Coffee and a chocolate muffin at Java coffee was everything that the lonely planet. Apparently this second floor coffee shop, overlooking the crossroads in the centre of Thamel serves the best coffee in the city, they roast their own beans daily. It was certainly good, served in a mug too. The warm chocolate muffin was good too.
Moving on to my sightseeing trip. The Nepali don't seem to be early risers in Thamel. It was 9.00 am and not that busy, save the trekking and taxi touts. I had become quite good at smiling and saying no, but not that good. Given, apart from a few weeks, I have been on the road for nearly 12 months, I am constantly surprised at my naïveté and today was no exception. As you wander through the streets of any city, lonely planet it hand and day pack on your shoulder you are a target. Most of those targeting you are keen to relieve you of a few dollars.
As I came out of the coffee shop a young lad greeted me with "namaste" and asked where I was from. Usually you have a brief conversation but no more and they move onto the next "unsuspecting" target. Today should have been no different except I asked for directions. As it happened this guy actually worked as an artist in the monastery I was heading towards. As we walked, we chatted, I told him I was a volunteer and would be working in a buddhist monastery for the next two months.
Arriving at the temple and monastery he gave me a great briefing of the history and before I knew it I had a tour guide. Naive but not that naive that I didn't expect that money would need to change hands at some point. I've been in this situation so many times before, I can't count them.
Anyway, we wandered through the local part of the area, fascinating it was too and some great photo opportunities. So much so that I was stopped by a Belgium tourist at one particular temple and asked if I could send a few photos I had taken at one particular temple to him via e- mail. ( such is the speed of the rather temperamental Internet connections, they are still sitting in my ipad outbox. At some stage soon I may need to renege on my promise and try when I get somewhere with a little quicker connection).
In the meantime, my guide was making a plan, where he would take me. It didn't dawn on me till we were in the taxi (he could get local rate...) on our way to the ghat and the largest Stupa in the world that This may turn out a little pricy.
As we got put of the taxi I asked how much it would be to enter the ghat. It was 500 NRP. About a five, I do intend to do it but the first three days next week with the charity are "orientation" which includes a guide of Nepal, in addition, you can get a "pass" as a volunteer which gives cut price entry to some of the sights.
When I asked how much the taxi was and got the answer " about 1500 Npr I thought it was time to call it a day. This could turn out ridiculously expensive for something I was going to do anyway next week. I explained to Asish that I was on a tight budget and this was really expensive, especially as I only had 1300 on me. "But you have an ATM card"
He said. Across most of the world people associate an ATM or Credit card with unlimited funds. " yes I do, but I don't have this type of money especially as I can do these sights for free next week" . To be fair, he took this all
In his stride ( he told me he was a devout Buddhist, which I had no reason to disbelieve him - Money wasn't important". That did not stop him from asking for tip. I showed him my empty wallet. The 1300 had gone to the taxi driver. I suspect he took a cut!
I was dropped off at Thamel feeling a little embarrassed at my stupidity and my wallet a little lighter than when I started out in the morning. Every day a school day. Pity I seem incapable of retaining this learning. Till next time egh!
On the way back, I was was pleasantly surprised to find a couple of hundred NPR in my pocket and had a refreshing pineapple juice and bought a couple of apples and bananas to cheer myself up. Given I had just frittered my eating budget for the day, this would be my lunch and dinner.
By this time it was around 3.00pm, calling off at the ATM I took out another 20,000 towards paying for my volunteer placement (70,000 for two months) and headed back to the hotel to do a bit more work, promising myself I would not be taken in again . As I say, till next time.....
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