Week in Thamel

“Not all who wander are lost”

The past few days have been filled with adventure! On Tuesday night we met a traveler in our hostel (A) who told us about an air flight tour of Mt. Everest. The girls didn’t want to go but I did. Usually I wouldn’t have because I had to be up at 5am and I would have been too worried about sleep. But I wanted to do it without thinking and complaining. So the next day A and I took a cab at 5:15 to the airport.  Since I had booked my ticket later we had different airlines so I went by myself. It ended up being amazing. It was a small plane (about 15-20 people) with all window seats. We took off at 6:30 so the sun was still rising so it was foggy when we first got up in the air. Ten minutes later everything cleared and the Himalayas came into view. It was absolutely amazing. The guide told us about what the different mountains were called and where they were and we were allowed to go up front with the pilots when we reached Mt. Everest so we could get a proper view. The only words I can use to describe the whole thing are: breathtaking, vast, and amazing. Getting up early was totally worth it!

The next day, A came with S and I on a canyoning (aka snappling) adventure. A car picked us up and we drove about 45 minutes to a village called Sundarijal. The view was amazing! We walked for about 10 minutes to these little huts where we met our guide and put our wet suits on! We thought we would start right away…we were wrong! First we had to actually hike up the mountain to repeal down it! WEAR HIKING BOOTS! S wore hiking sandals, which were great for the waterfall but bad for the mountain. It took us a while but we FINALLY made it! Once there we repelled down 3 waterfalls, the first one 20 meters, the second 35 meters, and the last one was 40 meters! It was so awesome! I was so proud of myself that I made it up even though I was SO tired. Words of advice: if you are not prepared to climb through a jungle this is not for you! The three of us had a really special bond encouraging each other. By the time we got back to the huts and changed we were in greats spirits. We had an amazing meal and they took us back to Thamel. A wonderful day!

Today we went to Durbar Square (about 20 minutes away fro Thamel). There are all these temples and statues everywhere.  I went with E and S as well as the other American girl (Sh) so the four of us spent the afternoon exploring. There was also a concert going on! Obviously we didn’t know any of the songs and couldn’t understand but it was so much fun! We also ran into a few people from our program and made plans to go out later in the night. After Durbar Square we picked up some things in Thamel, had dinner and met up with people from the program.

Everyone is really, really nice and it was awesome to finally meet the people I’m going to be spending so much time with! However, it was really frustrating not knowing Hebrew.  Everyone was talking and laughing and not only could I not contribute, but I couldn’t even understand what was going on. They weren’t trying to exclude me or anything like that, it’s just everyone was so excited that of course they wanted to talk in their first language (including me).  I know it will get better but I had a couple lonely moments. Fortunately the night ended on a good note and I laughed a lot.

Tomorrow is the official start to TBT. I am excited and a little nervous but just glad it’s finally starting. We move into the house we will be living in for the next 5 weeks. I’m not entirely sure what I have gotten myself into but I guess I’m about to find out!

Singed,

Ready as I’ll ever get

Notes and Observations

1

I   I am staying at the Annapurna Guest House (Hostel). It is in Thamel (the tourist area) and is clean and reasonably priced.

    Spitting, snoting, hacking, and sneezing is not considered gross in public

3
       Streets are two way (no matter how small)

4
    It is very dirty, noisy, and crowded ALL the time during the day

5
   Motorcycles are EVERYWHERE (honking)

6
    Nepali Women are beautiful and wear saris while men dress very Western

7
.   Nepali time is very different from USA time (they run about 30 minutes to an hour late)

8
    There are Israelis everywhere!

9
    Cows curl up and take naps

1
    I am happy 

The Good Kind of Strange

“There are no strange lands, just strangers.”

The past day has been extremely intense. I flew from Israel to Istanbul, from Istanbul to Delhi, and Delhi to Kathmandu!

** Many people are confused if they need a transit visa in India. I did NOT. I explained when I got my boarding pass that I would not be leaving the airport in Delhi and showed them my email itinerary and that was it. When I landed in Delhi there was a man who worked at the airport who took all the people from my flight who were going to Kathmandu as well and we went to an area where he wrote down our names, passport information, and baggage ticket number. YOU MUST HAVE YOUR BAGGAGE SLIP! Once he did that I got my boarding pass printed and went to my gate. Very easy! **

By the time I arrived in Nepal I was so dehydrated and exhausted I was shaking when I got off the plane. I literally had to sit down while filling out my customs forms! I was so tired I lost my jacket….BUT everyone who worked there helped me and I found it! The minute I stepped out of the baggage area it was amazing. The people here are so wonderful; friendly and kind with eyes that smile. Everyone wanted to know where I am from, how long will I be here, and what I will be doing.  When they heard I would be volunteering they were excited and happy. It was amazing.

The cab ride from the airport to the hotel was hilarious! There are no traffic lights and lanes are two way, motorcycles go both ways! But the people there know their own culture and I arrived at my hostel completely unharmed! Then I slept for the first time in a week and I was woken up by the girls from my program arriving! Once they arrived we went out exploring all afternoon! Although I have been to Cairo before this is a completely different world. Although it is crowded and dirty, it has a friendly non-threatening vibe. We walked around and finally ended up at a restaurant called OR2K. We took off our shoes and ate an amazing meal! They had breakfast all day so we got honey pancakes and chocolate banana as well. It was absolutely delicious! We got lost on the way back to our hostel but we just wandered around and had fun.

I am so tired but so exhilarated! These next few days of adventures and exploring ar going to be awesome!

Signed,

Psyched Stranger

Jet Setting

“We travel, some of us forever, to seek other states, other lives, other souls.” Anaïs Nin  

Tonight is my last night is Israel! I have spent the weekend with my cousins and their beautiful babies! It's amazing how they don't watch TV or have Ipads or anything electronic. They play with books and toys and laugh a lot. I think that is a wonderful way to raise children. It was the holidays here all weekend as well so there were lots of meals and celebrating which in the States I would have skipped out on but here I enjoyed. It's cool how the things that one finds mundane or boring at home are suddenly revamped and interesting with different scenery.

The other night I went out with E one of the girls on TBT! She is cool and spirited and just seems like she is so open minded. Since she is Israeli she got to meet most of the other people on the program (5 of us are American and the rest are Israeli) and she said how great they all seemed and how hard TBT tries to make a group that will be cohesive and mesh well together. That made me feel a lot more at ease. Another girl (S) from the program also stopped by for a minute and she seemed very sweet.

*For privacy purposes I will refer to everyone on the program by their first initial(s) unless granted permission.*

Anyway as I wrap up my last night in Israel and do my last load of normal laundry, I think about the last time I was here, a little over 2 years ago. That is when I found out about TBT. I know my family and friends supported me, but I think many of them did not believe that I would actually go through with applying! Now I am off on an amazing adventure. It still seems surreal. Maybe it will feel less like a dream by my next post...from Kathmandu!

Signed,
Dreamer and Believer

Sun-Glassed Nomad

“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.” (Mark Twain) 

I usually HATE being in a car for more than an hour or so. If I am on a long car ride for whatever reason I immediately go to sleep and try not to move until I get to wherever I am going. I spent most of today on a bus/in a cab, however it was different. I did sleep on my first two hour ride from where I stayed last night (Kibbutz Hannaton) to Tel Aviv bus station but my second ride to the airport (I FINALLY got my bag!) I stayed awake. Israel is so incredibly beautiful. Everywhere you look is open and free. Land everywhere. From the airport I went to my family's house in Jerusalem, which was about an hour ride. The sun was setting and I just looked out the window and thought about how amazing everything was.

Before I actually got to my family's house (or the airport) I got to get more in touch with nature and my faith. At first I thought I was going right to Jerusalem. I got dropped off right out of the kibbutz in a little open bus stop where there was nothing around me but open highway. It was warm but there was a breeze and I felt so exotic with my new clothes (that I would normally never buy in the states) and my scarf and sunglasses. Once I found out I had to get to the airport I got taken to another bus stop, this time near a shopping center. Although I was in the middle of civilization this time, so many buses came and went before mine came that I began to loose faith. But then I thought, "If I can't handle it here in Israel, where I know a little Hebrew, and almost everyone speaks English, what will I do in Asia?!" Eventually my nice air conditioned bus came and all was well. 

When I finally did get to jerusalem I got to experience one of the greatest things on earth: Shabbat in Jerusalem, in a Sukkah (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sukkah). I am not a religious person, but Shabbat in Israel is very special. It's so peaceful and spiritual. People really chill and take the day to rest and unwind from the week. We had a long meal and stayed up and talked. There was no TV, no one's cell phone went off, and not one text was sent. I think its really special when people can just unplug and be content being around the people who are with you.

As for now I am going to try to sleep (more like pray that I fall asleep at a decent time) and see what tomorrow brings!

Signed,
Settled for the Moment

Hopelessly Humorous

Take everything with a big grain of…banana?!

I am trying to find all of the events that have happened today in good humor. Trying being the key word. My bag got to Tel Aviv…and they promptly shipped it back to London because apparently people got confused by my unattended bag. Shouldn’t there be a note or something? I did get to go shopping and will get reimbursed for my inconvenience which is pretty cool. So I went to Zara and picked out a few things but in all honesty I still need a pair of shorts! I was going to get something at bus station where there are lots of shops but it is SO big! This place is 7 floors! By the time I finally found where I am (hopefully) supposed to be, sat down, and had a sip of my (accidental) flavored water (opps) I didn’t feel like moving!

So now I am at the Tel Aviv bus station (flavored water and soft pretzel too) praying I did my research right! I am supposed to take a bus to a Kibbutz near Hifa to stay with some family friends tonight. So I’m praying that in the next hour (when my bus is scheduled) it will actually show up and I will feel very proud!

I had to laugh when I walked into the station. As I said, it is enormous and obviously all the signs are in Hebrew. So I am walking to find some sort of information desk or help center…nothing. Eventually I figured it out but I thought the whole thing was rather amusing.

It’s so strange here. I am in this long corridor waiting for my bus because I had to get dropped off early so I have a book and my laptop and whatnot. However, there is hardly anyone else up here. In the states people usually get to a train or a bus super early but not here. Just an interesting observation.  It was also awesome when I figured out that I had to pay a shekel to use the bathroom. The fact that the machine didn’t give change was an added bonus.

Also, I heard about something very interesting! In Israel they have something called Pango Parking. When you park your car along a blue/white line on the pavement you call a number and they keep track of your car and bill you from your phone and car information. I have never heard about that before and I thought it was pretty cool!

As for now I have an hour until my bus comes so I will drink my big water (I’m pretty sure it’s supposed to be strawberry banana) and read my book. All part of the magic!

Signed,

Accidental Strawberry  

GO!

ברוכים הבאים (Welcome)

The past 24 hours have been long with only a couple of things going awry. 

Problem: My first flight (from Philly to Toronto) was delayed which meant I would miss my connection for my second flight (Toronto to Heathrow). 
Solution: I got booked on a later flight to Heathrow. 
Bonus: I would have plenty of time to catch my last flight to Israel. 

Problem: My bag did not arrive in London
Solution: It will be in Israel by tomorrow morning
Bonus: It will be delivered so I didn't have to carry it

So, after 3 flights and 2 car rides later I am in Giv'atayim (close to Tel Aviv) staying with family friends for tonight and tomorrow. Thursday I will be staying with other family friends and Friday I get to see my family. I am very happy to be here and excited to see everyone. However...

Not even going to pretend I almost had a panic attack on my way to London. Major jitters. But I know they will eventually pass and once I actually get to Nepal I can start some sort of routine and get into the swing of every day Nepali life. 

I am wired in a weird way at the moment. I slept alot on the plane but am tired at the same time yet still have adrenaline going from having to be on my game. Hopefully I can stay alseep tonight so I can immediately start adjusting (the time difference in Nepal is about 4 or 5 hours ahead of Israel, and Israel is 7 hours ahead from the East coast). 

Signed,

Jittery Jew