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!