Kathmandu

Mem'saab

I love being called Mem'saab.

I'm here in Kathmandu at last. It has taken 4 weeks, 11 trains, three planes, 9 countries, and I am here. Here amidst a chaos of bikes, people, cows. It's so random I love it, a far cry from the cleanliness and order of Beijing. And they call me Mem'saab.

I tried to like Beijing. I tried to turn it around in my head, but for whatever reason I hated it. I thought what the reasons might be...
(1) I wasn't meant to be here
(2) The language is stranger than Martian
(3) I arrived late at night with no money, no where to stay, and no plans
(4) It's a big big big city, a far cry from the little farm in Yorkshire
(5) All of the above

Making the best of it I visited the Great Wall, which is stunning. The views are stunning, the wall is, well, Great, and my legs ached like jelly after walking just a small section of the restored and authentically steep and uneven.

The Silk Market in Bejing is another wonder of the world; anything can be bought and prices start at an inflated 1000%. Haggling is expected, more of a game really.

My flight is being called. I fly to Pokhara to join the trek, a day late.

It's chaos here and they call me Mem'saab.

I love it