“Let’s hit the road!” we cheered as the engine started. Was Nepal, a place we didn’t think we would have time to visit, worth the trip?

    Located on the border of the Himalayas, the rocky road to Nepal was arduous. Our car got a flat tire only an hour after we set off. Luckily, it didn’t spoil our mood. On the contrary, it would be one of the many memories of this trip.

    At 8 p.m., we stopped to rest. Mountains, extending for miles, were gradually hidden behind thick clouds. The setting sun drooped, radiating its last brilliance. The winding river flowed quietly, glistening. Wind blew our tiredness away. No other people were around. The scenery was ours. We were all energized by such a view.

    “Hey guys, shall we jump?” one person asked.

    “Why not?” we answered in one voice.

    “OK, one-two-three-jump!”

    Then night came. This was the longest night I could remember. The car shook violently, which made it impossible to sleep. “My neck is breaking,” Jun said. What was worse, we had to get out several times to have our passports checked. Despite this, the sky overhead was marvelous. Millions of stars twinkled. I could easily distinguish the Big Dipper. It really looked like a spoon.

    Walking across a bridge, we set our foot on Nepal, and then we got in a car again. The day allowed us to observe the terrain that terrified us. The clay road, mountains on one side and cliffs on the other, was just wide enough for a car. In addition, there were no guardrails. The driver drove so fast, as if he was driving on a wide flat road. He talked leisurely to us in his poor English while listening to lively music.

    “Oh, my god!” we exclaimed as we saw people seeming to risk their lives. Some people were sitting on the roof of a Tata, a vehicle similar to a bus. No safety measures were taken, but they looked at ease. They were so brave, or maybe we were too timid.

    The car drove in and out of the mountains. When we were on a relatively flat road, the driver said, “Katmandu, Katmandu.” We looked around, confused. We could only see paddy fields and several humble houses.

    “What? This is Katmandu? The capital of Nepal?” Min asked.

    “It’s less developed than a town in China,” Ke said.

    “Oh, don’t let me down,” Jun sighed.

    After climbing a slope, thickly dotted houses leaped to our eyes. We could not help screaming, “That’s it, Katmandu!”