climatizing

contrary to my parents’ reports based on their trip in kathmandu 20 years ago, the city is everything but tranquil… my first steps into it, in the day i arrived, suggested that i was more tired, nervous and unfrendly then i imagined. i tried to find my way through the packed streets embedded with touristic shops selling clothes, local handicraft and travellers’ stuff, and tried to avoid the local way of making friends, which was always meant to end with me giving them money this way or another. the up side was that i could find a second hand “nepal” lonley plant guide and retreat to my nice guest house to rearrange my wounded troops for a more succssesful attack in the day after (knowing where you’re going is alway a good start).

a good sleep made things look different. the streets were still crowdy, mostly with locals since it’s off season, but there are many buddhist and hindu temples around, beautiful and intersting local scenes, and of couse – this forein atmosphere that slowly gets into your blood. i took a long day-walk, and then after refreshing myself had a good dinner of dal bhaat (the nepali version for the indian tali) and beer at a popular local place. the night ended pleasantly back at the guest house, with guitar playing, beer, and some talk with fellow travellers, which i needed very much after two days of solitude travelling.

anyway, after a good nepali breakfast (fruit salad of banana, apple, mango & papaya; lassi; hot vegetable dish; puri – deep fried bread; and a pot of coffe) i feel i can move further to the monastery. for a promo you can check www.kopan-monastery.com.