Finally in Nepal
Trip Start
Aug 15, 2006
1
150
155
Trip End
May 27, 2008
Kathmandu,
Kathmandu,
Nepal
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
At 2pm there was still no sign up for a check in desk, let alone a departure gate and I couldn't get any sense from the staff regarding what was going on and I still needed to check my bag in but they told me to just take it to the gate. I decided i would go on the internet for 30 minutes as I was pretty bored by this point and could have been waiting for hours. When I left the internet room I saw some angry Biman air staff shouting at me to go to the departure gate as everyone was waiting for me! I ran there and they sacnned my backpack and of course beep beep beep...I'm carrying a small knife so they complained about not checking my backpack in! They rushed it onto the plane and when I got on the staff there complained they'd been waiting for me and I pointed out that there was no info on the board to tell me where to go! So after all that it was me who delayed the plane, although only by 5 minutes.....
Again the plane was pretty empty but the flight was only an hour long and they actually served lunch which I didn't really need after everything I'd eaten but hey. I saw my first viwew of the Himalayas which was nice but I'm not sure what mountains they actually were as it was pretty hazy. When I arrived at the airport I noticed there had been a couple of other travellers on the plane and after I got my visa (which took forever) I waited for them (Nick from New York who'd been in Bangaldesh for 6 weeks looking at the architecture and Kristian, a middle aged German guy) as I was being hassled by every taxi driver outside the building. Of course we couldn't get any sense out of them and they all wanted to take us to particular guesthouses but we got a fair price and made the driver take us to Pilgrim's guesthouse, even though we'd been told by other drivers it was full. Of course he wanted to take us somewhere else but we insisted as I mentioned to the other 2 that obviously he's on commission but he flatly refused and was offended I'd suggested that (yeah right). When we arrived the sign said Pilgrim's hotel and instantly I assumd they'd taken us to the wrong place but it wasn't and he was annoyed that I thought he lied and made me feel soooooo guilty for not trusting him and said I shouldn't judge everyone in Asia the same so I apolgised (which I later regretted...).
Pilgrim's was full and the owner showed us somewhere else for a ridiculous price so I gave in and followed the taxo driver to his guesthouse he'd mentioned (Hotel 7 Corner). This also seemed expensive for the room despite the owner telling me he usually chrages $15 and not to tell anyone about the 'special price' I was getting (350 rupees) but I said I'd think about it and look around. As I left the taxi driver was still in reception and asked me why I was leaving and I said it was too expensive so he said if i came back I could have it for 300 rupees. Most places were full or not much better value so I went back and said I'd taek the room. However, the owner would not take 300 and was annoyed the taxi guy had said that (so obviously he was on commission suprise suprise) but I just wanted a shower and couldn't be bothered to argue.
I was staying in Thamel which is the tourist ghetto of Kathmandu city, full of overpriced places and annoying taxi drivers and shopkeepers who won't take no for an answer and see you as a walking ATM machine because you are white. I did manage to get a fleece at a good price though and it seems quite nice so I was happy about that. I was hoping to get some decent non-fake gear that was 2nd hand like you can in places like South America but no such luck here as everything is brand new fake stuff which is very overpriced. I was happy to find a bakery selling half priced goods after 8 so I had a nice mocha danish and headed to a bar that had good live music drifting out of it (Shisha Terrace next to Kathmandu Guest House). It was pretty smoky being a Shisha bar but the band were amazing so I bought myself an obligatory drink (sprite!) and sat on my own and listened. They played all kinds of Western classics including the obligatory 'Sweet Child of Mine' and their jam sessions were brilliant. The lead singer had a great voice and the guitarists were equally good and it made me so happy even though I was billy no mates.
Toda I couldn't be bothered changing guesthouses so I stayed where I was. I had breakfast at Pumpernickel bakery (mentioned in the LP) which was quite nice although they never did bring me my change (and I forgot) and had the cheek to put a 10% service charge on. I walked around the city through the market area to the tourist info centre to get my trekking card done for free there. They said I didn't need a guide to trek as the trail would be busy and I'd met people on the way. I saw lots of men sitting o the pavement with weighing scales where you could pay a few rupees to know your bodyweight. I can only imagine this was for health purposes as I doubt the Western obsession with figure has reached Nepal. Traffic here is crazy and I can't imagine how I didn't see an accident today.
Bought some trekking trousers for 650 rupees which seemed OK since everyone else asked over 1000 but then the owner started hassling me to buy a crappy poncho for a high price and I did my usual thing of running out of the shop feeling like I want to scream. I then went to book my bus ticket to Pokhara for tomorrow and realised I didn't have my wallet.....I must have left it on the counter in the trekking shop before I ran out (idiot!). I went back and stated that I'd left my wallet there and after a few puzzled looks they eventualy handed it over. I checked the money and was about to ask them about the $30 I couldn't account for when I remembered that it was for my visa so after all that they'd taken nothing which was a relief (especially after the incident in Laos when Ollie left his backpack in a restauant and they'd taken a large amount of cash).
I was pretty tired so I took a nap then headed out for some traditional Nepali food at an LP mentioned place (Thakili Newari) which of course wasn't that great or that cheap and came with the standard chicken bones so I made a quick stop at the bakery after. I had a nightmare finding an internet shop with Skype so had to fork out a small fortune to call my bank since my parents keep telling me they've had a letter to say my card will expire in 2 days even though the date says otherwise. I spoke to a customer services guy who told me my card should be OK until July but he'd just put me on hold and check......eventually he came back to me and said....Miss Seims, I can tell you now that the information I just told you about your card being Ok is.......................correct. I felt like I was playing who wants to be a millionaire! Talk about keeping me in suspense! What a relief though.
I went back to the guy I bought my fleece from and picked up a fake camelbak bladder (I'd thrown mine away forgetting they have a lifetime guarantee...doh!) and a crappy poncho which I know won't keep me dry but I have nothing else. I went to pay the 700r for my 2 nights as I'm leaving early tomorrow and the guy at the desk said he had no change and had to wait for the owner. When he returned I gave him my 1000 note and he gave me less than 100 back. I questioned this since the other guy told me I owed 700 (which was correct) and he said there was a 10% tax. I politely stated that this would work out as 770, not over 900r and he replied that it was 13% tax. Again I said this would be a total of 790r and then he said there was another 2% tax and laughed. I tried not to get angry (since he had my change) and said that it was very unfair since he never mentioned a tax and cheap hotels in Nepal aren't supposed to charge a tax and I eventually had to agree to pay 13% so he would at least give me 30r back. I tried not to lose my cool, even laughing to let him know that I knew he was talking out of his backside and said he should mention the tax when people check in. He laughed and didn't care I think he was unhappy because I didn't book my bus ticket with him but he wanted $10 and it only costs $5 so he had no chance! It seems that here they will get your money somehow no matter how much you try and avoid it!
