Post birthday....

I'm writing from an internet cafe in Bhaktapur, the city of my placement. In this internet cafe, they are playing "Summer of 69" by Brian Adams for the 5th time in a row, this version is in Nepali! It is so funny to listen to!

Bhaktapur is a medieval city, no cars allowed, and chocked full of cafes and shops at every turn. My host at the hospital, Shyam, is pretty much the mayor, owns most of the city and founded the hospital. He's THE MAN to know. Last night he put on a traditional show for the foreign guests, and we had the best seats on the third floor of one of his restaurants overlooking the square where the show occured. It was a visual feast.

So my birthday was a tremendously memorable event...after the traditional Newari dinner (complete with dancers, yeti, peacocks, and more dancers), my lovely Nepali hosts Rajiv, DC and Neer, had arranged a surprise birthday cake for me! The entire restaurant burst into song, and I had so many blessings of "May god be with you...". How entirely thoughtful! We went to a traditional Indian dhori for some dancing, then hit the foreigner pub in Thamel, Tom and Jerry's, then off to a Nepali dance club. Neer, one of our Nepali friends, seemed to know everyone, and got us back door entrance into this swanky club. Up the back staircase, up to the 4th floor and the bar opened up to a club, much like those at home. It was a really funny experience, as everyone there was dressed in western wear, and there we were in our saris! However, when the heck else will I be so adorned? Interestingly enough, the bars here are 90% men, and they can dance!

The evening ended late, and the next morning started early, at 5:30 - with a flight over Mt. Everest! It was breathtaking - a clear sunny day and the views were spectacular. Afterward, Emily and I headed to Nagrakot, a village in the himalayas, for some pampering. Massage, hot tub (overlooking 360 views of the mountains), great food - up to and including a hot water shower! It is incredible how the little things become so appreciated. The next morning, we hiked down the mountains to Bhaktapur with a guide (thank god for Krishna, our fearless leader or we'd still be hiking today if it weren't for him). The path included dusty roads, rocks, cliffs, and wandering through farmers fields on no less than a 1 foot wide path. Krishna took us through villages with incredibly lush surroundings, it was almost like wandering through the rainforest. Kids from the houses would come out calling "Hello! Money!" and we'd amaze them with our Nepali language skills. Mostly, we sounded like 2 years olds with poor vocabulary and grammar, although I think they were amused.

Although the hospital is very interesting, and my work is about to really begin tomorrow, I'm already looking forward to going back to Kathmandu this weekend to stay at Basecamp with the other volunteers. It is a bit isolated here!