We were lucky enough to find a driver who could and would take us to Nagarkot to start our adventure to Gocool's village. We drove out of Samakhushi, through Bhaktapur and out of Kathmandu Valley. We drove up winding paths, through hills until we reached Nagarkot. The views along the way were breathtaking. I saw my first glimpses of terraced farming practices as well as many women hauling large baskets of wheat on their backs up hills that the bus was whining about climbing. These woman looked quite at ease (if you can use that word to describe someone carrying a huge load, up a busy hill, clothed in vast amounts of cloth, and barely breaking a sweat). We could look back over Kathmandu Valley, watching as we left the hustle and bustle of the city behind. There were many small villages and stops as we drove through the hills, but after 2 hours, we reached a beautiful hotel. Robin told us that it was called The Hotel at the End of the Universe, but it was actually something like the Comfort Hotel, or some slightly less generic sounding name.
The hotel was absolutely gorgeous. It overlooked a valley and if you used your imagination, the Himalayas were just beyond the clouded skies. The hotel was built in pieces, so the bottom section was about 10 years older than the middle section, which was about 8 years older than the top piece. We sat on the open patio for a while gazing out over the valley while we drank fanta and coke waiting to discover our rooms. Gerrit, Isha, Robin, and Patti each had their own individual room. They were like little cabins below the hotel. Amanda, Sarah, Caroline, and Steph had the "honeymoon suite". It was the entire upper floor, complete with a wooden heart on the key chain and a few GIANT spiders. Tina and I had a lovely room, at the end of a petrifyingly dark hallway, across from a haunted room. The room had eerie wind/moaning sounds, and dripping water. IT was really fun to walk back to with no light after dinner that night....nawt!
After arriving and settling, Tina and I read/took naps. I took a shower, and it was nice and hot and I could actually stand upright!!! I read out on the balcony until the sun set at around 6:30. I got some super cool photos through my sunnies as the real sunset wasn't mind blowing. We all had dinner in the hotel restaurant, and all woke up the next morning feeling a little icky.
Fearing spider attacks and tossing and turning kept my room up most of the night. We woke up at 5:30am to catch the sunrise and a glimpse of the Himalayas. It was absolutely gorgeous. We could see the Himalayas with just a dusting of snow. The sun rose quite quickly over the mountains and lit up the sky. Many great photos, followed by a stumble back to bed. At 630 we woke up again, packed, and went to breakfast. At 8:40 we left for our hike down to Gocool's village. It took about 2 hours and we arrived at his home around 11am. Along the way we took many photos, made friends with a few dogs who followed us the entire way, and visited the village's school where Gocool's mom teaches. Once we arrived in the village we were greeted by members of Gocool's family and a delicious lunch prepared by his mom. We also saw a buffalo getting a bath by our cook Chondra's sister.
It was very hot and the entire walk back was going to be up hill and in the direct sunlight. We opted to take a truck back up the hill. This meant about a half hour walk back up the hill and then piling into the back of a pick up truck. The truck then weaved its way up the hill careful to just barely miss falling off the edge of the cliff...did I mention that there were also no shocks. It was rather petrifying, but also fun. About an hour later we were back at the hotel, a little shaky, but all in one piece. Well, Isha hurt her toe, but that was just entering the house in Gocool's village, not doing anything to daredevilish.
Back at the hotel, we cleaned up, nursed our sunburns and then got in the bus. We took the 2 hour drive back to our Samakhushi house, took naps, ate dinner, and went to bed. Good day.
Yesterday, was Buddha's birthday. Which meant, no work! We went to a cultural dance festival, which was painful, to say the least. We got there at 10. Well actually we arrived at the location we were told to go, at the time we were told to go. (both wrong) It was actually noon at the Yeti Party Palace. Not 10 at the Indreni Party palace. Luckily they were pretty close by. Between the time we arrived and the actual start time a few of us went and found an ATM and then to the Bhat Bhateni Supermarket. Cans of iced coffee never looked so good.
The festival was a bit of a challenge for me to sit through. It started with half an hour of introduction, then a long speech. About an hour and 20 minutes in we saw a dance. Then there was another speech, and another dance, and then another speech, and then a stand up comedian. ALL IN NEPALI!!! So I played with my recently purchased Rubik's cube to help me stay awake (hadn't slept too well the past couple of nights due to spiders and heat). Then, the announcer called each of us, from our group, up on stage to be presented with special scarves that only the guests of honor receive. We got a huge cheer from the crowd. The other interesting piece was that the world's smallest man was there. It was interesting how much attention he got and how everyone was shoving cameras in his face. I felt a little uncomfortable about how he was being treated.
After a few hours of the show, we left. The heat was too much after 5 days of no rain. Tina and I went to the tailor shop across the street from the internet cafe we frequent and ordered custom made kurthas. They are those tunics with light pants. Mine is black with pink flowers, it is quite lovely. And was about $12.
Today, we were back at school. I taught English 1, and English 9. English 9 was really fun, we wrote poetry. Some of the kids wrote absolutely amazing poetry. Better than many native English speakers. We also taught English 5, those kids are frustrating. In the afternoon we didn't have classes. Amanda and I had both bought these gel pens that were for drawing tattoos on skin. So, for about 2 hours, all we did was draw tattoos on children. It was fun. Then, it finally started to rain. All the kids ran out from under the shelter and we spun around in the rain. I taught them Singing in The Rain and we sang and spun away!!
No Nepali lesson tonight, so hopefully early to bed, and some homework.
We're off to Pokhara this Friday, until Sunday. Yay for having my 20th birthday in a hotel with a pool, in a beautiful city in Nepal!!!
3 more weeks!!!
Namaste
The hotel was absolutely gorgeous. It overlooked a valley and if you used your imagination, the Himalayas were just beyond the clouded skies. The hotel was built in pieces, so the bottom section was about 10 years older than the middle section, which was about 8 years older than the top piece. We sat on the open patio for a while gazing out over the valley while we drank fanta and coke waiting to discover our rooms. Gerrit, Isha, Robin, and Patti each had their own individual room. They were like little cabins below the hotel. Amanda, Sarah, Caroline, and Steph had the "honeymoon suite". It was the entire upper floor, complete with a wooden heart on the key chain and a few GIANT spiders. Tina and I had a lovely room, at the end of a petrifyingly dark hallway, across from a haunted room. The room had eerie wind/moaning sounds, and dripping water. IT was really fun to walk back to with no light after dinner that night....nawt!
After arriving and settling, Tina and I read/took naps. I took a shower, and it was nice and hot and I could actually stand upright!!! I read out on the balcony until the sun set at around 6:30. I got some super cool photos through my sunnies as the real sunset wasn't mind blowing. We all had dinner in the hotel restaurant, and all woke up the next morning feeling a little icky.
Fearing spider attacks and tossing and turning kept my room up most of the night. We woke up at 5:30am to catch the sunrise and a glimpse of the Himalayas. It was absolutely gorgeous. We could see the Himalayas with just a dusting of snow. The sun rose quite quickly over the mountains and lit up the sky. Many great photos, followed by a stumble back to bed. At 630 we woke up again, packed, and went to breakfast. At 8:40 we left for our hike down to Gocool's village. It took about 2 hours and we arrived at his home around 11am. Along the way we took many photos, made friends with a few dogs who followed us the entire way, and visited the village's school where Gocool's mom teaches. Once we arrived in the village we were greeted by members of Gocool's family and a delicious lunch prepared by his mom. We also saw a buffalo getting a bath by our cook Chondra's sister.
It was very hot and the entire walk back was going to be up hill and in the direct sunlight. We opted to take a truck back up the hill. This meant about a half hour walk back up the hill and then piling into the back of a pick up truck. The truck then weaved its way up the hill careful to just barely miss falling off the edge of the cliff...did I mention that there were also no shocks. It was rather petrifying, but also fun. About an hour later we were back at the hotel, a little shaky, but all in one piece. Well, Isha hurt her toe, but that was just entering the house in Gocool's village, not doing anything to daredevilish.
Back at the hotel, we cleaned up, nursed our sunburns and then got in the bus. We took the 2 hour drive back to our Samakhushi house, took naps, ate dinner, and went to bed. Good day.
Yesterday, was Buddha's birthday. Which meant, no work! We went to a cultural dance festival, which was painful, to say the least. We got there at 10. Well actually we arrived at the location we were told to go, at the time we were told to go. (both wrong) It was actually noon at the Yeti Party Palace. Not 10 at the Indreni Party palace. Luckily they were pretty close by. Between the time we arrived and the actual start time a few of us went and found an ATM and then to the Bhat Bhateni Supermarket. Cans of iced coffee never looked so good.
The festival was a bit of a challenge for me to sit through. It started with half an hour of introduction, then a long speech. About an hour and 20 minutes in we saw a dance. Then there was another speech, and another dance, and then another speech, and then a stand up comedian. ALL IN NEPALI!!! So I played with my recently purchased Rubik's cube to help me stay awake (hadn't slept too well the past couple of nights due to spiders and heat). Then, the announcer called each of us, from our group, up on stage to be presented with special scarves that only the guests of honor receive. We got a huge cheer from the crowd. The other interesting piece was that the world's smallest man was there. It was interesting how much attention he got and how everyone was shoving cameras in his face. I felt a little uncomfortable about how he was being treated.
After a few hours of the show, we left. The heat was too much after 5 days of no rain. Tina and I went to the tailor shop across the street from the internet cafe we frequent and ordered custom made kurthas. They are those tunics with light pants. Mine is black with pink flowers, it is quite lovely. And was about $12.
Today, we were back at school. I taught English 1, and English 9. English 9 was really fun, we wrote poetry. Some of the kids wrote absolutely amazing poetry. Better than many native English speakers. We also taught English 5, those kids are frustrating. In the afternoon we didn't have classes. Amanda and I had both bought these gel pens that were for drawing tattoos on skin. So, for about 2 hours, all we did was draw tattoos on children. It was fun. Then, it finally started to rain. All the kids ran out from under the shelter and we spun around in the rain. I taught them Singing in The Rain and we sang and spun away!!
No Nepali lesson tonight, so hopefully early to bed, and some homework.
We're off to Pokhara this Friday, until Sunday. Yay for having my 20th birthday in a hotel with a pool, in a beautiful city in Nepal!!!
3 more weeks!!!
Namaste
Thanks for a wonderful blog! Your writing style and description of details offer a vibrant depiction of your experience.
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