This morning Elle and I headed out early to the Bangla embassy while Joe did some research into cheaper accommodations. At the Bangladeshi embassy, the man with the rubber stamp was being difficult but the woman behind the desk had been really nice to us and argued with the man on our behalf. Thus, Jehanna now has a three month, multiple entry visa for Bangladesh! How exciting! God is SO good! I'm going in tomorrow morning to pick it up :)
On the way back from the embassy, Elle and I stopped for breakfast at a small cafe and ordered toast and 'hash potatoes'. Instead of shredded potatoes, we got sliced potatoes mixed with sliced tomatoes and green pepper. Not too bad--the whole breakfast got a lot better when I put the tomatoes on my toast, added some salt, and thought of the sandwiches my mom would make me most mornings before school. We caught up on our Himalayan news (lol) and I drank some 'hot lemon with honey' for my slightly sore throat. My goodness--that was straight up lemon. Between that lemon and the garlic from yesterday I feel so much better :)
When we got back to our hotel, we met up with Josiah and he explained what he had found. We had just stayed two nights at a fairly decent place but the power was sketchy, the heat didn't work, and the showers were usually cold (except for this morning when I had a wonderfully piping hot shower!). That place was $10/night each for Elle and I--Josiah was paying $15/night for his single room. The place Josiah found was basically the Nepali version of a Hilton. He hissy-fit his way into $13/night each. And that's where we are now... It is such a nice hotel! At least a 3-star hotel :) It's really safe, clean, and in a really cool place in town.
Then we headed to Swayambhu, aka the Monkey Temple. This temple overlooks the three major part of Kathmandu and has an incredible view otherwise. The pictures I took really don't do it justice! Because the Monkey Temple is on the top of a hill, we had to walk up a ton of stairs to get there. The closer you get to the top, the more steep the stairs get. Also, the closer you get to the top, the more monkeys there are and there are people throwing food down the steps to the monkeys. Thus you have to dodge carrots being thrown at screaming monkeys... In other words, good times are had by all.. lol
When you finally get to the top of the stairs, you are greeted by monks in full traditional dress, another big Buddha dome with 'all-seeing' eyes, scores of dogs and monkeys, and the most amazing view of Kathmandu. Unfortunately, that's about the time my camera battery decided to die... Elle didn't have her camera with her but luckily Josiah brought along his video camera so we still got some decent footage of the monkey temple. We spent a couple hours just wandering around, inspecting the mini temples, and admiring the dedication of the Buddhist monks.
[Funny story: Elle and I were admiring the view of the city when a couple Indian kids came up to us and asked if we would take a picture with them. They turned out to be part of a Tae Kwon Do team competing in Kathmandu. We took pictures with the boys, then the girls, then a mixture. They were so nice to us! They asked our names and where we were from and we asked them to show us some of their moves. They brought forward their 'star man' and he showed us some stuff. You can see by the photo below, Elle couldn't help but join in on the fun. My camera worked for all of the two seconds that it took to take this picture then it shut off again. So funny...]
It was such a great place to see. A lot of these places charge 200rp or 500rp to see but all in all, they are definitely worth it! On the way down from the temple, Elle and I counted out loud how many steps there were. Josiah tried to mess us up a couple times but we are pretty sure there are 382 steps up to the Monkey Temple. lol I've seen more monkeys than I ever thought I would in my whole life and am enjoying experiencing such a completely different culture.
Tomorrow we are heading to Nagarkot to hopefully see Everest. And by 'see' Everest, I mean use my zoom to take a picture of the beautiful mountain about 350km away. Nonetheless, no trip to Nepal would be complete without seeing Everest. :) Tonight Elle and I went into town to look for souvenirs and just to soak in the culture. Thamel is such a tourist hub that the streets are live with music, shops, and lights. It's such a great environment. We even headed up to a cafe and had some hot chocolate :) I'm having the time of my life here--Nepal is absolutely incredible. Just sayin'... lol
Tis bedtime again.. I guess I could sleep on the bus but my 3-star bed seems a lot more comfortable. I just had to share my experience. I don't want to get to the end and have forgotten what all happened. Plus, I'm trying to get as many pictures as I can uploaded while the internet is a million times better than in Bangladesh!I hope you enjoy reading :D
ami tomake bhalobashi
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