Thamel, Kathmandu

Today was exhausting but definitely interesting. I slept soundly through the night and woke up in time for breakfast that's included with my hotel stay: hot food, fresh fruit, coffee. Overall better than most breakfasts that are included with hotel stays. The first person that I saw thought I was German, must look European ;)

After breakfast I wandered out into the city. Of course it's very different than home but I wasn't as overwhelmed and culture shocked as I thought I would be. Guess that's what happens when you don't have any idea of what to expect. I spent about 2.5 hours wandering around Thamel, the touristy area of Kathmandu. There I learned a few things: the traffic is more crazy than it seemed last night, pedestrians don't have the right of way apparently, people are friendly, people are trying to sell you things, people are curious about where you're from. I have to admit I quickly got fed up with the selling aspect of things. I understand that everyone is out there to make a living and I'm happy to chat and give you my money if it's for something I need or want, but please respect when I say no! Perhaps I'll come back more forceful, less nice, less patient ;) My favourite experience from the morning was enjoying a cup of tea randomly with a shop owner. I was waiting to get a SIM card and we started chatting. He didn't try to sell me anything, just was curious about where I'm from and why I'm here. Since he owns a mountain biking shop I will probably go back and give him my business if I decide to bike this trip rather than the shop owners who try to coerce me into using their services. The tea was delicious by the way! Mmm I can get used to that. I'll probably try and bring some home with me, I passed a number of tea shops while wandering.

I didn't get many pictures of Thamel, I felt as though I was one of the few tourists and didn't want to stand out too much. I'm still getting a feel of what the area is like! But here are a couple.Read more