Having never been to a third world country I wasn’t sure
what to expect in Kathmandu…but man o man were my eyes opened when I
landed. From the get go, this has been
an experience that I’ve never had before.
Upon landing, I needed first to pay 100 to get my visa, followed by
several layers of bag checks at customs.
After I left the secured part of the airport, it was everyman for
themselves, with taxi cab drivers throwing themselves at anybody who looked
like they had money. As the awkward/naive
person that I am, I clearly picked the most expensive driver possible…but
thankfully made it to the hotel in one piece.
I say that because the drive was unlike any drive I’ve ever been in, the
streets were winding with pedestrians , motorbikes, and other cars
everywhere. With no traffic signals it
appears that everyone just engages in a sort of automobile free for all.
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| Coming off the plane in Kathmandu |
After about thirty minutes of driving, I arrived at the
Buddha Garden Inn. Much to my surprise,
when I walked in they were expecting me, and called me by name. They also, called the manager at Kopila
Valley, and I touched base with him. The
hotel room was only 1000 rupees, or roughly $11 USD, so it wasn’t too
surprising that when I walked into my room, I encountered a spider and some
dirty sheets. Ha, those are the same
dirty sheets I’m sitting on right now to write this blog! (I’m actually getting used to my little
bedroom, which as you’ll note from my previous post is a stark contrast from my
arrangements in Dubai) After setting
into my little room, I went for an adventure out in the city…by the time I left
my room though the sun had gone down, which lent itself to a short
adventure. That is in large part due to
a lack of lighting in public spaces, and my unfamiliarity to the area. I didn’t really feel like getting lost in Kathmandu
on my first night in Nepal! Not too far
from the hotel is the legendary “Fire and Ice” pizza. Which I treated myself too for my last dinner
before heading off to Surkhet…the pizza was delicious, and just like the hotel
was super cheap. Following on dinner, I
tool a little walk around Thamel (which from what I’ve gathered is the touristy
part of the city). A combination of a
million street peddlers, and a very American looking John lent itself to lots
of propositions for everything from Carpets, to clothing, to access to clubs (“with
dancing”). After walking around for a
while, I decided to take a walk back to the hotel and call it a night for what
will be a very exciting day tomorrow.
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| Streets of Kathmandu |
My plane is leaving at 8am from Kathmandu and I will be
flying to Nepalganj. From there I have a
jeep picking me up for the final three hours of the trip over to Surkhet! Very excited, to get settled, for what will
be an exciting several months. Not sure
when the next moment will be to post again, but I will be sure to do it as soon
as I can!
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ReplyDeleteGood updates man. Do they speak English over there? What's the language barrier like? Don't be afraid to make a black market transaction to attain some local currency as it might be a much better exchange rate, just don't get swindled. And as far as that diet goes, you might lose some serious pounds. It will be like Mrs. Burke's class all over again when she forced you to eat more. My friend Rohit (who is from Nepal) said the richer you are in Nepal the fatter you are. So don't be afraid to consume a few pounds of animal fat a day lol
ReplyDeleteWell a lot of them speak English over there.Hollywood movies are pretty popular. 50% will tell you about how they grew up watching Arnold, Stallone and Hanks. And John, you are there for helping people, don't get into black market stuff..Trust me, you don't want to do it. Not only for your sake but also for the image of lot many people who might follow your footsteps!
DeleteDan is correct, people love to eat well. We count the number of taste buds tingled, not the calories!