The trip from Varanasi to Kathmandu entailed a lengthy, sometimes harrowing, but ultimately safe bus ride. Sitting by an open window on the side of the exhaust pipe however, had not been particularly wise. My face when I arrived was completely blackened by the fumes. The other passengers and I disembarked from the bus and walked a short distance across the Nepalese border sometime in the night. The official area was dimly lit offering just enough illumination to make out the lines of the faces before us. We waited while a bureaucrat perfunctorily stamped our passports. It reminded me of scenarios I’d seen in the films from the 40’s. All of us then walked to an accommodation to spend the night. The place was comfortable but spare. One large room was filled with rows of wooden cots with woven mats. The exhausting day of travel provided a wonderful incentive for deep slumber.

The next morning we set off on the same bus for Kathmandu.

My first impression of Nepal was the absence of cattle. It was a relief not to constantly maneuver amongst the bovines standing and lying in the Indian streets with their long sharp horns passively threatening any passersby. In this land, the cow was no longer sacred.

The end of my travels was nearing. I met a woman from Holland and after we were sated with westernized cuisine and shops of Kathmandu, which reminded me of NYC’s Greenwich Village, we set out to see the countryside.

While spending a day in a small village, a young boy approached us. He spoke enough English to offer himself as our guide. We strolled together for some time and he led us to a hill where the Himalayas dominated the distant view. We wanted to offer him something for his time and services, but weren’t sure what amount of money to give a boy of nine or ten. Then we recalled the price for a can of Coca-Cola and thought the same amount would be appropriate. We discovered later that the price of a Coca-Cola in those parts was about the earning of a man’s daily wage.

The time passed quickly and soon I was heading home. My friend kindly saw me off at the airport and as the plane ascended I could see that she was waving to me from the ground below.