Leaving Nepal. Well. I just. Man, I had some difficulties is what I am trying to say!! Our initial plan was to go back to Kathmandu and renew our visas to stay a bit longer (avoiding India, perhaps?) but decided against it when the price to renew was a full $60! So we got on the bus ride from hell instead.
There was an evil man, who kept making fun of us, making the whole bus laugh, and looking down my shirt. The driver was a madman, rip roaring down the mountains and it took us about 5 hours longer than we had anticipated. But the thing that was really getting under my skin was that the bus kept stopping for all the men to get out and take a bathroom break, but not for the women. If it were socially acceptable for women to use the side of the road also, this wouldn't bother me. But the fact that we were all expected to just wait it out completely infuriated me. What? You think you can look down my shirt for hours on end and then not give me the courtesy of a bathroom? Hell no. Sitting in the very rear of the bus where we were jumping like fleas at every pot hole wasn't helping my mood either. Nor was the fact that the whole bus was watching us hold on to the seats for dear life like it was a spectator sport. At the next pit stop, I said 'screw you all' and went to the bathroom right alongside all the other men on the bus. If I thought I had some staring problems before....
In retrospect, I recognize that my actions were coming from a negative, vengeful place and they really only served to perpetuate stereotypes of Western women. I guess when people treat you like you are the stereotype so consistently, it makes you want to give up the fight and just be it. That's immature, I know. But secretly, I sure hope everyone on that bus saw it. I have the right to the side of that road too!
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