Boudhiful exhaustion

So it's starting to become real, folks.  We've treated for six days straight, 4 days for me at the home clinic, and 2 days at satellite clinics:  Godavari by motorbike (see previous post) and Champi by foot (pictures to come).  After a full day of treating at the home clinic on Friday, having seen almost 200 cases collectively throughout week, Seven, Alison, Elissa and I hopped onto a micro (a minibus, think vanagon with 3 rows of seats), then a bus, (where we puffed past the beginnings of Friday night life in Kathmandu, running parallel to a wierd-looking tractor for 20 minutes that puffed black smoke into the air), and then a tuk tuk (a 3-wheeled truck) that carried us to Boudha.

Stupa maintenance!  On top of this they keep it sparkling clean.

We spent a day of sight-seeing the next day, circling the stupa that we kept calling a square and then laughing because it really is a circle, and we intermittently shopped and ate.  In the afternoon we went to witness the Puja, regularly done at the Gompas around town on a Saturday, Nepal's holy day and rest day.  We then taxied home, a much simpler and of course more expensive (but really only a Portland bus fare each) way to travel, exhausted but happy with our day. Please see the video below to experience a brief moment of the ride! 

Stupa cleaning

So. I have to say that I would have VERY MUCH looked forward to, at the end of our tourist jaunt out of town and back, a nice warm shower.  Perhaps I've mentioned the water at the clinic was solar-heated, and that if the day was sunny (which is 9 out of 10 times the case), one was gauranteed hot water (even enough to turn on the cold) if one desired. Was.

However.  And this happened Friday, just as we were finishing up our treatment day.... 

I hadn't seen the monkeys for a few days, but here they were all of a sudden, the whole family this time, scrambling down our building, past the treatment room window, running quickly across the alley, and scaling the building across the way.  These monkeys, on the first day of arrival, were introduced to us by our delightful, wickedly smart, and witty clinic director, Nicky (who is British, fyi), as the 'Bastard monkeys'.  Out of curiosity and and a hesitancy to judge, I hadn't quite accepted this title for them, although I knew they stole food and such and really, are slightly nerve-wracking to have around.  A wild animal nimbly climbing up and down our two-tiered roof while eating breakfast, who could easily be carrying rabies is not, well, let's say, calming to the nerves.
So anyhow, a few minutes later, we come to find out that the monkeys have taken off the water pipe on the roof (a normal occurrence) and smashed one of the glass tubes (not a normal occurrence) that holds our precious water, warmed to perfection by the sun, now spreading out over the roof and raining on the ground outside our clinic backdoor.   

Well, even if we knew who to call to have this fixed, it might take ages.  So sponge baths it is.  And that is what I did, out of a bucket of thermos water, still warm, when we returned.  It is amazing what one can adapt to.  Enjoying the ride! (most of the time!)

On a last note, our taxi ride home was delightfully given a soundtrack by the driver, and in the bliss of a good day, and in the exhaustion of all the travels, I attempted a recording of some sights and sounds.  I hope it works!