Today is Tiphaine's first day on the job, and my second day. I decide to follow Tiphaine on her way to work since she starts 10.00 Nepali time and I start 10.45. This is the third time we walk to her office and we still found a way to get lost in the maze of streets. Bérengere would definitely call it a "disorganized mess" (as opposed to Paris, it is really well organized for such a messy city). I must say that locating your position within this maze falls within superhuman abilities: not only don’t the houses have numbers, but the streets have no name, and most aren't even on Google map. Each street is slightly different but still the same. The streets are over-packed with stuff to buy and each free space of wall/pole/window is filled with advertisement. Of all the info’s I catch none, I still watch my feet to much to avoid stepping on dogs, in crap, on people or underneath a car tire.
The cars, minibuses, rickshaws, motorbikes etc are driving past within millimeters and I can't fathom how I still haven't been hit. We are so focused on the fact to ensure our immediate survival; we haven't had much opportunity to look up.
But in the end we find the way and Tiphaine can start her work while I try to find my way back. Down another street, it looks familiar; I have been here before haven't I?
Of course I have, on the right I see one shop selling caps, the next wallets, the next prayer flags the next incense. HONK honk, "Taxi sir?" NEI, which is apparently Nepali for no thanks, great I can finally use my Norwegian here. "Do you smoke hashish?", NEI, "Rickshaw sir?", NEI.. "Where you from?" Nei. Geez, I seem to be using Nepali a lot. I find a small supermarket twice the size of the one next to my flat and go inside. "Namaste", hands together in the middle of the chest. Walking around I finally find something I haven't seen so far, some cheese from the Laughing Cow I can have for breakfast, and Nutella! ++ A store with slightly more western food that I can safely eat ! But just before I leave the shop I find my bane, the orange Reese’s Buttercups.... In a pack of 8 for 18 kr... While in Norway 2 for 25 kr... I'm doomed; I tell myself just one pack and leave the store with two big plastic bags. Now, which way. One way I see shops full of color, the other way... The same. Well let’s try left and keep going a bit.
After only 10 minutes I find my way back to our flat! Luckily we live at Chhetrapati Chowk, a landmark in the Thamel area with a big tree in the middle !
Work starts and I'm happily surprised to see that I can work normal with everything except that the internet is a bit slow. While I work our didi comes, I open the door, "Namaste" hands folded in the middle of the chest and she enters. Well I still have to work so I go back to my computer while I hear her working hard. 1 hour later her head pops in. "Elknmflnflfsnàlnd" ehm, okay, Dhanyabaad(Thanks) and she leaves. The room I'm in isn't cleaned but the rest of the flat is spotless. And for the little money we spend in keeping her the flat gets cleaned 1 hour every day. Westerners I think to myself and continue to work.
In the evening we went to eat at a French restaurant called Delices de France recommended by Lonely Planet, but we also come because the owner is very active in the French community and manages the French nationals in the area. We chatted a lot and attained really interesting info on the price of wine, local life, where to meet in case of problems of force majeure (earthquake, flash flood of the river, attack cockroaches etc) I also learned that as a Norwegian I was supposed to get to a completely different region of Kathmandu but I was welcome to the French’s place instead which is about 500 meters from our place. Incidentally, we ate well. And it feels good to eat a little French, without too strong spices!
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