We were quickly running out of things to do here in Kathmandu. We have seen multiple temples, stupas, ancient doorways/window carvings/even ancient glass. We have hung at every hip hang out, some even twice! There was only one option left:
Getting a day pass to a pool and doing the tourist thing.
The Hyatt offered a pool, gym, jacuzzi, steam room, sauna, lemony water...you get it. We flagged down a taxi outside of KGH's gates. "To the Hyatt!" Our driver nodded, gears grinding in a futile attempt to accelerate. He seemed unhappy. The Hyatt was a long ways off from Thamel (literally and figuratively) and we had bartered a lower price for the ride.
We paid and were shown the facilities. It was like any normal ritzy spa back home. It was
perfect! We picked two lounge chairs pool side and proceeded to swim back and forth for over an hour. Days of strolling have us all hyped up to do anything tiring, and I hoped this would do the trick. We ordered lunch, soaked up the sun, and played chess. Must admit, the people watching was sub-par. People in Thamel act as if no one is watching. Here, people stared oddly at each other through reflective sunglasses lenses. Felt like a standoff. We swam again before calling it quits and heading into the spa.
After using all the options of the spa I saw a hairdryer. This sounds ludicrous but after being a cave woman for two months I was excited to have semi managed hair. The first one didn't work. Hmm.. I was approaching the second when a lady said, "they usually don't work. It is Nepal." I laughed. She and her friends are expats and have been here long enough to know what's up. The second one didn't work either, but they knew where a spare was
hidden and voila! Third time is the charm!
These girls told me more about the strike. This is the third year that the Constitutional Assembly has failed to write up a constitution. Strikes were called off today but would continue tomorrow. They had been outlawed but it would be impossible to stop every single person in this large city from striking. Power in numbers and the police are greatly outnumbered here. Maybe in six months (extension time) the Maoists will have it figured out? Even the most optimistic would agree that it seems unlikely.
Getting a day pass to a pool and doing the tourist thing.
The Hyatt offered a pool, gym, jacuzzi, steam room, sauna, lemony water...you get it. We flagged down a taxi outside of KGH's gates. "To the Hyatt!" Our driver nodded, gears grinding in a futile attempt to accelerate. He seemed unhappy. The Hyatt was a long ways off from Thamel (literally and figuratively) and we had bartered a lower price for the ride.
We paid and were shown the facilities. It was like any normal ritzy spa back home. It was
perfect! We picked two lounge chairs pool side and proceeded to swim back and forth for over an hour. Days of strolling have us all hyped up to do anything tiring, and I hoped this would do the trick. We ordered lunch, soaked up the sun, and played chess. Must admit, the people watching was sub-par. People in Thamel act as if no one is watching. Here, people stared oddly at each other through reflective sunglasses lenses. Felt like a standoff. We swam again before calling it quits and heading into the spa.After using all the options of the spa I saw a hairdryer. This sounds ludicrous but after being a cave woman for two months I was excited to have semi managed hair. The first one didn't work. Hmm.. I was approaching the second when a lady said, "they usually don't work. It is Nepal." I laughed. She and her friends are expats and have been here long enough to know what's up. The second one didn't work either, but they knew where a spare was
hidden and voila! Third time is the charm!These girls told me more about the strike. This is the third year that the Constitutional Assembly has failed to write up a constitution. Strikes were called off today but would continue tomorrow. They had been outlawed but it would be impossible to stop every single person in this large city from striking. Power in numbers and the police are greatly outnumbered here. Maybe in six months (extension time) the Maoists will have it figured out? Even the most optimistic would agree that it seems unlikely.
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