Day 146 - Tourist Town

I am so happy that we are staying in Bouda. Today after, you guessed it, French Press at Little Britain, we decided to venture into Thamel, the main Western tourist destination in Kathmandu. It was fun for the day, but exhausting.

Thamel is Kathmandu's answer to Times Square. It is full of noise, lights, tourists, and traffic. Because large parts of Thamel (and Kathmandu itself) are unpaved, then road are naturally pitted, dusty, and filthy. Nearly every business - shop, restaurant, bar, etc - is designed to trap the tourist dollar. In that sense, it felt very much like being back in urban India.

We spent the afternoon nosing around the various shops, picking up a few souveniers and gifts for friends. Purchasing anything involved long discussions over the price - like taxis, the price for souveniers is also highly negotiable. The more valuable the item, the more negotiable the price. I have become quite skilled at the haggle, with Cz's role being to look horrified when I tell him how much something will cost. In a patriarchal society the phrase "If I spend that much money, my husband will be very angry with me," is sure to win discounts.

After a long afternoon of haggling, we stopped for coctails at a bar advertising Caiperenias. Sadly, they were made with rum, so we settled for oh so girly pomegranate coolers and 'orange crackers'. (like screwdrivers with lime juice and sugar added) Thus fortified, we made our way to the Roadhouse for dinner with UW and friends. Yet another of Thamel's venues catering to Western Taste, Roadhouse specialises in brick-oven pizza and other Italian specialties. The food and company were both lovely. Sometimes it's nice to spend an evening firmly within one's comfort zone.

After dinner, we walked a little way out of Thamel to Jazz Upstairs. Jazz Upstairs is a club which on Wednesdays and Saturdays has a live jazz band. Interestingly enough, Saturdays are usually dead, as most people living in Kathmandu head out to the mountains for the weekend. Wednesdays, however are packed. Though the audience is predominantly Western, some Nepalis do attend, and most of the Westerners there are either students studying in Kathmandu for at least a semester or expats. We (UW, Kathmandu Friends, Cz, and I) were lucky to land a comfortable rooftop corner. Today felt deliciously urbane with our city shopping, nice restaurant, and night on the town. That said, I was very happy to return to our quiet corner of Bouda, and have no desire to return to Thamel anytime soon.