July 24, 2014

July 23rd: Day of Rest at Dreamland Gold

Hey y'all!

Well, yesterday was one of the best days on the trip so far! It was our first day off and definitely needed. 

We took a very vibrant bus to Lumbini, which is a chaotic city about three hours away from Dang. Everyone needed some cash, so we stopped on the side of the highway in town. The most challenging part was trying to cross the highway because in Nepal there are no crosswalks and if there was, drivers would ignore them anyways. The driving here is probably the most shocking and scary part of Nepal. People use their horns as signals, and playing chicken with oncoming traffic is the norm. Needless to say I was running for my life to cross the highway. Dinesh tried to stop traffic which ended badly with him almost being taken out by a motorcycle.

Another interesting thing in the cities here is all the livestock roaming the streets. I saw a massive bull grazing on the meridian and another with a flip flop stuck around it's ankle. Anyways, I think everyone was very grateful to finally reach the hotel, mostly because of the cramped quarters and sore bums from the ride.

The hotel we stayed at was called Dreamland Gold Resort and the name suited it perfectly. It was such a relief to have a clean and fantastic smelling room with a toilet that actually flushed! The bed was also amazing because the mattress wasn't a lawn chair cushion which we have been used to. After settling into our rooms we headed downstairs for lunch. It was unreal! The setting was very fancy and everyone had pizza with French fries which was a huge treat. After lunch we all headed to the pool. The water was amazing, so cold and refreshing. 


The Nepalese boys particularly enjoyed it because it was only their second or third time ever swimming. Jordan and I were teaching Nikesh and Jeewan how to do the breast stroke and underwater hand stand. It was hilarious! After that we all decided it would be a good idea to see how many people we could hold on our shoulders in the pool. It was extremely difficult but we managed to hold 4 people. I was completely water logged and very sore. We also had several chicken fights which resulted in many sore necks the next morning. At one point I was beside Steven and Noah who looked at each other, grabbed my chair and tossed me in! Dinner was fantastic it was a huge outside buffet with cheese balls and everything. All in all it was a fantastic day and I look forward to the next week of hard work and seeing the kids again! 


Vanessa Leggett
DWC Participant 
Nepal, July 2014

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