Catching up with Raam

14 Oct - Kathmandu and the end of our trip

Sadly it's the end of our trip. People are leaving for the airport. Tears are being shed. 

It's been such a good trip. When is the next one?

Today I was going to meet up with Raam - a guide from past trips I still keep in touch with. I put 'Naya Bazaar Marg' into Google maps and it looked to be a pleasant 15 min walk. What I didn't realise was it was down a hugely busy arterial road, with trucks and buses and motorbikes and fumes and heat. I certainly wasn't in the tourist area anymore! I wandered down the narrow footpath past motorcycle dealers and parts shops. 

I reached the Balaju roundabout and soon Raam appeared! He was anaimated and chatty and it was so good to see him.

We wandered across the ring road and into an industrial area. The factories and shops were fascinating. Bus dealerships. Plastic Piping manufacturers. Goldstar shoes. Nebico biscuits. We met up with Raam's friend Anish, an army Major, and headed uphill for delicious chicken curry at a small restaurant with a lovely family and a cute precocious wee daughter. 

So busy at the roundabout

Raam!

Raam and Anish

On to see Raam's Kathmandu bedsit, neat and well maintained. Then tea and onto a hop on - hop off bus to town. I bought a hat at a more local market and then to Palu Malta for drinks and curry. Great being out of the touristy area.

At this point we all ran out of money. Gah! I could see how to walk back to the hotel but Raam was having none of it. He flagged down a random biker and paid them his last Rs100 to get me back to the hotel. 

What a fun trip! My rider was gentle in traffic but aggressive in the Thamel streets. Always on the throttle (and upshifting three times) in short clear spaces and then hard on the brakes to weave around the pedestrians. I made sure to keep my limbs tucked in and held on tight.

He got paid and I arrived with all my limbs

Our last dinner was at Cafe Mitra, yum. Karna came along too. 

Then, sadly, we loaded ourselves into a van and headed off to the airport. 

The airport had a surprising lack of chaos and we were very soon through formalities and onto our plane.