The Best of Wanderlust (A GeoEx eBook)

The Best of Wanderlust

The Abominable Trekker

world seemed so far away. Distracted, without thinking, I crossed my legs. The copper tray overturned, and crashed to the dirt floor. For an infinite moment, time stood still. The room was a tableau of shocked faces—none more shocked than my own. Had this unspeakable thing actually happened? Had my entire life conspired to bring me to this moment? I leaped to my feet, incredulous, overcome with shame. “ Naraamro! ” I cried, staring down at the steaming mess. “ Maaph garnus! This is terrible! I’m sorry!” Norbu’s grandfather stood up calmly, and walked toward me. He placed a firm hand on my shoulder, and turned toward his stunned guests. “ Ramro chaa ,” he stated calmly. “It’s fine. It’s good. In fact it’s wonderful . Isn’t it?” He scanned the room. “ Isn’t it? ” Tentatively, heads nodded. The guests began to breathe again. Suddenly, I understood. Here I was: a fabulously wealthy Westerner, an emissary from the most powerful country on Earth. I’d blundered into Bala, and been greeted with reverence—even awe. But in truth I was merely a pale-faced kuhire : a foreign klutz who couldn’t hold his raaksi . The Joan Osborne song echoed in my ears: What if God was one of us? / Just a slob like one of us . . . . With my oafish faux pas, I’d shattered the mystique. We were all equals now—no matter how much my Gore-Tex parka had cost. I left the house, and found Norbu. “What should I do? Do we leave now?” “Are you crazy? Don’t even think of leaving. Go to your tent,” he commanded. “And wait.” “Wait? For what?” They’re going to do it all over again.” And they did—with one enormous difference. This time, we all ate together.

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Jeff Greenwald is the author of several travel books, including Shopping for Buddhas , The Size of the World , and Scratching the Surface . His 2010 book Snake Lake is a memoir of his experiences and epiphanies living in Kathmandu during the tumultuous Democracy revolution of 1990. Jeff has written for the New York Times Magazine , National Geographic Adventure , Outside , and AFAR . Now a travel columnist for the SF Standard , he also serves as Executive Director of EthicalTraveler.org—a global alliance of politically active travelers. For more on his work, visit his website.

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