We Made It! Safe and Sound in Kathmandu

Our journey began with a three-hour delay at the railway station in Varanasi, where crickets jumped into our sweaty hair and clothes and Indians slept in piles all around. I played my flute to pass the time, but finally passed out on my pack, too. Around 1:30am Rumi and I went in search of chai, and finally at 2 the train arrived on the opposite platform. Hoardes of people, including us, jumped down onto the tracks to get to the other side before the train arrived, India-style. With herculean effort we found our bunks, asked the men sleeping in them to please leave, and finally passed out. Indian sleeper trains are filled with Indian feet. If you don't like feet, please don't come to India. Unless you're me and you really appreciate discomfort.

Our 7-hour train journey quickly evolved into a 12-hour odyssey. We arrived in Gorakpur, bought our last Indian bidis and chai, and found a jeep to drive us to the Nepali border. Three hours later, we walked across the border into Nepal and bought bus tickets to Kathmandu, another epic 12-hour journey up tiny, twisty mountain roads in the rain. My tailbone thought it would never end...

We arrived at our final destination this morning at 5am, exhausted, filthy, sore, with swollen ankles, and, get this...cold! Kathmandu is a haven after the insanity of India, filled with innumerable shops and modern conveniences (notebooks! western groceries! real bakeries with bread!)...unfortunately, my only real craving, for filter coffee, was not in the cards...but I am thrilled to be free from the cow crap sauna known as Varanasi and I'm hoping that the pizza-like bubbles on my face will finally subside.

I am somewhat committed to one week in this place, but already feel the urge to move on...only time will reveal the next destination.

Finally, in response to my grande skeptic (see comment string), I must concede that I cannot provide the answers you desire. The realm of words is, unfortunately, completely inadequate when it comes to the meaning of God--whether you want to call it "God", "the universe", "infinite consciousness", or whatever else feels comfortable. Some people feel the presence of God, and others do not.

Personally, I am overwhelmed with the persistent and powerful feeling that I am well-taken care of, guided in my choices, and protected from the bad elements around me. I rely heavily on my intuition, which grows stronger every day, and there is no doubt that God and my deceased predecessors are constantly by my side, watching over me and teaching me about right living (thank you, Ito, George, and now, my sweet and loving Tia Sylvia) . This is my experience..

And just a note for the record, this blahg was created long before my trip to India. The title, created in a moment of pain and desperation, did not refer to a spiritual quest. It is true that I have always been attracted to India, but until I arrived this last March, I had no idea why...this is partly why I believe we have only to make ourselves open to whatever may come, as opposed to searching for any specific thing, as we can never know what life may have in store...and surely life has much better things in store for us than our tiny little minds could ever dream up!

my love and deep gratitude to all who helped make this possible,
ABRAZOTES!!!!
LMA