Welcome to Kathmandu

18.2.2012

Two days in Kathmandu feels like two weeks. So much has happened already and so many impressions has to be consumed, digested, saved in the gallery of memory and carried on in this wonderful life. I know I am happy, even though I feel slightly lost.

After having arrived at my transit airport, Doha in Qatar I finally hit me: Im on my way to my new home: Kathmandu. Being there was a diverse introduction to Asia, as people from all over the continent flavored the airport and the 5 hour long wait in the middle of the night felt like seconds as I was embracing this new continent.

It was only the half an hour before I landed in Kathmandu that I realized that this is actually happening and after the port of arrival I was truly unsure what awaited me. I walked out into a chaos of people, traffic, sounds and smells with my 5 bags and suitcases and felt quite lost and overwhelmed. As my new colleagues Yogendra and Sudarshan had been there last Saturday to pick me up, thinking I arrived a week earlier, they had forgotten to collect me and my enormous mountain of luggage and so there I was, with 2000 Rupees in my pocket, but no phone. Luckily I was caught in the tourist trap and as two very friendly men came up to me and helped me call the different numbers I had been given, finally organizing someone from the Music centre to pick me up, I felt quite welcomed and happy. When my new friend Sudarshan arrived on a scooter, I had to laugh, picturing how on earth we were going to get my 5 suitcases and myself on that thing, in that crazy traffic. Due to not having slept for 24 hours I had reached the point of totally uncontrolled laughing, and could not stop, and Sudarshans first impression of me must be quite a strange one. I gave my friendly helpers 1000 Rupees, their suggestion, of course, and realized it was a lot of money, but I just did not care. I was just happy to be put in a taxi and on my way to somewhere slightly less chaotic: Nepal Music Centre.



I am so lucky to be living with my Swiss friend Julia these first days. On my first night in Kathmandu, I managed to squeeze out the last drops of energy to come for dinner with Julia and her friends. I had an amazing evening sitting on the floor eating noodles, drinking Everest beer and being surrounded by people from all over the world. The exchange of numbers were rapid and I hope that when I move into my new flat next Saturday, I will be able to invite some of these amazing people over for some chai.



19.2.2012
After my first morning in Kathmandu, visiting Luanas flat, which I am hopefully taking over, we all squeezed together in Arnauds little car and headed towards Bakhtapur, a beautiful old city half an hour drive from Kathmandu.


It was a perfect day, spent with perfect people. Walking around in between temples, old squares, monkeys and monks and trying out the traditional course: Dumplings: momo. I especially love the take away version in plastic bags.



After ending a perfect day in Bhaktapur with a traditional meal ( beaten rice, local sweet yoghurt and spicy potatoes) at the house of professor Shamsher, who turned out to be able to speak a bit of Norwegian and also had a daughter studying in Trondheim in Norway (the world is getting smaller and smaller), we headed back to even more chaotic Kathmandu were I would spend the following 3 days in bed with the worst lounge infection ever.



20-23.2
In bed with lounge infection, the only out-of-bed experiences was a trip to Ciwec clinic to pick up antibiotics and then hopefully join the monthly waffle gathering at the Norwegian embassy this afternoon.