Can you open my magic box?

I dont really want to leave Nepal and go back to India. As much as I enjoy India, Delhi sucks and Nepali people are so much nicer. Its going to be a very long journey.

I leave tonight on an overnight bus to Sunauli, the border. Ill arrive at 5am, wait for the border to open and walk across to catch another bus to Gorakhpur. From there Ill get on a train. Its 16 hours by train from Gorakhpur to Delhi.

My flight out of Delhi is at 2am on the 18th. From Delhi Ill fly to Moscow where I have an eight hour layover. Then another flight to New York. Yuck.

So....
10 hours to the border
3 hours from Sunauli to Gorakhpur
16 hours on a train to Delhi
7 hours flight from Delhi to Moscow
+11 hours flight from Moscow to NYC

Total: 47 hours of travel. This does not include wait time/layovers/ and the possibility that Ill be going directly from NYC to DC, which is an additional 4 or 5 hours.

But for right now Im still trying to enjoy what Pokhara has to offer. Im a little ill today because I accidentally drank too much last night and got locked out of my hotel in the rain. Thankfully I asked one of the guys I was hanging out with to walk me home and when I couldnt get in he invited me to take the extra bed in his room. It was essentially on the other side of Lakeside.

I fell asleep to him playing guitar and singing songe in Swedish. Haha.

But to explain my over consumption of alcohol last night: I have a magic box. Its a small wooden box that has to be opened a very specific way. Beer here is really expensive so as way of getting out of my bill for one beer, we told the bar owner that if he could open it we would pay for the beer and taxes. If he couldnt, he would give us free beer. Turned out he couldn't open it and instead of giving us one free beer eacg it was bottomless glasses of whiskey. Oops. It was fun and I didnt get too drunk but it was certainly more than Im used to drinking.

I love my magic box.

Before I went to meet the guys last night I stopped into a jewlery shop and ended up talking with two Muslim men for over an hour about Islam. Some of you know how fascinated I am with Islam so I was really excited to discuss the Quaran and the history of Isalm.

Nepal

So Ive got to make this quick. Sorry! I really wish I could write more but Ill try to fill you in later!

Varanasi sucks. I hate that city so much. Nepal is way better than anywhere in India.

Ive met four British boys that are pretty cool. We have been hanging out and Ill be traveling with them for a bit.

Pokhara is beautiful. Nepal is the most beautiful place in all the world, easily. Ill have pictures soon.

Yesterday we rented motor bikes and rode around the town and out to some bat caves. It was really rad and I got way too dirty climbing around in the mud. It was wild and probably totally unsafe but SO much fun.

Today was lazy. We slept until almost 1pm and then had breakfast at the lake. I went swimming and played with little nepali boys and the guys.

Getting here was terrible. I took the train from Varanasi to Gorhapur and then the bus to the border. After that it was supposed to be just six hours to Pokhara but it took 12 instead! Road blocks, a broken down bus and a million military checks later....! Totally worth it though.

Tomorrow, we are all going on a rafting trip down the Seti River. Its class 4 rapids. What the hell am I thinking?!?! Should be fun. It will take us straight to a Chitwan Natl Park. There Ill hopefully see rhinos and tigers and all sorts of crazy animals!!!

So yeah. Thats life right now. The guys are crazy and wild and completely reckless and I love it. I think I need to loosen up a bit anyway.

Ill have pictures soon. I cant see Annapurna here which is a shame but Ill just have to come back later. And when I do Ill do some trekking!

Im getting excited to come home and see everyone but Im in love with Nepal and dont want it to end. The people are nicer and quieter. The landscape isnt covered in trash and it so green. Way greener than the Northwest!

There are a ton of other things I want to tell but just dont have time. I feel like Im running a million miles a minute but Im not.

Its going to take me almost two days of straight travel to get back to Delhi but hopefully it wont be too bad.

But I have to go. Im still wet from swimming and the rain and I need to eat something before I perish!