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Kathmandu
Friday, 23 April 2010
(cont.)
I love how you need three people in India to do a one person job. For example, you are getting on the plane. One person takes your ticket, looks at it, and passes it to the next person. The second person tears the ticket and hands the stub to the third person. The third person then hands the ticket stub to you. Believe it, cause it happened when we got on the plane, when we got on to the bus, and when we got onto the next plane....three people each time! Don’t even get me started on the security line!
We arrived in Kathmandu at 4:30pm. There were many people barking out their hotels and guest houses like a hungry pack of dogs. Luckily, we had a reservation at the Tibet Guest House and a van to pick us up. The guest house is casual, comfortable and the right price (thank you Marin!). Each level has a balcony, and the top of the building has a beautiful garden with shade and places to sit and relax. It is located in the Thamel area of Kathmandu, which is incredibly touristy and busy, but the room is quiet enough us. The very tippy top of the guest house has a 360 degree view of the city. I’m not much of a city gal, but this view was unique and fascinating. I love all of the buildings, the garden roof tops and the nooks and crannies. There are cafes and delicious restaurants everywhere and oodles and oodles and oodles of shopping. We’ve already had Thai, Nepalese (the steamed dumpling veggie Mo Mos are my favorite) and a fire-baked pizza. Easy living.
I never blogged about my quest for a beer in India. We had been out in the country for about two weeks. There was little electricity and rarely any cold drinks. Drinking in India isn’t the social outing we’re used to, it’s done in seclusion; so try as I might I could not find a cold one. On our last night in India, I asked the hotel desk clerk if they had any beer. They didn’t, but the desk clerk assured me that there was a store just around the corner. So I stepped out into the heat in hopes of finding a refreshing beverage. Ugh.... busy streets, horns blowing...I had been in the car for about 6 hours that day too. I did see a bar, but was reluctant to go in solo. Especially since the bus stop was next door and there were some shady characters around. So I returned to the hotel and the refreshing AC. The desk guy then assured me that he would go and get me a beer from the bar (cause that’s how you do it in India) and bring it back to the hotel once his shift was over around 8pm. I thanked him and anxiously awaited my tasty beverage. I fell asleep and around 11pm the desk guy knocked on my door and told me that his shift was now over and would I like him to go and get the beer. Half asleep I said “no, too late”. I had failed, I was over it. Plus, I had to get up at 4:30am anyway to catch a flight. There are other stories like this one. I had tried to find beer other times, so this was the icing on the cake and the hilarious was nauseating.
You can imagine my excitement when we got to our room in Nepal and I discovered a fridge in the room fully stocked with beer! And… if you drink it they replace it the next day when they come around for cleaning. Lovely. 
However good the beer, food and shopping is, Kathmandu can be rather exhausting. After 36 hours you are over the pollution, traffic, horns, pushy merchants, and beggars. It’s time to get to the good stuff! We fly to Lukla tomorrow for trekking. We will be west of Everest in the Khumbu region and we hope to see some good views. I am ready for some exercise in the fresh mountain air, and to be in the majesty of the grand Himalayas. I’ll send you the next blog from 12000 ft.
Posted: 04.23.2010
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