1Los Angeles International Airport was like another planet. Broadcasts in multitudes of languages bombarded my sensitized ears. People swirled past me, colors running together. I walked with my eyes straight ahead, pretending I wasn’t in total shock.
Mom found the customs line that said “U.S. Passports.” I don’t know if everyone smelled, or if it was just us. I had taken a shower at the hotel in Katmandu, the best shower I ever had in my life, but I still felt like I had dirt caked on my face.
After they stamped our passports, we had to wait for our bags. We only needed our backpacks and duffle bags. We’d given a lot of our equipment away. We never wanted to see it again.
Despite the fact that we got along a lot better going down the mountain than up, I think Mom and I were both ready f
