The past month in India was amazing. I struggled a lot with how to put everything that was going on in my head to words. I’ve realized I really enjoy writing because it helps me figure out what I’m feeling. India stretched my heart in every direction possible, and most times when I tried to write, I just got overwhelmed. We landed in Nepal yesterday and on the flight (in between avoiding the selfies the guy in front of me was trying to sneakily take with me) I was able to sit and think about everything in India. I’m hoping I’ll be able to write more about it in the coming days.
Let’s talk about NEPAL though!! Gosh, I know I’ve only been here for less than 24 hours, but so far I am ecstatic! This journey has made me so appreciative of little blessings and Nepal has been chock full of them. Let’s start with the fact that all of our luggage arrived! That’s huge people!!!! Also, as soon as we got to the luggage belt, a kind Nepalese man walked up and announced he was our driver to take us to our hotel. We have debrief here for 4 days before going to ministry, and are staying at a hotel. He took us outside to a giant van with plenty of room and air conditioning!
As we drove through the busy streets of Kathmandu, I could not stop staring at all of the shops! Vendors selling colorful dresses and handmade scarves, others stirring big pots of delicious street food, stores bursting with trekking gear for those wanting to get a closer peek at Everest. It was a gloriously chaotic hustle-bustle that made me want to jump out of the van and join right in!
Eventually we pulled up at our hotel, unloaded our backpacks in an assembly line like the seasoned travelers that we are, and were greeted by our World Race coaches who arrived the day before. The hotel owner, an adorable older man with eyes that crinkle when he smiles, invited us all to the back porch for a nice cold drink of Sprite. This may not sound like much, but in the traveling life, a nice cold drink of anything is such a gift.
He showed us to our rooms and I almost cried with delight. Only two of us had to share a room, and each of us got a whole twin bed all to ourselves! GLORY! Our coaches had placed a bag of various chocolates on each of our beds, and I immediately began unwrapping my chocolates in a frenzy, seeing how many I could stuff into my mouth.
Exhausted from our long day of travel, my new roommate, Jada and I unpacked our bags. I rinsed off the day in a steaming hot shower (HOT WATER YASSSSS), changed into some new clothes from my pack that actually smelled pretty good considering I washed my clothes by hand all month with Indian well water that smelled like poo. We decided to take a nap before we met the team for dinner. I turned out the lights and snuggled beneath the fluffy white blankets. Free WiFi wafted into our room beckoning us to text our families of our arrival in Nepal.
Being cold enough to sleep under a mound of blankets is a slice of heaven after baking in 110 degree weather in India for a month. No mosquitoes came for an afternoon snack. My only qualm was the tinge of mothball aroma that hung on every pillow and blanket. I quickly drifted into a deep slumber.
Jada and I awoke to the sound of her alarm, grumbling that we’d rather continue sleeping than eat dinner. Earlier the group decided to eat at a local Nepalese restaurant right around the corner. I wasn’t too excited considering we had eaten rice every meal for a month, and I was ready for something else. I shuffled down the stairs, met up with the group, and we made our way through the muddy streets until we arrived at Mithos, the restaurant. We all sat around a big table on the second floor. Lanterns and candles lit the room creating a homey ambiance. I perused the menu skipping past anything that included rice, finally settling on naan bread. I wasn’t very hungry.
About 15 minutes later, platefuls of colorful feasts began arriving. Juicy tandoori chicken, spicy lentils, steaming soups, and a plethora of vegetables all prepared in different ways filled the table.
We scarfed, we shared, we reveled.
Jada happened to order a famous Nepali dish called momos which typically consists of vegetables, chicken, or buffalo meat encased in dough and steamed to perfection. Some might say this is simply a common dumpling, but no my dear friends, you are mistaken. This is the food of the gods.
Jada kindly shared one with me and my life was forever changed. A warm sticky outside, bursting with flavor on the inside. It was perfect in every way. By far my favorite thing I have eaten on the Race.
I’m laying in my bed right now writing this. I had a beautiful nights sleep and am now scheming about how I can get my hands on some momos as soon as possible.
The sun is up and the hustle and bustle has commenced outside our window. Here I come!!
P.S. I wrote this blog 3 days ago, and am just now posting it. I have eaten momos for every single meal since I arrived in Nepal. I may change my name to Momo.
