Spontaneous? Me? Sure...

I am a city girl. Most of my family here lives in the capital city of Kathmandu. In my short visits in the past, I have never left the city even though everyone tells me you have to never seen beauty until you have visited Nepal’s countryside. This time, I have made it a personal goal of mine to get out of the city.

Chitwan and Pokhara are two places that are definitely on my list. Chitwan is known for its safaris and jungle wildlife, and Pokhara is a smaller city about 5 hours from the capital, famous for its beautiful views of the Annapurna mountain range. And if there’s time, Lumbini, the birthplace of Buddha.

Originally, I had planned on traveling and sightseeing with my mom in September while there was nice weather. Turns out, it was still rainy season, and staying in the jungle when it’s raining isn’t all that pleasant. The humidity and rain alone would be awful but as my cousin joked, it might rain leeches. Frankly, I wouldn’t be too surprised if that was literal. My mom got bit by a leech in Kathmandu in the winter. Going to the jungle in the rainy season when the trees are chock full of leeches… that’s just asking for it.

The bugs are out. Mosquitoes are especially dangerous. Malaria and Japanese Encephalitis are fairly common mosquito-born diseases in the Terai region, especially during rainy season. No thanks. I told my doctor I only plan to spend a few days max in Terai, but he gave me antimalarials in case I change my mind – or decide to go to India on a whim. By far my biggest weapon was bug spray, lots and lots of bug spray.

I was really hoping to be able to experience this with my mom which is the biggest reason why I had planned to go in September. Tomorrow is the first day of October. My mom leaves next week. I have to say I was a little disappointed.

Then,

I’m not really sure how it all happened, but a few phone calls later, we were somehow canceling all of our plans, dropping everything to leave tomorrow morning, rain or shine, 7am sharp for the countryside.

As I rush to pack and worry about waking up at 4am, I’m still in shock.

My life is on fire and I love it.

Woke up in Kathmandu yesterday

After a red eye flight, we finally arrived Friday morning. It’s a hot morning in the valley. We got off the plane using one of those movable stairs and took a bus to customs. I was already pouring in sweat, slightly relieved they made me check my handbag at Doha. No more air conditioning, oh boy here we go...

My mom and I had barely touched our bags when someone came rushing to help (for a few bucks of course). We were met at the arrival gate by a few uncles and cousins who loaded up the car and bickered about whose house we should go to first.

The drive to my aunt’s house was completely unfamiliar. I gazed out the window, eyes wide open. I giggle as a see a sign for an Irish Pub in Nepal, mentally noting that I must take a picture of it later. A lot has changed in the last decade. Houses, apartment buildings, and shops have sprung up everywhere in the city. There aren’t very many empty lots anymore. It’s a little strange to see huge new department stores in the background and little shanty shacks barely standing up in the foreground. Certain sections are really nice whereas others are rundown with heaps of garbage strewn along the road.

The roads are a mess. With potholes and cracks every couple feet, it is definitely a rocky drive to get anywhere. And that’s speaking about the paved roads, some are just dirt paths, others rock and gravel. The rules are: drive on the left side, when you feel like it; drive as close to the vehicle in front of you as you can; and honk your horn if anyone is slightly in your way. Motorcycles rule the road here. It takes an hour to get anywhere in the valley, unless you’re on a motorcycle and can zip through traffic. The traffic jams are horrendous. Traffic laws are not enforced; hell most laws in general are not enforced. I heard they tried traffic lights and it completely failed, especially with the common electricity outages. At large intersections, police direct traffic, but otherwise it is mostly a free-for-all. If a vehicle can squeeze through, it will. Pedestrians and turning vehicles have to forcibly cut traffic or they will literally stand there all day. No one will let you go. It is a tangled obstacle course of maneuvering around cars, motorcycles, pedestrians, stray animals, and the rocky roads themselves. Driving is only for the very skilled here.

Upon arriving at my new home, we unpacked a little, chatted with family, and ate until our stomachs were ready to burst. Relatives dropped in throughout the day to welcome us. The first question is always, do you remember me?

Around 4 or 5pm, I started feeling the jetlag and was in bed by 7pm serenaded by the sounds of strays outside and the live music of the restaurant across the gully (alley, small street). I was up by 4am to the sound of roosters, birds, and cows. I did a little early morning yoga and went upstairs. I walked around the roof terrace with a cup of tea admiring the sunrise in the mountain sky as shops began to open, street venders started shouting names of produce for sale, and the city began-a-bustling. 

I could get used to this.