Kathmandu is wet, warm and the countryside lush and green.
I arrived yesterday just after midday local time and after the usual formalities made my way to the Kathmandu Garden House. The driver regaled me with the traditional tales of how every hotel in town is cheaper and better but after he figured out that I have been here before he gave up and we talked about the changing political landscape, the abdication of the king and the price of oil. As a driver the petrol price has hit him hard and while the official rate is hundred Rupees per liter (NZD 2) there is a shortage and the black market has driven the price up to double that.
After dropping my luggage of at the hotel I wandered over to Thamel and that was when the heavens opened up. Within minutes the streets were muddy rivers and while the shop keepers scurried to get their wares covered I dashed into the Pumpernickel bakery to wait out the worst of it.
It’s good to be back.