for money and I also don ’ t know how much I will need for the next few days . My bank calls to tell me that the debit card actually won ’ t be arriving in 24 hours , rather another couple days . Then when TWO days pass , they call to tell me that they don ’ t have a correct address to send the card to , that they spoke with the hostel owner , who told them I actually wasn ’ t staying there , that I was leaving , and thus , my card won ’ t be sent for another week . I begin to think the hostel owner is lying and trying to take advantage of me . I high-tail it out of there and straight to the American embassy . To even get into it , even with an American passport is a surprising challenge . I finally get to speak to an American who tells me that I can use the embassy ’ s address to send my card to , and gives me a list of hotels that she says are in the area .
So , I leave with hope . I have another debit card with a little bit of money on it , and I figure I will just withdraw some of that which will be enough to get a cab to another hotel . But right as I try to do this , a major power outage happens , and it knocks all the ATMs out of whack on the block . I have 250 Nepalese rupees , which isn ’ t enough to get a meal . I have no water , I ’ m exhausted , dirty , tired , and my period has started . I start to lose all the hope I had and more . It hits me — here I am , in a foreign country , stranded , no money , no nothing , just like I was in the United States . How can this be ?
But once again , the Universe steps in and a handsome British tourist offers to spot me for the visa . He and I , as well as a few other European dudes band together to find a cool hostel to stay at .
Kathmandu is spectacular . It is cleaner and less crowded than India , and it has a fascinating religious culture , weaving Hinduism and Buddhism together with statues and stupas . Despite the horrific damage from the earthquake , it retains its charm . I stumble upon the famous Freak Street , an international hippie epicenter known for its tattoo parlors and hair dreading salons . I decide one afternoon , upon meeting a cool Spanish woman with dreads at a coffee shop in Durbar Square , that I will go and get mine done .
I wander into a bank in a daze , trying my best to explain to them my situation . Several Nepalese people see the list of hotels the embassy worker gave me , and tell me that these hotels aren ’ t even in the area and are also quite expensive . At that moment I don ’ t know what else to do except collapse onto the floor with my stuff near the ATM , waiting for it to come back on again . And that ’ s when it happens — the universe steps in again in the form of two young Nepalese nurses and best friends who walk into the bank I am in . They see me lying there in a heap . I think I must look like quite a sight , my hair in dreadlocks , whatever clothing I threw on , my duffle and backpack strewn about like some crazy bag lady . But that ’ s not how they saw me . These women , we ’ ll call them Ama and Kurta , pick me up off of the floor and take me to Kurta ’ s home , where they tell me I can shower , change , and have something to eat . They actually kind of saved my life . And it doesn ’ t stop there . When I arrive at Kurta ’ s home , I meet the rest of her family who inquire about my situation . They tell me the hostel owner ’ s behavior
I feel like a million dollars with my new dreadlocks . Despite having a chest cold , I feel like nothing can stop me . The hostel where the other tourists and I are staying is nice , and the owner seems awesome , except when he starts getting really friendly with me . He offers to help me with anything and becomes touchy feely . Being that I am still a westerner fresh off the high of Indian graciousness , I assume this is how Nepalese men are . But they aren ’ t . Because when I lose my debit card one day that happened to have all the money I had on it , he tells me that I can stay at his hostel and pay once I get my new one . He then becomes even more friendly . My bank assures me that they will send me a new one within 24 hours , and in the meantime , I can wire myself money through Western Union . I assume this is just a little snafu and everything will turn out okay , as it has so far .
But I ’ m wrong . Really wrong . No one at the Western Unions in Nepal speak fluent English nor do they know how to help me wire money from my bank account to myself . I don ’ t want to call and ask my family
26 InkSpiredMagazine . com