The Best of Kathmandu and Sad Goodbyes...

When we arrived in Kathmandu, on that first night in Nepal, we were too concerned with the forthcoming trek to pay any attention to the city itself. So it was nice to be able to chill out in the colourful, crazy, cramped Thamel area with its confusing, circular lanes- a true sensual labyrinth. For those who know it, it reminded me of what the UK's Brighton would be like if they tried to cram more and more in. Just one stroll down a Thamel lane, and you're guaranteed at least 5 trekking shops, 10 hotels, 15 cyber cafes, a man trying to sell you a mini ornately carved violin, and a nudge from a hash-dealer. Look to your left and right, and you'll see little backstreets leading to local restaurants exclusively for those in the know in Kathmandu.
   Luckily, we happen to know two such people in Suyra and Sao, and so we were taken to allegedly the BEST momo place in town. The buff momos were OK,  but it was the spicy 'aloo' (potatoes) served on cocktail sticks that I really enjoyed! We were then taken to the 'Tom and Jerry' pub (Kate and Jon, Suyra said you guys went there too?) where we played some pool, and I got chatting to one of Suyra's childhood friends, a journalist who said I could maybe write a feature for his Nepalese mag! Now that would be surreal...This was his first night trying beer as well, bless him! It was also funny trying to teach Suyra the meaning of the words 'cheeky' and 'flirty'- I think he got the idea when we just kept pointing to him!
   We spent most of the next day wandering down Thamel's streets, soaking up the daytime atmosphere with a cheeky haggle for a purse along the way. But the evening brought the true highlight- dinner with Sao's family at his family home. It's fair to say I fell in love a little bit with all his family- his beautiful, chatty 18 year old sister Surakshya, his smiley inquisitive mother, his tiny father, almost hidden under his baseball cap, his grandmother, sitting up enthusiastically in her lounge-situated bed, and his adorable 5 year old cousin, who they referred to as 'Babbo'. It was a real treat to be allowed into their lovely, three-story home- and to experience his mother's dal bhat, officially the best I've tried in Nepal! I had seconds of most of the dal bhat's dishes, and even thirds of some! They were even sweet enough to give us gifts, I got two red bracelets, and we both for brooches of the 'khuriki', the bejeweled, curved gorkha sword (Sao told us to shush in front of his family when Patrick and I, at separate times, said 'Like the Khukiri rum'?) Unfortunately, the visit was to be short and sweet- Patrick and I had to head to the airport for our Hong Kong flight, luckily only 10 minutes away from Sao's home (the airport, not Hong Kong! haha!) So we said our sad goodbyes to the family, with the grandmother giving me a huge hug! Then at the airport, there were even sadder goodbyes, to Suyra and Sao- in keeping with Suyra's obsession with 'one dollar!', we gave them each one dollar before heading to the check-in desk. Only joking! We gave them what they deserved for their kindness and patience during the trekking- I honestly couldn't have reached it to Thorong-La without the calm influence of those guys.
   There's so much we have to go back to Nepal for. We have to do another trek with Suyra and Sao (maybe Everest?)- once in the majestic Himalayas is not enough. That crisp mountain air, those snowy peaks, the challenge of those rugged mountains, the post-trekking fun- its all too addictive to just forget! Surakshya said she'd teach me how to cook dal-bhat and how to put on a sari. And, most importantly of all, we have to spend time with Suyra and Sao, who have become very close friends over the past few weeks. So it's goodbye for now, Nepal- but don't worry, we'll be back...