I flew into Kathmandu in the rain, with the low clouds obscuring any view I might have had of Everest.  Damn!  At least it was cooler here than in Bangkok - about 25 C or 75 F.

 I'm staying at a hotel in the Thamel district - the popular tourist section of the city.  There are all kinds of restaurants, shops, internet cafes etc. within a few blocks making it very convenient and it's relatively inexpensive.

 Yesterday I spent most of the day clearing my bike through customs.  Unlike Singapore where clearing the bike through airport customs took only a few minutes, it took me most of the day to clear the bike here in Kathmandu.  There were numerous forms to fill out, then signatures from several different customs officials.  It took about 3 hours to complete the paperwork and track down the necessary officials.  And though they took much time to fill out the paperwork, they still managed to screw up processing my carnet.  The customs official filled out both the import and export sections of the carnet!  At each border I try to explain to the officials how to fill out the carnet, especially when they appear confused.  Inevitably, they wave me away, then take the carnet into the back room to fill it out.  Often when it comes back it's filled out incorrectly.  This time I had to get the customs official to cross out the export section and initial his mistake.  I hope the mistake doesn't cause me grief when I leave Nepal.

 After I finished with all the paperwork, they brought me my crate and we proceeded to break it down.  And break it down is just what we did!  With the help of some of the customs officials we took a hammer and pry bar and knocked the crate apart.  Luckily the bike came out of the crate unscathed, damaged neither by the rough flight nor by the over-enthusiastic uncrating.  I have to admit I was a little worried about the bike since they had crated it in Bangkok without using any tiedown straps or rope - just pieces of wood nailed across the crate above and below the bike to secure it.  But it all worked - the bike sustained no damage during shipping, which is better than it did when I crated it and shipped it from Colorado to Australia!  I guess I should take some lessons in crating from these third world artisans!

 Once the bike was uncrated, I and 30 of my newest friends proceeded to reassemble the mirrors, battery, and windscreen.  In about an hour I had everything back together.  Good thing I had all that help, or it would have taken me about half that time ;-)  The bike fired right up, and I drove out of the warehouse complex and onto the streets of Kathmandu.

 Now driving in Bangkok was a challenge with its heavy traffic, traffic jams, one-way roads, and thousands of motorcycles splitting lanes.  Kathmandu was no less of a challenge, just a different kind.  The streets of Bangkok are wide and open, with traffic lights, signs, etc.  Kathmandu streets are tight and twisty with no lights or signs.  My 15 mile ride back to the hotel was one long maze as I wound between cars, trucks, motorcycles, bicycles, pedestrians, cows, dogs, and everything else imaginable.  The drivers in Kathmandu love to lean on their horns - they honk when they're passing, when they want to warn pedestrians they're approaching, when they come to a stop sign, or just when they get bored.  The only thing they don't toot at are the cows, since cows are sacred and can go anywhere they damn well please, usually just standing in the middle of some packed street.  Using my GPS I negotiated the narrow streets and the rain and made it back to my hotel, only asking one time for someone to point me in the right direction.  Much better than I did my first time driving in Bangkok!

 The cultural difference between Bangkok and Kathmandu was also a shock to me.  Bangkok is very urban and feels like a big city.  It has all the traffic problems mentioned earlier, as well as shopping malls and movie theaters and the other things you expect in a big modern city.  Kathmandu is also a big city, but it feels like a very ancient town instead of a modern city.  The narrow twisty streets and ancient brick buildings make it feel like medieval times.  In fact, some of the buildings here are from the 15th century.  And unlike Bangkok, I could wander into the interesting alleys in Kathmandu without fear of stumbling into some sex shop and being propositioned by street girls :-)

 Today I took a walking tour of the city, mostly in the rain.  I walked through the twisty streets in the old part of the city.  I visited Durbar Square and saw temples and palaces from the 15th and 16th centuries.  These buildings are simply awesome - they look ancient, and the tight crowded streets make the experience feel very genuine.  I spent several hours wandering the narrow streets in amazement.

 It seems that everyone in Kathmandu is trying to sell you something - tours, flutes, trinkets, "smoke", and anything else imaginable.  While you are walking down the street they're calling out to you from the shops.  If you stop to admire the temples they flock around you.  I learned to smile and say no thank you, which usually gets rid of most of the touts.  But after a while you can't help but become jaded by the constant assault.  One fellow approached me while I was admiring something and asked where I was from and if I liked Kathmandu.  Then he offered to show me around the city because I was his "guest".  I knew if I accepted his offer I would have to pay him later.  I had to forcefully tell him that I didn't want him to show me around and that I preferred to walk alone.  This experience saddened me because I don't want to push people away, especially at a time when I could use a friend.  But most of these people aren't really interested in being a friend, only in getting tourist dollars.

 Despite all those hassles I really liked Kathmandu.  It's a refreshing change from the urban setting of Bangkok.  But I was glad that I could escape the touts and the constant traffic to my quiet hotel to relax at the end of the day!

 It's been raining since I arrived in Nepal.  It's the start of the rainy season so the rains could go on for a while.  Because of the rains I haven't seen any of the mountains surrounding the valley.  Tomorrow I head out of the Kathmandu valley to Chitwan Park then on to Pokhara.  Hopefully I'll get a break in the rains so I can finally see some of the Himalayas.  Stay tuned for my forthcoming weather report from Nepal :-)

 Story