Nepal

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Well, sorry for the depressing blog yesterday. The mega-cities in India remain harder for me to travel than i ever expected, but i get one more try in Mumbai this Saturday/Sunday coming.

After circling Kathmandu for about an hour, then sitting on the tarmac for another 30 minutes i did make it to Kathmandu/Thamal today. The upside of the circling was excellent views of the big Himilayas! It is greener here, but the smog persists. I noticed my cabbie was using the emergency break to stop his vintage 1980 car, which added some excitement to the trip from the airport into Thamal.

I walked the markets until dark and found a restaurant (i think) another traveler told me that i should eat at. Did i mention i lost my travel guide on day one? The one that informed me of the "safe" places to eat? I had a traditional Nepalese meal (pic on Facebook) and, to my total glee, my gag reflex was non-existent. I ate up the entire meal, but cannot report what it was except for being "vegetarian". Thanks to Beemer, i am getting better at eating the food here! I also think my body appreciates the lack of meat; strangely. I continue to eat veg to reduce the chances of a stomach ailment. I can't image being alone and in medical trouble here...

The markets in Thamel are similar to India, except in Thamel they are designed for the Nepalese Tourist Trekor. This means that they are easier to walk around than in India. Nonetheless, i still had children tapping on the cab's window and pointing to their mouths. How can we allow such things to occur on planet earth? Across the street from the terrace where i write this, there are two children about 10 sleeping on the sidewalk with two dogs. How can i sip my coke and eat my chips with a clear conscious? Where are their parents?

I am wrapping my mind around the exchange rate here (70:1), but i think things are actually cheeper here than in India (if that could be possible). Here is the crazy part; every second store sells North Face gear. Well, not really "authentic" North Face, but who could tell the difference? Again, i struggle to get my mind around the exchange rate, but i think the jackets are cheap enough i could easily bring one back for each person following this blog! Problem is that i have almost no room in my backpack. I am dumping stuff i do not need, but it looks like i have basically no room to buy more than about three coats. Sorry. I really am. The postal service is not an option for numerous reasons.

My secret mission tonight (remember i am 11.5 hours ahead), was to find a dual sport monster bike to rent. I NEED to escape this large, noisy, stinky city. North Face coats and all. Btw Stacey, i have no idea where they would fit a yoga studio into this urban mess but count me in for Friday if you can help me find it. So, the biggest bike they have seems to be a 200cc Honda. This is a bike that i would be too embarrassed to ride in Canada. There are no Enfields in sight either. So, with some trepidation i will attempt to navigate out of this Asian city and up to a town in the hills called Nagarkot (for those that like maps.google.com). It seems to be the place to go if you do not have time to make it out trekking in Nepal. I am told that i should be able to see Mount Everest from there (too exciting for me to explain) and the road appears to be challenging enough (haha).

Wish me luck, if it goes well i will push on further with the plan to be back in Kathmandu by Friday night. Then to Mumbai Saturday and home Sunday (arriving Monday). When i traveled Australia 20 years ago on a motorbike i hid that fact from my mother (it was a peppy Yamaha rd350) . This time, i have decided to go with full disclosure. But, i will admit that this is hardcore motorbike territory, so Mother I am sorry and I promise this time to wear a helmet (it is the law here for the driver anyway). Namaste.

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