Mahendranagar is dim.

Day one of the last epic bus trip (knock on wood) is complete. I went from Nainital to Haldwani to Banbasa, crossed the border to Nepal, and continued to Mahendranagar. I thought this would only take a few hours; it's tiny on the map. But I started at 9am and didn't arrive until 6pm.

I'm in Mahendranagar. There is not much light anywhere. Signs are not lit up; I had to ask around to find a hotel, any hotel. I wish I could bottle and sell the feeling of relief that happens when you go from "where am I going to sleep in a couple hours?" to "here is a place that is warm enough and likely without bugs big or small."

Still, this is the kind of place that makes me want to get going as soon as possible.