I'm quite tired at the moment, so this update may turn out to be a little lackluster. I could write at another date and time, but free dates and time are kind of hard to come by lately. The childrens final exams are coming up next week, so my days are quite busy. Also, I only have about 2 weeks left at the school, so most of my free time is spent with fellow teachers or school staff "getting to know" them. I only put getting to know in paranthesis because after talking about basic family information, conversations usually become a bit drab due to the language barrier. Although I must say, my Nepali is improving quite well. After getting down some basics of the language, holding simple conversation isn't too difficult.
I just got back today from Bhaktapur, a city about 30 minutes west of Kathmandu and the third largest in the Kathmandu valley. I left Kathmandu on friday and stayed two nights. Quite a remarkable place. The architecture is said to be some of the most stunning and oldest in the country. I concur with Lonely Planet on that statement. Back in the 70's a Germany organization repaired and restored much of the city.
After my bus ride, which was cramped and uncomfortable as expected, I payed the hefty entrance fee to the city (750 Nepali Rupees, about US$10) and started looking for a place to stay. It had been raining persistently for the past few hours so my search for a good deal was half-hearted, only wanting to get out of my wet clothes and take a shower. However, I did manage to find a decent room with a hot shower for 250 rupees per night. Very satisfying.
It had been 2 weeks since my last shower and I was looking forward to hot water for days. The experience was, like every other rare occasion I've been able to shower, most enjoyable. In the past 2 months I have only gotten to take a hot shower on 6 different occasions. The rest of my washing has been done with a bucket of water. (Usually barely luke warm) I'm not trying to make anybody feel sorry for me. I'm only trying to give whoever is reading this an insight to the joy that can be experienced by not showering regularly. Give it a try.
After my shower I layed down for a bit then got dressed and went outside for a walk. Vehicles, by law, are not allowed inside the city. Many vehicles don't obey this law, but the noise is drastically reduced compared to Kathmandu. Like I said before the city is remarkable. If I had any ability to describe it in writing I would do it. Instead, just look at some of my pictures when I get around to posting them.
For dinner I went to a cafe overlooking Tachupal Tole, one of the main market areas in the city. It was around 7 at night, so most of the vendors had closed up shop and head home, but there was a great 5 piece band playing away on their drums and cymbals. Great music. Traditional newari music I believe.
The menu at the cafe had a good selection of Newari food. Since my arrival here in Nepal I've been hearing about how great Newari food is, but haven't gotten a chance to try it for myself. I ordered one of the set meals. Very spicey, and very good. Definitely a nice break from daalbhat.
The cafe was empty except for me and a canadian couple at the table next to me. I initiated a conversation with them asking about their food. I didn't care how their food tasted, I was just excited to have a real conversation in English. My co-workers at the school, and other people I've been spending time with can speak enough english to get by, but the conversations with them are always a bit difficult. I always have to think of replacement words for words that I want to use. A relaxed conversation is out of the question. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy the company of my Nepali friends, it's just nice to talk once in a while without worrying about simplifying my already limited vocabulary.
Turns out that the canadians are volunteers as well. We got into a good conversation about the current shortage of new volunteers coming to Nepal. Just in the past month, 10 volunteers have cancelled their commitments due to the current political instability in the country. People don't know that despite the current situation, daily life here in Nepal is quite normal and I never feel unsafe. There's of course no way to know this until you come here and experience it for yourself. Second hand info. isn't always the most trustworthy. Except when I'm second handing it down of course.
I need to go to a friend's for dinner now, so I'll finish talking about my trip to Bhaktapur later. I know, the suspense of awaiting the conclusion will be difficult to bear.
Thanks for reading.
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