November 16, 2009
So, my first day to cut hair, and my first day to ride on a motorcycle in Kathmandu, all in the same day! Exciting, right?! I had another package waiting for me at customs, which I figured was small enough to fit in my backpack. So, Prokesh picks me up after school and we’re off! Now, you might remember when I first arrived I wrote about the death laden car ride through Kathmandu to Krishna’s house. Well, on a motorcycle, there’s even more excitement! After all, if you get hit, well, you might be a pancake. Thankfully, though, Prokesh’s bike doesn’t go over like 50 km per hour, so, speed was never an issue!
It’s interesting here- the driver’s of motorcycles ALL wear helmets; NONE of the passengers do. So, here I am, helmetless, thinking if ever my chances of dying were high, this was it! But Prokesh was an AMAZING driver (maybe because I was with him?!), and I actually really enjoyed the ride! There’s something neat about driving through the city, out in the air, so close to other people that you could literally touch them! Feeling the wind on your face, seeing the city as it truly is.
Anyway, we get to the post office, and dance through the hoops of getting my package, and when I get it, my stomach drops a notch while my excitement soars, as it’s a big box! Thrilled with anticipation as to what was inside, I wondered how in the world we’d get it home! Prokesh didn’t seem phased at all though, so I decided not to worry either. So, we finish claiming the package filled with Goldfish, Peanut Butter, Cracker Jacks, and games galore for me to share with my children with amazing haircuts (and the rest of them too!), and then we head out!
Well, he hops on, and on the way there, I had loosely held onto his backpack for peace of mind (not that it’d do a lot of good in an accident, but it was comforting to me!). Well, I climb on behind him, and wedge this box that’s a couple feet wide by about a foot and a half deep in between us, forcing me to lean way back (talk about an ab workout!) and he turned his backpack backwards so I could hold onto the straps. Well, we head off, and hit a traffic jam. My abs just aren’t what they were when I was a swimmer, and I finally had to readjust. So, I balanced the box on one leg, kind of sitting sideways on the bike. Then, I gripped it with both hands in order to not drop it!
Good thing Prokesh was an amazing driver, because it was a whole new exciting experience riding with no hands holding this big box of treasures! It actually was pretty fun, and I wasn’t even worried at that point about wrecking. I was way more concerned with not dropping my pot of gold! Obviously we made it home, more than safe, and Prokesh informed me that we’ll be touring Nepal over winter break! I didn’t ask if we’ll go on his bike, and things tend to change with the wind here, but I’m thinking that it would be incredibly cool to do it by bike! Don’t worry Mom and Dad, we’ll be careful!
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