travel journal: Delhi to Kathmandu

After a quick (and surprisingly inexpensive) flight out of the dense fog of Delhi, we found ourselves descending through the clear skies over Kathmandu with an astonishing view of the Himalayas. The weather here is certainly brisk, but between the sunshine and the feeling (or illusion - judging from the number of people who wear anti-pollution face masks) of fresh mountain air, it is a stark contrast from our previous city. This city exudes an enormous amount of character from the get-go. Whether it's the abundance of colorful strings of flags, the maze of small winding streets full of tiny shops and countless odd, worn entrances, or the far off view of the mountain range that evokes a sense of mystique and danger more than any other - this is the first time on the trip I've had the feeling that I am truly somewhere "far away". Shirking our usual methods, we ended up taking a room in a rather well appointed (by our standards) hotel that was the first suggestion from our cab driver - the deep, off-season discount and free wifi (which has been rare recently) certainly helped. After settling in, we took a long stroll through the streets of the nearby, trekking/tourism central - a network of small narrow streets full of a mix of the standard souvenir-fare, random local shops, and what seemed like miniature REI outlets full of questionably authentic Northface products, and doorways hanging with arctic-appropriate sleeping bags.

I've always wanted to see the Himalayas

Speaking of questionably authentic Northface products, Cindhu's new jacket bought in Delhi for just under $8

Both of our stomachs were begging for a late lunch and we eventually ducked into a tiny dark room of a restaurant with a Chinese character sign and an old hand written note on the outer wall advertising Szechuan food. The tables full of bundled up Chinese nationals who gave us odd looks as we stepped inside was all sign we needed that we had found someplace good. Our host was a tiny woman wearing an endearing mix of clothing - heavy black boots, a puffy red jacket over a camouflage shirt, all pulled together by the striped apron embroidered with bunnies. She rummaged out a menu with english translations and we quickly ordered two dishes that seemed promising considering the brisk weather and open walls - twice fried pork and rice, and beef noodles. The pork came first - a generous pile of steamed rice flanked by fried peppers, scallions and extremely fatty, perfectly rendered pork. Despite being seriously rich, this dish eschewed a month's worth of pork cravings. Perfectly salty, a nice crunch from the vegetables and generous chunks of perfet, melt-in-your-mouth pork fat - not everyone's thing, but it hit the spot. The noodles came soon after. Thick starchy noodles mixed with stemmy, leafy greens and large chunks of well braised beef in a dark, rich, savory broth. I'm not sure I've ever eaten anything that fit the mood and surroundings as well. All for a hair over $3. Awesome. We meandered back to the hotel for a lazy evening. Tomorrow I'm determined to do a bit of coat shopping, arrange the motorcycle for a few days, and as it turns out, it looks like we'll meet up with an old friend of one of my best friends from college who grew up in Nepal and has been back living here for a few years.