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Published: October 15th 2007
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So we entered Nepal at the border town of Kodari. I got my visa and my bag. This time I actually carried the bag on my back!!! Yes I did, maybe there is no proof but I swear it! The ride was beautiful for the most part and we passed by The Last Resort…yes a play on words, they offer bungee jumping (second highest in the world, and no I did not opt to do this) and white water rafting. I have actually been contemplating about the rafting but the higher part of the river is closed cuz there is too much run-off from the monsoons and the bottom half is only mostly 3s. It would be another 3 hour drive there and 3 hours back for only 3 hours of rafting on class 3 rapids, which is not so exhilarating for me. So I have decided to just take it easy in Kathmandu and boy it sure has been worth it!
Back to the ride back, it was nearly uneventful minus the Nepalese mafia, who looked like they were kids. We were stopped 3 times by them and normally, the locals have to pay money, but I guess since
we were tourists we didn’t have to. But some of the kids were getting pissed and stopped the bus. Mind you that they stopped the bus with a piece of string lifted up over the road!! String?!?! Just drive through it! (oh we are also now on a bus…we gave up the land cruisers at the border). They wanted money for some sports club and then proceeded to take down the license number. Anyway, I’m not sure how organized the crime is here with their mafia considering their tactics to stop people is a string….
Back in Kathmandu we stayed the first night in a different hotel than the first time we were here. We couldn’t get rooms at Tibet Guest house. This happened cuz we skipped staying in Tingri cuz of road construction so we arrived back a day earlier. Anyway, and this has happened a few times, the bathroom is a more of a wet room as the shower is the bathroom all in one. Kind of nasty if you ask me but there was hot water, and with a pair of flip flops I was very happy to get in! We had our official last dinner at Rum Doodle where you graffiti a footprint with your group and hang it on the wall. There is also a big signage spot of all of those people who have summitted everest. There are about 900…and I think the rate is 25% don’t make it.
The next day kirsty and I had a lazy morning. Laid around for a while and then moved to the Tibet Guest House where our room is 10 times nicer than the first time we were here. Glad I have it for another two nights - just like a 5 star! Ha. Pretty corner room high up with a view. We met up with mike and mike for breakfast. Then just walked around, used the internet, and grabbed lunch at this FANTASTIC thai restaurant..yin yang. Best meal so far and nice to switch it up from veg curry and veg fried rice. We then proceeded to get an hour massage for $15. Well the guy at the restaurant recommended a place, which was SO nasty. We got there and were nearly about to go through with it until we just looked at each other and wanted out…it was most definitely a knocking shop, as kirsty called it…aka happy endings. And there were bugs crawling all around! Ugh, it was awful! We saw ourselves out and got our money back. Went to Kathmandu Guest House and had the most amazing massage. The woman was like what is wrong with your neck, you have so many knots!! Typical. So I went back again the next two days. I feel great for now!
I have to say that Kathmandu this time around is much more pleasant. I’m not sure why. I know there is some kind of festival (Deshain) going on so maybe a number of people have left to go to that or spend time with families, but I don’t feel like I am being harassed as I have in the past, except for the men asking if I smoke hash and want to buy magic mushrooms from them. Not once did that happen the last time, but they are all over the place now. I guess you just get used to ignoring them. Dinner was good fun Saturday night too. We went to the great quaint place called via via, where a few of us had a bottle of red (each). I guess after 2 weeks together and back in normal altitude it was the night to do so. And I felt surprisingly alright the next day.
And believe it or not, I almost didn’t take any pictures back in KTM. It has been fairly minimal. Shocker. Just enjoying a few days of relaxing, getting massages, eating thai food, meandering around Thamel…etc. Well worth the recharge.
Most of the group left on Sunday. It was kind of sad. I am actually going to look into meeting up with Kirsty in Cambodia in November after I hopefully meet up with Gilligan in Shanghai and Beijing in two weeks. Woooo woooo! And I leave tomorrow for Chengdu…via Lhasa, so yes…more pics of Everest I suppose! Not sure what I will think of China after my Tibet experiences…guess I’ll give it another chance like Kathmandu…til then.
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