Hahaha, well I am an idiot. I've been in a pretty sad mood because most of my birthday was dreadful. One of my friends just became unglued for some reason, and caused the greater Thamel area an enormous headache. So, I decided "I have had enough, I am going to figure out how to get around completely on my own. (This city still confuses me so much). That is a good, mature 22 year old thing to do. I will be really grown up now. So, what better way to start than to go on a long, cool, relaxing walk after work? I could probably find my way to the river in the middle of the city, and even though it's polluted and terribly disgusting, at least it's nature, right? It will be the first I see with this new, 22 year old self."


Ridiculous.


I mean, I was not in real danger or anything, it's daylight and I stuck to main roads. That was part of the problem too, though. I unwittingly went during absolute rush hour on some of the biggest streets in Kathmandu (remember the zero traffic laws, and no yielding to pedestrians). There were packed people, 3 riots broke out, the cars constantly honk - it's like their turning signal - everyone yells in a language that still more or less sounds like absolute twangy jibberish, the policemen (who look like special forces troops in Iraq) run at vendors with shields and batons, small street kids incessantly grab your clothes to ask for money,religious men smoke, snake charmers sing, old men roll on the ground, exhausted babies lick the dirt off their mother's faces, UN drive their big cars, and I am like a walking archery target because of the way I look.

No, I complain, but it was only for an hour or so. I am covered in mud, but other than that, relatively unscathed. But, many times I find this city very overwhelming when I am alone.. Sometimes it gets to be too much for me, it seems filthy and grotesque and disrespectful and horrendous and old and so so strange and far away. I think that my exhaustion with Kathmandu probably is a large result of my "monkey syndrome." It's pretty draining to walk in a huge crowd of people who all stare at you like I have a flower pot for a head or something. Oh well, now I have learned: no walks down Kantipath alone during the evening. Not quite the peaceful stroll down University Avenue that I envisioned.

More tomorrow.