I escaped to Thamel again. I desperately needed a hot shower
after not having any the last time I came. Cheaper hotels are great, but electricity
and hot water are no guaranteed, even when they said so. I know the difference
between lukewarm and hot. So tonight I am staying at one of the best; so
excellent. It rained yesterday for the first time since I have been here. And
more than that, it rained bits of ice. It wasn’t really that cold, compared to
NY, so I couldn’t figure out where the ice came from. Chilly, sure, but not
snow condition. When I woke up this morning, the whole town was swallowed up in
thick, spooky fog. I have never seen fog so thick. I was so happy to see the
sun again at noon today and decided that I must take a shower before anything
else gets done. Yes, I needed it that badly. In Nepal, I am always dreaming of
a hot shower.
Tomorrow I am off to the orphanage again. I am taking the
three oldest girls to the hair parlor with me. I figure the three little ones
don’t care and their hair is short and manageable as it is. The kids have no
problem building fire and sticking their body parts in there. I got antsy
watching them.
Living with 19 kids can be a lot some days. So I hide out in
the room a few hours a day and read depending on how I feel. I love waking up
to their yelling and laughing and going to sleep with their crying and
shouting. But some times, I just need quiet, some grown-up time. I have been
reading Raymond Chandler who I thought was Raymond Carver. I knew it struck me
as a bit odd; but I am loving Raymond Chandler. Apparently I am into detective
stories now. I watch Burn Notice when I am here at a hotel; it is awesome,
kick-ass.
I am still waiting on the computer; did not forget to bring
the charger this time, but did forget about my glasses and almost, my credit
card. I always have so much stuff with me when I go into Thamel, don’t even
know why and I always return with even more stuff. I have to watch what I spend
on books; it’s more than food and adds up to more than a hotel room sometimes.
And I plan on selling all of them back for half the price; I don’t need the
books I have already read. I seldom read books twice. I just like having them;
but there’s no use having them and it will be even more of a fortune to buy it
all and keep it all.
I keep thinking about writing and then, I think about why I
stopped and I know it’s a good reason for now not to write but I miss it anyway.
At least I am reading fiction again; that’s a step.
So I have been like this … working in spurges … getting
tired and coming to Thamel to relax, getting tired of Thamel and the stillness
and going back to the orphanage to get crazy. I wish I have more energy that I
don’t need to stop. Field trip and a huge birthday cake coming up! Also, I
forgot my camera charger although I bought a charge converter…half step
accomplished.
