Dangit, why did I have to be a chick?!

Wait, I know the answer to that. If I was a guy I'd have to be gay. And then I'd get beat up all the time, cuz I'd only look at straight guys.

 

I have to remind  myself of these things sometimes, like when I'm  jealous of people who can stealthily pee standing up, or can go more places on their own without being culturally misunderstood or worse yet a target. It's a little frustrating for someone who's used to total independence, to have to consider something like a trekking partner before heading out into the great unknown. Normally when they say 'Don't go out alone', I give it a big Bah-humbug, because normally it's fine. But everything I've read here says 'Don't go alone, especially if you're a woman'. I found one rare site that actually encouraged people to trek on their own, but before I got too far down the page it said 'But if you're a woman don't go alone!' Dang!!! There's always the trekking guide option, but for one I don't really want to spend twice the price for the same trip, and even more than that I don't really want to go out by myself for a week or more with a local guy that I don't know. They seem nice enough & all, but maybe a little too nice, y'know?

 

So, I'm here in an internet place in the tourist area of Thamel, Kathmandu, searching every site I can for trekking-partners-wanted etc, but not getting very far. I think after this I'm going to plant myself in the most touristy cafe I can find in town and sip a tasty milk-tea while eyeing every traveller that comes in the door for prospective victims.

 

--------------------------------

 

Had a good last couple of days in Dublin, and realized as I said goodbye to my 2 favorite people there in the same day, and walked down the street back toward the hostel, that I was actually leaving the next morning and wouldn't be seeing them or the place for a long time.

 

The flights were great, & I think Qatar Airways is becoming one of my favorite airlines. The food is great, they have footrests (something that seems to have disappeared from many planes these days), and the interactive map even has a Mecca-pointer feature. Have you ever noticed that the napkins they give you on planes smell like pepper from being in those little packets?

 

One of my connections was in Doha (same as a few months ago). As we were just coming off of the Mediterranean over what I think was Lebanon or Syria, I looked out the window to find a sky full of movie-bright stars. They looked like LEDs set in a black-painted ceiling, so close and bright and totally unreal. The big dipper was framed in my window standing right up on its handle. I looked for a while at the city lights below before probably sinking into another snooze.

 

Good things I'm starting to remember about the Eastern world: Private rooms at even the most budget accommodations. Good healthy food, rice & veg to the heart's content. Gracious & friendly culture. That spray nozzle next to the toilet; toilet paper just isn't the same any more. I'm not a total convert though, I like the nozzle-paper combination the best, so you get super clean and don't have to drip-dry. I'm a little out of practice with the nozzle, ended up getting a bunch of water on the floor at the airport because the pressure was too high and I splashed everywhere. Oops!

 

First impressions of Kathmandu: A slight smoky smell, like a thousand tiny fires in the distance. Small brick airport with long lines at immigration, which seemed in part due to the fact that the people working the counter kept stopping to chat with each other. Better too friendly than the opposite though, I always get a little nervous going through immigration that somebody's going to turn me away just because they can. I checked into my $5/night private room in Thamel, and after a short visit to a travel company for some advice, retired early. Out the window were all the strange sounds you'd hope for in a strange town. Dogs barking, other things that could have been dogs or maybe not, birds skwaking and chirping, other things that could have been birds or maybe not, and maybe even a monkey or two but I'm not sure. Saw one on the way in from the airport but I don't know if there are many around here.

 

Have spent some time roaming and losing myself around Thamel, and in the few hours that I've actually been up & about (caught up on sleep from the long journey but I'm still on Dublin time) I've soaked in a lot of atmosphere and already met some interesting characters. Had tea with a would-be guide who said think-think-think-before-you-drink and then asked why I wasn't drinking, & later started reading me his whole journal of wise & interesting sayings from different religious folk or travellers. Later at dinner I was surrounded by a group of little Korean kids on a big trip & ended up sharing my table with their tour leader and a local guide they picked up who doubles as a student, musician and probably whatever else you would ask of him. Overall it's a great area; feels a bit like some of the SE Asian towns I was in a few months back, but way mellower (maybe partly due to being off-peak season). Sweet smells of incense coming out of lots of shops, music wafting down the street from other shops, so much stuff for sale that it's hard to keep your eyes open without risking sensory overload, but more interesting stuff than they're hawking in other places (in my opinion).

 

It's a bit colder than I'd expected, but for a few people in Dublin who said just before I left, 'Ooh, it's going to be cold!' My room is downright freezing, good thing I've got a toasty sleeping bag. The streets are chilly in the shade, but when the sun comes out it's almost warm, it that calm lower-latitude way that fills the air with some kind of comfort.

 

Anyway enough rambling for now. Thinking about lots of you for lots of reasons. Gotta go find a corner to set up my web & hopefully catch a trekking partner...