The Next Big Move

We kicked up our heels these past few days in Kathmandu, despite the scramble to buy last-minute gifts, get photos burned onto CD, ship stuff home, our last Japanese Encephalitis shots, etc... Feels good to be going out with a bang. We indulged in more of our home-made salads with fresh cheese, tomato + sweet chili paste wrapped in hot, chewy naan - THE best thing we've eaten in our three weeks in the city - Hands down! Washed down with some decent French wine...Mmmm. But I digress.

We wanted to finish with a taste of several of the things that have defined our experience here - A visit to the fierce Shiva image in Durbar Square, where you can almost always see a crowd giving offering; Gazing up at Swayambunath Stupa from the rooftop of our hotel; Enjoying our favorite epicurian treats; Savoring the excitement + energy in the air now that the Peace Agreement has been signed (EVERYONE is out on the streets now selling stuff. It's like a festival!); Saying goodbye to people we've made connections with. We made a point of visiting all our regular vendors for the last time. Some we've been chatty with for weeks, while others took awhile to warm up, but the goodbye's now were all super-friendly + gracious with lots of "Thank You's" + "Namaste's" on both sides. Wow, the Nepali's are nice people! Such a string of faces that have become a part of our daily life here. (Photo: Darin drinking an Everest at sunset sitting in an ancient Durbar Square temple - Patan)

It's feeling harder than I expected to leave after seven exceptional + memorable months on the Indian subcontinent. Now, we move to Southeast Asia for the next phase of our adventure. A place that made such a PROFOUND impression on me during a quick 2-1/2 week visit to Central + Northern Thailand and the Angkor ruins in Cambodia in December '99. I returned from that trip, and for the first time in my international travels, felt different. What affected me so much? In part it was the smiles (for which the land is famous), the golden temples + reclining buddhas, hill tribes, delicious cuisine, lush scenery, astounding ruins, tropical fruits, a simpler way of life, an eastern mindframe, a welcomeness. In a word, I felt "home". If I honestly trace back to the reason I'm travelling now, and even more specifically, my desire to live in + embrace THIS culture for awhile, it stems from that first impact.

So, I return now with hopes, but no expectations. Some things can never be as good as that first time, AND times have changed. I'VE changed. I'm excited for these new experiences + possibilities, but I WILL miss Nepal, as I already miss India and long to return. What to do but say "Goodbye", for now. (Photo: Us with sunset smiles - Bouddha)