Motorcycle + Kathmandu = Amazing

Yesterday, I had the great pleasure of dining out with my dad's friend Dhruba and his wife, son and nephew. We went to Fire and Ice, which is a pizza / ice cream parlor in one of the more 'touristy' areas of Kathmandu. The pizza was very good, if not completely authentic (the Hawaiian pizza had green peppers on it, but that just added to the charm). After dinner, Dhruba had to go pick up his car as it was being serviced, but it was in the opposite direction of RR's house, and so he offered me a seat on his nephew's motorcycle.

Many thoughts went through my head at this point in time, but all I could really do was smile hesitantly and say "Uh....sure, yeah. Sounds fine." He asked if I had a scarf to protect my lungs, and I didn't, so he suggested I grab a napkin. Luckily, I also had a coat. Unluckily, I had my camera with me and nowhere to stow it besides my neck.

My previous experience concerning two-wheeled transportation has been somewhat...limited. I've ridden on a scooter with Henry Bi (which was terrifying) and also driven a scooter that belonged to Erin's family (which was quite good fun). Of course, neither experience had taken place in Kathmandu, Nepal at rush hour.

The first few minutes were absolutely petrifying, and I clung on rather sheepishly to my driver while trying my best to keep up with his small talk. After that, though, I have to say that that motorcycle ride was one of the most fantastic experiences I've ever had.

While in cars and trucks being driven around the city, I try to pay as little attention as possible to how close we are to outside objects, and often cringe as we slip by a pedestrian or motorcycle, for fear of running them down. However, on the motorcycle, given that I could see the far extremes of the vehicle and precisely how close (or how far away) we were to other vehicles and people, I found myself unperturbed by my driver's aggressive nature, and even comfortable enough to attempt to snap a few photos as we drove along. I'll upload a couple, although they truly don't do justice to the experience as a whole. And they're pretty lousy as photographs, too, but hey. I was on a motorcycle.

Motorcycle ride

Notes:

-I felt a twinge of discomfort in my stomach earlier today, and promptly took some tums. Luckily, nothing seems to have come of it, and I am feeling fine (although hungry) now. No massive puking yet.

-Penny LeGate and Len Davis (cameraman) arrived today. Len is a very nice and very interesting individual who is perfectly at home in Nepal and is also fluent in Nepali. He's staying with a friend from Kansas who has lived here in Kathmandu for a number of years with his Nepali wife and child. Len is 6'4" and has a long pony tail, so he is easy to spot in a crowd (which can be both a blessing and a curse). Penny is a very sweet individual with a knack for easy conversation and a gift for seeming perfectly at ease whatever her situation may be. These qualities also have an effect on those around her, and everyone seems comfortable in her presence. She is attending a Rotary meeting with us tonight, and joining us for dinner after that.

-My dad and I waited for Penny and Len to arrive at the airport golf course, which was very nice, if perhaps a bit too brown. RR's name is on display twice, once for each time he has made a hole in one at the course.

I'm very hungry and though our ride hasn't arrived, I fear this post is long enough already.

-Carey