Mike's Restaurant- American Style

This morning we all woke up a little 'sleepy' due to last night's shenanigans. We first went to Durbar Square to have dinner. Unfortunately, it was raining (duh, its monsoon season!) and dark (black out) so I don't think we got a true sense of what Durbar Square is all about. We all said we would definitely go back, but most likely during the day. (This is kathmandu durbar square, one of three durbar square's in the area). We hear the shopping is great :)
I ordered a traditional Nepali dish as my meal and split it with Latissa (fun, French girl) along with veg momo's. Dipen met us out as well and showed us around.
The best part was that we could not finish our beer in time before closing so they allowed us to leave with the bottles in a paper bag! I do love Nepal!

A little buzzed, we left the "Alina's Bakery" (funny name, it was not a bakery) and traveled north to Thamel. We passed some interesting spots- I guess they are technically Nepali strip clubs (entitled "Red Lips Dance Bar"). We joked about taking our naive friend Dipen in there, but decided against that idea, thankfully. We started to hear American music being played by a live band! Summer of 69! Brown Eyed girl! Needing to feel a sense of home, we ventured to this spot. And what a sight to be seen.... A very mixed crowd, some eating, most drinking, and all smoking the houka. Sold! We found pillows to sit (after taking our shoes off, of course) and immediately continued our party. We ordered Sam Miguel and mango houka for 'dessert'. Needless to say, our 12:30 a.m. arrival back to Hotel Tradition definitely put a damper on our chipper morning. All very well worth it.

Hungry and tired, we decided to eat breakfast at a very nearby cafe called Via Via. It sits in a 100 year old building up a few narrow wooden stairways. Very eclectic. We sat at a table near an open window where we could see the into the apartments across from us and down to the busy street. We hung out, discussed our vague memories of the night before, laughed out loud about them, and discovered some fabulous authentic sweet Nepali tea. (Not as good as Uzie's, though)

Latissa and Trent decided they needed to nap. Christie and I said we could sleep when we are dead. (Makes me think of Lisa). We had plenty of exploring to do! Kristie finally met my saathi (friend) Bigyan at his bank. He was so generous and took about 4 hours off of work to take us to the famous American restaurant Mike's. He even paid for our cab ride (because he knew a cab driver would inflate his prices for us Americans. Bigyan was so patient, answered all our questions, and offered some very useful advice over his first order of Bruschetta. He would not even let us pay for our meal, and we promised to have another to let us repay the favor. Of course, it started to rain. Typical! We moved inside and watched the sidewalk fill with water. While we waited for it to die down, we ordered tea (a typical nepali move at 3pm) Apparently, the rain water is dangerous because of all the pollution here. What would we do without Bigyan? Mike's was started by an ex-Peace Corp volunteer. All the veggies and fruits are washed in iodized water. So I actually ordered a tofu, bean salad! Light and fresh. I am glad we made it to this known tourist stop.

We walked back to his work and on the way I bought my first Kutra. I hope I spell that right. Its a traditional Nepali shirt that woman wear over jeans or pants. Very pretty. Bigyan took me to an ATM and showed Kristie where she can find chocolate! It was a very nice afternoon.

Tonight, we have our volunteer reunion dinner where the old and new volunteers meet. Our first day of orientation starts tomorrow and we will have the afternoon to perhaps go to Durbar Square of Patan- south of the city.

Lessons from Nepal:
1) When crossing the street, walk with a good purpose- the drivers respond better to persistence from pedestrians. They don't get as confused!
2) The rain is polluted! Stay out of it as much as possible.
3) Don't take cabs! They will rip you off if you are not with a Nepali.

Shuva Din! (have a good day!)
Jessi