The thing about Thamel is...

(Thamel is a district in Kathmandu. It is tourist central with bars, drugs, guides, music, and anything else you may be looking for. I am here until Sunday then move out to a home in the suburbs. Then to the mountains for two weeks.)

1. ANYTHING you want, you can have in Thamel.

2. As a lone, female traveler, you will be approached for "company" however, not from locals. The locals can't figure out if I am man or woman...hehe I love me.

3. Shower by candlelight is nice...maybe not every night. Dinner candlelight I can handle each night...and I do.

4. It is cold - a Halifax sort of zero degrees Celsius cold. Yes, I am staying warm.

5. Dance - nobody else does but that should not stop anyone because music, traditional and folk, is everywhere.

6. Some NGOs are good, some are just businesses with a fuzzy warm masks. It's the same in every country.

7. Beer is as much as your meal...usually more ;-(

8. I have a cappuccino everyday for $1.25 - my two pieces of toast and one hard boiled egg is the same price. Unlike home, I can get a hard boiled egg in any restaurant.

9. North Face is as often seen as the Buddha face.

10. The people genuinely want to help and do not expect anything else in return...except to give you their business card. This is the hardest adjustment of all.