The Kathmandu Cold

Drip, drip, drip. My nose is running. It’s my fourth cold in nine months. The Kathmandu cold is a persistent bugger, nastier than any North American variety. And it spreads like wildfire–if I have it, so does the person sitting next to me a the lunch table. Last weekend, 14 of our crew (10 adults, 4 kids under 4) went to Last Resort to get out of the city and be adventurous. Some of us did the high ropes course, some of us rafted, and one especially brave soul bungy jumped and canyon swinged. It was a great opportunity to get out of the city, as is necessary to deal with the constant honking, barking, and haze of K’du. Eight of us went rafting along the Bhote Kholi (part of the Sun Kosi river…rated #1 by Lonely Planet!) river, bouncing along the rapids and rocks and getting showered with the glacier-fed water. Eight of us returned with colds. As one particularly sarcastic friend noted, “I thought going to the countryside was good for your health. I didn’t do anything to do deserve this shit.” The only person who didn’t flare up with a cold was our adrenaline-rushed friend who must have pumped whatever bug through his system after the rush of the bungy and canyon swing. So jumping off a bridge is good for your health??

 

(For the photo, thanks to LP)

Now for the part where you say, “I knew you’d get a cold.” After our triumphant rafting trip in Pokhara in November, the same crew plus 2 decided to conquer a new river (Bhote Kholi) near the Tibetan border. We hopped in with our guide Achoo (coincidence?), and immediately shrieked in freezing delight at the first splash of glacier water. Bobbing along in the raft, I got thrown around like a pin ball machine, so much so that *oops* out I went! Not exactly a graceful exit, I had one leg left in the boat, my head under water, and my hands gripping for dear life to Chip’s life vest screaming, “DON’T LET GO!!! I DON’T WANT TO FALL INNNN!!!!”  With a face full of fear and laughter, I got pulled back in, soaked to the bone.

See? Now you can say, “Told you so!”