day 2 - Kathmandu

I immediately like the Nepalis. They are modest and unassuming, two very likeable qualities in people.

Nepal is like an upscale version of India. And accordingly more expensive. Everything is just a little more organized, a little more civilized and a little more polished than in India. I really like Nepal. Of course, my first love is still India, I suspect it always will be but I am pleasantly enjoying the subtle differences and nuances of the new country.

This morning, after a little trip to the Indian Embassy with my... what shall I call her? agent? (Yes, my "agent", the woman I've hired to jump through all the Indian visa application hoops for which I have neither the patience nor the connections to ensure the process goes off smoothly and timely. I can't afford any mistakes. I can't afford the application to be refused, there are too many plane tickets paid for and yoga courses registered for riding on my returning to India January 24th. I had talked to a few on the tourist trail that say that things are getting a bit tougher for visas in Kathmandu, hence... the agent. I figure it's worth it. That way instead of spending the week in the city, making the 2 or 3 more trips to the Embassy that will be required, waiting in line in the cold, and worrying about whether the outcome will be favourable or not, I can go to Pokhara in the mountains and relax and enjoy the view of the lake and the Annapurna mountain range while sipping a cup of coffee and reading a good book, letting her take care of it all. Sounds alright. She's an interesting character... sort of like the "interesting" customs official I had at the Delhi airport yesterday, but I'll tell you about that later.

It has taken me this many years of travelling to learn how NOT to torture myself by doing things the hard way. Sometimes it's just good to pay a little extra and be stress and worry free.)

Anyhow, boy I digress. So after the trip to the Embassy, I go looking for my original hotel choice: "the Shangrila guesthouse", which is supposed to be about $5 a night. Its on my map and so I go off looking for it. I walk and I walk and finally I find it. There, I see grand gates with golden lettering, drive thru valet and bellboys and guards. This is not my Shangrila guesthouse. It's Shangrila alright, but its Shangrila Hotel, that's 5 stars folks, so I won't be staying there tonight.

The journey to Kathmandu is like trains, planes and automobiles, the movie. Four rickshaws, one bus, one night train, one plane, a shuttle and a taxi ride later, I arrive in Kathmandu and it is everything my mom, who really wanted to come to Kathmandu, would enjoy.

At the airport there was another incident similar to the one that happened in Bangkok a few years back wherein I had my hotel all picked out only to allow myself to be persuaded by the taxi people to go to their friends' hotel where they will receive a commission for bringing me. I'm a sucker sometimes for going with the flow in that respect. The hotel they choose is always a little pricier than my choice, but it is always nice.

I explored Kathmandu, Thamel district, by night last night as it was dark by the time I got into my room. The street had a real mystical Asian feel to it at night that was very seductive, very exotic. I ended up having dinner in a place that was a proper restaurant (as opposed to a couple of plastic chairs and tables and a dirt floor with dogs laying around and a plastic roof as many of India's finest eating establishments are) and I was surprised and shocked to experience "dining" again, as a recreational experience as opposed to just a way to feed your face. In fact, all of being here is culture shock, to the extreme. Nepal is not that different from India, on a world scale, but relatively, it is SO different from the area that I have been for the past 6 months. Yesterday was a trip. Trippy and surreal are the two words that I couldn't get out of my head.

Kathmandu is extremely prone to power outages. 16 hours. That is the amount of time each day that they go without electricity! And the city functions, still. Somehow. Can you imagine this? so for 8 hours a day they have power. Some more established establishments have generators they run if they need to. Half way through my dinner last night, the power went out. They started the generator, business as usual. I sort of lingered there for awhile. It was getting late, I paid my bill and stepped out into the street, it must have been about 10pm, and all the street was black except for a few candle lights and the odd generator generated light in a shop, occasional car or bike headlight and, oh, and a couple of "street fires", usually garbage that has been lit up for light and for warmth. Its really crazy that they function like this, but they do.

I walked home in the dark. Everyone tells me the neighborhood is very safe even at midnight to walk alone in the dark and you can feel it in the energy in the street, its very cozy. I missed the turnoff to my street completely because it was so dark, but i realized it only a few steps further, that I had passed it and i turned back. My street is like an alley and it was darker than all the rest. There, there were a couple of shadows walking, and a couple of shadows standing, but you can tell they are benevolent by their feel. When you can't see, you see by feeling. Everyone, Nepalis and foreigners alike, all temporary or permanent residents of the city have to put up with this situation together so there is a little feeling of ... we're all in the same boat. I have never felt so safe in such a dark alley in a city at night in all my life. Quite the experience. Its a good thing I have a good sense of direction.

At the hotel, the generator was running so I went to my room and was writing for awhile. After about 15 minutes, the generator and the lights went off. I brushed my teeth and fished around for my pajamas in the dark and climbed into bed. Bed was wonderful. Bed was nice and firm and covered with clean sheets, then a fuzzy blanket (also wonderfully clean smelling) and then a big heavy duvet type blanket that i think is cotton stuffed with wool. It is heavy and so when you pull it on you , it really makes you cozy and comfortable with its weight. (The rooms are all unheated, except the 4-5 star type places, so heavy blankets are a must when the temp drops to around 3 or 4 degrees above zero at night (day:20 degrees)).........

So at about 4 in the morning I wake up to the lights being full on. The power is back on (at 4am when nobody needs power anyway, but anyway.....). I get up and turn them off and go back to sleep. In the morning, when i wake up to take a hot shower (hot water is electrically heated) and go to turn the lights on, the power is again out, and no generator on. So I just have a good laugh about that and go on with my day.

Here is the only place in the world I've every seen candle holders and a box of matches provided in room as part of the standard furniture and amenities. It's BYOC- bring your own candle.