No more shopping!
Moved into the Tashi Dhargey at $10 a night. It is right in Thamel. Have I mentioned Thamel? Camden Town on a Saturday night with added tiger balm sellers. Crammed with Western tourists, bars, rock music, t-shirt shops, prayerwheel hawkers, bike rickshawmen, bead sellers and dope entrepreneurs.
Checked out the poss of getting to China from here. Tour of Tibet when the rules change on the 15th Nov and on into China. Expensive and means staying longer in Nepal than I had planned. Otherwise I fly to Chengdu (home of Pandas)which is $400 and not really a possibility even tho I am loaded up with valium from Delhi chemist.
Lunch at Fire and Ice which is divine pasta joint on Tridevi Marg. Green salad with lemon/oil dressing - how long has it been? Then Spaghetti Amitriciana - could have leaned forward and buried my face in the bowl.
Indian mother and one year old wanted "milk for the baby". Looked a bit big to still be drinking milk however...I offered cash but no. Only have 65 r. but that should get us a bottle of milk, yeah? She took me into supermarket, straight to babymilk section and pointed at giant can of baby milk. I picked up the small one and took it to the checkout - it was 450r so put it back on the shelf. Now she says she will take the cash but am fed up with being take for an idiot so no deal. Put the sunglasses back on.
Strange news: Jon Tringham - smallwheelsbigworld - is going home. After weeks in Istanbul, he has decided that he has not done enough research or planning for his trip and has bravely put the whole thing on hold. Courageous man to admit maybe had not got it quite right. I applaud and support him and will sponsor him a beer when get back to London.
