Pre Trip Thoughts

I’ve packed and repacked my rucksack, and I’m still finding more things to fit in! I’m ever so slightly obsessed with the idea of travelling super light but still having everything I need. What i really need is Mary Poppin’s bag. It’s all tied in with this surreal image I have in my head where I’m wafting through Kathmandu in a Zen like beatific state, with next to no possessions, exuding total calm, self awareness and a total sense of being in control.

By now those of you that know me well are probably laughing. The reality is I’m trying to colour co­ordinate my meagre wardrobe, agonising over what colour to have my toe nails painted tomorrow and worrying about how many hand sanitisers to carry with me. I am the person that lost my car keys in Next yesterday and lost my train ticket in Newport just by taking it out of my pocket to give to the guard. I have totally no sense of direction. I am totally untechnical. (Is that even a word?) I still have to worry about how to set Io’s old digital watch, how to work out the time difference as it’s 4 hours and 45 minutes ahead, (so much easier when it’s just straight hours!). I also have to work out how to get photos off my new camera. I have to work out how to get photos onto my Ipad. I have to work out how to get photos off my Ipad and onto my blog. It could well end up being a boring blog! oh and I have to work out how to set the GPS on my new camera, get my eyebrows tinted and my nails done. And I must remember to pack knickers! Did I say I only have 48 hours? Where’s my Zen gone?? Come baaacccckkkkk…….

I hope I have perfected my “capsule” wardrobe. I am wearing long hiking trousers, a vest top and a hiking shirt with my hiking boots. In my rucksack I have 2 sari type skirts, 1 hiking 3/4 trousers, 2 other 3/4 trousers, 3 T shirts, 2 long sleeved white linen tops. I pair of socks, 1 bather, 3 scarves and my Tilley hat. 2 sandals. That’s it. Are you impressed? No Radley bags, just one Kipling bag. And knickers, as long as I remember to put them in. Oh and I’ve discovered linen creases. Like really badly creases. I will be washing my clothes by hand (imagine that? Like olden days!), so I have a secret weapon in that I’m taking 2 inflatable clothes hangers. Cool or what!

My first aid bag is bigger than my clothes bag. I have bought Boots out of anti diarrhoea tablets (thank you spell check!) and Doralyte. I have tablets to delay a certain scheduled event (3 tablets a day, every day). I have anti malaria tablets, (2 tablets once a week on the same day then another tablet every day). I have paracetamol. I have ibuprofen. I have tape. I have bite cream. I have plasters. I have tweezers. I have antihistamines. I currently have a runny nose and sore throat. I guess I need to go back to Boots tomorrow!

My toiletry bag is another matter. Shampoo, conditioner, mousse, hairbrush, Liz Earle cleanser moisturiser, razor and shower gel. No hand cream, serum, night cream, toner, hairspray, hair dryer, straighteners, exfoliator, body scrub, body lotion. Will I come back and not need these things anymore? I doubt it. A girl does have her standards and I’d hate to see Elemis go the same way as Woolworths. Just look at it as me doing my bit for the economy.

What am I looking forward to…..

the challenge

meeting new people learning new things

being out of my comfort zone 

shopping

canoeing

white water rafting

What am I not looking forward to…… 

the challenge

being out of my comfort zone 

getting lost

not having a clue how to set my watch, gps, or upload photos. 

Sleeping under a mosquito net

Climbing up onto an elephant

The journey to Chitwan

Day 1 Kathmandu, Central Region, Nepal July 22, 2013

The flights went smoothly and I managed to get my visa easily. I picked up my luggage but then realised I needed the baggage slip which was on my first boarding pass, somewhere deep in my rucksack as I didn’t think I’d need it again. Oops! I found my way out of the airport and looked for Devon who was meeting me. He was a few minutes late and in that time I had swarms of men surrounding me all claiming to be a friend of his. Obviously they all wanted paying. I had not changed any money and wasn’t going to hand over a £20 note. They weren’t happy and I felt quite intimidated. Devon soon arrived and rescued me. The traffic in Kathmandu is like nothing I’ve seen on earth. I don’t know how I’m going to cross a road. The roads are full of potholes and rubble and there are no lanes, just swarms of motorbikes weaving in and out, buses, cars etc, all blowing horns constantly. Terrifying. We got to the house and Devon showed me to my room. I’ve got a very basic but clean single room with a shared bathroom and a little balcony. He took me to the communal area where I met Salve, who is in charge. She is lovely and gave me a big hug. That of course made me cry. I’m so hot and tired, having travelled overnight for 16 hours. I also met Sanju, who will do my orientation tomorrow and Wednesday. I’ve got to sort out changing money and buying an adaptor and getting food tonight when all I want to do is roll up and sleep. I know things will get better but it’s really hard now. I miss Lyn and the kids, and am wondering why we are not doing our usual road trip in America right now. Who’s bloody idea was this?

Eventually I went out about 7.30 pm with Salve, Sanju and Steve. We walked into the tourist area of Thamel which is about 20 minutes away. The rain had been 8lashing down but it stopped just as we left, luckily. The walk in was chaotic with traffic, but I guess that is normal so I just have to get used to it. Wish I had a better sense of direction though. Ate at a coffee shop, where I had Thai fried rice. Didn’t eat a lot, as I am so tired I can’t even begin to work out how long I have been awake. The meal cost me the equivalent of £2.39 and that included a diet coke.

I did a bit of handwashing and unpacked. Found 4 letters in my bag from my family. 

Despite being desperately tired I couldn’t sleep at all. The rain was torrential, my mind was too active and there were too many strange noises. I eventually looked at the clock for the last time at 4am, then was awake at 7.30. Guess it’s going to take a while for my body to adjust to the time being ahead. Orientation tomorrow and some sightseeing with Sanju. It’s going to take me longer than I thought to settle into this, but the others I’ve met tell me this is really normal. I really hope so

Day 2

Kathmandu, Central Region, Nepal Jul 23, 2013

Sanju took me out sightseeing. We braved the usual chaotic traffic and took a taxi to the stupa of Swayamhunath, one of Nepal’s most sacred Buddhist shrines. It is also known as Monkey Temple, you can guess why! It is absolutely amazing ­ a mish mash of prayer wheels, Buddha statue, prayer flags, Tibetan chapels and monkeys/ It’s surrounded by the obligatory stalls sending tourist stuff. It’s also really high up, up 300 steps. Not just 300 steps, 300 bloody steep steps in 29 degrees of humid heat!

The all seeing eyes of the stupa look out over the whole of Kathmandu Valley, ­an amazing sight. I loved it there, once I’d got up the steps. It was fascinating to see how the Hindu and Buddhist religions co exist so harmoniously side by side. The all seeing eyes have a red Hindu tikka mark as well. There is something very special about circumambulating the stupa (always clockwise) and spinning the prayer wheels as you go (also always clockwise). Spinning creates more energy for your prayers. It was incredibly peaceful there. It’s a busy tourist spot but I didn’t see many tourists like me, they all seemed like pilgrims saying prayers, spinning wheels, ringing bells, lighting candles, blessing statues etc. It’s amazing to see how religion is such a natural part of everyday life here.

From Sway we had another taxi to Durbar Square, which is the medieval part of the city where the Kings were once crowned and ruled from. It is the traditional heart of the old town. The highlight here was seeing the Kumari or Living Goddess. 

We went into the Kumari’s square and were allowed to look up at three windows and hope she would appear and wave to us. There were people there sitting, waiting, watching and taking photos of the building. After a few minutes a man appeared and told us that there were to be no photos taken of her, how we were to greet her (bow and namaste) and how we could give a donation for her education.

She did come to the window and stood there for a few minutes, like a beautiful bird in a gilded cage. We namasted her and then clapped. She gazed at the crowd and somehow managed to lock eyes with her for a while. It was surreal ­ a beautiful young girl so heavily made up and presented like a beautiful ornament not to be touched. Although she stood there dutifully I could sense she was bounding with energy and wondered what she would do if she had free choice, would she stick out her tongue etc??

It’s such a contradiction ­ she has a pampered revered life yet has no freedom at all. In fact the Kumari went on strike in 2005 for a 10 per cent cut of the gate takings for her guardians. She simply refused to appear and wave.

She will live this life until she starts her periods. She is then considered unclean and reverts back to being a mere mortal. It can be hard to find someone willing to marry you. In the meantime, whilst she is Kumari she will remain in that room until she comes out for the main festival, in a chariot as her feet must not touch the ground.

When the search for a new Kumari happens they will decide following strict criteria. Girls must be aged between 4 and puberty and follow strict physical requirements, such as shape of teeth, colour of eyes, the sound of her voice etc. Her horoscope must also be appropriate. These girls are then gathered together in a dark room where terrifying noises are made while men in horrific masks dance by and 108 slaughtered water buffalo heads lay on the floor.

Whoever remains calm must be the incarnation of Durga so she is made the new Kumari after she has identified clothes and possessions of her predecessor, much like the test for the Dalai Lama.

I am so glad I got to see her; I have been fascinated by the Kumar for ages and would have been devastated to have gone home without seeing her.

After leaving Kumari Square I blessed a statue that will take away all my fears and one of Ganesh that will give me wisdom (both needed!), then we had to take shelter under one of the open wooden temples as the Monsoon rain made its daily appearance. There were crowds of Nepali and I huddled there with not many of us being aware of personal space! We waited ages for it to stop but then had to brave it. Cue Miss Wet White Linen Shirt 2013! Imagine the look; no make up, sopping hair and up to my ankles in the sudden lakes that appear instead of puddles, all the while dodging pedestrians, cycles, rickshaws, buses, taxis and motorbikes. It’s not unusual to see an elderly lady in a beautiful sari sitting side saddle as a passenger weaving her way through.

The streets are a mixture of vendors selling fruit and veg off the floor to open shop fronts selling saris, pashminas, spices etc etc.It’s absolutely bustling with the smell of spices and incense everywhere and the ever present honking and tooting. Unforgettable.

Sanju and I walked back to Thamel, the tourist part, with me desperately trying to take note of physical locations as directional aides. I wanted to go back out shopping but KTM had another power cut as we got back to the house. Back to my room to do my Nepali homework for tomorrow and wash my mud splattered trousers. Last full day here tomorrow, off to placement Thursday, Yikes!

I really enjoyed the induction classes and thought you might like sharing a few of the facts I found interesting?

I was most interested in learning about the caste system which is so prevalent here. It dominates everything, from your friends, where you work, what you work as and who you marry. You are born into a caste and tend not to marry out of it. My teacher is 28 and has had a boyfriend for 6 years. Her parents will not give them permission to marry as he is of lower caste and is also “grungy” (her words!)

Nepalese never have sex before marriage and tend to marry for life. When married the woman then becomes the property of her husband’s family. She lives with them and often works as well as doing everything else whilst his mother does nothing. She would also have to do all this if unwell. If she has sisters ­in law then they may help. In rural areas you tend to remain in the same caste you are born into, although this is starting to change now in KTM.

My teacher is Newari caste, the third highest caste and indigenous to KTM valley. They have their own language and their social system is complex with many sub castes.

We also talked about the Sherpas, who share one wife out between all the brothers, the Magars who tend to marry cousins, (but if they don’t want to they just offer a bottle of wine and some coins and do not have to) and the Gurung who take a wife by either having an arranged marriage, or through a singing competition where groups of boys and girls battle it out to see who can sing the longest. The leader of the winning group chooses from the other group. If the girl wins, the boy has to leave his family and become part of hers! They also sometimes kidnap brides! If they see someone they like in a market they seize her and if they can keep her captive for 4 days then she is their wife. If she manages to run away then no one else will marry her as she is considered already married.

I have decided I am not going to go to Chitwan and see the elephants, I am going to stay a couple of days here and soak it all in! I have totally fallen in love with Boudhanath; ­ Little Tibet, with sights, sounds and smells I will never forget! 

Day 3

Remember me?? The girl who got here 2 days ago, cried and said what the fuck have I done?? Well high five me please because I am proud of me! Walking back through Thamel with Sanju, carefully taking note of directions I spotted an internet cafe. I (bravely) told Sanju that I would see him back at the house. Being the sweetheart he is, he told me to phone him if I was lost.

So, not only did I go into an internet cafe for the first time ever, I negotiated a card reader AND uploaded photos to the blog, 1 hour and a pound later I came out. It was dark and raining!

I decided to shop! I found my way back to the Khukuri House, (gurkha swords) and haggled over buying 3 of them for Io, Ci and Kris. Obviously I have no way of knowing if I have had a good deal, but I was pleased with it.

I then went to a bag shop and bought a bag for my Tegz, haggling again. Haggling is a fact of life in Nepal, you are expected to do it. I hate it! Just tell me a fair price and I’ll pay it. I was walking down the stairs and out of the shop without the bag when he ran down the stairs after me to tell me I could have it at my price!

A quick call into the supermarket for water and chocolate for my dinner! It is quite a famous Westernised supermarket. They even sell After Eights and Toblerone!

Then, I had to find my way back through the maze of Thamel streets. Couple of small problems! It was raining hard, and I had no coat or umbrella. Thick mud and sandals are not a good mix. The usual chaotic traffic. I’m all alone. It’s pitch black and I’m dressed all in black and there is another power cut! About 25 hairy minutes later I was back, feeling 10 foot tall.

Go me!

Bujhnu bhayo?

Kathmandu, Central Region, Nepal Jul 24, 2013

Swagatum. Tapailai kosto chha? Mero naam Lucy ho. Ma Wales bata ho.mma paitalish barsa ho. Malai thik chha. Ma bibahit ho, mero shreeman ho. Usko naam Lyn ho. Uni aglo chha. Mero tin jana chora chori chha. Mero ek jaba bhai ho. U wales ma chha ra u 37 barsa ho. Usko naam Kris ho. Mero ek jana bahini ho. Uniko naam Zoe ho. Uni Wales ma chha.

Bujhnu vayo?? Ke bhayo? Guhaar,Guhaar, Malai thakaai laagyo. Sutne belaa bhayo. Subha ratri.

Homework, still to be marked tomorrow. Fingers crossed!

Day 4

I’m laying on my bed, on top of my sleeping bag, listening to the rain. I go to my placement tomorrow so I’m a bit apprehensive. More new people and a new place to get used to again. I am the oldest volunteer here but everyone has been so nice. I think they are so wise in travelling when young. It’s much harder when you are old. They seem to have a confidence and nonchalance that is fantastic. I love listening to their travelling stories.

I left the office at 11.30 and Sanju took me by taxi to the monastery. He introduced me to the office monk, Smith, (yes, Smith!) and showed me to my room. Smith is fab; he has excellent English and is a real wicked character, aged about 19. My room was a revelation. I was to share it with Lola, and Lola’s possessions are spread out all, and I mean all over the floor. Bear in mind she is 19 and the room consists of 2 hard beds only, no drawers, cupboards, shelves etc.

Sanju left me and Eddie, the Australian 20 year old volunteer called me into his room next door for a chat. After 2 minutes chatting Smith came to find me to introduce me to Pema. Sanju had told me about an orphanage about 15 minutes from the monastery and asked if I’d like to volunteer there as well. I said yes, so Pema came to meet me to walk over to show me where it was. He took me the long road way as it was raining. We got to the house and went up to the first floor flat where I met Mingma his wife who is a doll. She trained as a social worker and wanted to open an orphanage. They have 7 children living there aged between 3 and 10, who sleep on 3 bare mattresses in one of the 4 rooms. They also have a 10 month old baby of their own who was sleeping on one of the mattresses.

The room is bare other than a corner shelving unit with some children’s clothes. They have no toys. 5 of the children were in school, but 2 were at home ill.

The children were sitting quietly cross legged on the floor, looking at me quietly. They were very shy. I spoke at length to Pema (man Pema) and Mingma first to get the children used to me. I practised my Nepalese on them! Luckily their English is very good. Soon we were chatting like old friends. They were very interested in the differences in our cultures, my family etc. I began playing with the children’s games such as Round and Round the Garden , This Little Piggy etc. They loved it.

I was there for about 2 hours. It is very important for the Nepalese to be hospitable. They brought me a cup of black tea. I hate tea! I drank half the cup but couldn’t drink more. Mingma wanted to cook for me but I said I had to go back to the monastery. I arranged to go back at 5pm when the other kids would be home and Pema walked me back the shortcut way, which was very muddy across fields in the pouring rain.

When I got back to the monastery I met Lola, my roomie. Aged 19 with bright red dyed hair and a typical teenage bedroom; a mess! I can’t believe how much stuff she brought with her compared to me…..hairdryer, straighteners, dressing gown… Luckily she’s lovely and we bonded well. She said she was relieved I was nice!

I left Lola to walk down to the supermarket about 10 minutes away. I wanted to get some stuff for the orphanage, so stocked up on felt pens, exercise books, pencils, crayons, sweets etc. I also bought some diet coke and chocolate for Eddie and Lola.

The walk to and from the monastery is lovely. Everybody smiles and namastes you. The children coming out of school all want to walk with you and try out their English and pose for photos. It is so lovely.

I went back to the orphanage with my gifts and took the short cut, getting hopelessly lost! I eventually found it and went in. It didn’t take long to meet all the children, and Pema, Mingma’s sister who is 17 and a real sweetheart. We all chatted about anything and everything and I showed them my photos of home on the Ipad. We had surreal discussions about explaining lighthouses, tides, beaches etc as they have never seen the sea. They have also never heard of Las Vegas.

I soon had the children doing action rhymes and singing. They are gorgeous, so quiet, shy and well behaved. I had food with the family, noodles and egg and went back to the monastery before it got dark. Lola and I sat on our beds chatting, then Eddie came in. We chatted for about 3 hours, covering everything from ethics, 9/11, relationships, meditation and Korea.It was fab to hear all about their travelling experiences.

Day 5

After another crap night’s sleep it was time to teach my monks.

I had gone to bed at 11.15, only to be still awake at 4.15am, knowing that the gong would be sounding at 5 am. Not good! I must have slept for about 30 minutes as the gong woke me with a jump and then continued for 30 minutes. Lauren went out at 6.15am, then I slept right through breakfast at 7am waking at 8.20. First class at 8.30! Oops, no chance for cold shower!

The monks are so not what you expect monks to be like. Cast aside images of passive, peaceful monks. These are buggers in crocs! They are ninjaing all over the classroom and swinging in and out the windows. The only time they settle is when they get engrossed in something. They are so naturally curious and full of questions. One monk thought my name was Lipstick, so that has stuck with him now. I teased another one about Tegz as they are the same age. I asked if he thought she was r”amro” as he kept wanting to see her photo. He blushed, giggled and hid his face!

We had lunch then, daal bhat and rice with spinach. The monks serve it in acanteen, my 5th daal bhat in 5 days. Eddie and I went down to the internet cafe then before our next class. I wore my flip flops……big mistake in this heat, especially as it’s uphill coming back up. I now have a cracking blister in between m y big toe on one foot and rubbed raw on the other.

No one turned up for our third lesson. A lot of the monks are ill. They continued to crowd around me looking at my photos.

I had planned to go  back into KTM then for the weekend as there is no teaching. I packed my little rucksack and headed down to Bodhnath. I hadn’t done this journey before, so I wasn’t 100% sure of the way, so I asked two Nepali boys the way and they asked me to walk with them as they were going there, it was so kind of them.

Once I was back at my stupa I was soon caught up in my favourite place and had done 3 koras before I knew it. I had to catch a taxi by myself for the first time back to Thamel. The driver wanted 650 rupees off me, but I told him I had been here for ages and would only pay 250!

I wandered back through Thamel, stopping off for a well earned pizza and coke in a shady hotel garden where I chilled reading my Kindle. I bought some more pressies for home and got back to the guest house. It felt like coming home; I had such a great welcome. Sanju was laughing about how far I had come. I had a nice hot shower which I desperately needed, and did some hand washing. I chilled out then surfing and reading, before actually SLEEPING most of the night!

Day 6

I’ve been trying to work out why I’ve been having a few internal wobbles about this coming week. Laying here I’ve been trying to rationalise it out. I think it may be because I’m not going to be in the Quest House, where I feel safe and there are always interesting people to talk to. In the monastery life will be far more spartan and a bit more isolated. The teaching there looks to be a bit haphazard; nobody checks up on you and you are left to your own devices. Teaching finishes at 2pm, the rest of the day could drag, with no comforts. The day starts at 5am with that gong. There is no hot water.

I’ve had to mentally turn things around in my head. There’s no point in me stressing about teaching. The aim is for me to help the monks learn English. I’m doing that every time I chat with them. They don’t want to be sat down behind a desk. They get bored and misbehave, but I’ve seen that they love songs and games and respond really well. I’m going to go with the flow and hopefully we’ll all have fun instead of a battle. I wanted to come to a monastery to experience that type of life……guess what, that involves a 5am gong and cold water. I need to embrace it, not fight it! These will both be part of my stories for the rest of my life.

 I (maybe stupidly) asked one older monk if he ever wanted to travel…….his answer was that he doesn’t allow himself to think about it. They will have viewpoints and ideas that will be fascinating. I can get my days into a routine….up, breakfast, lesson, break, chatting with monks, lesson, lunch, lesson, stroll to the internet cafe for a blog update and a cold drink, chatting to all the local kids on the way down and back, then onto the orphanage, where I can play with those beautiful kids and learn so much about Sherpa culture from Pema, Mingma and little Pema. Then, if I can’t sleep I can always read my kindle. I’m also going to get up at 5am when the gong goes on Tuesday ( hopefully I’ll be in a room of my own then), and I’m going to go to Puja with the monks. I don’t know if I can sit there for 60 minutes cross legged, but I can give it a go.

I’m also going to try and learn as much as I can about Tibetan Buddhism. My fascination with it was why I wanted to come here. I’m going to try to learn to meditate too; it’s a big part of Tibetan Buddhism and I think I need it. The fact that I’m writing this now is because I can’t switch my brain off!

I feel a bit easier now I have rationalised it all out.

I also feel really uneasy about the beggars I’ve encountered here. We are taught not to give them anything as it promotes the begging culture, and kids especially use the money to sniff glue. To be fair I have only had a few come up to me, a few old ladies, one with a baby and about 3 kids. I’ve been taught to ignore them, but I just feel lousy about it, especially when I’ve read that 75% of Nepali live on under 60p a day.

I need to learn names! I’ve asked all the monks their names, but with no real hope of learning them. They are all Tibetan names which are really hard. I have to find a system…..your name is part of your identity and so important

I can’t believe I actually slept last night, bliss! Had a lazy start to the day doing some more hand washing before heading into Thamel. I didn’t even bother to shower as I knew it would be so hot out. I am getting so grungy!

I went straight to my favourite internet cafe and spent an hour and 68p updating my blogs. I was boiling and needed a drink, so I went back to the shady courtyard of the Hotel Mandala to have a coke. I like it there. It’s right on the craziness of Thamel, but is so green it seems like another world, especially with the chill out music playing.

My plan was to get a taxi to Durbar Square as I wanted to see the Kumari again. I haggled with a taxi driver and would only pay 250 rupees. He kept saying, “long way, long way” and I kept saying “no, no!”. Much to my surprise he took me to the Durbar Square in Patan, about 8kms out. Ooops! I had no idea where I was, or what was there. That is the drawback of having books on a kindle, I didn’t have my Ipad with me so had no guide book. I just wandered around, found the Kumari courtyard there, sat down but didn’t see the Kumari. I don’t even know if this one appears. I took a few photos around and then haggled for a taxi back for the same price. We passed some sort of Hindu festival on the way out, with what looked like a huge float and lots of people singing and dancing. No idea what it was but it looked fun.

I can’t walk through Thamel without spending! A couple more souvenirs and then I stopped for lunch at the Northfield Cafe, another great space, full of greenery and chill out music. I ordered a mocktail, no alcohol when I’m on my own, a plate of fries and vegetable tempura. The chips weren’t that nice so I ended up only eating one or two, and left half the tempura. That meal, with the mocktail and a diet coke cost me under 3 pounds.

It’s 5pm now and I’m back in the Quest office.I’ve sorted my stuff out as I’m leaving my big rucksack here with most of my stuff in it. This means I have to live out of my little rucksack for 9 days! Should be interesting!

Ok so on one talks about it, but you know sometimes you get  that…….ummmm…..urgent toilet urge? Well now imagine you have that urge and you have a shared bathroom. And no water. What do you do? Pop two imodiums and hope for the best.

2 hours later I’m sitting in my usual internet cafe when the rumble strikes again. I quickly retrieve my photo card, log out of all my open pages, pay the guy and take a run to my usual hotel where I’lI stop for a drink in the garden area. Luckily they now recognise me and look after my rucksack as I make a sprint worthy of Usain Bolt.

Result! Clean western toilet, toilet paper and water.

Day 7

I woke up in the Quest house after another really bad night.  No water again, so I left earlyish without being able to shower for the second day! Had a breakfast of toast in Thamel and walked down to the Garden of Dreams just outside Thamel. Spent a lovely hour there taking photos and surfing the web. It’s a really peaceful oasis against the chaos of KTM.

I got a taxi to Boudha,chatting to the taxi driver all the way. I then called at the Hotel Tibet International where I plan to spend the last 3 nights. It has air conditioning and baths….can you believe it!!

I walked to the stupa and tried my first veg momos…delish. Tibetan dumplings, like a cross between little pasties and spring rolls.

I then tried to walk to the monastery but went the wrong way and got lost, but got there in the end.

I have ended today in a far different frame of mind to what I started it,