New Year in Kathmandu/Thamel

Friday, December 31st, Kathmandu/Thamel, 08,30 a.m.

I finnaly succeded to sleep well, after 2 weeks of insomnia. To sleep again in a warm bed .... OK, even if I am tipping since half an hour and the fingers are frozen and I have my hut on the head .... I call this a warm atmosphere, really!!

So, the password for internet connection was wrong, this is why I couldn't connect yesterday at all, the guys just forgot to tell me I have to write the both words in a single one.

Let's see what kind of last day of the year I have. All I know is that I want sun, warm, a quiet place where I can write my post cards. I have to recalculate my rest of money and I hope not to change again. Strange, but yesterday I did not eat, now I am not at all hungry ....

Wow, I still do not realize that I ended my mountaineering adventure in a good way and that I am somehow back, in a more comfortable world ....

11:00 p.m., in my room

It was actually a good day of doing nothing. I couldn’t feel like having breakfast, so I ordered just a small pot of coffee (80 NRP) and I drank it in about 4 hours, as I was connected to the internet, I checked my e-mails, I wrote almost all my post cards I intend to send. I was sitting in the hotel garden, in the sun, I spoke with a young Dutch lady who wanted to join me at the sunny table, writing her diary. Then Kedar appeared, I think it was about 1 p.m. Very happy, he has 6 inquiries, maybe one will become concrete. We spoke about our business, plans, ideas and he left. We meet again on Sunday, he said the visit cards will be ready til I leave Nepal. I left the hotel garden too about 2 p.m., I went downtown. I entered Pilgrims Library and I choose quite fast 3 books: “Hero of Everest – Tenzing – a biography of Tenzing Norgay” by Ed Douglas (950 NRP), “Everest – the mountaineering history –“3rd edition, by Walt Unsworth (2.800 NRP – about 800 pages), “Touching my father’s soul – in the footsteps of Tenzing Norgay” by Tenzing Norgay and Broughton Coburn (680 NRP). I was just admired the big library, as I wanted to go to the toilet and I walked back to the entrance, to ask about the toilet. Then I saw an old book …… “View from the summit” by Sir Edmund Hillary, published 1999 (1.856 NRP). I took the book, looking at it in a sort of holy feeling, it seemed difficult to believe I hold in my hands a book written by that man who had the biggest impact of Nepal ever – see Khunde, see Khumjung villages - …… I took the book in my hands and I’ve just forgot about the toilet, I rose my head and I saw Andi. I said “hellooo”and Claire appears from another corner, so we had a very nice re-meeting. I asked about the plans for tonight, they started to think where would be nice to have dinner, then they said it would be good to go there for a check, so I looked again to my book, I decided is it an original and I have to buy it. So I gave all my left money, over 6.000 NRP on these 4 books, I’ve got a present from the side of the library and we went to check the location, maybe to make a table reservation.

Yes, a special place inside Thamel, European fine gastronomy, even Swiss-like cookies …. I booked for 8,30 p.m. and then we went to their Kathmandu Guest House and were sitting in the inner garden, on the grass, looking to my books and talking for a while. Very pleasant, like in paradise. The guest house is hosted by an very old castle and it is amazing in a way, you forgot about crazy Thamel and the entire misery. I left them at 5 p.m. and we agreed I pick up them at 7, we have a beer in the lobby and then we go for our dinner. I came in my hotel room, I downloaded some pictures on FB, I noted my costs, I left the hotel 6,50, I met Rick on the floor, we talk about what we did on our trek, then I went to change 100 EUR (93.350 NRP) and at 7 p.m. I has in Kathmandu Guest House. Very nice and mystical arrangement for New Year, a lot of candles, wonderful. I spend one and half hour drinking a beer and talking about various things. It was some rain outside (!!) and Andi went out to see how it is. In the hotel garden it was Anna, alone and lonely, having dinner. They changed some words and Andi said it was a strange meeting. I did not ask anything at all, I just felt a little bit strange about the situation.

Our dinner was special indeed, they chose pizza and myself a chicken schnitzel. Very European, very well prepaired, but such a few vegetables, I was very disappointed about the size of my portion (400 NRP). A Gorka bier (300 NRP) and a brownie cookie with ice cream (225 NRP). For my small stomach it was more than enough, I drank only one glass of beer.

So, they accompanied me to my hotel. Crazy stuff on the streets of Thamel, a lot of music, food, drogs, police with sticks, girls, some tourists, a lot of bikers, rain ….. I am really amazed about the atmosphere, it is half past eleven and near my hotel is a huge party, music, very laud music, a lot of people dancing ….. I feel in a special way, to be very honest.

Tomorrow about 11 I go to pick up Claire & Andi for an Indian Breakfast somewhere, they know a place.

I am cold, it is too cold inside. I suppose the party near by will be till in the morning. Interesting music actually, I cannot describe it, a combination of rhythmic Indian music, some incantation tendency, some disco, absolutely crazy rhythm there inside. Real discotec music, I like it, give me the feeling of times 10 years ago, as I used to go dancing in such of crazy places.

I am happy about the books, I think its are great books and now after I walked on the same paths as Sir Hillary I feel something ….. difficult to be described, really.