Kathmandu day 1

I have officially arrived in Nepal and managed to avoid jet lag by virtue of my 15 hour layover in Seoul South Korea. I got a room and had a full nights sleep there so I was refreshed and ready for a good day in Kathmandu. I spent most of the day with Kristen's professor, his wife, another student from Wake Forest, and Sapana, Kristen's research partner,as well as one of her friends Yograj. 

    If there is one thing I can say about Nepal so far it is that the food is very interesting. Most of the things I have eaten have been some sort of spicy meat (chicken or water buffalo). The most shocking thing I ate yesterday however was fried water buffalo intestine filled with fat. Not sure what it was called but of the two Nepalis and Kristen that were with me, I was the only one that was brave enough to try it. No one ordered it but the waitress brought it anyways, perhaps as a practical joke to initiate the newly arrived goofy white dude--me. I hope that decision does not come back to haunt me. Taste wise it was not bad, a bit like the fat off the side of a rib eye with the intestine providing an interesting side flavor.

I jumped straight into the deep end of this crowded and chaotic city not only with the food but also used public transportation a crowded mini bus that has a guy hanging out the door, the "conductor", shouting where the bus is going. 

I have been in a sort of sensory over load since I have been here. One moment you are smelling a heap of trash and the next a delectable curry dish simmering in a roadside stand. There is a constant barrage of car and motorcycle horns beeping from the vehicles dashing in and out of pedestrians. I think I almost have the system down and if I don't learn quick I will inevitably be taken out by an old lady on a motorized scooter.

We are staying at the Cafe de Patan, a hotel overlooking the palatial grounds of the ancient kingdom of 

Patan. Below are some photos I took from the hotel room. 

This afternoon we are off to a riverside retreat somewhere east of Kathmandu called Sukute with Sapana and Yograj.

Summer and departure

This trip has seemed so far away for so long that I just kept putting off setting up this blog. Well now it's here, so I figured I better get my butt in gear. The last two months have been amazing, and really the last two years. I would not trade any of it for anything, especially the people I have met and the relationships I have developed. 

I can't help but be a little nostalgic as I leave the country, but with so many opportunities for adventure ahead the nostalgia is overshadowed by excitement. 

I arrive in Kathmandu on Friday and spend a few days with Kristen before she has to go to Besisahar. At that point I begin studying Nepali for 3 weeks to a month in Kathmandu. Once I have command of basic Nepali my real quest can begin... Searching for the yeti! 

Anyway here are a couple picture from this summer.

This is what the Wild West crew thinks of me.

 Raft race victory kiss!

The whole Wild West family minus a few late comers.