Family Jensen

Friday, March 10 (Nepal Day 3)

Headed to top of our hotel at 5:00 am for devotions by flashlight.  Watched sunrise.  Amazing views even though it was dusty & cloudy.  We stayed on the patio of the hotel for a long time. It was chilly!  I have worn my long underwear everyday, with wool socks and 3-4 layers.  I would rather get hot than be cold.  I also wore my hat, gloves and neck warmer for most of the morning.  

James asked the restaurant if they would make us tea (even though they didn’t open until 7 am).  They did--by this time there were others enjoying the view.  James strikes up a conversation with anyone, everywhere we go.  We had breakfast with a lady from Denmark.  It was so interesting to talk about the differences in countries, politics, families…  We are loving Nepali Chai tea. It is so sweet and good.

We decided to hike through remote villages on our way back to Kathmandu.  We knew we wouldn’t be able to hike all the way back but wanted to get a good trek in.  Phillip lead the group.  It was hard to find a good map and the trails were not marked but he found an offline map that worked with GPS.  It was great to have him take charge and lead.  Most of the hiking was downhill (thankfully).  The poverty level was heartbreaking.  The Nepali people make the most of what they have.  Many of the hills were terraced for crops.  Most of the houses were not solid and had dirt floors.  We saw lots of women doing dishes and washing clothes using an outdoor hydrant and a tub of water.  

We stopped for lunch on a bluff overlooking a village.  We all shared crackers, cheese, peanut butter and trail mix.  We headed to Changu Narayan and visited the ancient Hindu temple.  We walked the narrow streets, filled with small shops all selling goods to tourists, up to the temple.  The temple had suffered damage during the 2015 earthquake.  We had hiked over 10 miles and decided to catch a bus back to Kathmandu.  That’s easier said than done in a different country.  Thankfully you can normally find someone who knows some english.   It started to rain while we waited for a bus to arrive (in which we had no way of knowing if a bus would actually arrive).  A bus did come.  I sat with Hannah next to the door (that did not close).  The bus driver had to be 14 years old.  We laughed a lot at the insanity of it all--the curvy roads, American techno music playing, our young driver, the “money handler” that road the whole time smoking out the open door, and the endless honking.  

We had to switch buses in Bhaktapur and rode another bus to Lagankhel and then walked back to our guest house from there.  (Thankfully James was in charge of the bus situation.)  We were a tired bunch when we got back.  We chilled out in our rooms and met at 5:00 to eat at The Lazy Gringo (lol).  Good Tex/Mex food.  We shared lots of laughs together.  Our group has a good sense of humor while experiencing a new culture.  These experiences will shape how God will use us.