...but today I got to go there in my waking hours as well! But first, let me tell you about our nightmarish night last night. It was our last night in Pokhara, and I was packing up for our morning flight. We were staying in a nice budget travel hotel - ranked first on Lonely Planet and Trip Advisor. We had been pleased so far with the accommodations - the interior of our room was a bit shabby but everything seemed clean. The previous night, Ami had spotted a bug that may have been a cockroach, or may have just been a beetle. We had kept the windows open for part of the day so didn't think much f it after we tried to find the insect unsuccessfully. Last night, however, as I am zipping up my carryon, a huge cockroach climbs out of my bag. I have what I expect is a very typical reaction to this type of thing - jump out f my skin and start swearing like a sailor. I point it out to Ami, who then just stands on the bed and screams too (yes, we are stereotypical girls when it comes to roaches).
The roach then flees underneath a standing fan that had been brought into the room that day. I arm myself with a glass from the bedside table and start moving the fan to flush the creature out. Ami...continues to stand on the bed. I capture the thing with relative ease, then rush to the bathroom to flush it before it crawls out of the glass and onto my hand. Success! We do a happy dance and then contemplate the implications. If the room has one roach, couldn't there be more? A rough transcript of our conversation follows:
Ami: do you think there could be more?
Me: well this is probably just the same one you saw last night. It came in through the window yesterday and got stuck.
Ami: so there's only one?
Me: yes, I think so...there's only one
Ami: but what if...?
Me (giving meaningful stare): No! There's. Only. One.
Ami: ok, understood.
We then start getting ready for bed. Not even 10 minutes had passed when I looked down and saw...another cockroach. This one was bigger. And blacker. And I swear I heard it hiss at me (ok, maybe not). This time both Ami and I stand up on our beds and start kicking our feet in the roach's general direction, as if that will do anything. I finally get the nerve to retrieve the glass again and try to trap this one. Roach #2 is quicker - he makes it all the way to the other corner of the room, where a wardrobe and bench are located. I can't see him any more so suspect he is hiding behind the wardrobe. Not to be beaten, and influenced by a kind of bug-trapping frenzy, I start pulling the furniture every which way to find him again. Ami stood guard from her post on the bed. I had come up with some choice nicknames for our little visitor - combine those with the loud noises of furniture being tossed about, and our neighbors must have thought a brawl was going on! Nonetheless, I finally trap the little bugger and flush him too. Our next conversation (after the cheers died down) went something like this:
Me: and we didn't even really violate Jain non-violence principles because we didn't kill them, we just sent them swimming!
Ami: right! Wait - cockroaches can swim?
Me: eh if they can survive a nuclear blast then I'm sure they can swim
Ami: But if they can swim, can they swim back up into the room?
Me:...(frightened pause)...nah, they can't be that strong of swimmers...but what if there are more of them in the room?
Ami: if there were 2, then...
Me (having made up my mind): no, there can't be any more. These were the only two...
Ami: if there were more, we would have noticed them earlier in the day...
Me: Exactly - so these were. The. Only. Two.
We then do a thorough search of all nooks and crannies in the room, and finally get into bed once we are (relatively) satisfied that we are alone. I have to say I didn't sleep very well, though...
Today was a travel day - Ami and I parted ways, which was very sad for both of us. She headed back to Mumbai to pack up and go home, and I continued my travels to Darjeeling alone. Thankfully we will be seeing each other at an event in Colorado Springs in early August, so that made it easier to say goodbye.
The good news about the travel day is that it was pretty clear, so we were able to see some of the snow capped peaks of the Himalayas - finally!!
I landed in Bhadrapur, Nepal, a town very close to the border with India. Darjeeling isn't super easy to get to - from Kathmandu this was the fastest way. From Bhadrapur it's a 5 hour drive to Darjeelng. I had engaged a car service to pick me up and drop me off and was thankful that I had done so. My car was a nice SUV rather than some of the rickety beat up taxis that are on the road. Plus the driver helped me with the customs and immigration stuff in crossing the border, which was much appreciated. He also had an impressive collection of Bryan Adams music, which we rocked out to as we were traversing this beautiful countryside (true story).
I had to go through immigration both on the Nepali and Indian sides of the border. Both of these immigration posts were tucked a little out of the way - it would be super easy to cross the border without stopping at either place. In fact there were people in bicycle rickshaws doing just that - maybe if you're Indian or Nepali you don't need to go through immigration to cross the border? The obvious reason that I had to go through immigration was that I'm white, but I'm glad I did so anyway. I don't want any trouble later from not coming into the country by-the-book!
The drive was scenic and beautiful - though in a different way from Nepal. Yes we are still in the foothills of the Himalayas, but here the scenery is dotted with tea plantations rather than rice paddies. Surprisingly it changes the aesthetic quite a bit, although I can't decide which is more beautiful. 
The drive took us up and up into the foothills until we were actually driving in a cloud. Once the "oh this is cool" reaction passed, it was actually quite terrifying. Visibility was awful and the road didn't always have a barrier to prevent you from driving off a cliff! My driver went slow, which I appreciated.
Darjeeling is a charming town nestled on the side of a mountain, above the clouds we had just driven through. It's quite chilly here compared to Nepal - I don't think the altitude is much different though, which is weird. My hotel is very nice. It's a beautiful old building - over 100 years old - with original hardwood and furniture everywhere. I don't expect I'll see any cockroaches here!
On my walk back to the hotel, I was approached by a guy walking n the same direction. He asked me if I had a light - which I didn't. Then he asks me if I want any weed - trying to give me a sales pitch about its health benefits. "you'll lose 10 kilo in 2 weeks" "your skin will be perfectly clear" etc... I try to politely decline but he keeps walking with me and talking to me, saying he's going to come find me tomorrow to give me free drugs, even though I keep saying I don't want any. Once he gets that message (finally) he straight out asks me for money. Nope! Thankfully I got to my hotel quickly and left him behind. I'm sure the guy was harmless, but he creeped me out and was a good reminder that traveling alone is very different than traveling in a pair. I promise to be safe, though, so Mom and Dad you shouldn't worry (any more than you already do)..
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