A Time for Change

Hello from your friend, the stranger, on this side of the world. So much for my promise to get you up-to-date. The longer I travel, the less of a novelty it seems to me. This is my life and lifestyle rather than an experience...and therefore I get caught up with living rather than sharing. And even though I know that's ok, I really do wish I could adequately share this journey with you. So moving forward, I will share what and when I am able. It may be random, out of order and not so eloquently written but I'll be sharing.

I left Chicago eight months ago. I am not yet ready to go home but I've felt the need to stay in one place for a while rather than constantly move from place to place which can be physically, mentally and emotionally tiring. I have found the place but will share it with you in a while. And rather than catch you up on the last two months (which includes a visit to Myanmar), I'll start with the more present. My friend Sandi from home (who is living in London right now) joined me for a month of travel. I spent 10 days in Kathmandu, Nepal where she joined me for 9 more days before moving on to India. We're currently in Southern India in Goa. It's beautiful...and quiet.

Kathmandu, Nepal greeted me on Nov 6 with immediate experiences that I believe only long term travelers can understand. Call it fate, serendipity or simply good karma. Awaiting immigration approval, I met Adel from Syria living in Qutar. After discussing the lack of security at the airport, we planned an evening of gambling. I found myself at a Blackjack table with a group of older men from India, Pakistan and Afghanistan. Their English was still like a foreign language to my ears as they conversed about things I never thought I would be witness to. Surreal to say the least. (In the future, I'll try and go into this is more detail to give you a better understanding.) They didn't believe I was a solo American female traveling alone. Four hours later, I had gambled away over $100 of other people's money and had a lasting experience engraved in my mind.

Earlier that day after finding a guesthouse, I walked Kathmandu for three hours and fell in love with the place. Rather than chill in my room for two hours prior to my gambling engagement, I stopped by Buddha Bar on a whim. Seeing as I was the only one in the bar when I first arrived, I talked with the locals working the bar. Brief introductions and a good instinct resulted in plans at 10am the next day to tour the city on motorbike. Krishna drove me from place to place and shared his stories and theories. Auntie's Homemade Whiskey entered the scene early evening followed by a tour of the local clubs. Like I've said before, traveling alone has its privileges. Not once in that day did I see another Westerner on a bike. Unlike other places, motorbikes are not for hire. After only five hours of sleep and a full day on a bike after getting up at 4am, I felt I had a proper welcome to Kathmandu.

I spent the next few days walking the city, savoring Nepali Tea, meeting locals and developing friendships. One of those days was spent again on the motorbike driving through the hills close to Kathmandu and stopping in small villages for more Nepali Tea. Another day I visited Buddhist and Hindu temples outside Kathmandu...and even took in the new James Bond movie at the local cinema. At this point, Nepal was tried for first place with Vietnam in terms of beauty. And as for the Nepali Tea? Water, tea, milk and spices such as Cardamon, Masala, Anise and Ginger boiled to deliciousness. Locals enjoy probably 15 small cups a day. For those of you who know I love coffee, be in awe that I've had only about 4 cups in the last five weeks!

My friend Sandi from home, who is loiving in London for a year, joined me one week after I arrived. My new friendships with the locals (who have connections at the airport) allowed me the privilege of waiting for Sandi inside the airport which is typically not allowed. Sandi's delayed flight combined with Visa lines made it a pure luxury for me to be inside. The drive to the guesthouse gave Sandi the same feeling of being in a place she would fall in love with as well. Welcome to Poon Hill Sandi! Yes, Poon Hill is the name. Knowing how excited I was to see her, my new friends hosted a rooftop BBQ to welcome her. That morning as I ate breakfast in the garden, two guys hauled in a deer they had just hunted down at sunrise. I watched as they skinned, cleaned and prepped for the feast that night. Candlelight. Wine and Whiskey. Spicy meat on the bone of deer, wild buffalo and pork. Karoke ensued. Sandi won the prize for best entertainer. The fake-Captain told his war stories. Singer Guy. Mr. Prem. Night came to close with late night/early morning self portraits of us and our new friends.

Sandi spent her first day on motorbike touring the sights. A group of us went to the local Hindu Temple that evening where we were blessed to see a ceremony that was more lavish and ceremonial than our hosts had ever seen. Music, fire batons, priest dancing at waters ede. Woman dancing in traditional form. It was in honor of a typical Hindu cremation alonside the river. Spent three hours taking in the scene...which included a spectacular sunset. On the way home, Sandi was treated to chocolate cake and hot chocolate as I waited in the courtyard drinking an Everest Beer (in honor of the neighboring Himalayas) to give thanks that I didn't crash on the way home due to the missing headlight on our scooter.

We were then escorted to dinner at a fantastic Korean restaurant in Thamel, sit down style, garden table, white lights, and after numerous shots of rice wine we had a memorable night. I taught them the Western way of "Toasting" and we took turns making Toast...enough to go around four times each for the four of us. Sandi went dancing and drinking with the locals -- bothered by the fact that she was in a Patagonia jacket and flip flops at a club listening to dance tunes. Jen played Shithead cards and drank whiskey with the locals back at Poon Hill.

(More to come in a couple hours...)