Direct Bus To Delhi-36 Hours!!!

The hand-lettered sign on the window of the bus ticket store in Boudha practically shouted at you in large red writing: "Direct Bus to Delhi-36 hours!!!!" I though that could be interpreted two ways: You'd be crazy to ride the bus to Delhi because it's a 36 hour trip, or it's just amazing that you could ride a bus to Delhi in 36 hours. Ummm. There wasn't much choice for me and my Tibetan friend. Flying just isn't possible when you have a Dalia Lama passport, but India and Nepal have an open border, and crossing isn't to difficult if you are Nepali, or I guess, Tibetan. We bought our tickets to Delhi-for about $23 each, one way, and got some last minute advice from my yoga guru, Dr. Suboh, on how best to preserve my saniety on a funky bus on crazy roads in a beautiful but remote part of the world. First, give your day variety, he advised-miz it up-breathing meditation, reading, writing, watching scenery, some simple yoga exercises in seat, drinking water, do over. I was actually looking forward to rest and reading and packed two books I've been wanting to pour over, one Kim by Rudyard Kipling, and The Tipping Point.
We set off from Bouhda Stuppa, in a rather nice bus but with none of the advertised ammenities that were lettered on back of bus working. "DVD!! A/C!! Tinted Windows!! Music!! All spelled out a party bus for sure, but maybe during the first year of life for old betsy, who now looked as worn and down-trodden as a water buffalo at the end of its life span.
Tsering my friend sat up front next to another Tibetan lad and I had the good fortune to have a young Tibetan lady sit next to me, also Tsering (there is not "boy-girl name in Tibeten culture). She was reading and marking up a school paper on the Dalai Lama's Middle Way teaching, and intriqued, i rudely read over her shoulder and asked her about it. A high school student, she was mature beyond her years, full of vitality and life and opinions of the Tibet situation. We talked for hours as our old bus lurched out of Kathmandu, running into the usual traffic jam of busses and trucks that always seems to plaque the one two way highway in Nepal.It was hot and humid, but soon rain began to fall and I was hoping there would be enough light left in the day for me to see the infamous Terai of Nepal, home of rhino, elephant and tiger, and many nature parks, also Maoists and rebels. We actually did reach Chitwin area at dusk and many "jungle" lodges and guest house sprang up on both sides of the road, as did jungle and lush greenery. It was a beautiful ride through the mountains and terraced rice paddies and now this wilderness. God, I love Nepal,I thought, as darkness and more rain came, along with thunder and lightening. Finally, the driver and his "entourage" (about 4 guys sat up front in his "room" with him, closed off to the passengers by glass partition and curtains) and of course young male conductor, who stood at open door, occasionally being required to jump off and run ahead or behind or pound on bus sides in mysterious road signal code-so the driver pulled over about 2 am, shut off the lumbering diesel motor and the conductor yelled at us in Nepali, Tsering (male) told me it was where we would have tea (at 2 am?!!) sleep and hang out until border opened-we were actually within yards of the border to India and apparently the border closes and doesn't open until 6 am.
Weary and dizzy with bus bumping up and down, all passengers disembarked and staggered around getting our land legs under us again, Tsering, Tsering and I ordered milk tea which was refreshing and good in the jungle heat of night, and batted mosquitos away -realizing we were actually sitting next to a jungle bog on one side of us. Most choose to go back into the hot and humid bus with it's open windows and doors and swat mosquitos there throughout the rest of night, but I wrapped myself in my Nepali wrap around skirt and found a table to lay on, listening to jungle insects and watching a moon play hide and seek with clouds overhead, and drapped my bandana over my face to keep mosquitos from getting into my eyes or ears, and believe it or not, fell asleep for a little bit, being awakened at dawn by a Nepali lady open her chai stand with a banging of pots and pans, apparently I was asleep on her table and she had customers to get ready for. She laughed as I sat up and looked around-I must have seemed like a space alien with my strange American looks and as old as her! We namasted each other and laughed with her and felt good-I made it through one night, one night to go and then we'd be in Delhi! (end part one)