Robert Francisco

Thanel Distric, Kathmandu, Nepal

View from my first room

I was not worried about security, but that was the scariest place I have ever lay my head.  The hotel where I tried to stay was fully booked,  but they offered to put me up next door and allow me to use all of their facilities; fair enough as their place was pretty nice. Next door, however, was differnt.  Having not slept for well over 30 hours, I did not care as I handed over my $9,000 rupees (~$12,00USD). Where to start with this room – I am pretty sure it had not been occupied for months, the toilet seat was dangling beside the crapper, the shower had a steady stream of water coming out the only hole in the head that flowed any water, and the bucket on the floor was there, I presume, to catch the water as the drain could not keep up with even this minimal flow. The bed was basically a platform with a blanket and I would  have broke out the thermarest and slept on the floor had I been coherent. The sheets were torn and stained, but appeared clean. The electrical outlets and most of the lights did not work…… I could go on, but why. I slept hard.

It happened AGAIN.  This time it took a bicycle rickshaw to delivery back to my room as I got hopelessly lost.  And again, I was less than a block away from my room, but with the night falling, and the hashish salesman coming to the streets, I got intimidated and sought help for 100 rupees.

The food at the preferred hotel was great as I enjoyed vegetable curry and flat bread for dinner, and a honey/banana crepe with really good black coffee for breakfast.  Just as I was leaving, I met a nice couple who had booked two rooms at the desirable place but only needed one of them.  Thus the offered me the other room.  Great, but the hotel would have nothing of it; I am pretty sure they were over-booked and this was going to save them.  That combined with the fact that I mistakenly told them I did not want to book a trip with them, made me a non-prospect for additional revenue.  So I headed down the road and found a beautiful place for about double the money and booked in for two nights.  I wanted to stay for 4-5 but they are full later in the week.  This could work out great as I can write multiple reviews as I am forced to move from room to room around the city.

View from current room

I need to get to a bank today and stock up on cash; should be interesting.  I know, how could that be interesting?  Well, just getting to the bank will be filled with sights, smells, and sounds thar  challenge and tilt my western mind. I in the reasonably deep third world now.  And all that intellectual bullshit we talk about back home regarding appreciating how fortunate we are – well, it gets real real and moves from the mind to the heart as I am immersed verses watching it on the discovery channel.