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Arrival.

June 27, 2008

(About a week late due to power outages and internet disconnection.)

After almost six full days of travel, I’ve made it to Kathmandu. Flight delays, cancellations, rerouting, and an unexpected detour through Hong Kong all made my trip here much more interesting than I had expected. But, at last, I have arrived.

It’s been about six months since my last visit to Nepal, and much remains the same: The roads are crowded with taxis, tuk-tuks, wondering sadhus, and lounging cows. Walking down the street, one’s nose is filled with a mix of burning juniper, sandalwood, diesel fuel, and burning trash. People go about their lives, making things work while the newly-formed government remains stuck in a weeks-long deadlock.

I contact my MFI director, Urmila, and we make plans to meet as soon as this most recent transportation strike lets up. It could be a day. It could be a week. This is Nepal; and this is how things work.

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