Flying High!

I waited with 2 other volunteers to catch our bus to Kathmandu. We stood by the side of the rode waving our hands at buses, which ultimately flew by us full with people. As bus after bus passed us, I started waving at some of the truck drivers head for the capital, hoping to find a ride. Eventually, a bus stopped and us and the Nepalis waiting for a bus rushed toward the doors. The driver didn't take anyone inside, and we headed to the back to climb to the top, just to watch it pull away from us. Eventually another bus stopped for us. The Nepalis pushed their way on and the 3 of us foreigners were instructed to climb up top. We were a little excited for this, our first chance to ride the top of the bus. It's an experience that we all wanted before leaving Nepal. We climbed up the ladder and made ourselves "comfortable", sitting on people's bags. We made sure our bags were relatively secure and found places to hold on as the bus took off. Now, if I were a bus driver with human beings riding the top of my bus as I drive the windy and bumpy roads of Nepal, I think I would manage my speed a little to make sure nobody got hurt. This is not the philosophy of a Nepali bus driver who has been putting people on the top of his bus since he first started driving. As we rounded each turn, we shifted our weight and grabbed various parts of bags and the small railings to feel more secure. The reality is that we were fine, but this was not an experience we were used to. As we worried for our lives and I pictured us tumbling off and down the mountain, we tried to use Beyonce as a way to destract us. It worked. The truth is, it was really fun. If it were slightly safer, we had the best seats on the bus. We watched as the bus pulled away from the magnificant views of Nepal and starred in awe at the top of the Himalayas. The cool breeze against our skin, sun on our faces, and really feeling a part of the scenery. It was also funny to see people's reactions of seeing 3 foreigners riding the top of the bus. It is common to see people packed on the top of the bus around Nepal and India, but it is never only 3 foreigners. People waved as we passed by, trucks honked, men and women on motorcycles smiled and waved and lowered their bandanas from their mouths to say "hello" before putting it back to protect them from the pollution. There was even a few guys riding the top of the truck who were joking about how tight we were holding on. At one point the money collector for the bus swung his body onto he roof as we were holding on for our lives. He was so comfortable moving along the outside of this bus while it traveled down the windy roads. As we approached the checkpoint to enter Kathmandu, we were instructed off the rooftop and into the bus filled with Nepalis, and we headed to our stopping point.