Farewell to Pokhara

More details from our trek:

So even though we were discouraged by the landslide and had to end our trek early, things got a little better on our way back. We had passed a waterfall on our way to Ghandruk, and on our return we decided to stop and take a few pictures. We kept trying to get closer and closer to the waterfall to get better pictures, and finally Hannah and I climbed up on some rocks right next to it and discussed how cool it would be to go underneath it. And then we decided that, hey, how often do you get the chance to go under a waterfall? So we threw our shoes, cameras, and sunglasses down to Chris, and then just went for it. The water was more powerful than I’d expected, and we weren’t even under the bulk of it. And it was very cold, and the rocks were very slippery. Then, before we knew it, Chris had followed us in--we knew he wouldn’t be able to stand by and watch. (If you read his account of the event, don’t be fooled by his self-portrayal as the voice of reason.) It was super cool, and I felt pretty adventurous.

We dripped all the way back to the village, where we found a nice place to stay overlooking the river. After dinner we sat on the porch and talked and played cards while we listened to the rainstorm around us. At one point the power went out, as it frequently does when it rains, and we were left in the pitch black. I’d never been anywhere so dark before. We worried about how we would find our way back to our rooms if the power didn’t come back on, but, thankfully, one of the owners came out with some candles, matches, and umbrellas for us.

The next morning we left early so we could get back to Pokhara in time to accompany 5 of the kids to the radio station. A local man has some of the Sam’s House kids on his radio show once in a while to tell about themselves, sing songs, and tell jokes. So Chris, Hannah, Dinesh, and I went with Amrit, Sarita, Sabita, Mamata, and Pratima. The kids did a great job--some were shyer than others, but they were all cute, and they all made us very proud. Maybe this will inspire one of them to pursue a future career in radio!

The next day, Saturday, brought the kids’ weekly dance lesson. This week the kids learned a new dance, and Hannah and I tried to follow along, but I’m no dancer. The kids put me to shame. I had fun, though, and loved when the kids tried (hopelessly) to help me learn. Then the three of us headed to Dinesh and Rekha’s house for a final wonderful dinner and then headed to Lakeside for our last hotel stay. We visited our favorite Pokhara bar, Club Amsterdam, listened to our favorite Nepali band (playing surprisingly accurate covers of American songs), and played cards (a game called Blackjack--not the 21 kind, but something like Uno--that seemed to have too many illogical rules for me to understand it) with some British guys that we met there. A good time, for sure.

The next morning Hannah and I took a yoga class while Chris went back to the house to pick up the didis and bring them to Lakeside for lunch, which we all enjoyed. Then that evening we got our official farewell celebration from Sam’s House, complete with cake and beautiful drawings that the kids had been working on all afternoon.

Chris made a DVD slideshow of pictures from the summer to leave at the house that we watched that final night. We sat in the TV room, with kids piled on our laps and holding our hands and wrapped around our arms--kids we’d met for the first time only 4 short weeks ago--and watched the progression of our time at Sam’s House. It was a wonderful way to spend our last night, and it meant a lot to me. Then we tucked the kids into bed one last time, giving extra (and, in my case, tearful) hugs and kisses.

Finally, the day we had been dreading was here. We spent the morning doing some final packing, taking final pictures, and playing final handclapping games as we waited to walk the kids to the bus stop one last time. It was raining, which seemed fitting for the day’s somber mood. We gave them our last big hugs, the bus arrived, and suddenly they were gone. We went back to the house and ate some daal bhaat (the didis would never let us leave hungry), received tika (a blessing) from Amma and Ranjeet (the landlords upstairs) and the didis, and said our final namaste (goodbye) and dhanyabaad (thanks). Then we left for the airport and said farewell to Pokhara.