My First Motorbike ride from Kathmandu to Godawari:

Yes, I rode on the back of my Dai's motorbike and I had some reservations because the monsoon began shortly after we arrived in Kathmandu for our first WorldTeach meeting.  It was so intense, it sounded like hail was bouncing off the rooftops.  It was so thick and heavy that it looked like one of our blizzard-like snows this past winter.  Us crazy tourists pulled out our cameras and couldn't believe the intensity of rain.  The rain flowed so quickly, it flowed right into our restaurant, pushing all the way back to the bar in the back of the restaurant!  Employees were working so hard to squeegee the water out as quickly as it was pushing back in.  What a sight to see!  

Ganga said if the rain remained that intense, he would go back to my home with me on a micro-bus instead of me riding a motorbike back home.  Shortly after I had three or four mo-mos, a cucumber slice, and one and a half fish fingers, I felt very ill.  In fact, my stomach exhibited a type of hatred for what I had fed it, but I've had similar responses, like this one, every time I eat in Thamel or Kathmandu, so either the way the food is prepared is drastically different or the food is not as clean while preparing it; I'm not sure.  

When our meeting and casual conversations about everyone's experiences in their first week came to a close, Ganga got everyone on their respective buses to return home and since the rain came to a drizzle, I ventured further into Kathmandu and into Thamel, passing the Royal Palace, which is now a museum, and crossing a few roads to get there, which were undertakings in themselves as traffic seems to never stop.  

Ganga drew me a rough sketch of a map to help me find my way and I also asked a man walking behind me if he could show me the way to the Kathmandu Guesthouse, which he did delightedly.  He was very kind and verified with other shop owners of its location.  When I found Dai tucked into his little shop, I sat down and we chatted for a bit before he closed up and we were on our way.

We had to walk through some traffic to get to his motorbike parking lot, putting on our rain gear and off we went.  I felt a little like Gulliver being able to see directly over his helmet.  Riding this motorbike is a difficult sensation to describe.  I felt very vulnerable, more so than when I had ridden on the back of a four wheeler, or my brother's sport bike.  The roads have very little lighting, if any, and the little lights that are on these bikes might shed light on a few inches in front of you.  

There was a lot of weaving in and out of trucks, buses, other bikes, crossing over lines from opposing traffic and then back on our side of the road.  It was a little crazy and cramped when two motorbikes' rear view mirrors brushed up against my arms, just to give you an idea of how close traffic sits until they can proceed on their journeys!  Once we left Kathmandu, it was dry as anything, so if you don't keep your mouth closed and your eyes squinted, you will chew on the ever present dust that engulfs your face and your eyes will burn from all the debris.  The air felt good on my face once we arrived in the outskirts of Kathmandu, but that is when we were driving along on pitch black streets.  Random stray dogs will casually cross the road, people were crossing the road and you could barely see them until you approached much closer.  As we were heading up a never-ending hill, Dai stopped the bike and looked at the back tire and we had a flat.  So?  We walked the rest of the way home, uphill, in pitch black until we found our way back home.  It felt good to move around, but my stomach cramping became worse and worse, getting chills, feeling feverish, so I was glad to be home, arriving safely from a very long and busy day.

Upon arriving, Didi was ready to feed us dhal bhat, but I told her I wasn't feeling well and so Dai said tea with ginger would help.  After drinking tea and trying to evacuate the cramping poison from my body, taking some meds, I went to bed.

I woke up feeling like a Mack track hit me and after receiving my morning tea around 7, I told Didi that I still did not want to eat anything, so she left me sleep and I slept until around 9:30.  We'll see how today goes- I still feel uneasy and a bit shaky, but a restful day should do the trick.  I have to do my lesson plans for school tomorrow (it's hard to remember they have school on Sundays) hand wash my laundry on the rooftop, and maybe explore a little today if I feel up to it and the weather allows me to do so.  There's always an adventure to behold, always stimulated by my surroundings and interactions, different sounds, smells, etc. and it's so important to embrace them all the best I can!