KTM - Thursday/Friday
Trip Start
Aug 19, 2007
1
27
71
Trip End
Nov 20, 2007
Where I stayed
Biratnagar, Nepal
Sunday, September 23, 2007
Well when in Kathmandu I've decided to stay at the Kathmandu Peace Guest House everytime. My room is on the top floor (many steps to climb) and well worth it. As you saw from yesterdays photo's the views are great. On Thursday I spent a futile day standing in line at the India Embassy for several hours only to find out I couldnt get my India Visa for too many complicated reasons to explain at this point. The bottom line - No India Visa/ No India visit. Thats ok because in the process of standing in line I met a friendly Canadian guy (Yuri) and we passed the time talking. Just before I was told no by the India Embassy officials, he told me about a great place for breakfast. So I told him I hadn't had breakfast and neither had he so we decided to continue our conversation and impending friendship by heading to the 'Pilgrim Read and Feed'...thats sounds so American dioesnt it? He clued me in on the best breakfast deal in KTM - Pilgrim Power Breakfast for just 160rs.(two poached eggs, hash browns w/tomatoes,onions and grn peppers, toast butter/jelly, tea (or coffee), juice and curd w/fruit). I was stuffed to the gills when I finished. Yuri and I exchanged email addresses and said we'd stay in touch (and have) and then I left heading for Boudha Nath Stupa.
I bargained a taxi down to almost free and then arrived at the gate of Boudha Nath Stupa. I spent most of the afternoon walking around this amazing place. Its anmother one of those places where you know its steeped in history and you can feel it - not like hundreds of years of history we are talking centuries in the making.
I then left after an amazing few hours at Boudha Stupa and attempted to walk to Pashupatani, another historic area, but between the pouring rain and having very little idea where I was going (I did ask directions once and found out I was walking in the wrong direction) so I turned around walked another few kilometers until I came to a chowk (4 way crossroad) and felt like I was asking directions from the scarecrow in the Wizard of Oz. "This way, no I mean that way or maybe its that way" I got the feeling I should now maybe start hailing a cab. I did and got another decent price but the rain worked in his advantage as he bargained from insude his dry taxi. Once back in Thamel a funky area where the Pilgrim Restaurant is (the rain changed my mind on Pashupatani) and other fun stuff I found my favorite cyber. I caught up on emails and researched a trip to Pokhara. Pokhara is a from what I've been told a cool village that is situated along the edge of the Annapurna mountains and a good place to trek from to get to Mt Everest.
While checking email I noticed the Cyber owner eating something interesting and being the shy guy I am I asked him what he was eating and he invited me to try it. I did and then realized it was time for dinner. He xplained where it came from and what it was so I paid him for time on the compuer and walked a few doors down to a very cool little Korean restaurant. I sat, ordered a beer (Oranjeboom) and perused the menu. I thought there was a mistake because the prices were sooooo low. I ordered what I had tried at the cyber (Nepali Ramoen) and a short time later was devouring the noodles and assorted veggies with a side of incredible kimchee. Well with after about 15 minutes of eating I realized I was sweating, eyes were watering like I was at a funeral and nose running like I had another cold.. Wow that was one spicy dinner and equally as delicious. I got all that food, a small pot of tea and a beer for the bargain price of for less than 180rs.($2).
Friday I awoke and took another hot shower, wow those felt good after a month of cold ones, walked to the Pilgrim for the Power breakfast and then roamed around Thamel for awhile. Then back to the Guest House to pack and check out. While packing I double checked my departure time and whew am I glad I did - I thought I was scheduled to leave at 3:40 but alas it was 2:00. So by the time my credit card cleared and I bartered with a taxi I got to the airport just after 1:15.
I had little or no money when I got off the airplane in Biratnagar because the Hep A/B shot is cheaper than the states but still quite expensive and just being in a big city is always more expensive than being at home. I reached into mypocket and realized I didnt have much room for bargaining with the rickshaw guy and I knew it was never cheap coming from the airport to anywhere in Biratnagar. So I utilized my new talents and got home to the hostel with 20rs in my pocket to last until payday, in a few days... I think.
Thats all for now and have a good week.
Comments
Stupas
Way cool pictures (the latest and others). The stupas, prayer wheels and doggage reminds me of my trip to Thailand. Only saw 1 dog who ran away after I took his picture - perhaps he believed me that I had taken his soul. There was a cat at one stupa and what appeared to be mausoleum. It seemed to want to show us various sections and people because it would run ahead and then stop and look very pointedly at some of the pictures.
Sounds like you're having great adventures.
Booyakasha!
Marky,
You continue to razzle dazzle with your pictures and words. Somehow, the fact that you are nearly broke makes it sound that much more Romantic. Obviously, you ,being literary ,understand my allusion ; not the Danielle Steele kind, but the swashbuckling Keats-ian, Byronic, Yeats-ian, and ,yes, good old Kerouacian.
Don't fret , my brother. It's times like these that one is forced to be creative, to think deeply, to live Spartan-like, and to , as Thoreau said, suck the marrow out of life.
I loved reading the tattoo part of the story. Your joke actually was appreciated here in Covedale,too. Being a minority in Nepal is something that I find fascinating. You are a bit of 'the mad , bad, and dangerous to know, and a lot more of the 'looming goodnatured white man with tattoos who is pretty damn cool and kinda like us in a pretty damn cool way'. I like that, Marky. You are keeping your wits and keeping us entertained and honestly, a tad jealous of your exploits.
Thanks for writing so assiduously. Look up that adverb ; it is rare that I even use them, but it's a dandy.
So are you, comrade.
The pictures are killer-cool.
My son Cillian says hello. The kid is rockin' , and I think that he might have a bit of the wanderlust,too.
Be good ,old sport.
-TGF
color!
Again, great pics. All this color stands in stark contrast to the previous temple pics. I guess they ran out of paint before they got to that part of the city. There's so much color, flags, festivity in these shots I thought that maybe you had stumbled upon the Nepalese Disney World or Mardi Gras! And, once again, your food trek has made me hungry. Why doesn't food look that good in the states?!