Kathmandu
Oh, to live in a city surrounded by mountains. It's been cloudy most of time I've been here, but the cloudiness has made for the most gorgeous views. My work week is done, and I'm celebrating by writing a blog post, drinking a can of Everest beer from the mini bar, and probably ordering room service. I think I've finally beaten jet lag, but I have no desire to go out tonight - I'd rather follow my typical Friday night pattern, except this time it will include writing up my first trip report.
So, back to those clouds and mountains - this picture is from the rooftop terrace where breakfast is served (including a view of Boudha):
This is from the rooftop of the office building where lunch is served:
This was a great work trip - progress made on long outstanding issues, new relationships built, etc. - but i'm sure you'd rather hear about the touristy part. On Wednesday afternoon one of the office drivers took me and a colleague to Bhaktapur. I have to confess, I've had a lot of trouble understanding people's accents this week, and without knowing what a word looks like, it's nearly impossible for me to figure out a place someone is telling me I should go or where they're taking me, so I couldn't have told you where we were headed, except for that it was 'old'. But my good friend Kenda had said Bhaktapur was a must visit, and once I got there, I realized this was the place. While it is a marvel, I have to say I did not enjoy my experience as much as I should have. A 'guide' appeared as soon as we arrived and took us on a rushed tour where he tried to draw my attention to him and his repetitive, limited descriptions of what we were looking at, rather than the amazing temples, peacock windows, and tiny shops along the narrow streets. And then he yelled angrily at my colleague when she refused to pay him very much for a tour we hadn't asked for. I would have much preferred to wander on my own, but at least I got to see it, right?
After that, I took a nap at the hotel and then headed down the street to Boudha, the huge Buddhist temple you can see from the rooftop of my hotel. I walked around it in a circle with monks and other tourists, and then settled in for a 2nd floor meal of pizza & beer at Roadside Cafe, overlooking the temple. It was SO dark when I finished dinner that I was extra grateful for my good sense of direction, and that dark streets aren't unsafe streets in Kathmandu.
Thursday night was the feast. Kenda had also recommended that I go to Dwarika's Hotel for a traditional Nepali meal. I made a reservation for a 12-course indulgence, and it was worth every penny. The nice British women who sat next to me even offered me a glass of champagne from the bottle they had ordered. Check out the pictures and descriptions of the food in this album, starting with picture #32. I'm surprised I was able to eat any breakfast this morning.
Today my colleagues took me to Thamel for lunch. It's the part of Kathmandu where all the trekkers hang out, and was the nicest part of the city I've seen so far. We went to Garden of Joy, where we ate more momos, chicken lollipop (which is essentially chicken wings with the bone wrapped in tin foil so your fingers don't get dirty), and a cheesy-soup type thing that is served over rice. It was so nice to spend time with them out of the office, and I really felt welcome. More than one of them mentioned throughout the week that they wished I was staying through the weekend so they could show me around the city more.
Tomorrow I plan to head to Patan Durbar Square and do some shopping before I catch my 4:40 flight to Delhi. The adventure continues!
Postscript: check out what Boudha looks like from the sky.
So, back to those clouds and mountains - this picture is from the rooftop terrace where breakfast is served (including a view of Boudha):
This is from the rooftop of the office building where lunch is served:
This was a great work trip - progress made on long outstanding issues, new relationships built, etc. - but i'm sure you'd rather hear about the touristy part. On Wednesday afternoon one of the office drivers took me and a colleague to Bhaktapur. I have to confess, I've had a lot of trouble understanding people's accents this week, and without knowing what a word looks like, it's nearly impossible for me to figure out a place someone is telling me I should go or where they're taking me, so I couldn't have told you where we were headed, except for that it was 'old'. But my good friend Kenda had said Bhaktapur was a must visit, and once I got there, I realized this was the place. While it is a marvel, I have to say I did not enjoy my experience as much as I should have. A 'guide' appeared as soon as we arrived and took us on a rushed tour where he tried to draw my attention to him and his repetitive, limited descriptions of what we were looking at, rather than the amazing temples, peacock windows, and tiny shops along the narrow streets. And then he yelled angrily at my colleague when she refused to pay him very much for a tour we hadn't asked for. I would have much preferred to wander on my own, but at least I got to see it, right?
After that, I took a nap at the hotel and then headed down the street to Boudha, the huge Buddhist temple you can see from the rooftop of my hotel. I walked around it in a circle with monks and other tourists, and then settled in for a 2nd floor meal of pizza & beer at Roadside Cafe, overlooking the temple. It was SO dark when I finished dinner that I was extra grateful for my good sense of direction, and that dark streets aren't unsafe streets in Kathmandu.
Thursday night was the feast. Kenda had also recommended that I go to Dwarika's Hotel for a traditional Nepali meal. I made a reservation for a 12-course indulgence, and it was worth every penny. The nice British women who sat next to me even offered me a glass of champagne from the bottle they had ordered. Check out the pictures and descriptions of the food in this album, starting with picture #32. I'm surprised I was able to eat any breakfast this morning.
Today my colleagues took me to Thamel for lunch. It's the part of Kathmandu where all the trekkers hang out, and was the nicest part of the city I've seen so far. We went to Garden of Joy, where we ate more momos, chicken lollipop (which is essentially chicken wings with the bone wrapped in tin foil so your fingers don't get dirty), and a cheesy-soup type thing that is served over rice. It was so nice to spend time with them out of the office, and I really felt welcome. More than one of them mentioned throughout the week that they wished I was staying through the weekend so they could show me around the city more.
Tomorrow I plan to head to Patan Durbar Square and do some shopping before I catch my 4:40 flight to Delhi. The adventure continues!
Postscript: check out what Boudha looks like from the sky.
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