Nepal

Took the night train from Varanasi, which turned out to be more basic than I was prepared for. I somehow ended up alone in an otherwise empty wagon with windows that provided no effective protection from the frozen draft. Without the blankets typically provided, my only way of keeping vital organs from completely freezing was to adorn every piece of clothing in my pack. My hand towel kept ice from forming on my face. The morning finally arrived as we came to the Nepali border, upon which I removed a half dozen layers of clothing, then crossed over by foot. It took some amount of focus to locate the immigration officials on either side of the border - most folks seem to just walk back & forth between the countries without any formalities.

I spent the first night in Lumbini - little Nepali village outside the location popularized as being the birthplace of Buddha. There was no electricity in the area - but everyone seemed content with the candles. Requested a couple extra comforters to layer on my bed and slept quite well. Awoke to a knock at the door - my bucket of morning bath water was ready. Bathing from a bucket is much easier than it would seem - especially when the water is anything but frigid. Spent the day wandering the grounds surrounding the Buddha's birthplace - along with a few monasteries on the premises. My plan was to take a local bus up to the mountain town Pokhara - an irrationally twisted route that had been the source of multiple horror stories I'd recently heard - but a group of Maoist Communists had blocked the road north by means of a strike. Anyone attempting to break the strike and bypass the group risks a barrage or rocks, fire, or worse. So - I flew to Kathmandu.

Kathmandu is quite a mix of mountain folks - from those choosing a nearby route for a basic weekend trek to those methodically preparing for an attempt at Everest. The locals take advantage of every opportunity to fleece the temporary visitors of any dollars, pounds, euros or rupees. (I bought 4 coats, a sleeping bag, thermals, boots, multiple socks of increasing thickness...) I wandered the city for the first few days with a guy named Al from Australia whom I met on the plane. He had been meditating in a monastery in Lumbini for the past 3 months - during which he'd hardly spoken a single word. He seemed plenty talkative when I stroke up a conversation with him there at the airport. Quite interesting to hear his thoughts on Buddhism and meditation.

So - spent most of the next few days eating decent food - Italian, Israeli, Thai, anything but Indian food... and even a couple steaks! Hoped to finally get to Pokhara and even bought a bus ticket, but the Maoists once again foiled my plan by forcing a strike that closed the hotels and restaurants there. I'll stick around Kathmandu for a bit longer, then make a plan for venturing back to India.