Annnd, we made it. I would tell you how long it took to get here but quite honestly I gave up on what a “day” meant after we slept on the plane, woke up, ate breakfast, then landed 2 hours later at 7:30 PM. I think it’s something like time travel but I’m not sure.
Nevertheless, once we got off the plane in Kathmandu I was taken aback. Simply breathtaking. Surrounded by mountains on all sides and extremely low clouds accompanied by gorgeous weather, I truly did feel like I was on the opposite of the world. We battled the crowd as John, the president of THI, bargained for the best taxi ride and we were on our way. The traffic reminds me very much of the Dominican Republic, except make the streets about half as wide. We got to the hotel, I'm rooming with Daniel (the picture is from the roof lookout right outside our room) and with no time to waste we started our action-filled first day.
After going to breakfast and falling in love with Nepali Tea, we hiked to the Monkey Temple, our first true Kathmandu task. After a long walk we got to a hill of 350 steps leading up to a Hindu Temple with the most amazing view of the city. Now, the view was awesome and the hike was a workout, but the true surprise was the monkeys. Everywhere. The attraction’s name does not lie, and the monkeys were abundant to say the least. I’ve decided I’m not coming home without one, so I’ll be developing the best way to get it through customs over the next 6 weeks. Challenge accepted :P Yesterday we met up with another group, from APU in California, to do a scavenger hunt throughout Kathmandu, and it was a great way to learn our way around the city and become familiar with the area.
We’ve fought jetlag and the rain, and after becoming ok with being dirty and wet all the time, we’ve completed two very full days here in Nepal. We have been to two children’s homes already, but we are going to a third tonight, so I will leave those stories for another time. The journey has barely begun, and as I still get my thoughts together, I look forward to tomorrow. Namaste, friends.
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