Castle in the Clouds- A Teacher's Adventure in Myanmar and Guatemala: Day 1 Kathmandu Trip- October break

Week 12- October break- Kathmandu Trip – Day One – We are blessed.

I am an idiot! Probably not a good thing to confess especially when I might not know some in my audience, but this story is too good to let pride take over and not share what happens to a 51 year old who is overwhelmed and missing important brain functions. More on that topic to come.

So day one of my second trip while on my Myanmar adventure begins with a flight to Bangkok. The flight- not generally something one would write about but I am still amazed at the customer service. We have a one-hour flight to Bangkok. Upon getting to our seats, the flight attendant gives us a hot cloth with which to refresh ourselves. Then the drink service comes through- I have learned my lesson about ordering a Bloody Mary- they have not yet mastered the art- so I get a cocktail. They then serve a full meal (fish, noodles, a cold mushroom salad and a semi-good cake). Then another drink, coffee and continuously come through with water. This is a ONE-hour flight!

So, we arrive in Bangkok (I am so glad I am with seasoned travelers because the trip through both of the airports was a breeze), put our luggage on the free carts and find a good cab. We check into a fairly nice hotel ($60.00 for a suite with a refrigerator, cooking top stove, cooking utensils and a safe, a huge shower and a comfortable bed), I look out my terrace and watch an employee offer food to their shrine to Buddha (first rice, then bananas, then a meat). I am embarrassed to say, my first thoughts go to, "Wouldn't someone really hunger, steal that food?", but I sure that is unheard of. We cruise around Bangkok prior to getting a good night’s sleep before our trip. We eat a great hamburger (I did not realize how much I missed a good burger!), wait for a friend at the hospital while she is getting a check up and then go get a two hour foot, head and neck massage. WOW! I kept telling my massage woman I loved her and she just keeps on laughing. She had been working since 11:30 am and it was now close to 10:00pm. I ask the lady next to me about tipping (because I tend to over tip) and she said $1.00 was standard (who sets these standards???) The woman I asked was a regular and clearly had the means for a decent tip; my question is and will always be- who sets these norms? So I hand her a $5.00 (for my $12.00 massage) and a cookie from Starbucks (since she probably had not had a break in 10 hours) and feel ok about that.

I am now totally relaxed and begin to search for my reservation number for my flight. This is where the idiot remark comes into play. For two hours I search. I search both my bank accounts for the charge, my three email accounts for the reminder email- all to no avail. I did not buy my ticket!!! Oh crap-o-la. I try to make a call for another hour to the airline- no answer. Talk about messing up a perfectly good massage!!

I do not confess this until I am in line the next day with the other girls. Crap- No ticket, full flight- I am screwed! I do not know how this happened. I even remember sending an email that stated I bought my ticket! Where is Barb when I need her (Barb is my extremely organized friend who hates doing trip reservations and is in denial that she is an expert at it)???

I then let the others go and tell them I will figure something out- they give me alternative places to go like a beautiful beach in Thailand. I go back and forth from one counter to another and get on stand-by. I had visions of their plane crashing and me having survivor guilt (how self-centered is that to not worry about their impending deaths, but of my guilt!), and of me going by myself to a beach in Thailand sitting there in my jeans and long-sleeve shirts (because you know there would not be a bathing suit to fit me in this small people side of the world) while the waves crashed all around me. By some miracle, I make the flight (although with all my worry about not being able to trek and holding the group back, the beach in jeans was tempting!) I guess it was meant to be.

It was an easy flight and we arrive in Kathmandu (I am tempted here to tell you of the movies I watched but I will just say for a person who has not watched much TV for three months- it was nice).

We arrive at the airport our hosts are there to meet us. Bajiya and Obin as well as one of his friends, load us into their cars and we are off. So many sights to see! The land was scattered with house upon house along the hilly scene. Much like Yangon, the poor housing are intermixed with the well to do and the roads are in much need of an overhaul. We arrive at their lovely home in time for their family’s observance of Dashain. Dashain is the biggest national festival in Nepal; it is the festival of victory. During the Dashain festival people gather in their native place, return from overseas to their hometown to celebrate. This day symbolizes the victory of the good over the evil.

Like all good English teachers, I will give you the source of my findings: http://www.lifedreamadventure.com/dashain-festival-tour.php

During the Dashain festival, all the government and private offices remain closed for 5 days (which meant shopping on our first day was limited). Durga Bhawani, the goddess of power is worshipped in this festival. This is the festival of Hindus, even though all religious communities celebrate; it is the festival of peace, prosperous and harmony. The main attraction of Dashain is putting Tika and Jamara and receiving a blessing from the elders. This is an amazing start to our adventure. We got to watch Bajiya make the Tika (a mixture of red powder, rice and yogurt) and set up for her family.

We also find out that our plans have changed for a third time. I guess there is some cyclone in India that has messed with flights. So—yeah—I do not have to fly into “the most dangerous airport in the world” !!! We are going to Pokraha- it is still near the base of the Himalayas but is a much bigger town and it will have more for me to do while the others climb mountains.

Obin and Bajiya's family arrives and the blessings begin. The 81-year-old patriarch begins to bless each from oldest to youngest. Each knell on the floor in front of him and receive the Tika on their forehead (for prosperity), barley greenery on the top of their head (for life) and a blessing. As the process continues, I, of course, am humbled and am missing my own family. They generously ask us to participate. The father of the family participates via Skype because he works in Minnesota (so cool to see his dad trying to get his face to come across the screen as they talk).

It is raining lightly (I cannot escape the rain???) which is a drag because I spent 5 hours in the beauty shop before taking off and straightened my hair), but that does not stop us from shopping. Obin takes us for a while and then leaves us, as he has to go around to his other relatives’ houses for the festival. As we arrive to the square there is a musical parade; we stop to watch. They see me getting onto the music and call me forth. The next thing I know I have green powder all over my face; I have no idea what this means, but in America we call it “baptism by fire”! Between the red powder/rice Tika on my forehead and the green powder on my face- I must have been a sight. We stop in a coffee shop and meet three other travelers- one British teacher who is teaching in Singapore and two semi-retired American men who spend about half of the year traveling around looking for volunteer opportunities. Interesting conversations ensue and we end up seeing them three more times throughout the day (each time we stop for drinks or dinner). One of them has a house in the mountains of California- I think I will visit.

We tour the temples and view the old architecture, have a traditional dinner and call it a night. Although the taxi driver tried to avoid the bumps, the taxi ride home was torture because I had to use the restroom. This is the end of day one adventure. I cannot wait for the rest of the trip to unfold.

Reflections so far:

1. I know for those who travel the world a great deal, home stays are a normal part of that process. I, however, besides my own relatives, have not stayed with strangers. What a wonderful way this is to see first hand a different culture.

2. I have to admit- I thought The Internship was an extremely funny movie. By gauging my laughter, I bet the rest of the plane wished they had picked it also.

3. Letting go and letting God is not just a powerful saying; it is a powerful concept that when put into practice can result in amazing things.

offering temple outside of our Bangkok hotel.