Day Minus 2 - Flight to Kathmandu

A "Quick" Hop
Forty five minutes to Kuala Lumpur then another four hours to Kathmandu.  Our trekking guide, MB (initials for an unpronounceable name), met us outside the airport.  He led us to a waiting car and we were followed by two guys who did absolutely nothing except whisper "tip, tip" to me unsuccessfully as I closed the car door.  First impression: India.  We drove to the headquarters of the trekking company and were met with smiles by a man named Samden, whose mother owns the company.  He gave us an overview of the trekking itinerary and then we were off to our "hotel", below, for a night.

From our room we had a view of the inner courtyard and the cramped neighborhood beyond.  There was no electricity when we arrived so we couldn't switch on the fan or take a shower.  It was 95 degrees.  Dodo reiterated one of her recent meditation learnings which boils down to "if you don't like it, don't worry, it will soon change."

The hotel was owned by a lady from Spain who was discussing the finer points of customer service with her Nepali manager, in Spanish.  As is the case with many businesses in Nepal, this small hotel and cooking school had an element of social enterprise.  Part of our hotel fees would be used to train young Nepali orphans to be chefs.

The name of their restaurant is a combination of Spanish and Nepali that translates to "The Delicious Kitchen."  I tried the first item, a spicy mix of peanuts and vegetables.  Very flavorful.  At 95 Nepali Rupees to the dollar, less than 2 bucks. We didn't sit still, we took a walk to a neighborhood a few miles away, Dodo testing her stomach on dicey street food all the way.  I was timid, recalling the food poisoning I got in Peru right before my Macchu Picchu trek.