India & Nepal: History & Culture Through Service Learning

I…. am at a loss for words.  What to type to reflect on this grand experience of ours?  Here goes…

Since our homestay we have been traveling with modesty and humility, living with a family has deeply tied us to the customs and culture of Nepal, and we love it.  We have worked in the schools, we have plowed the fields of this country, and when we talk about that to the locals it affords us much credit.  They are impressed that we have not followed the traditional tourist trail, and they appreciate that our experience has been authentic and meaningful.

We stayed in Pokhara for a week, the evening we departed our home and our farm.  We arrived at 12:30 at night, to empty streets and barricaded shops.  Luckily we woke the manager the first hotel we stumbled upon, and were fortunate to find a bed after a long evening of travel.

Pokhara is a dream.  The tourist center is on one side of a large lake, nestled peacefully among green mountains.  It is the Lake Cuomo of Nepal, with less wine.  We relaxed, studies, and made friends with the locals, and had a great week on the lake.  We went rafting down the mighty Seti river, and traversed the scenery on motorbikes.  It was comfortable and beautiful, and it was not easy to leave.

From there we went to Chitwan National Park, enjoying safaris on the back of elephants, in boats, and on an ox cart. We saw many Rhinos, birds, and grazing water buffalo and cow.  Tiger prints, but no tigers.  We wanted that tiger!

Today we traveled by bus away from the heat and bugs of the Terai Plain, and have gallantly returned back to Kathmandu.  This was the first time we have returned to the same hotel, so this place feels the most like home of any city we’ve been to.  We are going Bungee-Jumping tomorrow, and plan to book a flight that circles the peak of Mount Everest, and the mighty Himalayas.

This signifies the beginning of the end.  We have five nights in Kathmandu before we hop on successive mini-vans, taxis, trains and rickshaws and arrive in Delhi before our flight to the United States on the 22cd.  We arrive in New Jersey at 4:30am on the 23rd.

We shall see you all soon, thanks for reading.

Namaste.

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