Lumbini and Everest

I really wish I had a better internet connection. I want to upload photos so you can see what I've been doing. I'm sorry this is all so text heavy.

Well, the last 72 hours have been non-stop, whirlwind adventure. Headache, adventure, awesome, miserable, everything. But I believe that all of this is good, no matter what. With a little time, everything looks a little bit better.

In any case, I just started writing this and the manager of this Internet cafe tells me I have 5 minutes...go.

Let's just say, after getting to Lumbini, I took another motorcycle ride to my hostel (first one was to Chitwan, much better and more beautiful story that I will tell...later), where I spent the night and ate dinner with two Germans. Good guys. Next day went to the birthplace of the Buddha, saw the stone he was born on, relaxed, did some thinking outside the temple.

Maybe I'll elaborate more later...in fact, I will. It was a really special place, a really nice moment in time. I took the night bus that night back to Pokhara. Overcrowded, 90 minutes late, full of baggage in the aisle, people competing to see how loud their cell phones can play music, dinner at some random place in the middle of nowhere where we all had dal bhat (the only meal in Nepal), the guy next to me slept on my shoulder, super hot inside, and I'm the only white guy there. Slept the entire next day in Pokhara.

Weather was still off, so couldn't start a trek for fear of losing the mountain views. Tried to figure out what the hell to do. Weather is bad all the way east to Thailand. Weather is great out west in India, but if I went out there, I doubt I'd make it back to Nepal, therefore missing out on seeing the Himalayas. I bought a ticket on impulse back to Kathmandu for the next morning. Got here, where I sit now, and bought a ticket earlier today to Lukla. Lukla is the starting point for the trek to Everest Base Camp.

I'm on my way. Hopefully I'll arrive around 9am tomorrow, then maybe get started that day. If not, I'll get my permits together and start the next day. I have no idea what I'm getting into, but at least I'm getting into something.

Don't know how long I'll be gone. Doubt I'll have much, if any, access to communication. I want to write more, but I'm getting kicked out. Getting the ticket to Lukla was next to impossible. Capital One sucks. I took care of making sure they knew I was traveling before hand. Apparently they forgot and put a hold on my credit card. Took 2 hours to get someone on the phone, then they told me my dad needed to call and do it all. That meant I woke him up at 4am. He did it. He's a great dad, I'll tell ya.

Met 4 American women tonight. They were sitting at the table next to me at my guesthouse. I wanted some familiar company, so we all talked. 3 of 4 are from Seattle. 3 of 4 work in PR. They have two Syracuse people in their office. How about that? We went out to dinner at the great place that Tyler and I went to last time I was in Kathmandu. All of us ate for a little over a dollar a piece. Again, great.

The ringleader of the Seattle group is apparently going through a midlife crisis that she predicted 15 years ago. She's on sabbatical for 10 months, so some of her friends came out here to hang out...at least that's the impression I got.

That's all for now. So much more could be said.

Hope you are all just great.