I was sad to farewell Pokhara. It was even sadder to be heading back to Thamel. It took a lot of effort to get out of my warm bed, but a fresh chocolate croissant soon comforted me as I chilled out at the bus yard.
It is a small world, seating me next to an old pom who had happened to catch the same bus as I on the way down. She was nice and it was good to have someone to swap stories with over the 8 hour trip back to Kathmandu. There were a few reasons for the extra hour or so - the first being that we were going uphill. But we were stopped for a long time as a lorry had rolled down the mountain road. Passing by, a few drivers were sitting in a circle next to the wreck and we could see their buddy slumped over the wheel. It is not a particularly nice sight to see when you have so long left in your trip!
After sharing a taxi back to Thamel, I talked to the pom and her daughter for a while before feasting on some long-awaited momos! It was good to relax in the guest house, and even better to wash my hair and have a very needed shave.
I had a good curry for dinner but when I asked for the bill the waiter pointed around the corner of the door. I followed to a counter and sait down waiting. Browsing through a massage menu, I was apalled by the prices - 10 bucks for a full body massage! The guy asked me if I wanted one, but I said no its too pricey and waited for my bill. After a few minutes the guy offered me a half-price discount, but I said no I'm not that keen. Desperate, he went down to 4 dollars but this time I said im just waiting for my restaurant bill. The guy exchanged looks with the others and they all laughed - turns out I had walked into a massage parlour and was meant to pay my bill at the door! Slightly embarrassed I went back and paid for my meal. On the way out I offered 2 dollars for the massage and after a little bargaining got it for 3! No matter where you go you always have to haggle. The massage was ok, bit different from the normal asian oil massages but interesting. A few moments during the hour I felt like they were making it up as they went!
Refreshed, I headed out for a welcome-back cocktail. Most of the cocktails on the menu seemed to revolve around a spirit and a mixer, despite being referred to as exotic! I ordered a "who cares" as it seemed to have the most ingredients. I had the feeling that it was named after a state where they just chucked anything into the cocktail. In a short time I was given two "who cares" - trying to say I ordered one, the waiter told me it was happy hour and cocktails were two-for-one. So I was left in this bar with romantic music and two cocktails for myself! With noone to share with in-sight, I settled in for a lonely evening. To top it all off, the cocktails seemed 3 quarters dark rum, a bit of pineapple juice and a shot of whisky - definitely a who cares cocktail!
