Priscilla Almost Kidnapped?

While I was suppose to visit Kodari in Nepal, I ended up going to a small village where all the way in the opposite direction. It was a full day of bad directions and bad vibes, which happens I got the wrong direction from the original bus driver and then switched buses with two men who looked very suspicious. The only tourist with a big backpack on a local bus was fine....but not this bus. These two guys had their eyes right on me and I was unable to get a seat so I was standing in the aisle. The one man tells me to just sit down in an authoritative voice and I respond, "In what seat." He says he is an army lietueant and I need to find a seat and stop blocking the aisle. Another guy next to him says, "Don't worry, let me help you. "Let me see your phone I can show you directions." He is wearing all black and I am getting really bad vibes from this whole situation. The bus ends at the final stop in this small village of Godwari and the two guys follow me off the bus. They are just standing and staring at me and I am staring at all the villagers who are looking at me like, "Where did this girl come from? She must be lost." 

This 20 year

I ended up on a bus headed Walking away down the single dirt road(there is only one straight road leading out of the village), a local on a motor bike comes near me and is trying to help guide me back to the city.  The “army/police” man not dressed in any uniform comes walking towards us while we are talking.  He apologizes for his behavior and says that he really just “wants to help me.” I completely ignore him and continue my conversation with the local on the bike.

A few minutes later, I am approached by two ladies from the bus.  The one lady says that she would like me to come and stay with her for the night.  She is speaking Nepali to me, but there is another sweet, lovely girl who is translating.  With all my exhaustion and frustration, the sky is about to turn dark(and go into pitch dark because there is no lights), I warmly accept her request and place my hands together a few times expressing my deepest gratitude.

Immediately when this lady approached, the “army/police” man, his friend who looked like trouble, and the guy on the bike disappeared. 

Walking through the villages with Alena (translator), she welcomes me to come to her home to stay with her father and mother.  Her father does not speak English, but she tells me he is very worried. She tells me that he says "I am like a daughter to him and I should not worry about anything-I am safe."  Hearing such genuine concern, my eyes start to tear up and I feel quite thankful. I can visually see the concern in her father’s face as we walk up the dirt path in the dark.  Trailing behind us and gossiping is basically the whole bus full of villagers. Each family stops at a different place and I thank them for their concern and looking out for my well being.

Speaking with the local villagers, they tell me that those were “bad men”.  I asked for clarification and Alena said that kidnapping is very common in Kathmandu, especially the rural outskirts.  She said the man behind me on the bus does not live in the village. 

When I thought about it, it was the last stop and everyone who got off the bus lived in the village. What was this man doing on the bus sitting right behind me? Alena said she is very sure he is not a army man or police man rather he was trying to cause trouble with me.

Hearing all this, I was quite surprised and sat in disbelief. “This could not happen to me.” “I am sure they are just exaggerating the matter.”

This was clearly not the case.  Alena told me that she heard the man call his friends to come over near the last stop of Godwari. When I heard this, my stomach felt sick and I started to believe that I really could have been in trouble. 

Analyzing the situation,when I tried to disengage with, this man still continued to follow me.  I believe that he did not expect the situation to go that way.  When I got up complaining about being lost and starting to cry while feeling frustrated, he was thrown off with my reaction. Perhaps he was hoping for a sweet, naïve backpacker who was not going to be so aggressive and upset. I really was not accepting his help and not engaging with him perhaps my unconscious knew trouble was ahead of me. When thinking about it, I probably looked sweet and innocent just sitting on my bag in the aisle(pulling out my camera taking sunset pictures-poor move).  In reality, I am not the person to kidnap-really I would fight for my life and I guarantee I am smarter than all three of them. 

Speaking with different villagers everyone said I should be very thankful for Alena, her father, and mother who went out of their way to come and help me.

God sent an angel to save me and I am forever thankful for Alena and her mother and father.....