake, plus being instrumental in driving a multi million dollar project to rebuild 1100+ houses in 6 of their villages that were destroyed in the 2015 earthquake. www.Ourdreamvillagenepal.org for additional information.
Camp Hope is the recipient for the clothing and funds that both James and I raised and brought here. We go there tonight, to Camp Hope with Sangita. and see what is being done for these families.
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