Monday 14 November 2011

we're here


Monday 14th November  (blogged retrospectively from diary)
Kathmandu
Cows seen on streets - 3, powercuts - 1
Well we're here! First experiences of Nepal mostly involve confusion.  All the taxi guys are waiting to pounce outside the airport and because I didnt want to be mithered I just carried on walking up the road as if I knew where I was going, I dont know why because we do need a taxi and I definitely don't know where I'm going.
Anyway we ended up in a taxi that possibly wasnt a real taxi with two lads, one drove while the other tried to sell us things.  The "big traffic" as the driver described was a free for all with no street lighing, no traffic lights, make your own rules while dodging bikes, potholes and cows.
Reach the Kathmandu Peace Guesthouse where we thought we'd booked a room, they seemed to have copies of my emails but didnt have a room for us.  After a confusing hour of waiting in the dark due to a powercut it turned out there was now a room for us, however just to make things a bit more weird the manager called us into the office, sat us down with tea and coffee and started by apologising for having had "a few beers", he wanted to talk to us about trekking but we wanted to just get our bags in our room and get out for some food.  Everyone is so so polite that its difficult to moan about anything, one of the staff even guided us to the restaurant we wanted to eat at so we didnt get lost.  Had some dal bhat at a place called Thakali Kitchen and a Gorkha beer (comes in a giant 660ml bottle).  Went back to get some sleep ready to start exploring tomorrow, have hardly slept in 24 hours with all the travelling.  First impressions?  this is gonna be a crazy adventure!
Amusing anecdote of the day
The fella's name at the guesthouse is Rat but he pronounces it "Raart" a bit like Mrs Bucket in that 90's comedy show who pronounces it bouquet

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