12/1/19
As things wound down we performed some last minute shopping for trinkets and special items. Tonight we will depart Nepal as our trip comes to an end. It is bitter sweet but returning home is on everyone’s mind. Today’s blog is dedicated to Myla, our guide, who has been wonderful. This 40-something-year-old hiked all the way with us to base camp and beyond. He has an adorable family in Kathmandu, and his life story is quite interesting. He started out in the mountains with his village close to Lukla. He worked as a porter since the age of 14 and has slowly moved up the ranks to become a well known and well connected guide. He married his lovely wife and had one daughter then moved to Kathmandu. The reason I am telling you about him is because on our last day he invited us to his home for lunch with his family.
This was a truly unique experience. He met us at our guesthouse and we drove through the gnarly streets of Kathmandu towards his neighborhood.
The scenery changed dramatically with tourism and trinket shops giving way to tailors and shops filled with house goods. No more tall and white pedestrians but now Nepalese of all ages and casts. We turned down a dirt road in the middle of the city towards what appeared to be a residential area with a cacophony poorer brick and mud huts mixed between concrete apartment buildings. We arrive outside one such building and our humble guide began apologizing about the size of his home before with arrived. Climbing out of the car we were the spectacle of the neighborhood.
Elderly women looking on with interest and children stopped in their tracks to stare. We climbed the stairs to his apartment which was a 10x10’ room laid out in pure utilitarian fashion. Against one wall was the “kitchen”, a dual propane burners with two pots cooking and. being balanced on the burners with pieces of brick. There were two propane columns serving as supports for a single shelf/counter/cutting board. Against another two walls were two twin sized beds set at right angles, and on the final wall, a spartan shelf with some personal items such as soap etc. We met some of our porters here and the 11 of us crammed into the small space made up just for us. They brought together two surfaces for use to use as tables while we sat on the beds. Myla’s 10 year old daughter and a much younger cousin were cute and entertaining as we made small talk. Myla’s beautiful wife set to work right away cooking on her two burners while we chatted and laughed. Then the girls surprised us all by carrying in large bottles of our favorite beer. Our hosts were just as elated to see our surprise as we were to have the cold drinks. I don’t quite know how this woman did it but on two burners she managed to create an epic feast of Dal Bhat; a traditional dish comprised of multiple heavily seasoned components such as rice, lentil soup, curry potato’s, curry chicken, a special slaw, and tendori cooked chicken arranged amongst various brass plates and sauce bowels. The food was exquisite and filling. What she did in two to three pots and pans it would have taken my entire kitchen. We stuffed ourselves to the glee of our hosts then continued with origami and English lessons. After wrapping up Myla, his wife, and one of the porters presented each of us with a colorful Khata (holy scarf) donned by his daughter. We each received a blue, green, and gold Khatas.
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With a bow and a ‘nameste’ per presentation. It was very moving. We said our goodbyes, hugged, and profusely thanked Myla’s family for the feast and we were transported back to our guesthouse to pack for our final flight out. What a trip!!!
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