Kathmandu – Philately Day

Thamel Guesthouse 100 NRs

Everybody gets very lazy in Nepal, especially if he has just finished the hard trip in Tibet. I met the two Israelis who I met in Shergar (Everest, Tibet) and were going to Nepali border. It was really surprising to hear their story, that on that day when I decided to go to Everest, there was not even a single vehicle able to take them to Old Tingri. So they decided to go backtrack to Shigatse, and then rent a jeep (600 yuan per person) to go to border. I feel very very lucky to be able to take a truck and even without a single cent.

These two Israelis were also got very lazy in Kathmandu, and they need days before deciding to take a short trek somewhere in northern Nepal. And as for me, even up till now, I have no idea what to do and where to go in Nepal. Just want to go to India ASAP to have the camera repaired, but still dun want to skip the attractions of Nepal.

A new day is started here, when you hear Hindus music from the street orchestra played by the youths marching thru the alleys, temples, markets, etc. And you know that a new day is started, when the people go to the temples to give offerings, and colourful crowds with candles in hand to be lighted. If you are in Nepal, experience this by going to the Hindus and Buddhist temples early in the morning.

Today, as an ordinary lazy day with bad weather, I just go to the Internet cafe to edit the Tibet photos. And uploading them from here takes about two hours….

Lingering the alleys of Thamel, I met an international class Nepali philatelist, with lots of international and national awards. He got an award for his Tibet stamp collection. Yes, when it was an independent nation, Tibet did issue the stamps. The man is a historian, or to be more exact, stamp historian. Here, in his stamp shop, I spent hours and hours learning about Bhutanese stamp. Bhutan is the first country in the world issuing 3-D stamps and talking stamps. The talking stamps are CDs that can be played with magnitophone and plays Bhutanese folksongs and speech. The talking stamps are now rated very expensive.

Now I miss my stamp collection…