The very moment get out of the bus and have taken our bags from the roof, all Hell brakes loose above Kathmandu. Rain starts pouring down and in no time the first streets are flooded. We decide against all our principles (because walking is saves money) to take a taxi to Thamel and move into a dorm room on the edge of the neighbourhood.
As the sky is clear by night, we discover that there are still nice alleys, shops and bars to be discovered in Thamel and that the number of white people have increased considerably. We prepare a parcel to send back home to get rid of all unnecessary and warm clothes. During the last night in Kathmandu, Earth Hour and the Hindu Rama Navami festival will be celebrated at Durbar Square. There are celebrations and dancing at Earth Hour and chanting and sacrifices at Rama Navami. The squares and temples are packed with people and candles, a beautiful ending to almost two months of experiencing Nepal.
Wow, Nepal …
What at first kind of felt like the prologue of our journey two months ago was a great trip through totally different regions and places, different locals and travellers, different feelings and ideas. Before we arrived in Nepal, we knew no more than we would visit Kathmandu and trek the Annapurna Mountains. We did not plan ahead. Not too many plans resulted in getting chest-deep stuck in the snow, a nocturnal visit from a rhino and a cheery Spanish guy who we ran into a month after Annapurna, in the middle of the bustle of the Rama Navami festival in Kathmandu.
When we wake up the last day in Kathmandu, we still have 725 rupees, 500 for the taxi to the airport, because that is not easy to walk, 200 to have breakfast, which after a bit of juggling and 25 rupee for a bottle of water. And then our rupees are gone: fasten your seatbelts, seats and trays in upright position and off we go.
See you Nepal, pheri bhetaula!