throwing caution, and sleep, to the cold kathmandu wind i accepted an invitation to join a few people for new years celebrations just minutes after arrival. i did my best to keep up with Dev, the hotel agent who invited me, as he weaved through the intricate patterns of irrational traffic. he took me to his travel agency -ay, there's the rub- where the others were to meet us. he quickly disappeared and so i rifled through pages of pictures showcasing nepal's greatest beauty. dev reappeared with two cups of nepali masala tea. it had to be the most divine treat at that moment, for the lack of heat and hydration from the flying (not to mention my cold shower) was stealing my concentration.
to my delight, the others showed up and we got to talking. one woman, a fellow solo traveler, was just finishing her two month stay in nepal. she shared some of her experiences with us and patiently answered my earnest questions. the other two girls, a mother-daughter team from switzerland stayed quiet and polite until they excused themselves. left to our own devices, the three of us followed Dev once more to a local restaurant. we indulged in the spices, colours and smells of beautiful nepali curries as i coyly soaked up as much information as possible.
later, just us girls went out among the town to celebrate the surprisingly huge western new years. we spent the countdown hopping to bad hindi pop and avoiding vomit and motorbikes on the walk home. i went back to my luxurious single room (with my very own bathroom too) and resorted to sensory deprivation to calm my nerves after the overload that is kathmandu. bach lulled me to sleep after douglas adams inspired the last two chuckles of the night.
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