July 18th: A Rollercoaster Ride to Lamahi

Yesterday was one for the books! We all woke up early to pack up our belongings and head to Lamahi, just a short 10-12 hour bus ride away from Kathmandu. We boarded the bus and began our journey. There is only one way out of the city so the road is unbelievably busy. Luckily for us we had one of the larger vehicles on the road so we typically had the right away. After stopping for gas picking up some locals and getting slightly out of traffic we were finally on our way.

The first hour is like being on a roller coaster. The turns are so sharp and you literally have a steep cliff on one side and a river or drop off on the other. Vehicles pass at any opportunity, even blind corners.

Once out of the mountains we drove for a couple more hours before stopping for lunch, traditional Nepali food; rice, dal, curry, and spinach. Some of the braver volunteers or those with the weaker bladders tried out the bathroom at the restaurant. The bathroom was located next to the chicken coop and the doors on the 3 stalls did not lock so they just swung open. There was a hole in the ground and a bucket of water to rinse. The amount of flies and the stench from the bathroom was interesting to say the least. An experience everyone will remember.

We boarded the bus and continued the ride through the beautiful countryside of Nepal. Observing the hardworking Nepalese, the foliage, the rice fields, the varieties of buildings, all of the wildlife wandering free. There were tons of goats and cows all over the street. We passed rapids and streams, we winded through the hillsides. As long as the journey was, there was always something to look at and see.

Finally, just over 10 hours (but only 440km) we arrived at the hotels. The group was split into two groups with the hotels being a one minute walk a part. We unloaded the bus and headed to our new home for the next week. As we opened the door to our room we were greeted by 4 lizards. It was terrifying! Jacob and Dinesh (CP employee) had a bucket and a broom trying to chase them out. The 3 CP boys working with us were laughing so hard because lizards are very common and all buildings in this area have them. It was quite the excitement for us Canadian folk.

Everyone then gathered in the dining area and we had Nepali food again paired with a wonderfully ice cold beer. Kevin (president of IWEN) joined us for dinner and gave us some good volunteer advice. 'When in Nepal do as Nepal'. Once the food was finished we all played card games for hours. Sharing games with our three CP boys. The power then cut out and we thought that as a sign for bed.

The one group returned to their hotel and we headed upstairs to our room. It took a while to fall asleep as you could hear the lizards. The beds are super hard as well. But everything is a part of the experience.

Maddie Adams 

DWC Team Leader 

Nepal, July 2014