Pathao to hospital, MD picks me up, dropped at Shivapuri, walk a very long walk, robbed by monkeys, glorious fight, ascending, the top finally!, MD almost gets robbed by monkey, food at the monastery, miserable walk back down, dropped near home in the rain, walk back home [Sat 11]

I'm writing these journal posts for March four months later, because of issues. I'm not ashamed of the fact, and quite proud actually that I got around to writing them, eventually. Let's get on with the meat and potatoes, shall we?

It was hike day! Shivapuri with MD!

I took Pathao to the hospital in bansbari where MD came 15 minutes later. The driver dropped us at Shivapuri gate. After spending 15 minutes filling those stupid forms that are extra long and have to be filled for every person, we went in!

It was fun! We talked about MD's school, wild times, did some stupid math problems, and general life as a journey, hiking as a metaphor for life conversations.

We'd brought fruits and snacks with us, decided to eat those near the monstary.

It was at that point that a specially brave monkey jumped towards me and tried to rob the fruits and veggies off my hands. I had a bit of a tugfight with the monkey, and eventually I shouted and scared the monkey. It stole some of the fruits, and some fell on the ground, but I consider myself to be the winner of the whole event.

After much, much walking uphill...I'd gone up only once and didn't remember it being so rough, we made it! MD napped for like an hour, we chilled in the Sun but then those office picnic groups, loud and bawdy started showing up and it wasn't as much fun anymore, and so started our downhill climb.

On our way down, we stop by a field, and MD teases me about fighting with a monkey, just when a monkey comes out of nowhere at takes her handbag away. A random stranger scares away the monkey and returns the bag. Very lucky, because she had all her valuables in the bag. So we were even.

Eventually we are back at the monastery, and we buy food from the small eatery there. Decent food, tea, etcetera. No monkeys this time.

The walk on the road down to Shivapuri gate was miserable and took us twice or thrice as long as we anticipated. Eventually we made it, dropped MD in her home, the driver dropped me at the bridge down from Purano baneshwar, from where I walked to our place.

And that was my Saturday!