Loitering in South Asia

I'd forgotten how beautiful the Terai (the flat part of Nepal which borders India) is until then, having succumbed to the typical Kathmandu attitute that the plains are hot, sweaty, malaria infested and inhabited by Indians. Sitting on the roof of the bus perched between the bus boy and his friend ,speaking absolutley atrocious Nepali, and whistling at ramro keties, (beautiful girls) was quite a laugh, and a wonderfull tonic for the smog and hustle of the capital. The Terai is like India; hazy and lazy; rice fields everywhere which surround pastel coloured homes, sometimes with people working in them. Nothing really moves, no wind, and only the occasional horn of a truck on the way up from the real Indian plains below disturbs the silence, which is looked upon by the first real foothills of the Himalaya.

A surprisingly good road turned into not such a good road upon entering the hills, however the sharp twists and turns completely failed to make any impression on the driver, and he steamed on regardless of who was clinging on to his roof rack. After several cold hours on the roof (I lent my jacket to the bus boy, and graciously let him keep it as he had nothing else to keep him warm but a T-shirt. Idiot. It was only this morning that I realised that the 400 rupees I had lost were in the pocket of that very jacket. Karma now topped up, I don't have to give to beggars for at least another week), kept only from death's door by hot milky tea, we made the familiar turn into the Kathmandu Valley and saw the metropolis stretch out before us. Even in it's smoggy glory, the lights that adorn every building due to Tihar (the Nepali Diwali) still manage to shine through. It's isolation and complete lack of regard for anything living in it make me love it more, and it was with a smile that I walked up the steps to my appartment. Wiped off when I had to take a cold shower. Landlord hasn't got round to turning on the hot switch yet...

So, another round of Tihar tonight, can't remember what animal gets the special treatment today, think it's buff. Yesterday was cows, and the day before was dogs. Who really deserve the break, getting kicked, punched and having stones thrown at them every other day of the year. And taunted by the monkeys.

Right, it's been about a week without the shisha, mother, so I'm off to rouse some friends and poison my lungs...