Romance In Makara Orange

Ice Rain on Tadapi and Alice from Portland

Staying at Ghorepani which is at an altitude of almost 3000 masl makes Vira shiver cold.

The night temperature reaches five degrees Celsius. The lodge they rented was made of plywood and he inhabited a narrow room with a blanket not thick enough.

Finally Vira uses a thermal sleeping bag for the first time which is much more powerful than the blanket that feels cold and wet.

At first it was hard for Vira to close her eyes. Remembering the Kosa. The internet in the restaurant cannot be turned on. Sandeep said the transmitter had been damaged for four days and the technique had not come because it was far away.

Vira has absolutely no idea if Kosa returned the message or if Kosa called her. Does Kosa see the status in her fesbuk or comment on her posts. What Kosa thought today. Does Kosa think of her. Without the internet, Vira feels like she's in the middle of nowhere.

“Oh come on Vira. It feels peaceful without internet [oday Vira, it's quieter without internet],” entertain Sandeep who pity to see Vira's turmoil recorded clearly on his face when knowing the internet in the lodge can not be used.

“Buset deh Vir, not so much kale. So want to know all what your guy is!” exclaim Bobby.

“By his girlfriend Vira than your face Bi,” sloppy Mas Une.

“Yee, face may I lose Mas, but manhood anyway can be pitted,” kilah Bobby while clenching his hands.

“Tuh Vir, challenged by Obi, dare not you?” tanya Mas Dody chuckled.

“Hahaha... what the hell, Vira just miss Mama aja koq,” pretext Vira who had to lie so that the atmosphere does not become crowded.

-----------------------------------

The journey to Tadapi is still down the forest of rodhodendron flowers but this time the descent and climb is not too neat. There are some derivatives that are still in the form of soil and not coated with rocks.

Twice Vira slipped and almost toppled with a sharp enough derivative even though Obi who walked first had warned to be careful.

They stopped for a while at the edge of a small river with clear water.

Bobby washed his face immediately. “Buset, so cold Vir. I thought it was noon gini will be anget nih air.”

“Vira, Bobby, can we go fist, it’s going to rain soon [can we walk faster because it will rain soon]?” sandeep said as he looked up, looking up at the sky.

“Oh, okay Sandeep, let’s go [ayo go], come on Vir, hunt, don't melt like a snail,” invite Bobby.

Fifteen minutes walk, rain falls. Tuk-tuk-tuk, sound like a stone thrown. It was hail of ice. Ice grains as large as gravel stones are painful to the body.

The hail is going on. Though they were on the descent and at once the overflow of water mixed with ice cubes moved from above and down through the path they passed with a swift.

Sandeep instructed them to go up the ramp and take shelter under a large rock next to the trail and there were gutters inside. It looks like someone has been sheltering there.

Despite wearing anti-water pants and shoes, still the overflow of water mixed with ice goes to the sidelines and wet the socks. The cold is bone-chilling. With heavy strides the three of them tried to walk up by fighting the overflow of water that descended to the bottom.

Arriving at the shelter, Vira, Bobby, and Sandeep immediately opened her socks, squeezing them to reduce their moisture content and draining their shoes.

Vira turned to the white and blonde-haired woman.

“I’m sorry for the smell [sorry yes with the smell],” said Vira pointed at her socks.

“Hahaha, It’s okay, don’t mind me [no koq problem],” he said.

“Oh, I’m Alice, Alice Finnegan and you can call me Ali. I’m from Portland, United States [Oh, I am Alice, Alice Finnegan and you can call me Ali. I'm from Portland, USA],” responded by introducing myself as well.

“Waw, you are the first American I ever met in this track. Most of the people I know are French, Oz, and Scandinavian [Waw, you are the first American I have met along this path. Most of the people I know are from France, Australia, and Scandinavia],” always Vira.

“Now you see me [Now you meet me],” said Alice laughing.

At once Vira felt familiar with Alice while Bobby and Sandeep just kept quiet and occasionally glanced towards the conversation.

Buset the Vira, there are bulls playing chat, all American politics are talking, Bobby wrote in his heart while listening to the contents of Vira and Alice's conversation.

After the hail stopped and the water no longer flowed from the climbs down, the four of them finally continued on their way to the restaurant for lunch.

Sandeep requested permission for restaurant owners to hang their wet shoes and socks on the stone fence while they were there. I hope no one complains about the smell.

Vira and Alice sat back at the same table. Vira who invited Alice to join when she learned that the climb to Annapurna was done by Alice alone, without friends, without guides, and without porters. Justjust wonderful.

Alice introduces herself as a veterinary assistant working at a veterinary hospital in the Southwest Park Way area. Alice's boyfriend, who was a lecturer, canceled the trip because he was asked to represent the campus at a conference. Alice left because everything had been planned for a long time.

“Ali, since you are American, I wanna ask you why Trump won the election. I just still don’t get it [Ali, because you are American, I just want to ask koq Trump can win the election. Until now do not understand koq can win]?” ask Vira straightforward. His political spirit was tempered when Ali also recounted his involvement in women march political activities in Portland, Oregon.

“It is simple. He won because he got electoral votes [yes easy, he won because he got electoral votes],” Alice replied straightforwardly.

“Hahahaha.sorry, wrong question. I mean the reason why American voted for him [sorry, wrong question. I mean the reason why Americans chose him]?” vira asked back after realizing the logic error in her question.

“I don’t know why. I didn’t vote him [I don't know why. I don't choose him],” Alice replied straightforwardly.

This time it was Bobby who was laughing out loud and Sandeep smiling widely. Adauuh, Vira forgets the characteristics of Americans who are famous for their straightforwardness. Different from her knowing self.

“Elu wrong Vir people, if you ask me I will answer if Americans also believe hoaks like Indonesians,” Bobby said.

“Diem deh Bi, I am going to his native directly, yakali aja the answer is different that,” kilah Vira.

Finally Vira chose the safe topic. About Hollywood film issues, about women issues, and about pets. Alice is a fun friend.

Vira's impression of Alice was so good that it was in contrast to the articles she often read that gave her an arrogant and individualist view of the United States.

----------------------------------------------

Arriving at Tadapi, Vira rushed to bathe with warm water. Eucalyptus oil on his neck and stomach. Koyo is tacked on his back with great difficulty including applying achy reliever gel and muscle cramps throughout the calf and thigh area.

Her damp clothes were dried outside the room and her shoes were dried near the heating furnace located in the restaurant.

It turned out that there were a lot of wet shoes lined up close to the heater. All climbers must have been a lot of rain during the trip last afternoon.

The afternoon air after being hit by hail, the cooler it gets. Mas Une invites to eat faster so that the stomach is not too long empty.

Today because of the rain, the ascent of the two mountains becomes heavier especially with climbs and wet derivatives making the steps become heavier and slower. And this drains a lot of energy.

The internet does not work at all. Because heavy rain seems to make the signal unstable. Vira doesn't think too much about it, though she has written a lot for Kosa and his posts in Fesbuk.