After a final farewell bagel at the SeaTac starbucks with papa scho, a mile long sprint through the LA airport in search of international departures, 6 hours of sleep in a middle seat of a 14 hour flight from LA-Hong Kong, a 13 hour layover in the Hong Kong airport, and final touch down over the Himalayan range, I arrived in Kathmandu the night of May 25th! Wow, let the adventures begin!
Who ever said anything about jetlagged, after 35+ hours of travel? I could have slept a full night on the side of the road...no no don't worry Mom, I made it safely to the ProWorld Volunteer House safe and sound!
My first full day in Kathmandu was a whirlwind! Unlike many other big cities, this city does sleep, in fact the Nepali people are, as Grandpa Pete would always encourage, early to bed and early risers! They're up, in action by 5 am but come 9pm, the city is fairly quiet. But let me tell you, when this city is in action, you better be ready to dodge mopeds and trucks playing chicken coming at eachother at 40mph, and jump onto moving buses, as I learned quickly....they don't eve come to a complete stop! They'll barter the patience out of you and refill your plate as soon as you shovel the last bite into your mouth but they are some of the kindest, most inviting, sympathetic people.
Unlike the pace of the city, the Nepali lifestyle is quite relaxed. I learned from one of the sisters, young women running the house, that if you make a date of some kind at 9 am expect your party to come strolling in at about 10:30 with big smiles on their faces, and stories to tell! It's a very laid back, enjoy every moment kind of attitude...a real shift from the insane demands of college deadlines, with every 15 minutes booked all day!
If the lenient schedule wasn't enough, I woke the first day to my all time favorite breakfast! I sauntered downstairs expecting beef balls and rice, our typical/everyday breakfast in Pailin, Cambodia. I wish I could show you all the expression on my face when the sisters served me a plate of crepes and Nutella!!!! Can you believe that?! Just last week mom and I were on a mad hunt to fulfill my crepe craving in downtown Bellevue and had no success. I had to come all the way to Kathmandu for this feast?! I felt right at home. The sisters weren't sure how to react to my giddy and overly grateful acceptance of my breakfast! They're probably thinking "ok...this new girl is a little different..." Soon enough they will understand my gratitude and appreciation for great food, and frankly excitement over everything!
Well today, Sunday May 27th, I am headed to a Monkey Temple in a nearby village. Well that's the plan anyway but I've learned already, you just never know where a day in Kathmandu will take you! I'll keep you all posted and will try to upload some pics soon. Hope all is well back in home and in my oh so missed land of Tacoma.
Much love from the roof of my house overlooking the bustling city at 8am,
Al
Who ever said anything about jetlagged, after 35+ hours of travel? I could have slept a full night on the side of the road...no no don't worry Mom, I made it safely to the ProWorld Volunteer House safe and sound!
My first full day in Kathmandu was a whirlwind! Unlike many other big cities, this city does sleep, in fact the Nepali people are, as Grandpa Pete would always encourage, early to bed and early risers! They're up, in action by 5 am but come 9pm, the city is fairly quiet. But let me tell you, when this city is in action, you better be ready to dodge mopeds and trucks playing chicken coming at eachother at 40mph, and jump onto moving buses, as I learned quickly....they don't eve come to a complete stop! They'll barter the patience out of you and refill your plate as soon as you shovel the last bite into your mouth but they are some of the kindest, most inviting, sympathetic people.
Unlike the pace of the city, the Nepali lifestyle is quite relaxed. I learned from one of the sisters, young women running the house, that if you make a date of some kind at 9 am expect your party to come strolling in at about 10:30 with big smiles on their faces, and stories to tell! It's a very laid back, enjoy every moment kind of attitude...a real shift from the insane demands of college deadlines, with every 15 minutes booked all day!
If the lenient schedule wasn't enough, I woke the first day to my all time favorite breakfast! I sauntered downstairs expecting beef balls and rice, our typical/everyday breakfast in Pailin, Cambodia. I wish I could show you all the expression on my face when the sisters served me a plate of crepes and Nutella!!!! Can you believe that?! Just last week mom and I were on a mad hunt to fulfill my crepe craving in downtown Bellevue and had no success. I had to come all the way to Kathmandu for this feast?! I felt right at home. The sisters weren't sure how to react to my giddy and overly grateful acceptance of my breakfast! They're probably thinking "ok...this new girl is a little different..." Soon enough they will understand my gratitude and appreciation for great food, and frankly excitement over everything!
Well today, Sunday May 27th, I am headed to a Monkey Temple in a nearby village. Well that's the plan anyway but I've learned already, you just never know where a day in Kathmandu will take you! I'll keep you all posted and will try to upload some pics soon. Hope all is well back in home and in my oh so missed land of Tacoma.
Much love from the roof of my house overlooking the bustling city at 8am,
Al
What a wonderful, wonderful blog entry! I can almost taste the crepes and know that you've forever endeared yourself to those sisters :) Jay and I will be following along on your adventures!
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