Katmandu, Nepal: I find a nice cheap small hotel, and-- right down the street-- a Chinese restaurant.
I eat a great meal (Isn’t Chinese food always good?) and finish it off with a snort of rum! (Happy birthday to me!)
Morning: the birds rouse with gusto—crows “Aagh” at each other and lesser fowl twitter in chorus. I like it a lot better than an alarm clock!
Katmandu is high, cool and dry. The air feels fresh and clean for a change—very different from sweltering India! I stroll out to watch the antique town awaken. Old brick and wood buildings overhang the narrow dirt streets. Every wood surface is fancifully and intricately carved.
And everything looks centuries old.
Ancient women are sweeping the streets. Girls, teenagers I suppose, very tiny in stature and neatly wrapped in orange saris, glide by in pairs. Porters trot by carrying towering back loads of firewood or cleverly balanced baskets of fresh produce. There is no motor traffic at all. On every corner is a temple and everyone stops to ring one of the temple bells or visit their altars. Fragrant incense perfumes the morning air. The whole town seems neat, clean and healthy.
I really like this place!
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