Over the hills and everywhere.

 Just returned back from a breathtaking week in the far Western mountains of Nepal.

Journey:
9 hour bus ride from Surkhet. Unpaved roads. Someone sat on my head for an hour.

We got stuck in the mud so everyone jumped out and pushed the bus up the mountain.

After the 9 hour Nepali bus ride

When the road ended we hiked for three hours.

Dailekh:

Once upon a time, there was a great mountain of mud.
One day a little village fell out of the sky and plopped down, right on top,
sending a thousand ripples down the hillsides...

...either that or this valley has hosted many generations of hardworking farmers.

Hotel

We stayed in the only hotel. There are underground church meetings in the basement.

Basement bedroom

Hotel hallway

Tegan and Rachael slept here. Cement has never looked this cozy.

 One of my teammates accidentally locked me in the room for half an hour.
When the hotel owner heard me knocking, he couldn't find the key.
"Have not the fear! So sorry!...oh, it is good that you make the laugh!"

Mornings:

Milk tea. Vultures. Watercolors. Woolens. Bible. Cardboard chair. Terraces.

Baptism in a waterfall. Beauty.

We came to provide for a water project.
Someone ran over the water pipe with their bulldozer, cutting off our water supply.
Hailing twenty-five liter jerrycans across town several times a day.

People stare.
"It's the Scandinavian freakshow! Featuring Rachael and Tegan.
With special guest: THE WATER FILTER!"

No water, no shower, no problem.  Nothing but a week's worth of dirt can tame this rootball. :)

Three most used words in my journal:
Beautiful. Dirt. Poop.

Three Nepali nouns I know:
Cheel (Falcon). Tato Pani (Hot Water). Shisno (Nettle)

Ah, my beloved, Shisno

 One morning a little white goat was dragged, bleating, up the road.

That evening was a lantern lit dinner of goat intestine soup.

Since the village only had instant noodles and crackers for sale, we were happy for meat.

School

I have store of delicious memories, 

but the best was seeing scores of children 

racing down the hillside, under the moon, to hear my stories.

They sat so still and quiet as I told them how beautiful and precious they were

and about the man who lives in my heart.

My dearest friend who loves them so

 and walks with me all over this world.

All over America, all over Nepal,
Over the hills and everywhere.

These days, my life is the most savory and wild adventure.