Given that you cannot leave monastery and monks are not being cooperative, accept kind offer of young woman who lives close to Kopan to inquire about bus tickets for you in Boudha.
Give her the full cost of tickets plus 500 rupees as a thank-you for saving the trouble of getting them yourself or trying your luck again with the monks.
Call travel agency the day before trip to get the name of the bus.
Wait all day in vain for the agent to call back.
Give up on getting the name of the bus. How important can it be?
Take taxi to the bus stop at 6 a.m. on day of journey. When asked, explain to driver that you don’t have the name of the bus.
Wait while driver stops at every one of the line of buses to see if they can understand why a tourist has a bus ticket with no bus name on it.
Sigh with relief as the driver finally deposits your backpack into one of the aforementioned buses.
Climb aboard.
Wait patiently while attendant explains that he cannot accept a ticket without a bus name on it and that you will have to buy another one.
Settle in for the 6:40 a.m. departure.
Adjust shawls in every combination possible to keep out numbing chill of the morning air.
Curse silently at 9 a.m. as bus winds its way through what seems like every street in city to pick up additional passengers.
Re-arrange shawls as bus heats up in mid-day sun.
Accept kind offer of Toblerone chocolate bar from young guy in the next seat.
Sit patiently as driver and attendant change flat tire.
Struggle to keep from falling out of seat as bus manoeuvres its way for 13 hours over boulders and craters, stopping every 15-20 minutes for lane drops, accidents or both.
As bus nears Sauhara, listen carefully as young man in next seat explains what to do if you encounter a rhino on streets of village.
Resist impulse to fling yourself into arms of hotel owner who has come to collect you at bus park – six hours late, covered in dust and wondering whether a return trip via India or China is possible.
Your style and sense of humour makes even the most onerous moments of your travel entertaining. Love it. Well … not your discomfort … but your sense of humour. Is it possible to fly back maybe? But then I think this is all part of the adventure perhaps. You are an inspiration, truly. Take care.
Well at least this time there was no spit involved….