It is 11AM and the Shaktikhor cantonment is a massive sports field. Some of the People's Liberation Army fighters are jogging, some practice karate drills, others play football and volleyball. And the camp swimming pool is being inaugurated.

The war has been over for two years and the former rebels are poised to form the new government after getting the most votes in last month's elections. The PLA's energy is being refocussed from guerilla training into competitive sports and targeted learning. "Before it was a jungle war. Now it's a table war," one battalion commander tells us.

Two soldiers, Sijan and Nayan, welcome the change. Despite obvious difficulties, the two make an effort to speak to each other in English because they believe that language skills will help them get good jobs.

After being constantly on the move, going from one battle to another, sleeping at makeshift campsites for years, cantonment life has been a relief to many. Although things were rough in the beginning, they have now put up sturdy wooden buildings, stone pavements, water supply and street lights. In one-and-half years the jungle has been turned into well-tended allotments.

The former combatants ply visitors with food and smile bashfully when greeted in Nepali. It is easy to forget that not long ago they were fighting a brutal war.

Motivation and commitment to the Maoist cause is still high. The words "revolution" and "New Nepal" crop up often in conversation. The ex-guerrillas feel their army was founded on a shared-belief in liberation, but that the national army is made up of conscripts. This is likely to make integration difficult.

Integration is the best chance for many who have no other professional experience to have a professional military career. But many want to get back to civilian life, and the camp is serving as a skills training centre.

At 3PM Sijan and Nayan take medical training, but they will not be certified. They still face an uncertain future, and when asked where they see themselves in a few years' time, they could just shrug and say, "Khoi?"

Sheere Ng in Chitwan

0600HRS: Soldiers take karate training away from the cantonment's morning bustle on a nearby riverbank.

0700HRS: PLA commanders march on the football field during regular drill practice.

0800HRS: Soldiers on cooking duty prepare lunch in one of the 100-odd messes around the cantonment.

1100HRS: Platoon 1 of C Company, 13th Battalion, tidy the garden around their living quarters.

1700HRS: Jitendra, one of the better students, practises with a visiting foreigner during English class.

1500HRS: Brigade commander Saral waits to be the first person to plunge into the new swimming pool.

1300HRS: Sankalpa and Asha enjoy a moment with their son who has just woken up from an afternoon nap.