Nepal. 17 April

I was out the door with my driver by 9. We were scheduled to go to 4 sites in KTM which should have taken most of the day. Our first stop was the largest Bhuddist stupa in KTM. It was quite a drive across town, and Thamel looks like luxury living compared to the rest of KTM.

There was an entrance fee to the stupa--only foreigners have to pay. It was big. That was about it. My driver didn't have much to say about it either. We moved on to a Hindu temple. Again at entrance fee. A guide explained about Hindu customs. We saw several bodies being cremated. We saw the temple--you are not allowed in unless born a Hindu though. We met a famous guy (I forget the word for them), but they are old men who paint their faces, don't cut their hair, and eat/drink only milk. Apparently most are crackpots, but this guy is respected. He lives part time in Palo Alto. On the way out I of course had to pay the guide. I wasn't really given any indications, so I have him 500 R. He then asked for 1000, and I said no. I later found out I only should have given him 200.

Then we went to another place that is actually a walled city from the 16th century. It had many different temples of different faiths. It was actually pretty interesting but the most expensive 750 R, plus 200 for the guide. The Guide also kept urging me to buy because this is where the goods were made and much cheaper. Maybe so, but I was done shopping. He even lead me to a studio where they paint mandala's. The main guy spent time going over the 4 main types, and the qualities and meanings. They were quite amazing. But even with the hard sell--I wasn't buying. They were in fact reasonable (very nice large ones US $200) considering the amount of work put in, but I was not interested.

After that, we had one more place to go. It was hot and I was tired, so I played that up and asked the guy to take me back. Really, I was just out of money. After being prepared for the US $21 for the driver who I thought was also my guide--I was not told ahead about the entrance fees and guides. Considering I'd had dinner and a 22 oz beer for about US $5--I thought I had enough cash to last the rest of the trip. Now I had to go find an ATM again.

I went back and took a nap. I checked email and then got some cash. I'd decided that eating, drinking and the net were cheap--so that's what I have planned for the rest of my stay in KTM. I found a coffee place with a good name (Hima Latte) in the corner of Thamel that I liked. So I had coffee, read a few chapters, and people watched.

After tat I walked around a bit looking for a restaurant. I found another music store. The guy was like a used car salesman, but he did have good prices on tabla--I may go back there. I decided I had a craving for Mexican despite their tequila selection. No surprise, it wasn't very good.

Shortly after I arrived the power went out in Thamel. Mostly, the stereo was still on. They brought candles. Not much later it started raining and then hailing, as big as marbles. It had all stopped and the power was back on before I left. But on the way home it all started again. I hung out under an eve until the worst of it passed.

I got to the hotel and packed. Then I watched Legally Blonde before going to bed.