With not a lot to do at the office today, i just sat around for a while chatting. We had planned to travel to all the hotels to negotiate rates, but there had been a problem with two clients staying in Kathmandu. Apparently they wanted a car with air-conditioning but didn't say this to the agent back in England. Dont know why they would anyway as it was a nice day. These were also the people that didnt send their flight details but complained about not being picked up on time from the airport. Bloody poms.
When the power went out the staff suggested i go to one of the worlds oldest and biggest stupas in bodha. Put simply a stupa is a big white thing with a small gold tower at the tip.
I tried to work the bus system but failed miserably as i couldnt tell the difference between private and public buses. That and I had no idea where they were going. Decided to go with a taxi, refusing the drivers friendly offer of an off-meter price. I reckon the driver took the longest route possible just to make me wish Id taken the deal, but the meter was still half the price.
Bodha was pretty impressive but I was almost blinded by the glare of the stupa. I spun a few prayer wheels, unsure if I was allowed to or not. Tired, I headed up to a restaurant over-looking the square and had a Lassi. Some german monks sat down with me. At least i think they were monks - they had shaved heads (they were chicks), wore the robes - but when they sat down one started smoking and the other said they had only been in Nepal for 12 days. They must have converted quickly!
I checked out some gompas near the stupa (?) and saw globalisation first hand. Some real-time monks were wearing, of all things, crocs! And not the subtle kind, but bright blue and orange. It supported the theory that no matter how comfortable crocs are, you still look like a dumbass.
The taxi ride back took a lot longer as a sacred cow was blocking the road. When the driver had emptied his water bottle, he just threw it out the window. The shop lady then swept it down the street to the next shop and so onwards. I think the general rubbish scheme in Kathmandu is to make your rubbish someone else's, so they pass it on until it ends up in nobodys care - like in a river or ditch.
