It was the first day for Ramesh and Dipali in Nepal. They and their mother had flown the previous morning from Germany. Now they were on their way to the village where Mum's brother and sister-in-law lived.
"Look !" said Ramesh as the bus went along by a river. "That looks fun." Some children were playing in tree, laughing and jumping in the water.
"It's so hot."
"We'll be soon be there," Mum said.
At the village, everyone came running to meet them.
"Welcome, welcome," said Uncle.
'I'll take you around the village," said their cousin Mohit. "Come on."
"Wait, Mohit," said Aunt. "Your cousins need a rest first." They sat in the garden and Aunt gave them a lovely cold drink. Then Mohit took them around the village to meet all his friends.
"I think I'm going to like Nepal," said Dipali.
Soon Mohit, Ramesh and Dipali were going everywhere together.
"Let's go to the market," Mohit said one morning. Mohit let them take turns to ride his bike, and they were at the market in no time. "Oh! We must buy one of those whistles," said Dipali. "Or a little red elephant," said Mohit. "Or some of these cakes." "Or a snake," said Ramesh. "A snake in a basket."
Another day, Ramesh and Dipali went to school with Mohit. The teacher wrote in Nepali on the board, and the children copied it down. Ramesh and Dipali tried to copy it too, but Nepali was hard for them to write.
"Keep trying," said the teacher, but they couldn't write beautiful Nepali like she could. Dipali's Nepali went right off the paper.
"Never mind," said Mohit. "I'll do it for you."
One day, Aunt, "A special time is coming. It's spring. That means it's time for Holi. During Holi, everyone welcomes the spring." Aunt and Mum began to work very hard, makin special food and drink for Holi.
"That looks good," said Ramesh. "I'm hungry."
"Just wait," said Aunt.
It was a longtime for children to wait, but at last everyone sat down together. How good the food was!
The next day, the children had some fun. "Old clothes, please, Ramesh and Dipali," said Mum. At Holi you can throw vermilion powder and coloured water at each other. The children ran around the village, laughing and shouting. Mohit had yellow powder. Ramesh had blue powder. Dipali's powder was red. Soon all their clothes were yellow, blue and red.
"Oh! Well," said Mum. "It's not Holi every day, is it?" At last it was time to go home. They just had one more day in Nepal. Aunt and Uncle said that they would go with them to the city to see them off. Aunt put on her best clothes and jewels for the trip. She took out her most beautiful sari.
"Look how long it is, Dipali," she said. "Now, this is how to put on a sari. We do it this way."
The city was very big and full of cars and lorries.
"Hold on to me," shouted Uncle over the noise. "Hold on to me when you cross the street."
It was exciting to be in a city again after the village. They all went on a long bus ride to see the sights, and then they went shopping. "I'm going to buy a new sari for myself," said Mum. "Just one. Then I must look for things to give people at home."
Soon it was time to go.
"It's sad to say goodbye," said Mum.
"You'll come back one day," said Uncle.
They went to have their picture taken together.
"When you look at that picture, you'll think of us here in Nepal," said Mohit.
"And you won't forget us."
"We'll never forget," said Ramesh.
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