It’s almost the end of month eight of The Race and our time in Nepal is wrapping up. I am absolutely blown away by this country and the people here. I’ve fallen in love with the mountain views, the loving and kind people, and even the food has grown on me (Dal Bhat at every meal…I’ll explain it later). Not only that, but God provided a way for us to do something I was dying to experience; we got to trek in the Himalayas. With our tight budget and the timing of us being in the country (it’s monsoon season and most guides suggest not hiking due to landslides and flooding) I was prepared to accept the fact that I would not be able to step foot in the mountains. If you know me, my heart is to be in the mountains and it has been something I’ve been praying for since I learned our route would be taking us to the country that claims territory of the infamous Mt. Everest. It’s safe to say I was fairly bummed when I realized all of our obstacles. BUT GOD decided to show off and spoil me.
Within the first few days of being in the country we connected with a group that takes tourists on treks all over Nepal. We explained our situation to them and the budget we were working with. They told us they wanted to help and would do what they could to accommodate to make things happen, but after permits, cost of the guide, and supplies, there was no way to meet our $10 a day limit. Left a little defeated, I prayed that God would somehow provide us a way to go. The next day the team and I went to talk to the guides in person, hoping our charming personalities and charism would convince them to forget all costs. As the guide ran through the different routes and options my heart kept sinking a little. It was cheap by normal standards but still not doable. Then, as if he suddenly remembered, the guide mentioned a route that most tourists didn’t take. It was a route that would take us up into the mountains, through the jungle, and to different villages where we would stay with other believers. No permits were required on this route, no special gear, and he was willing to cut down the price to guide us. OKAY GOD I SEE YOU.
It would take a very long time and many, many words to describe everything that happened in the 6 days that we trekked the Himalayas, but for now I want to share the gist of what went down. First off, I felt like a little kid who was given permission to roam around Disney Land. I got to climb rocks, breath fresh air, and see sights I’d only ever seen in National Geographic. It was absolutely beautiful. Second, I felt like a kid who was given permission to roam Disney Land but had lost my parents in the process. Y’all this was one of the hardest hikes I’ve ever done. Day three of the trek was the long one, ten hours total, and I faced things I never thought I’d have to face. As soon as we hit the jungle I saw for the first time in my life what a leech was. I thought these things were only in the movies when they used them for medicinal purposes on peoples backs. NO THEY’RE VERY MUCH STILL REAL. Like little inch worms they crawl to you and latch onto your skin to drink your blood. I’m not exaggerating when I say they were everywhere, hundreds of them all over the jungle floor trying to attach themselves to our shoes so the could crawl in to get to our feet, ankles, or legs. {One of my poor teammates had over 30 bites by the end of this ordeal.}
After over an hour of trying to keep a fast pace to avoid leeches, I was fairly tired. Not exhausted, but also not amused. Then came the rocks covered in moss. This doesn’t sound like a huge deal, right? Remember that it’s monsoon season and rain was a fairly constant thing. The trail quickly became slick just in time for us to start walking down hill. Not only were we all still trying to avoid the mass amounts of leeches, now we had to slow our pace so we could maneuver down the slippery rocks. <<More than a few of us busted our butts…it was kind of funny>>. It was also during this section of the trail I became the only one on my team to encounter a special kind of obstacle….leaves that sting you. LITERALLY STING YOU. If you happened to touch one, a stinger would go into your skin and the pain would keep going and going. Thankfully, I had barely brushed one and the sting wasn’t as bad as it could’ve been.
After nine hours, most of the hours spent looking down at our feet to make sure leeches weren’t crawling on our shoes, but also at the trail ahead to make sure we weren’t going to step on an extra mossy and slippery rock, AND trying to avoid LEAVES THAT STING YOU, we made it to the last part of the trail, which was just a simple gravel road. {Enter the Doxology Hymn here}. Friends, I was tired. Shoot dang I was tired. But it felt good to have been given the crazy opportunity to experience something as wild as that.
Now comes the last part….Dal Bhat. Dal Bhat is the national dish of Nepal and most families have it every day. Consisting of rice as the main dish with lentils to go on top and some form of curry for the side, this dish provides an affordable and simple meal. Never in my life had I been more thankful for a warm meal, and if you know me you know how thankful I am for just food in general so this is saying a lot. But most importantly, it was the way in which I received this meal. Humbly I walked into the home of local believers who didn’t have much but were willing to open their home to strangers and feed them with what they had. We all sat in a circle on the floor of the kitchen as I watched the Dal Bhat be prepared over a simple fire. I was humbled and honored to share this meal with this family.
There are so many more stories that happened in these last three weeks. I still can’t believe God is allowing me to be here and experience Him in these crazy ways. He provides. He clearly loves me. And He wants me learning new things and growing to be a better servant. I may be praying for Him to send me back here (just don’t tell my mom that). If you have any questions or want to hear more stories please don’t hesitate to ask!
