Real Kathmandu

It is getting late here, but I just got back from dinner with a Nepalese family amd early tomorrow I am heading to Pokhara at the base of the Annapurna range to meet Dr. Subedi. He's the CEO of BNMT and taking a few days leave in his house in Pokhara. Even though it is about a 6 hour bus ride through the mountains from here, he insisted that I meet him in Pokhara immediately. Dr. Subedi is starting to become sort of a Dumbledore figure to me, elusively all-knowing.

Dharma drove me around all day, again, to get my luggage from the airport, and then later by motorcycle, we rode all around the Kathmandu valley. As crazy as the traffic is, only motorist drivers wear helmets.. so we were flying through the valley without protection or traffic lights all day, very strange and exhilarating. At one point, we were by the King's Palace- tons of guards in uniform with huge guns, batons, and shields- and a fight broke out right above the shop from which I was purchasing my ticket to Pokhara. As strange as this sounds, I trust Dharma completely.

Reena was absolutely beautiful, very young and very nice. Everyone in the office was amazing.. there is also this James Dean character who studied in Florida at one point. He is the PR man for the BNMT and has quite the silver tongue, in a very nice way though. He's the most fluent english-speaking Nepalese I have met thus far.

The family I had dinner with I was not so sure about. I welcomed the chance to go to the ATM to try to get out of their intense patriarchal dinner, even though I found myself, again, on the back of a motorcycle without a helmet or traffic laws. This time I was not as sure about the driver, as he seems to be the family's sort of indentured, lower-caste slave. Kathmandu is not as safe at night, but I began to trust this man, as he skillfully navigated through traffic in the dark with soldiers everywhere. The family ended up being lovely, offering lessons in Nepalese -because NO ONE speaks english- as well as a birthday party for my birthday, with other Americans they knew so I could be conversant.

I don't know if any of that made sense, but I am so tired. Tomorrow to Pokhara!