Kathmandu to Pokhara

Michelle writes:
I was warned not to expect to arrive anywhere on time. The 6-hour bus ride to Pokhara turned into 16 hours!  We left Kathmandu at 7 a.m., leaving the city with traffic and pollution for my retreat on the mountainside. The brightly-decorated trucks were rolling into the city. Scooters were jockying in-and-out of traffic, horns beeping.  Pramila walked with me to the bus stop, haggled a banana purchase, and made sure I was on the correct bus. I'm sure I could have taken a taxi and found the correct bus, but it was good to have someone watching out for me.

I had a window seat which was great for viewing the terraced landscape. A gal from Austria sat next to me. She, too, will be attending the 10-day holiday at Sadhana yoga--a small  world, once again.

Apparently, farther up the road, the police had stopped some cars, looking for drugs. The various versions of the story included people being stoned, someone killed, the family demanding money from the police, and the villagers coming and blockading the road. Whatever was the truth, I'm not sure. Luckily for us, we had stopped along the roadside for toilet and food, so we were not stranded on the road in the heat. We had tables and chairs, shade, and food, which eventually ran out. The ice cream went fast! Three buses were there with approximately 50 people each. It was a great opportunity to visit and hear peoples' stories. A French family living in India had a 36-hour trip to Kathmandu which should have been 5 hours, so I have done well. People are not happy with the current government; road blocks and strikes are common.

Now, I am at Sadhana, a beautiful retreat. It is a day of rest, and tomorrow my day begins a 5:30 a.m.
Namaste!

Later: This computer is driving me crazy. BREATHE BREATHE OM OM

The long, hot trip is over, and I finally made it to the studio. It's restful--I feel it already. This place is a whole world away, literally but also energy-wise. There are many women travelers, and it's good to connect with that energy, wisdom, and self-reliance. This is more of a hippee zone then Guatemala was, but very similar: poverty, landscape, colorful houses, vehicles, and religious symbols everywhere, friendly helpful folks.

I'm still negotiating the bathrooms: holes in the floor are common with a water bucket and cup. Toilet paper doesn't exist, and nothing flushes. Showers are often a faucet and another bucket and scoop. In this heat, anything is welcome.

To get a phone you have to show a passport and photo, so Pramila picked one up for me with her paperwork to make my life simpler. I was told that the sim card would register in the morning, but it didn't, and now I have to buy another with my passport. I didn't get the phone under my name, so who knows? Maybe it was a $25 donation to the economy. It was more for convenience than necessity, anyway.

This place is all about lessons on attachment and letting go. We are so orderly in the U.S., and here, you flow, giving up preconceived notions of how it should go. 
Now to experience the yoga classes with nonattachment. The day's schedule is full, so I'm not sure how much time I'll have for internet. The keyboard keeps glitching on me--standard in these cafes. I'm not sure about sending photos, as it is so slow. My iPad is not charging, and I'm not sure why, but I have a couple of other options to try. Everything is challenging compared to our world

Next time you use toilet paper, think of how many squares you use and relish that ease of consumption!

 

Enroute to Kathmandu

Flying over Siberia, enroute to Kathmandu

Michelle writes:

In the Bangkok airport after a 20-hour flight (LA to Bangkok) via Seoul. Got a sleeping room for 6 hours to help adjust to the 12-hour time change.  

It's a small world: in Bismarck, I said goodbye to Alicia with a hug, and another woman said she'd take a hug, too. Told her I was going to be gone for 3 months. Shared more, and after we got through security, she said she'd like to pray with me. I took this as confirmation of this being the path for my life at this time.

Then, here in Bangkok, as I'm checking into the sleeping room, I connect again. I was talking with a couple and their 6 year old and asked where they were from. They live in Salt Lake City. When I said I was from Pocatello, they asked if I knew Jeff Rhoads.  Of course, Trekkers would know Jeff!  Jeff and I went to school together. For you non-Idahoans, Jeff has been on numerous ascents on Everest, K-2 and other peaks there. We were outdoor recreation students back in the day. It is a small world!  Oh, the places you will go!

Off to Kathmandu!
Made it...not on first attempt. The sky was amazing, huge billowing clouds. We banked to the left and swung around, then banked to the right looping round and round. Estimated time until arrival stayed at 20 minutes, as the big plane was jostled. This 777 had been a smooth ride all the way from LA, but now, I was feeling the motion sickness sneak up. Turning on the screen I saw our flight path, circling. They announced, "We are on our way to Calcutta" because of the weather. We headed South as the talk around the plane turned to a buzz. They served beverages. Fifteen minutes passed, and we banked again, this time heading back. The weather had cleared.  Yahoo!! 

Security (what security?) as we passed through the screening process amounted to an elderly gentleman, probably younger than me, sitting there motioning to me to take off my pack and walk through. At customs, a man and woman, sitting, indicated not to bother with the backpack, only run the luggage through the scanner.  Home free.  

Pramila, the volunteer coordinator, was there to greet me, and we had a driver take us to her place. The streets are being widened. The fronts of houses have been removed, and there are lots of disgruntled home owners. Dust billows in this land of several million people stacked in multi-story units. 

Pramila, her daughter Dipika, and I became acquainted over tea. Their apartment is 5 rooms: kitchen, small bath, and three sleeping\living areas. Thankfully, I had brought toilet paper.

Dipika is 14, in 9th grade, and most of her classes are in English.  Her penmanship is lovely. Shy at first, she began feeling more comfortable and joined the conversation. She shared her artwork, (pencil and crayon) which was very nice. She penciled portraits of recent volunteers.

As we talked about hobbies, I shared my background. Pramila sews and has been making bags out of rice sacks on a hand-cranked sewing machine. Electricity is off parts of the day. Water is available from the city, and one takes containers to fill. The water at the tap isn't safe to drink. I've been admonished: don't eat the street food.

Right now, I'm at an internet cafe, on my own. Time to find my way back, as night has fallen.

Namaste!

The Next Adventure

I'm on the move again! I spent the past 3 months in Colorado at the YMCA of the Rockies, Snow Mountain Ranch.  Same place as last winter, gorgeous there at 9,000 feet. Snow, clear skies, crisp frigid air and the craft shop for work. In Colorado, I was able to ski (alpine and X-C), snowshoe, and hang with friends I met last year. And make plans for a trip to Nepal!!!

I have wanted to visit the Asanga Sadhana Yoga center in Nepal for several years now. I figured this is my chance before commitments to a home and job (maybe grandbabies) dictate my free time. So, I will fly to Kathmandu from Bismarck, ND, on March 26. 

The highlights will be the Asanga Sadhana Yoga retreat, volunteering with Volunteering to Learn, a trek to the Annapurna Sanctuary or Annapurna base camp, culminating with a week at a timeshare in Malaysia.

I hope to have internet access (affordable) while there.  My dear friend, Cheryl, in Pocatello who blogged my Guatemalan travels has kindly offered to blog my scribble again. 

Hope all is well in your corner of this great world!