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I drove home to Monterey today. It was a nice drive, red bull free (surprisingly). I got home around five and after a really nice dinner with my parents I sped out to Ribera Beach to watch the day fade away. I knew I wanted to watch the sunset there but the afternoon light was more than I expected. The air was cool and I stretched out in the brush to relax. A little while later I spotted a bumble and that prompted me to go hunting after it for a macro shot. Unfortunately he evaded me but I did find a number of other images worth sharing.



( My afternoon in the bushes of Ribera... )

Finally got my hair dresser's portraits all tones and prepped for print. It's about time I get back to her for a touch up and there's no way I can walk in without prints in my hand ;)

Short note here and there...

The kids are beautiful, were getting more and more all the time. The little boy hasn't warmed up to us (the volunteers) yet and topples himself over backwards screaming when he looks at us. Its the whole light skinned thing. Or at least I hope so... if not then we're just really ugly. What else is new...

I stocked up on backpacking gear. So now NO ONE has an excuse not to go with me =). I have definitely settled into the house routine. Or at least mixed mine with theirs. Now back into my normal "at home" schedule or staying up super late to work but compromising with the house/weather and getting up around 8:30 - 9. Just when I get used to this Im going to be flying home to a different schedule I bet! Ke garne. Keeping it mixed up is the way I like it I guess.

Errr... brain...not ... functioning at the moment.

I should be getting my camera in a few days Im so excited =) yay!

We've discovered Pokhara Joes Cafe and their super brownies, orange julius, and chocolate chip cookies... ice cream with raspberry sauce. Yeah its super. (There's LeAnne talking about food again!) I think I've made myself sick twice overdosing on sugar. =) I quickly recovered however and that fueled my energy for the rest of the evening... and early morning.

We have been really lucky with the weather thankfully! Not as hot and cool. Can never get away from the humidity though. Argh. =) Its quite tolerable though!

What else is new... um... Im putting together a volunteer packet for future volunteers. Its going to cover travel health, travel tickets and expenses, health and vaccinations, packing lists, VISA information, brief history and things I found interesting/important for my stay, House details (meals, time schedules, routines, kids ext...), town accommodations, transportation, communication of all sorts, money, culture, language, entertainment, restaurant menus, maps, and several other things other volunteers might find useful along with my comments throughout the whole thing about what I wish I would have done or not done.... and what I would have changed. It takes time to plan for something like this and with all the info Ive got I wanted to put it together so that someone else's pre-planning would go a little smoother than it might have without it. Yes... but other than that

LOVING IT HERE! =) I get lots of love all day every day and time is flying by incredibly fast....

aww shucks the power just went out. I still have a 2 hour battery to survive off of but as it is... NOW all the bugs are attracted to my screen (the ONLY light source). To avoid being bombarded with bugs I am going to go to bed. I need to anyways.

I just got initiated. I was doing my regular "goodnight" rounds and reached the girls floor. The room closest to the volunteer room (which is the last one I visit) has the older girls. They had me come in and sit down. First they started looking over my hair because it's braided. They think it's so pretty =) Me on the other hand... I'm just used to it. Low maintenance. They looked at my earings and nose ring. For not having a common language we talked about a lot. We established that the red in my hair is not my own. I learned that Nepali girls have their nose's pierced on the left side. My 50/50 choice was the wrong one because mine is on the right =) Nepali girls practically have grommets in their noses. Their nose rings cannot come out. The only way to remove them would be to cut the top off. I took mine out and showed them what it looked like (they haven't seen a corkscrew shaped one before). I am so glad that my nose piercing is culturally acceptable. I wouldn't have been happy to take it out and then get it re-pierced when I returned. I fit in! =) well... except for the whole "wrong side" issue. They asked about my mom and dad. If I have any bothers or sisters. They wanted to know what my house was like (i.e. how many floors / big / small ext...) They looked at my toes (I have diamonds on my big toes) and they were enthralled with that. I didn't have any nail polish on my fingernails so they asked if I wanted mine painted. NEVER REFUSE PAMPERING. =) So I got my nails painted red to match my toes. Til Kumari, Sita, and Bel Kumari painted my nails, played with my braids, retied my bandana, and adorned me with a red gem on my forehead to match my nails. When they were finished I said "I AM Nepali now!" They giggled. Gave kisses goodnight and told them I would show them pictures tomorrow of the questions they asked...

Visma opened the driver's side door as I removed my backpack. I slid in and shuffled to the other side of the tiny back seat. Securing my pack between my knees, I gripped the gaudy animal print covered headrest while at the same time noticed how it matched every other material interior in the taxi. I ran my fingers over the rough textile allowing small puffs of hidden dirt to surface and linger in the air in front of my face. My attention was quickly directed through it to the road as we pulled out in front of traffic initiating an eruption of car horns. I held on tight for a few moments until I realized that gripping imitation fur would not help the driving situation I was currently in. While in route to Swayambhunath Stupa in the Kathmandu Valley, Visma and I opted to take a taxi, given that our journey would require us to walk uphill for several miles. We began weaving in and out of streets, driving on the left and right side. We passed cars on the left. We passed cars on the right. We drove within inches of motorcycles, kids, animals, people, buildings, and other vehicles on all surrounding sides. Driving on both sides of the road, against oncoming traffic, became a requirement to avoid crater-sized potholes. While attentively observing the obstacle course we were making our way through I looked over the driver as he fiddled with his tape deck in the car. He alternated between silence and playing a worn Indian tape. Suddenly we came to a sudden stop inches away from a motorcycle in front of us. Our driver slammed his hand on the center of his steering wheel. He pressed his encrusted overgrown fingernail onto the eject button and silence flooded our taxi followed closely by the busy sound of the surrounding street and not far ahead of another outbreak of blaring horns. Squeezing between the vehicles, a man riding a bike attempted to cross our path as the traffic began to bustle along. Our driver once again pressed his hand on the horn producing a mere squeak which sounded from somewhere deep and hidden inside the car. We jolted forward and continued on our way. Turning up a side road allowed a dust cloud to roll in through my window. I squinted my eyes and tried to focus on the road but could only see the clump of fake green grapes swinging from his rear view mirror. The driver slammed on the wheel. After realizing that his efforts were hardly heard by even his passengers, and non-existent to those outside, he pressed the hindi tape back in. We came to another screeching halt. I scanned the area with my eyes as bikes and motorcycles whizzed by only inches from the car. Pressing on again, our driver continued to blare our silent horn. I couldn’t help but silently smirk at his approach to defensive driving. With him attracting no attention, cars and bikes continued to veer in front of, and directly at, our taxi. An unexpected sputter brought us to a dead stop as the car stalled. Rolling backwards we were greeted by a shrill horn from the rear. He cranked the e-brake up and propelled the car back into motion turning hard to the right to avoid a woman walking down the road. Reaching a fairly empty street our driver sped up, swerving around every vehicle while at the same time incessantly pressing on the location of the horn, which still produced nothing. The warm air piled in and brushed over my face. Even my eyelashes were in chaos as I looked over and rolled my eyes at Visma. “I don’t think I’ll ever get used to this!” I said. Before Visma could respond we were propelled toward the seats close in front of us. Our driver pressed on the weak brakes in strong intervals attempting to bring us to a stop. Producing a menial screech to us, he warned the women standing in front of the temple he was approaching. Nearly hitting them he stopped, allowing Visma and I to pile out of the car. Taking a deep breath I walked toward the temple leaving Visma to negotiate the price of our demanding and quite possibly, death defying, asian taxi ride. Thankfully the road through Tamel away from the temple is downhill. We’re walking back…

Yes ... we have a washing machine! =) WOO HOO! I did a load last night in the wee hours of the evening and one VERY early this morning before anyone got started. Right near the end I went up to go check and see the progress and I saw Narayani, Shanti, and Bisnumaya RUN out of the room with distressed looks on their faces. The washing machine was on the spin cycle and was clamoring about a bit. I couldn't help but laugh as they said "NO RAMRO!!!" (No good!!!) HAHAHA. "YES RAMRO!!!! Come look...." and we approached it. I put my hand on it as it was moving and the girls gave shy little smiles to each other. The load had 10 more minutes so I explained to them what the 10 on the front was as it ticked down. I went back down the small flight of stairs and into my room. I hear "AUUUUUNNNNTTTTTIIIIIEEEEE!!!!" So I run back upstairs and they point out "eight more minutes!" *sigh* haha "Yes...eight more! Ok ... I'll be back in eight minutes..." I go to my room and close my door. Just as I turn away "AUUUUNNNNTTTTIIIIEEEE!" I open the door, go to the railing, and look up at the girls. "AUNTIE! 6 more minutes!" haha. "YES.. 6 more minutes! I'll be back in 6 minutes!" Once again.. back to my room close the door and start folding clothes. Just as I suspected I hear "AAUUUUNNNNTTTTTIIIIIEEEEE!!!!!!" Ah lemme guess.... 4 more minutes? ::continues to fold laundry:: "OOOONNTTTTIIIEEEE LEANNE!" "OONTTEE LEEEEAANNNEE!!!" ::still folding laundry for a couple more seconds. "ONNNNTTTEEEE!!!" ::BANG BANG BANG:: I open the door and there Narayani is standing there with a very excited look on her face. "five more minutes Auntie!!!" I just reply "REALLY?!??!" Well ok then... lets go watch the machine for the next five minutes so I follow her up there. There we stood... all four of us watching my whites finish up the spin cycle and slowly tumble in the last minute. BEEP BEEP BEEP. Girls got excited, auntie got her laundry, and we all went downstairs to inspect the clothes since they just came out of the VERY COOL washing machine =)

I currently find myself in what one would call a prickly situation. The difficulty I’m having adjusting my eyes to the fluorescent light, which flickers in this pitch-black room, is only adding to the rising irritation I have for myself at the moment. As I straighten my back from the hunched over position I was using to asses the damage, I mumbled “Just… dandy” and re-tied my belt which had not left my hands. I didn’t break the toilet, but that’s about the only good news in this foul and humid room.

Several moments ago I was leaning against the wall in the hallway across from the bathroom, peering outside. I was completely absorbed in a trance, watching the monsoon rain pour itself upon the grass in the back courtyard outside our restaurant. The door opened and a young woman adjusting her Kurta walked out, looked up, and startled herself as she nearly ran into me. Followed by a shy smile, she directed her attention back to her Kurta and departed the hallway. After a short sigh and sarcastically thinking to myself how “nice it is when people actually flush after they use the toilet”, I entered the bathroom and slid the lock to the right.

A word from the wise once told me “A bathroom with toilet paper in Nepal is a rare occurrence so if you come across one feel extremely lucky…it’s practically a miracle”. This short phrase replayed in my head as my eyes landed upon the roll of toilet paper on the wall. My faith in that degree of luck, however, faltered when I noticed the toilet seat right next to it. The display on the seat was sickening. I could deal with someone not flushing…but completely missing altogether? “Kay Garney. Oh well…what can you do.” My mind instantaneously thought “What in the world did that woman do in here?!?” It looked as if someone had left a window open directly above the toilet during a monsoon rain. Oh I would be so lucky. The only miracle in this room at the moment is how exactly I was going to accomplish not touching anything in the process of finishing the task I came here to complete. I made my way to the vicinity of the toilet, turned around, and reached to untie my belt.

The second I loosened my belt I immediately heard a large “CLINK!” followed by the sound of metal sliding along porcelain. I froze right where I was, focused my eyes on the cracked wall in front of me and thought, with my teeth clenched tightly together, “I really…really hope that’s not what I thought it was”. The y-shaped crack on the dusty wall disappeared and reappeared as the lights flickered around me. I did not want to draw my eyes away from it because in doing so, I would have to turn and comprehend what actually occurred. Slightly grumbling and squinting my eyes, as if seeing my predicament from a smaller perspective would make it have a different outcome, I peered around my hip to witness my knife settle itself comfortably several inches under the top of the nauseating yellow water and fairly far back in the darkness of the toilet. Immediately the mental image of my hand submerged in polluted warm water retrieving my knife flooded my mind. After a deep breath and closing my eyes tightly for a few seconds I leaned over to see how far back it was. “There is NO WAY I am putting my hand in there” I said allowed as I leaned closer and became a little more personal with that awful toilet.

Standing alone in this muggy room I shook my head reflecting “LeAnne…how do you get yourself into situations like this… huh?!?” Bathrooms in this country are barren and free of any useful items, including decorations which might prove useful in retrieving a knife from a endless pit of unpleasantness. No matter how I looked at this situation it wasn’t delightful. It’s at this point where I find myself tying my belt and scanning the room for anything, besides my own hand, to use in rescuing my lost item.

Why is that I pick the bathroom with absolutely nothing in it besides toilet paper to fling a knife around in with open toilets readily available. At least I’ve got toilet paper…right? It’s a miracle alright. I just wish I did me some good in this dilemma. Although the toilet did not appear to have ever encountered one, I found a cleaning brush tucked away in the shadows beneath the sink. A small glimmer of hope crossed my face when I realized this was just what I was looking for. I used the brush to shimmy the knife up the side and out onto the floor. Prodding it with the edge of my sandal I scooted it out and into the hallway. I used the miracle toilet paper to move it to running water in the sink and ran soap over it. I thought I had enough of unpleasant experiences with bathrooms in this country but this tops my list. I would like to keep personal experiences with latrines to a minimum for the rest of my stay.