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The best lassi place in town!
Busy morning, noon and night. I eventually arrived at the bus stop in Kalanki, and set off in search of a taxi, Thamel-bound. Rather than check out the guest houses I'd noted down, I opted for Khangsar, where I'd previously stayed. It wasn't the most modern or cleanest of places, but the staff were lovely and it was ideally located.
I was pleasantly greeted by one of the guys there, who told me it was good to have me back, then a younger lad (that I'd never seen before) lugged my backpack up the stairs and showed me to my room. Luckily, it was only one floor up and had a double bed. After a quick bite to eat in the restaurant and a stint of magician entertainment from the fourteen year old lad that had carried my bag, I threw myself down on my bed and crashed out.
A few hours later, I awoke to the sound of Ram calling me through the window, which I'd neither closed nor pulled the curtains across. Then, we set off on the motorbike to get my eagerly-awaited lassi.
Ram asked that they added extra nuts and raisins, and I devoured two within ten minutes. Conveniently,
Hat shopping
I didn't buy this one, though.... there was a panipuri cart right beside the lassi place, so I had a few of those, too. By the time I'd finished, I wasn't hungry for dinner. Two lassis and about four panipuris cost me a grand total of 110 Rupees. Not even £1. Result!
We wandered around Thamel and I bought three more pairs of Aladdin pants (seriously, I need to find an Aladdin pants addiction support group!) and six pashminas. Ram, of course, got me fantastic discounts on all of the above. Then I went back to my room and set about trying to fit them in my already over-packed backpack.
As well as packing, I spent a good two hours trying to sort out my onward flight. CheapOAir were yet to send me confirmation of the schedule change, and lack of said email (according to their rules) would deem me unable to fly. I attempted to contact them by Skype, by phone and by email, none of which were successful. To say I was feeling a little stressed is an understatement. So, I emailed cousin Nicki, who I was sure would be able to help me, as she always does. After I had forwarded all the necessary details, she proceeded to contact the UK office, who were unable to find my booking at all! In the meantime, however, I received a call from the guy I'd spoken to two days prior, and managed to confirm everything. Half an hour later, I received the requested email, and was able to sleep soundly.
The next morning, I awoke bright an early, silently cursing my new-found early birdness, and took a long, hot shower, since it would be about a day and a half until my next one.
I had breakfast in the guest house restaurant, then Ram called to say he was picking me up for my last lassi in Kathmandu. I awaited his arrival, then excitedly hopped on the back of the bike and we whizzed through the noisy and crowded streets. A motorbike ride and a lassi; the perfect goodbye to Nepal.
Afterwards, we had another quick browse around Thamel and I treated myself to some wooly hats, a multi-function scarf/hat thing, and a vest-top. Then, I hoisted my backpack onto my back, and clambered on the motorbike to head to the airport. I won't lie; it wasn't as enjoyable a ride as usual. In normal circumstances, I'm able to lean and shift my own weight accordingly, but it was far harder to do so with 16kg of extra weight strapped to my back. Also, my hands and forearms went numb; a combination of position and tightness of the straps on my shoulders. I clung to Ram and hoped for the best.
We made it in one piece, and I sadly said goodbye to my Kathmandu buddy and guide. Ram was an absolute diamond during my stay in Nepal, and I'll be eternally grateful.
And so, I walked into the first of five airports, on my multiple-leg, 37 hour journey, silently hoping it would go smoothly.
IN.....
MY.....
DREAMS!
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