Imperfect Picture

Carrying on this adventure in Asia….as I look back on the past 3 months since I have written on my blog not much has happenedJ. Or should I say too much! So I guess I should break down the past few months by stories and themes…….now where did I leave off.

Nepal – Imperfect Picture

Now I have to recall these events from December since that was a few months ago, I apologize for the distant relationship I have been keeping. As I remember I wrote about the refugee camps in Nepal where the three of us visited, maybe people are thinking I have been there the whole time! – except my sister has kindly updated you all on events that have happened since our visit to the camps. The past events have included a 15 hour bus ride to Kathmandu while losing our asses on the way, fun! –and with people throwing bags of vomit over me out the window next to me. Um! Most local people in India or Nepal don’t have a strong stomach that is for sure. But I don’t blame them, those windy roads up or down mountains are not fun.

Kathmandu – the capital of Nepal – was a lively hub of wonders, baggers, seekers, and characters. People are thoughtful and kind, willing to help a few lost souls. And oh boy did we get lost! Picture, literally, being in a maze that doesn’t make sense, with crowds of people walking the streets, and being in a hippies Disneyland all at the same time. There were times when I just didn’t care what direction we were going in anymore because I clearly had no idea where we were half of the time. Despite this madness we managed to find our hotel every night from helpful hands and our three brains.

The unexpected always happens. A hundred dollars, pictures, cards, and your personal wallet gone. You feel violated, used, and obviously taken advantage of. And shocking when you know when it happened – the picture by the lake. Damn picture. But! I told myself if I try and practice peace in my life it applies to any moment, not just the ones that you like or the ones that make you feel better but the moments in life when things really really suck and you get upset – just mildly. Maintain peace and realize that who ever took it probably needed the money more than I did – everything is replaceable expect for my pictures. Again I have to tell myself the situation could have been way worse – so if you want peace in your life promote it under any circumstances. I reminded myself stolen wallets are not a scapegoat to react outside of your principles.

Off to the other beautiful lake in Nepal on the doorsteps of the Himalayas – Pokhara. Us lucky girls got to see a Nepali version of Romeo and Juliet by high schoolers, floated on the lake surrounded by the Himalayas, rode bikes to waterfalls and caves, and hiked to mysterious pagodas on the top of mountains. Spectacular. Beautiful. Truly amazing. Definitely a place where I could see myself taking yearly vacations if it wasn’t on the other side of the world. What are you gonnna do?

Who ever knew there were jungles in Nepal? Revealing my ignorance I was surprised to know you could go on safaris in the jungles of Nepal. Elephant rides. Private treks into the jungle with a guide. Tours of local villages. Bird watching (or just bird hoping). Merry Christmas to ourselves. We splurged a bit and went on a safari tour to Bardia National Park in Western Nepal. A fun ride, especially because this park has fewer tourists, which made our bus ride to the park quit entertaining. Fortunately J the bus ride was about 15 hours long through the middle of the night and we arrived at 5am to be picked up by the resort guide’s jeep – hoping there was coordination between the resort and the booking office. It started off on a winedy mountain road that got several people puking including the guy next to me – we had to switch seats. Then there were the hourly comments from Mr. Drunk who I kindly told off and resorted to only staring and giggling for the rest of the trip. And once and while would plop himself in the aisle stool since there was so many people on the bus. He would lay his drunk head on my arm rest which I would have none of. I am not willing to take risks or be kind in this situation. Each time he would try and lay his little heady down I would give him a little elbow gab into his arm – never really getting my point. So after he tried for the umpteenth time I gave his arm a good elbow gab that threw him back butt in the air laying flat on the ground of the bus which did get his attention. He moved. But wait that’s not all! Christina had a hand picker. Now this snatch and grabber was a bit inexperienced putting it politely. He had the audacity to stick his hand in the front pocket of my sister’s backpack – which had nothing in it expect for dirty tissues – that was sitting at her feet clearly feeling his hand groping around her bag. Here comes his second mistake – medaling with my sister’s things especially after she is tried and uncomfortable. (Tina I say this in the highest regards of you J). Well as you may guess she had none of it swearing the kid into submission and who got off the bus at the next stop walking home ashamed I hope. Not so bad right? Well, the seats could not have gotten any more uncomfortable – maybe a bus from the 80’s that never got improvements. And we also had hourly tea stops making our bus ride longer than necessary. Despite these things I must say that our bus journeys were some of the most exciting, weird, uncomfortable, crazy, adventurous experiences throughout our trip that I count as some of my favorite times – oddly enough.

After a two day adventure in the jungles of Nepal – unlucky seeing any wild animals expect for almost having a close encounter with a wild boar, that was fun, we headed to the border once again to enter India officially, crossing the entire country of Nepal. Never expected that either. We entered from the East in a little border town called Karkabitta and left at the West end closer to our yoga destination. Our day in crossing the border was quit the journey as well.

We clearly left the jungle resort in time to cross the border on time so the customs office didn’t close on us, but things never work out the way you plan, right? As we head out it rains on us as we are in the back of the jeep – I am exaggerating it was only sprinkling but still. Then an hour into our bus ride we stop for about an hour to help another bus who broke down. And after much clanking, greasing, waiting, and peeing outside the bus was not fixed! So you must guess what happened next? Everyone on that bus got onto ours – tripling the capacity I am sure of an already crowded bus. But the best part was I got a cute girl to hold for about an hour! We hit the border town at least an hour late with the three of us desperately having to go the bathroom – not just pee – but I won’t name any names. After a swarm of eager rickshaw pullers, taxi drivers, and horse carriage riders deliberated what we needed and where we wanted to go and considering the time crunch we decided to go with the carriage rider, crossing the border by carriage at night with one horse – I don’t like to mention that part there I had to sit the other way in the carriage. It was a wonderful chase to the Indian customs counter just in time to get our passports stamped and then cross the large dam in the complete dark by carriage once again and arriving to a hotel advised by a friend that didn’t exist, instead we were placed at a dingy hotel right next to the bus stop to Haridwar (our next stop) with a crazy hotel manager who had us waiting for 3 hours the next morning for our bus which was supposed to have left at 6am in the morning – I think that gives away what time we woke up in order to catch the 6am bus.