"Misty? Why not Sunny?"

"Misty? Why not Sunny?" was the response from Sneha's Uncle when I was introduced to him. Tonight we had dinner at his house and then went and watched salsa dancing! We watched him dance, and then Sneha, Rohit, and I sat in wonder at the others dancing. I want to tell you about public transportation in Nepal. The population is so great and traffic is so congested that the more people that can fit in a vehicle the better! There are two modes of public transportation, microbus and tempu. A microbus is just a little bit bigger than a minivan and has a driver and a conductor. The conductor pounds on the outside of the microbus, yelling and signaling to the driver when to stop. It's quite fascinating, but even more intimidating because they yell in Nepali and I don't understand! Thank God for Sneha my personal translator! Then there are the tempu. Imagine a full size bed on wheels....3 wheels! Tempus are giant tricycles with two benches inside a cab. The wheels are soo narrow and the vehicle itself seems so tipsy that I haven't yet rode in one! Tempus are filled so full that sometimes people just hold onto the roof and stand on the bumper....needless to say, seatbelts aren't a priority in Nepal. Children here aren't required to sit in carseats, but rather are usually carried or stand between their parents legs on a scooter! Scooters and motorbikes are very popular modes of transportation. They even have parking lots for them! Drivers of scooters and motorbikes are required to wear a helmet, but not passengers. I prefer to get around on a motorbike above all. From there I can see in every direction to take pictures, zip in and out of traffic, but a mask must be worn because there is so much dust and pollutants in the air. However, we are fortunate and Sneha's grandfather and father have SUVs and drivers who take us around, so we don't have to wear masks that often!