Namaste from kathmandu

Photos complete! I'm now in Tibet after driving up from the Nepali border (amazing journey but you're going to have to wait for my next post for info on that!). Even in these little truck stop towns, the internet connections are way better than in Kathmandu. The only bad thing is that my blog is back to being banned (to keep all my politically dissenting remarks and capitalistic manifestos out of the unsuspecting Chinese hands, I suspect). So if there is anything majorly wrong with my page, please email.

Btw, Kathmandu was totally fine! I was pretty worried about the political situation that erupted in April but the King has reinstated Parliament and though there's still political turmoil, its safe to walk the streets and there is no longer a daytime curfew. The hardest part about coming here was probably coming out of the airport and being COMPLETELY bombarded by taxi drivers, hotel workers and other people wanting my hard-earned US dollars. But now that I'm here, I'm sad that I only have a few days. I think spending some time trekking around and visiting some of the other cities would be pretty spectacular.

Everything here is so different from China, I'm having trouble adjusting! Kathmandu isn't as developed (in terms of roads and infrastructure) as I had thought but it has its own charm. The people are also really different. Though they don't shove or spit (well, they do but quietly) but its the return of the touts! I'm constantly bombarded with Namaste (hello in Nepalese)! Konichiwa! Miss, would you like to buy something? Its really really annoying. There are certain things that I no longer have patience for and people hassling me to buy things is at the very top. Also, when I came here from Bangkok, I found out that the time here is 1 hour and 15 minutes behind. Why? Beats me.

Kathmandu consists of mainly narrow, winding, chaotic roads with no street lights, signs or sidewalks. I walk in constant fear of getting run over by the insane taxi drivers, motocycles and rickshaws.

Constant construction going on in Kathmandu. All the buildings are crammed close together though they aren't very tall.

But not all the people are annoying. Most of the people I've met here have been nothing but nice and extremely helpful. I even had the opportunity to spend the day with a Nepali family because I have a friend of a friend who is doing his thesis research out here (thanks Steph and Peter!). These two Nepali guys, Ras and Suren (not sure about spelling), came to my guesthouse very early in the morning, determined to show me the sites. I had such a great time talking to them, comparing our respective cultures and getting their perspectives on their great city. We were pretty industrious in seeing a bunch of temples, stupas and museums but the best part was spending the afternoon with their families. They even fed me the most amazing Nepali food and this insane liquor called ruksi (again, not sure about spelling). They kept telling me it was just like wine but it was more in line with whiskey to me. We ended up getting a little tipsy but it just made the conversation flow better despite the language barrier!

Nepal has an interesting mix of Buddhism and Hinduism with temples of both dotting the city. This a Buddhist temple with tons of prayer flags blowing in the wind. It really was an amazing site to look up at all the colors waving above me.

Beware, Buddha is always watching! This is at the top of "Monkey Temple", which is on a hill overlooking Kathmandu. Great views from the top!

Now I know why they call it Monkey Temple. They were everywhere!

Okay, guys. I guess the cat's out of the bag. Here I am with my new man. We plan on running away together.

Some women giving an offering and receiving a blessing from Buddhist monks.

My unbelievably nice and gracious hosts. I still can't believe they took time out of their day to take me around and invite me into their home. Thanks so much, guys!

I also met one of the coolest teens around, Milan. We talked about everything and it was great to get his perspective on Nepali culture and politics. I'm also holding Ayashman, Suren's 5 yr old son. He spoke a little English and is completely obsessed with Spiderman. So cute!

I also had the opportunity to visit Bhuktaphur, sort of like a municipality in Kathmandu but its more like a preserved city within a city. It has a lot of its traditional architecture and temples intact dating from the 12th century so it was like walking into a time warp but with tons of tourist shops. Its a big tourist attraction of course but its also a town in itself. It was actually more interesting to observe how these people meld the old surroundings with modern life than seeing the temples and museums.

The main squares in Bhuktaphur contained well preserved temples and monuments like these.

Its a beautifully preserved city but life goes on as usual for its residents. We even got to see some men haggling over a goat and weighing it on this enormous scale.

We also got to go into a school for Thangka paintings, religious Buddhist paintings. Each painter meditates before paintings that either depict portions of Buddha's life or contain religious symbolism. The detail and intricate scenes are amazing.

Some Nepali kids goofing off at school. They were constantly hanging out the windows yelling, "Hello!" "How are you?"

The cutest little girl. Even if she is half naked. She was so shy but she still put here hands together to say namaste.

But I'm in Kathmandu mainly to meet up with another Intrepid group to visit Tibet. We leave tomorrow morning for the Tibetan border and we'll spend the next 2 weeks visiting monasteries, Tibetan towns and, of course, Everest Base Camp (!!). I'm very excited though I'm sad to leave Nepal. This place is completely different from another place I've been to and its unfortunate that I don't have enough time to fully explore it. But with the unstable political situation, I would rather get out sooner rather than later. But really, I'm perfectly safe and happy here in Kathmandu! It might be awhile until my next post since internet will be spotty in Tibet but I will update as often as I can.