All the things...

Kathmandu has everything...and I wanted to buy it all. Everything from colorful hippy clothes, to clever t-shirts, to beautiful jewelry (some of my favorite sold by Tibetan refugees), to wall hangings and ornate scarfs and pillow cases...it's all my favorite kind of shopping and the prices are very affordable!

Ok, so the neighborhood I stayed in, Thamel, was kinda tourist hell (or heaven, depending on your perspective), and it is one of the most polluted cities in the world I'm told... but I really really enjoyed my brief time there! I got mandi (Nepalese Henna), I treated myself and took a taxi to all the well known sights, had brunch in a fancy private garden cafe, and even tried a fresh mango daiquiri! 

The bus ride into town from Chitwan National park was hell on wheels. The roads were so washed out from monsoon rain and filled with potholes that it may have even been bumpier than the roads in Liberia! And we sat on the bus for a good 1.5 hrs at one point, without moving, when there was a problem up ahead.

I flew from Kathmandu to Delhi today and after a 24 hr layover here I will resume that flight to Goa tomorrow morning.

So, my belongings and I were searched and scanned no less than 4 times at KTM airport. There's a line to get into the airport, a line to check into your flight, a line to go through immigration, a line to go through security, and then my favorite was the line after the bus ride on the tarmac to have your hand baggage searched one more time as you entered the plane. Great news for me...anytime you're being patted down,  the women and men have separate lines (for once the women's line here is always 10x shorter)! I got to sit next to an 18 year old Nepali girl on her first flight - she was going to Chicago to visit her big sister ☺

Delhi... I didn't see anything, except the hostel, when I arrived here 2 weeks ago, but since I had the afternoon today I decided I should. I checked my big pack at the airport after being told that the "left luggage" counter was closed - which it wasn't.  And also being told that the city was shut down due to a big festival - which I then asked if he was referring to the Muslim holiday, Eid. There are most definitely Muslims in Delhi, but even if it was Eid it's not gonna shut down the majority Hindu capital city! So...it wasn't either. After a 1.5 hr fiasco claiming my bag, and my pack raincover having been snatched, and customs just waving me through,  I was off to explore the city!

I felt like an expert now...I mostly knew how to take the very cheap and nice metro into the city and though none of the AirIdia employees could believe I'd want to leave the airport,  I was on my way!  Two problems: it's stinking hot! and the government buildings and memorials are spread out, very much like in DC - except further. Needless to say, I lasted about 15 minutes before I hailed a Tuk Tuk and proceeded to hire him for the afternoon. The highlight, by far, was the Ghandi museum, memorial, and tomb!

After being dropped in a real deal Delhi market "the real India" the driver told me...I got lost...really lost. I managed to keep ahold of my bag, keep most of my wits about me, keep from getting any part of my anatomy run over, and make it back to the metro. I remembered the metro stop, bought the right token, and snagged a seat! Now I'm safe and sound at the hostel where this adventure began...for a few hours of shut eye (after some delicious butter chicken and naan)!

I've concluded that sometimes we wander to get lost, sometimes we wander just to wander, and sometimes we wander to try to find ourselves. Sometimes it's hard to tell the difference.

I hoped to upload pictures, but alas the cord is in my big pack - checked at the airport of course. Hopefully soon!