The Best Cup of Mint Tea Ever

Greetings from Pokhara! We arrived yesterday after a beautiful bus ride through the Nepali countryside. Just beforehand we visited the former palace grounds in Kathmandu to attempt a flying fox sighting as it was still early... alas, no luck. The 7 hour journey was actually quite enjoyable; loads of villages, rice patty fields, crazy motorists, villagers carrying loads on their backs, a crashed bus- a small stone wall kept it from going over the cliff edge apparently... glad our driver was not so daring. One of the things we enjoyed seeing was the brightly colored and differently decorated Nepali cargo trucks... a riot of color, images of various deities, trucking mottos ("drive slow, live longer" "love all, hate none"), and even tinsel!

We arrived around 2pm and used our guidebook to find the hotel run by Seeing Hands contact person here, Kul. He was increadibly helpful in answering our various questions (how often is the power out, where do we get water, when do we see the clinic, etc...etc...etc), and he showed us the cozy apartment we'll call home for the next month or so. It is a lovely space with the most comfortable bed ever. Nice wallhangings, a little kitchen, a clean bathroom (very much a treat in these parts... no, really it is), and the most beautiful mountain views in every direction... loads of windows. In fact, we sat in bed this morning having mint tea with a gorgeous view of the Himalayas.

We spent our day today settling in and walking around the lakeside district of Pokhara. Later on we'll probably have a tour of the clinic, and tomorrow we'll meet our students.

Due to a petrol (gas) shortage/conflict, we've delayed our trip to Chitwan National Park until next week... however, Andy is nearly wetting himself with excitement over the prospect of swimming with elephants!

More later.

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"Many people wonder what their life purpose is. They spend hundreds of dollars on books, astrological charts, and coaches to try to figure it out. Another path is simply to follow the call when it arises, even if it seems odd or unreasonable. By doign so, we learn to trust, and eventually we discover the purpose of our life. Are you willing to take that risk?" (Joey Garcia)