Chitre (2390m): Day 1... The Belgian and the Frenchwoman
So here we are, first day of an extended stay. I’ve already mentioned that the surrounds couldn’t have been any better, and it’s true. On top of this, after a get-to-know-you session last night, the family that runs the lodge and their guests are all great people.
Marieke is a Belgian osteopath that lives at the lodge, and had done so for the previous 4 months. She still had another 2 months to go. The reason? She’s a volunteer for the medical post that is located in Chitre and does runs across to Swanta and the other surrounding villages. She said how she had fallen in love with
She’d reached that stage, as many of us on long-haul holidays reach… depression. She was learning Nepali and had a communicational grasp, but as you can imagine... not having any friends or family around can be daunting. Even more so when you don’t really have the option of building a relationship with anyone if they’re only there for the evening before hitting the trail again.
In any case, she was a great girl and the three of us hit it off pretty well. Sharing our tales of adventure and misfortune whilst crowded around the luxurious fire. Midway through the evening a French woman arrived for the evening and struggled along in English… making for an enjoyable night. Not her English… just her ;)
She had encountered some Maoists a few days earlier, and had to make a “donation”. Through part of her story telling, she was dumbstruck for the English and felt us out to see if we happened to know the French expression.
When Marieke and myself both said “Yeah, sure”. A barrage followed: “You speak French?” … “A little” … “And you’ve made me speak English?!” … “Well, you never actually asked” … “Tut… ####”
She eventually reverted and didn’t take offense. It actually seemed to make her more comfortable; knowing that she could truly speak her mind and not worry about any confusion since she could elaborate in French if need be.
Anyway… coming up for
Bliss.
