Arrival in Kathmandu

My European boyfriend Tad and myself

The arrival in Kathmandu was nearly as stressful as the departure from Delhi. We had to apply for and purchase tourist visas upon arrival, and we found out that you have to pay in cash, AND there is no ATM. What? This just seems strange to me. Nihal ended up lending Tad and I the money, and as soon we reached the ATM after the visa application stand, we paid him back. At this point, I was exhausted, sick, and just about done with all of the disorganization and unexpected obstacles. A bus was there to pick us up as well as some of the students that we will be working with later. 

Historic part of Kathmandu

By the time we actually made it to the bus, I was exhausted, frustrated, congested, and ready to be done with anything involving the Cap Asia itinerary. Our hotel is in a very touristy part of Kathmandu. It’s nearly all foreigners in this area and it has things like Irish pubs and American song cover bands. It was pretty much just what I needed after a day of travel hell. Tad and I ate dinner at the hotel, everyone had a few drinks, and then we sat down to a meeting with Nihal to sort out all of the day’s miscommunications and figure out how to distribute information more effectively in the future. There was also talk of Chharanagar; an experience that feels strangely like it took place months ago. The meeting went exceptionally well despite all of the day’s frustrations from every angle of the issue. The consensus attributed this to the beverages that were consumed prior to the discussion.

Prayer flags

After the meeting, most of us went out in pursuit of more beer, and I wound up with an exceptionally strong hot tottie for my cold at an Irish pub with an American cover band that played songs by bands such as Credence Clearwater Revival and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Yes, please. After we finished our drinks, we went to a rooftop bar that smelled entirely of beer and marijuana…keep in mind that I’m smelling this through a ridiculously stuffy nose. We got beers, stayed for a bit, then left at midnight when the bar closed, and police actually storm the place to get everyone out. Midnight, police? I guess this is how Nepal nightlife works. I was glad to head back though and finally get some rest, though the evening out had definitely helped me to unwind myself from all of my vicious frustrations and bitterness I had collected throughout the day.

Buddhist site in Kathmandu

The following day we spent as tourists, visiting many of the major historical and cultural sites within Kathmandu. I know very little about all the sites we saw, though it was certainly enjoyable to get to see the city a bit. I came to realize that my hopes for cleaner air were definitely not going to come true, and that people actually wear masks here because the air is so polluted in the valley. We got back around 8, and had a similar night as the one before, though Tad and I went out on our own, independent of the group. We got back relatively early, and I packed and went to sleep, preparing for our travel the next day.