Dear readers,
As you know, Mollie’s adventure to Asia is under way! While she’s
away, I’m going to be holding down the fort here at Eat, Run, Read. I’ll introduce myself properly a little
later, but rest assured, I’m no stranger.
Without further
ado, news from Mollie:
First things
first: I'm happy to report that the journey went according to plan and I'm
alive and well in Kathmandu! Now we back-track three days, because that's
how long it took to get here...
I'm about to go trekking in Nepal, but first I spent a day trekking in
London -- and I mean that literally. For some unknown reason I had to pick up
my bag for the duration of my layover, meaning I had a huge backpacking pack to
lug around with me for the day.
After an epic trip from DC to Dulles, which may or may not have included
a last-minute stop at REI, and a red-eye into Heathrow on which I did not sleep
-- or, if I dozed, it was less like sleep and more like torture, as only
transportation sleeping can be -- I made my way into the city via subway for my
first London (and first European for that matter) experience.
Guys, it's amazing how much you can see if you just walk a TON!
By 3pm, I'd seen Trafalgar Square, Westminster Abby, the Thames, the
London Eye, Buckingham Palace, Mo Farrah finishing a 10k in under 30 minutes,
the National Gallery, and Portobello Road. It was all pretty cool -- I love
exploring new places! The impressionist wing at the gallery was beautiful (when
007 meets Q in Skyfall that's where they are). And considering London's
questionable reputation, I couldn't have ordered better weather: sunny and high
60s!
Unfortunately the pack definitely made everything harder, and by the end
of the day solo with no phone/texting, I was lonely. I actually felt the urge
to chat with strangers, which is not my usual jam at all! Now I see what people
mean when they say that when you travel alone you end up making friends along
the way. Otherwise there'd be no one to talk to!
Also, I looked hilariously out of place. Basically, I'm not willing to a)
sit on airplanes for 2 days in jeans, or b) waste precious bag space on
"real" clothes for just one day. And trekking-in-Nepal clothes don't
exactly lend themselves to the London lifestyle...whoops! Sorry Americans, I'm
doing nothing good for our image abroad.
By early afternoon I was EXHAUSTED, and returned to the airport to pass
out on a bench and await my next flight -- 7 hours to Delhi. Love me some Jet
Airways in-flight Indian food. No really, I'm being serious! Palak paneer and chapatti?!
Yes, please!
By the end of my London-Delhi flight, I had lost all sense of time and
normality, which is probably good because it will make adjusting to the time
change super-easy. I was so sleepy it hurt on the flight into Kathmandu and
everything was happening in a am-I-there-yet? zombie-esque blur.
But I arrived! And saw some pretty amazing mountains out the airplane
windows on my way.
The Kathmandu airport is small, but of course the experience was
confusing -- an assortment of smiling Nepalese men swirling around me, herding
me places and telling me what to do. I always forget how stupid travel makes me
feel -- of course you can return backwards through the metal
detectors and security to apply for your visa. And well, duh
you can pay for your cab in dollars in advance and the get your change in
rupees! Yes yes! Follow me please! You look like you need help! Don't
forget your wallet! Welcome to my country! It's all nice and not
creepy, just a bit overwhelming at times. And I'm pretty sure that as a woman
obviously traveling alone, the people helping me thing is taken to a whole new
level. I don't mind at all though -- I trust the Nepalese to know what's up in
their country better than I do, so I'm happy to follow instructions.
So anywho, I'm here in my hostel -- literally on the other side of the
world from most of my readers -- showered and ready to SLEEP. Sister2 arrives
tomorrow (yay) and then who knows what happens next!?
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| It's not Bikeshare, but it'll do! |
