Narti Part 1: Transport out of the Valley

Last Tuesday I came home from my work at the nursing home to find out that a trip to Narti was in the works. I hadn’t really planned on visiting the small village located in the Dang district (if you look for it on a map, you might want to try to find the city of Lamahi or Gorahi… it was near those), but since a trip was being planned, I decided to be a part of it. It was prepared and executed really fast--we spent five days there and back. I went with the leader of the boys’ home here, Vinod, and other volunteers Sam and Sarah. Let me tell you, everything about this trip was an adventure, from the very start. On Tuesday, Vinod talked me into going with him to the bus station to pick up our bus tickets for the next day; only problem is he rides a motorbike, and my nurse mother has drilled into my head that you never ride a bike (especially without a helmet or leather--I had neither, and Vinod laughed out loud when I asked about a helmet… apparently people who ride in back never get helmets in Nepal). I was nervous, but I went along anyways, because I’m in Nepal, and everything is an adventure here. Since it’s the rainy season, it’s very warm when it’s not raining--I was in a thin t-shirt and capris… but since it’s the rainy season, it starts raining at random times, and it decided to start raining about three seconds after we started out. This wasn’t a regular rain either--it was an absolute downpour. I had to laugh, because if I didn’t laugh, it would have been tears. I was soaked to the skin--probably the wettest I’ve been in my life (the rain was coming down so hard I couldn’t open my eyes even though I was wearing glasses)--and freezing, and so was Vinod. He made me some coffee when we got back. He deffo owed me.
The next day (Wednesday) we started our trip at five a.m. It took the cramped bus about an hour and a half to get out of Kathmandu Valley, but then we were on our way. Unfortunately, we were on a reused city bus--the seats were so close together that I (let alone Vinod, who is six foot tall) was very uncomfortable… and it was a twelve hour bus ride. Unfortunately, wherever Vinod and I sat, the people who were going to be sick sat in front of us. I need to stop hanging out with this guy--it’s always the laugh or cry situations… we were vomited on multiple times, but just had to laugh, or else we’d be sick too. We stopped a few times for food, I slept a little, but when I was awake, the scenery was amazing. There were mountains and rivers and jungle and plains. Nepal is a country of varied and beautiful landscapes. There were some rock slides as well… a little unnerving when the road is about a lane and a half wide and there is traffic coming from the other direction, but ya know, it‘s something you get used to.