Caught the bus back to Kathmandu marked by a gradual increase in the traffic and intense air pollution. Stopped by a fair trade shop and then hung out with a group of Mark's mates, mostly Nepalese hotel owners in the same area. I learned a lot about the industry from the operator's perspective. They regularly encounter guests who do not pay, who do not honour reservations and who complain about practically everything. They often relax the rules for travellers who "seem nice" (like the girl who rented a bike without making any deposit) and reneg on the agreement (she returned the bike, sans payment, outside the guesthouse in the middle of the night).
Ate a terrific meal of soup and crispy rice. After finishing the soup I learned that it was made from a "forest chicken" (grouse?) that had been hunted illegally in the nearby nature reserve.
Spent the next day visiting several temples/shrines in Durbar Square, and eating chat, a mishmash of leftover samosas, onions and veggies. Hard to describe but tasty.
The highlight of the visit may have been a visit to a Nepalese home for traditional dinner (dhal bhat). There were lentils, peas and cheese (mattar paneer) and the ubiquitous fried potatoes (these ones coated in crunchy hemp seeds). Most guests ate with their hands, but I refrained on the grounds I might embarrass myself.
PS: photo is Mark's illustrious guesthouse in Kathmandu!
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