Hi Parents! My name is Amelia Leaphart and I am doing the journaling for Day 2. We had an early start after waking up at 6:30 and breakfasting at 7:00. We embarked on our 8-hour car ride from Kathmandu to Salleri in the Solukhumbu region. While the journey was long and uncomfortable at times we found ways to pass the time playing games or looking out the windows. It was interesting to observe the difference in scenery between the urban Kathmandu area and the rural mountains where we are now. Kathmandu was warm and muggy and bustling with cars, motorbikes, and people. As we entered into the lush, green mountainous part of Nepal the temperature dropped significantly. The roads were super curvy and bumpy, it was almost like a roller coaster. We drove so high up a mountain at one point we thought we were inside a cloud. We got so high that our views of the mountains felt like we were in an airplane. Some things that made the view so beautiful were the terrains the road etched into the mountains, and the blue tin roofed homes that dotted the view. When we arrived in Salleri we took a 20 minute hike to the girls home. We were welcomed with hot drinks, strawberry juice, popcorn, tomato soup, pasta and cauliflower (yummy!). We also met Karma Sherpa, the founder of the Himalayan Hope Home. It was also Chesley’s birthday. He is turning 16. We were all kind of tired from the journey, so after dinner we had a quick group meeting and returned to our rooms to relax. We’re excited for tomorrow!