Proper bo, I tell thee

Ok, so I'm wondering if it's cruel to teach people strange phrases, or if an English guy asks a waiter if the food is good and he replies it's 'proper bo' it will seal the deal. The jury is out.

So today, maybe some homesickness with it being a weekend, I miss the rugby scores, the Sunday papers, little Miss Blore, and all that. I also stepped in to calm down an over harrases German when he got a bit off with a waiter over the amount of mint in his tea. Something similar happened in India. Maybe they expect more, or maybe I accept less? Hard to say.

There was an outbreak of disuassion re the motorbike, but..... They're cheap, and it's a cool way to see the KTM valley. Hmmmmm.

Put a notice up today to see if I could pick up a companion for Chitwan or Pokhara to get the price down and got 3 replies in an hour, so I discounted the German because I'm a racialist and the Swedish girl, because it wouldn't be right Bernie, would it? So I'm meeting a dude tomorrow for coffee to see if we can dovetail, push the envelope, catch the ball and run with it.

Power went out tonight, apparently, ad the waiter told me, the government were load shedding. All I can say it must be an enthusiastic business to knock put all the lights in the KTM valley.

Had a nice chat with a waiter called Bijay in Northfields who thinks he is privileged to have his job, even though I see him there at 8am and still at 10pm, because his tips make him 120 NR a day, which is about the National average. He's doing his guiding qualifications on the money he saves, so he can guide near his home village. So maybe I'll come back and walk Dhalguari as his first client.

There's still an obvious distinction here with the various Nepali tribes, the Newars are the former ruling class and wear their hair distinctively, the Tibetans are mainly refugees (safest to leave that subject there), and are or appear to be shifty and difficult; the Ghorkas are obvious and mostly work as security or police - and there are numerous others - all of whom have a definite characteristic.

A Swiss girl on her own here needed some help today, it seems crazy that after a few days I could take her where she needed to go, and shoo off the trekking touts so she could get to her hotel before she had a breakdown.

So to bed, had a beer with Jenny who is staying at Bhouda Monastrey to fight her demons, and had Bern here ages, it helps to speak to someone who's been here a while, it saves making all the tourist mistakes.