forever is tomorrow is today...


To whom it may concern:  my blog entries over the next three months will resemble journal entries, in an attempt to document many of the adventures john and I have while trekking through and working in Nepal.  I apologize in advance for my wordiness.

On Tuesday, February 28^th, John and I packed up our gear and headed to the Logan airport in Boston. Our first stop was London; we arrived on Wednesday morning around 7:00 am.  Most of our time in London was spent going through airport security and traveling by bus to a small terminal on the outskirts of the airport campus, so I will need to return to the city if I am to see it in more detail.    

From London, we flew to Bahrain.  We arrived on the evening of February 29^th.  By this time, John and I were pretty exhausted.  I, myself, was especially depleted, as I am so nervous on airplanes that sleeping is entirely out of the question.  We learned that our flight to Kathmandu had been delayed until 3:00 am the following morning, and so I took the opportunity to sleep while John watched over our luggage.   

We finally made it to Kathmandu on Thursday morning, March 1, 2012.  John and I were greeted by an employee of the Himalayan Rescue Association and brought to our hotel to get cleaned up.  We spent the rest of the afternoon exploring the city and getting acquainted with the local cuisine (dhal bat).  John and I were both surprised by the primitive nature of Kathmandu, as our previous reading had led us to believe it was quite advanced.  The shopping stands that line the streets remind me of the hawk stands I encountered while in Malaysia with my father, though instead of selling knock-off DVD’s and CD’s the shops are filled with knock-off trekking gear.  Anyone interested in a The North Farce jacket?

John and I will be in Kathmandu until March 8, 2012.  At that time, we will begin our 6-7 day trek to Manang.  While in Kathmandu, we will have language lessons and other training to help prepare us for our time working for the HRA clinics.  John and I are also planning to do a little shopping while we are in town.  I am convinced that the beauties of nature will be much appreciated after a week in Kathmandu.

Note:  I am writing this at 4:30 am on the following morning.  While I have been writing, the power in the city has gone out.  Apparently, this is a pretty common thing in this part of the world.