Bandipur...It's Tailor Made

It was another late night snap decision; Maria and I found two Portugese who inspired us and the following morning we all climbed onto the roof of a bus and headed three hours East to Dumre, then one more North to Bandipur, to an enchanting village on the mountain where we all finally fell in love with Nepal!

We played with the village children, walked to other villages nearby, visited Siddha Cave (aka the largest cave in Nepal), played cards, but most of all...we cooked!

We were lucky to find a rest house with a kitchen on the top floor, so we spent our days planning, shopping and cooking up mass amounts of delicious food! No more begging for vegetables in the local restaurants...we prepared aubergine, okra, green beans, red beans, cauliflower, tomatoes, potatoes...banana crepes, apple cinnamon crepes, egg omelets, daal and rice, sweet Portugese rice and much much more. All accompanied with the delicious local wine (roxie)!

So, I must admit, the last ten days have been something of a holiday from my holiday. Bandipur was so wonderful that we began to inquire about renting a small house for several months. The attic we viewed was offered at 500 Nepali rupees a month, plus 50 rupees for electricity and another 20 for water for a total of less than 10 USD a month. I suspect I will return to Bandipur again.

Alas, the time came for us to go our separate ways and this afternoon I found myself once again on the roof of another Nepali bus heading for Chitwan. Alone once again, I am feeling good and preparing myself mentally for re-entry into Mother India. I have approximately one week to leave Nepal.

all my love,
LMA