Day 1: Taxi rides, Cold showers, and the Boudhanath

They say that Nepali and Indian traffic is insane, but the truth is you'll never understand how insane it really is until you experience it. Thanx to my oversized luggage I got the wonderful opportunity to ride in one of the many small taxis that zipped around the city of Kathmandu. Our little suzuki maruti 800, aka a matchbox car, raced along the cramped streets, nearly running down pedestrians taking their chances at human frogger and crossing the street. My brain churned, taking in all of the new sights, full families on motorbikes, women sitting side-saddle in beautiful saris, children jammed between parents, eyes full of black eyeliner. Cruising down alleyways and worn dirt paths we stopped in front of a light pink building, draped with garlands of flowers and the cluttered network of wires bringing internet and power into the homes. I was then led up to the top floor and shown to the bedroom I am staying in, a cute pink room with two low beds and a raw bamboo wardrobe. Sitting down on the bed looking out my barred window to the street below it hit me. I was here, really here, and tired, extremely tired. With that I unpacked my bag, organizing my basic necessities on the bamboo shelves, and locking away my valuables in an ironic wooden floor safe. Next step was showering, something I had not gotten the chance to do in days, and was not willing to give up quite yet. The bathroom is definitely something to get used to. They say it's Western-style, but it is all new to me. The entire room is tiled and there is just a shower head and faucet on one wall that you stand underneath to wash yourself, the water going everywhere and a meager single drain for it all. This wasn't so bad, even though the hot water, that is solar powered, isn't working right now, it was just nice to be clean again. It is a nuisance to walk through the wet bathroom after anyone showers though, but something that will seem minor in time. After my shower Garret fed me lunch and told me how there are two other volunteers living here at this time, both med students working at the hospital, one named Steven that lives downstairs, and another named Kara that is on Jewish holiday at this time and I am still yet to meet.

We then walked to the main road and a few blocks down to the Boudhanath. I was astonished at how big it is and loved looking at all of the little shops surrounding it. There are little prayer wheels all around the base that you spin as you walk by them and pray on, then there is a room that you can walk into that had the biggest prayer wheel I have ever seen, comparable to the base of a redwood tree. We walked all around the top of the temple, seeing the beautiful colors of the prayer flags blowing in the warm breeze, and many monks and people meditating in the small gardens on the sides of the temple. We then walked to the super store that had 5 levels and just about everything you could ever need, where I got some groceries then headed back home. Along the way we saw a few cows laying in the street and on the sidewalk. It was hilarious, they were totally in everyones way and we had to like climb over it but no one seemed to notice. There are also street dogs everywhere that are adorable, but are all super mangy, and sometimes are fighting each other.

Some other interesting things I have picked up here:

- Chi tea is delicious. (Pronounced Chia in Nepal)

- The most beautiful part of the day is around 6pm when everyone is home from school and work and are hanging out on their porches and stoops, washing their clothes and preparing food. The children are in the vacant lot next to our house playing ball and run to the rooftops to fly their kites before dinner.

- Our housemaids little girl is the cutest, we played and she showed me how she can recite the whole english alphabet (maybe with a little help)

- street vendors will always try to rip you off if you are white, I haggled and ended up walking away from 3 today haha :P

- face masks are a godsend when walking on the streets, the cars aren't exactly hybrids. 

- I start school on Wednesday and the orphanage on Sunday!

- Nepal and India both have an obscene amount of holidays, there is literally a holiday every other day and no school because of it...

-Bollywood soap operas are the best thing ever, who knew the stories of the Hindu gods could be so dramatic ;] haha

Okay well that is all I have for now! I'll blog more tonight if I'm not too tired! Love you all :]