There’s a chance you may be curious about certain aspects of my experience thus far in Nepal, such as:

1. Food: Most meals consist of a combination of white rice, a lentil soup called daal, and veggies cooked in Nepali spices, together called daal bhaat. The hospital, where we have most our meals, serves this for lunch and dinner. The daal, veggies and spice level vary (Ryan would be so proud of me eating spicy foods!) but overall, the dishes are fairly similar. Breakfast (also served at the hospital) tends to be chia (tea) with one or several of the following: yogurt, eggs (prepared in various ways), dough nuts or French toast (no syrup, just sugar)- overall, pretty close to home. I tend to eat a big breakfast and try to eat smaller portions at lunch and dinner because the daal bhaat can gets a little predictable (and seriously spicy!!!). The meals at the hospital cost us 40NRS~ 50 cents!

2. Weather: It was a bit warmer in Kathmandu, but in Dhulikhel(at a higher elevation than KTM) it has been roughly 60-70 degrees during the day. It’s usually sunny, but fog and clouds roll in from time to time and cool down the temp and obscure our view of the Himalayas. At night, it gets cold. It may only be in the 30’s or so but there’s no heat, so it’s difficult to feel cozy in the evening- thank God for Ryan’s arctic-ready Northface (thanks Loren!) sleeping bag. It has rained once or twice and afterward the environment appears cleaner because it washes the chronic “dustiness” of the mountainside away.

3. Accommodations: We are staying at KUIC guest house (can’t remember what exactly that stands for) and it is affiliated with Dhulikhel hospital. It is a cement building (like most buildings here) and stays cold indoors even when it is warm outside. We have hot water- and is the majority of the reason we are staying here because it is a bit more expensive that other guest houses (~$10 USD/night/room- sharing with Katherine). There is a nice common room where we can all hang out and play card games, read, etc. As mentioned previously, Aarti put a lot of effort into getting the KUIC managers to fix the internet, so that’s a bonus as well. There is a guard that collects our keys every time we leave and always greets us with a giant smile, “Namaste!”