We left the Machan Resort today. We had to get up around 6 and eat breakfast. I had the inside of a piece of toast and two bites of eggs before my stomach started cramping painfully. Oh and I'm still peeing out of my butt. Coincidence? My detective skills say... perhaps.
We were on the bus by 7:15. We had to drive through the mountains again. It was an anxiety filled drive. The roads are narrow. There's a high wall of cliff on one side and a drop to hell on the other with no barrier to save you. A lot of people on the bus couldn't look out the window and were internally freaking out (including moi). I wondered if we would make news back in the States if we crashed and all died.
A couple people played games to distract us from our impending doom. I learned some new ones. We told some more riddles. I knew them all. The distractions worked, everyone was feeling better.
I typed, listened to music, daydreamed about falling to my death, played games, it was ok. We stopped at noon to get food. I had to use the bathroom and they only have the squat toilet. We call them squatty potty. MJ went before me and she said it was bad and she handed me her nice scarf to hold up to my nose. Before I went in she told me "Don't you dare drop that scarf."
The toilet was weird. It was just this porcelain hole in the ground of a shack and MJ wasn't lying about the smell. I brought the scarf but didn't think I would need it. Oh, I needed it. So I've gone camping before and I've know what I'm about so the squatting wasn't an issue. I did my business but as I was trying to pull my pants up one handed, I didn't notice my other hand holding the scarf was dangerously close to the ground. So close, the scarf was touching the floor which is coated in piss.
I felt pretty bad about fucking up MJ's nice scarf. She was able to wash it with Abhi's nice shampoo so it worked out okay.
We had a simple lunch. It was ramen noodles. I didn't like these noodles as much as the last time we had ramen on the mountain (when they gave me mystery meat). These noodles had too much spices.
While we waited for our food, I hopped over to a little stall that sold snacks. I bought 3 bags of chips and a handful of candy for 150 nepalese rupees which is $1.50 dollars. Winning!
After eating it was back on the bus we went. I wasn't the only one to buy snacks and everyone shared. We had coconut cookies (hell yeah), chocolate cookies (a solid medium), and bourbon cookies (HELL YEAH), and lots of different chips. I tried Lays Masala chips and they were nasty.
We drove for more hours. Played more games. We finally arrived to the hotel in Pokhara at 4:30. They gave us each a small flower and juice when we arrived. From our hotel we can see a giant mountain looming behind us.
This is a very nice hotel. It's not the 1st to have a pool, but it is the 1st for me to consider getting into. It was that clean, the rooms were nice too. Very spacious.
And best of all? We have solid wifi. I was able to get a post up for this blog, the one where we go to the movies on June 16. Today is June 25. I am still so far behind.
We were having dinner and a cooking lesson at a place called Sasane. It's a program that supports women in the sex trafficking industry.
We got there around 7 and met the ladies who worked there. They gave us each a white cloth to drape around our neck and we all introduced ourselves. Then they served us momos!
They were spicy! No bueno. I ate one and some people ate like 8.
Then it was time to learn how to make them. We stood at a table with our own little stations to roll the dough.
I had one of the ladies come up and join me. She was very patient and my momos sucked.
Mine were too small but that's okay. They served us dinner at 7:45 and it was really good.
I forgot to take a picture but it was rice, lentil soup, amazing veggies, and spinach. I really liked it! But a couple bites in I was having stomach cramps and didn't feel like eating.
After dinner we watched a short presentation on the sex trafficking industry in Nepal and India. It's terribly sad. Sex trafficking makes more money than illegal drugs. They take very young girls from poor villages and start abusing them immediately. I was starting to feel disgusted with Nepal before I remembered this is a huge problem in the states too.
On a happier note, all the girls at the Sasane place have better lives. They're being educated and that I think is the most important thing you can do for someone. I bought a bracelet they made. It's just this brown, beaded bracelet that cost 200 rupees but I thought it would be a nice gift for Shawna.
The ladies were all really lovely too. We took a group photo and I stood next to one of them and she was funny.
We went back to the hotel after that. We had a chill night and I tried to get caught up on typing. Tomorrow is an early morning! Abhi wants us to see the sunrise so we have to meet in the lobby at 4am. Disgusting! I wonder if I can bail out of that.
We were on the bus by 7:15. We had to drive through the mountains again. It was an anxiety filled drive. The roads are narrow. There's a high wall of cliff on one side and a drop to hell on the other with no barrier to save you. A lot of people on the bus couldn't look out the window and were internally freaking out (including moi). I wondered if we would make news back in the States if we crashed and all died.
Nice view though
This isn't helping my mudslide fear
I typed, listened to music, daydreamed about falling to my death, played games, it was ok. We stopped at noon to get food. I had to use the bathroom and they only have the squat toilet. We call them squatty potty. MJ went before me and she said it was bad and she handed me her nice scarf to hold up to my nose. Before I went in she told me "Don't you dare drop that scarf."
The toilet was weird. It was just this porcelain hole in the ground of a shack and MJ wasn't lying about the smell. I brought the scarf but didn't think I would need it. Oh, I needed it. So I've gone camping before and I've know what I'm about so the squatting wasn't an issue. I did my business but as I was trying to pull my pants up one handed, I didn't notice my other hand holding the scarf was dangerously close to the ground. So close, the scarf was touching the floor which is coated in piss.
I felt pretty bad about fucking up MJ's nice scarf. She was able to wash it with Abhi's nice shampoo so it worked out okay.
We had a simple lunch. It was ramen noodles. I didn't like these noodles as much as the last time we had ramen on the mountain (when they gave me mystery meat). These noodles had too much spices.
While we waited for our food, I hopped over to a little stall that sold snacks. I bought 3 bags of chips and a handful of candy for 150 nepalese rupees which is $1.50 dollars. Winning!
After eating it was back on the bus we went. I wasn't the only one to buy snacks and everyone shared. We had coconut cookies (hell yeah), chocolate cookies (a solid medium), and bourbon cookies (HELL YEAH), and lots of different chips. I tried Lays Masala chips and they were nasty.
We drove for more hours. Played more games. We finally arrived to the hotel in Pokhara at 4:30. They gave us each a small flower and juice when we arrived. From our hotel we can see a giant mountain looming behind us.
Holy shit
This is a very nice hotel. It's not the 1st to have a pool, but it is the 1st for me to consider getting into. It was that clean, the rooms were nice too. Very spacious.
And best of all? We have solid wifi. I was able to get a post up for this blog, the one where we go to the movies on June 16. Today is June 25. I am still so far behind.
We were having dinner and a cooking lesson at a place called Sasane. It's a program that supports women in the sex trafficking industry.
We got there around 7 and met the ladies who worked there. They gave us each a white cloth to drape around our neck and we all introduced ourselves. Then they served us momos!
They were spicy! No bueno. I ate one and some people ate like 8.
Then it was time to learn how to make them. We stood at a table with our own little stations to roll the dough.
I had one of the ladies come up and join me. She was very patient and my momos sucked.
Calla and Sam, momo making fools
My momo!
Mine were too small but that's okay. They served us dinner at 7:45 and it was really good.
I forgot to take a picture but it was rice, lentil soup, amazing veggies, and spinach. I really liked it! But a couple bites in I was having stomach cramps and didn't feel like eating.
After dinner we watched a short presentation on the sex trafficking industry in Nepal and India. It's terribly sad. Sex trafficking makes more money than illegal drugs. They take very young girls from poor villages and start abusing them immediately. I was starting to feel disgusted with Nepal before I remembered this is a huge problem in the states too.
On a happier note, all the girls at the Sasane place have better lives. They're being educated and that I think is the most important thing you can do for someone. I bought a bracelet they made. It's just this brown, beaded bracelet that cost 200 rupees but I thought it would be a nice gift for Shawna.
The ladies were all really lovely too. We took a group photo and I stood next to one of them and she was funny.
We went back to the hotel after that. We had a chill night and I tried to get caught up on typing. Tomorrow is an early morning! Abhi wants us to see the sunrise so we have to meet in the lobby at 4am. Disgusting! I wonder if I can bail out of that.
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