is a dusty and smoggy capital city. Streets are lined with old brick buildings and there is at least a temple or buddhist stupa or some kind of statue of a Hindu god every other corner. Driving down any road you will run into some random cows strolling/wating/lying down in the middle of the road. Cars swerve to avoid them and the millions of potholes. Needless to say, riding in any kind of vehicle is butt bruising. There are no laws, hardly any traffic lights. The horn is heavily used, you get honked at even if you are not really in the way.
Terrorism, maoist rebels and SARS have reduced the amount of visitors here. I am staying in the tourist area, Thamel, where the streets are lined with shops. From the minute i step out of my hotel, all i hear is 'Madame, how are you?......You like? i give you good price...'. I also constantly get looks and questions about where i am from. If i tell them i am from the US, they will say, 'but you look Tibeten!' If i say I am from Hong Kong, they say, 'Óh, SARS!'
People are really nice here. Although I did give up on talking to anyone while looking at temples, especially after meeting this Nepali guy who offered to show me some temples (supposedly he didn't want money) starting telling me about travelers that have become his friends and what i gathered as his sugar-mama. He then subtly asked if i needed ''company'', and some 'jumping, pumping and humping'. I couldn't believe what he was proposing and laughed! I said no thank you and he said he wanted money for the hour that he showed me around, i reluctantly paid him and walked away. I seems quite funny now but I was quite annoyed and felt a bit uncomfortable. Now I know what they think of us seeming lonely solo female travelers.
How will a trip to Nepal be complete without getting a close look at the mountains? Since i couldn't see them too well on my hike, I went and took a mountain flight, on a small plane designed for high-altitude flying, went up to 25,000ft, got as close to the Himalyans as possible and caught a glimpse of Everest, standing at over 28,000ft. It was a wonderful sight, the mountains were simply...majestic! Can't wait to come back for a trek up there (well, it will be to the bottom of these mountains)!
Well, tomorrow I will head to London, for a final week or two on my round the world ticket.