Star Trek

star trek#1
29.4.2009 Departed Mumbai admist much nagging that I was gonna miss elections for a mere holiday and how I would lose ground in any political argument for the next 5 years..echoes are still persistent! neways I departed and naturally almost missed the flight both at mumbai (bec I am me) and at Delhi (eyeing a subway with my growling stomach still awaiting the security check)had a glimpse of the Himalayas from the delhi katmandu flight almost like a welcome note! kathmandu airport is nestled admist greens..like landing in a valley. It was a welcome change to walk past without needing a visa stamp bec I am Indian and watch red passports que up! (red tape sirf red [passports ke liye?! lol]checked into hotel yak yeti..u must check it out on the net..city's oldest and perhaps best hotel (thanbk God for packages!) the remaining 14 from the group had yet 3 hours to arrive despite leaving mumbai an hour earlier! so I pampered myself to a bubble bath and beauty sleep! lol...drew the curtains to discover a pond with ducklings in the garden just outside my room..in fact i could walk into the garden through my window! had the room/bathroom cleaned in anticipation of the arrival of my roomie shamini kothari who as a typical 13-y old refused to sleep with a stranger! lol..so not so strange me had the room to myself when I say joy knocked at my door I am being perhaps metaphoric bec the fun was about to begin! lol..joy is dr joy desai the only person I knew on the group! so joy arrives with joyous abhijit (his school friend/ shamini's father/ rita's husband/ visiting prof social sciences/ ornithologist and now a Ph D..phew!) they tell me rita and shamini are knocked off after the flight so the 3 of us join the rest of the gang to thamel..thamel is nepal's local market for tourists a visual treat..full of handicrafts/ curios (also curious us!)/ and trekking gear (everything possible!) here abhijit and I hit it off as he discovers I am wild with my bargaining skills and wildest in my tastes! well I got purple shoes for me green for dhruti and a "free gift" flowery clip that stuck onto my hair for the rest of the trip! hehehe at dinner we decided on a traditional nepali place called "chulo" but the "peacock" welcome overscored at flamboyance with rita..lol (standing at the restaurant door we are yet deciding if the place is an oversell of nepali culture..a man dressed as a peacock hip swings ..actually swings in all entirety to and forth and helps us decide that we march forth!) so we settled on momos at a modest option! back at the hotel I fancy myself with the new clip! lol..then fanasize into sweet dreams