"I have seen the third gate of hell. Seating for 42, mind the gap…"

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At 5:20pmwe finally boarded the bus to Kathmandu. It didn't look too bad at first, until I realized that whoever had designed it had forgotten about one fundamental point: legs. The generally shorter Nepalese had enough trouble fitting in, and it certainly wasn't designed for a six foot westerner with a strapping pair of thighs (if I do say so myself).
Surprisingly though, almost as soon as I sat down and fired up "The Hunting of the Snark" on my IPod, I fell blissfully, soundly asleep.
This was a mistake.
I woke up an hour later to excruciating pain in my right knee. Jammed against the seat in front of me it was getting a real hammering every time we hit a bump or pothole, of which there were plenty. My left leg had escaped most of this punishment as it hung in the isle. I was also starting to feel a little achy in my wrists, back, neck and various other areas. Nothing too bad, but by now I know well enough that this was the warning that fever was on its way.
I learned quite quickly that although the bus designer had made one or two crucial errors, whoever put in the sound system knew what they were doing. A good set of 6x9 speakers was arranged throughout the bus, all very well boxed and fitted to give excellent base and good mid range sound. However when one is suffering from a headache and knows that worse is to come, having Indian and Nepalese hip hop and techno blaring at full volume does start to drive you a little insane, and the rest of the trip passed in a kind of toxic haze of unpleasantness.
After a few hours of this I realized I needed to lie down even if I could not sleep. The fever was coming and my body was starting to shut down. The bus was now also beginning to smell more like a stock truck, including the smell of urine and feces tramped into the isle floor. But this was my only option; I was desperate to try and sleep. I crawled onto the floor and cramped myself in between the various pieces of luggage, using some ones foot as a pillow. The smell was horrific, but it was blessed relief to be lying down. I said a quick prayer for safety and good health and finally slept again.

At about 5am we had one of our stops and I was brought back to the land of the living by some one standing on my face. I wonder if it was my foot pillow friend? By now I felt truly awful as the fever was I full grip and I desperately wanted fresh air. As I stood, the bus swayed. I took a step forward and my vision blurred and began to narrow. I struggled forward more and more drunkenly, till finally at the door I passed out and fell head first into the street.
A few moments later I came to, struggled to my feet and then stumbled round in circles for a bit before throwing up and passing out again. After that all I remember is a pair of headlights and hands carrying me.
I was finally kicked awake in Kathmandu at 9am, so I am incredibly thankful to the Nepalese people who put me back on the bus and didn't take all my stuff, as I would have been a very easy target for any opportunist.

"Here I am, I'm waiting for you. Come find me…"

I've been in Kathmandu a day now and feeling much better. The "Purge" light on my dashboard still flashes up fairly regularly, but this is a small thing compared to the horrors of yesterday.
Its beautifully cold here and already I am finding sleep much easier. The air is a little cleaner and clearer, and every so often I glimpse a mountain between a couple of buildings, or as a cloud passes out of the way, and I can hear them whispering to me.
"Here I am, I'm waiting for you. Come find me…"
I feel very at peace here and close to God. For the first time in many years, I have been praying every night of this trip, and trusting him to keep me safe is I think one of the only things that got me through the journey here. I am learning to put my trust back in Him more and more, and am incredibly thankful to now be in this beautiful place.

"Be sure of this, that I am with you always, even unto the end of the world." – Matthew 28:20

Traveller out.

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Comments

[Sister the elder]

I am tearing up reading this. You are so precious, to Him even more than you are to me. As you try to keep sight of Him, remember that even in the dark He sees you and knows you and will hold you until you are ready again.

[Phil]

Amazing
Wow, sounds amazing, and just a slight bit nauseating. Glad to hear you're at peace etc. Will be praying for your good health.