Day 2: From Kathmandu to Itahari we go !!

What.a.day !!! So after we were on the road at 7:30 am, we hopped on a small plane to bring us to Biratnagar, then piled into a bus for about an hour and we finally arrived at our home for the next 10 days.

The plane ride was fun, we got to see good old Mount Everest ( in the mountain photo, it's the very left peak).

So once we settled at our hotel, had lunch, then it was off to Habitat for humanity headquarters for an information session about our family and what we exactly will be doing.

After the meeting we drove out to the site, the community residents had a very lovely welcoming ceremony for us. We met the family, we got blessed by the family. One of the best site visits I've been to, I wish everyone could be so happy when I show up to site visits back home lol.

During the blessing ceremony we revived little bouquets of flowers, so after I was walking around, and there were some goats, one goat started eating my bouquet. This baby goat had me in fear, I was honestly afraid of a goat that maybe weighed 15 pounds. A photo of the goat is attached.

This is a gorgeous part of the country, our build site is primarily in a rural farming community, a photo of the build site and community is attached.

Thanks for stopping by !!

Namaste from Kathmandu !! Day 1!!

Namaste everybody !!

Ok so it's 12:15pm right now in Kathmandu, I got to the hotel about 2 hours ago. I feel like this day will drag on because I got zero sleep over the last few days whilst en route.

So here are my initial thoughts of lovely Nepal:
- the plane ride into Kathmandu was stunning, the himalaya's are breathtaking. What I loved about them are the fact that there is very little development around the mountains so you literally see nature. Creeks, valleys, I didn't see roads until we started our descent into Kathmandu.
-it's a hipster haven here, I just went out of the hotel to grab some water and these people are hippy hipsters, it's nuts. Kensington market you have officially been served.
- Kathmandu is a very very dense city, it's also quite poor. But so far the people have been very nice.
- I've attached a few photos, one is a road scene from close to my hotel. The other is my hotel, love the name of it !!! It's not bad actually.

So tomorrow morning, we have to be up at 7:30am, we are on our next flight and on our way to Itahari, which is where the build site will be.

I'm crossing my fingers that I have wifi!!

Namaste,
Meaghan

3 days left: let the packing fun begin !!

So here we go, I'm in the final countdown before I leave for Nepal !! 3 more days (weird song choice I know, but it does reference 3 more days, so lets roll with it).

Ok so being an Urban Planner/Project Manager I am a tad "enthusiastic" about lists, lots of lists, gantt charts, constant countdowns going on, all of this can help, but also helps to get me overwhelmed. 

Packing for a trip like this is all over the place, I'm bringing my construction boots/work wear, plus clothes for the touristy days. And I hope to pack it all in my backpack, this is the backpack I swear by, the Mountain Equipment Co-Op Ibex 65. I have had it about 4 years now, its been on every trip with me. Except one, a trip that my mom made me buy a suitcase with wheels, I felt like I was cheating on my backpack, apparently backpacks are not "acceptable luggage" for a resort. I still beg to differ.

Some items that I never leave home without (results from lessons learned throughout the years) are: 
-a small mag light - I have used this more times than I can count.
-a collapsible bag (I use a Longchamp) its great because you can store it in your backpack, takes up minimal room, and as you travel you can use it for all of the stuff you buy that won't fit into your luggage. And its great as an extra carry on, or even works as a checked baggage as well.
-Lonely Planet, obviously

Packing aside, I'm starting to get really excited for the trip, I can't stay Nepal was ever on my "to visit" list but the more I'm learning about it the more I'm getting pumped.