Words will have to do...

Thinking about these boys back home, I have made it to Kathmandu, drinking an Everest beer at 4:00 p.m. after having travelled two days to get here. Let me just give you some of my first impressions.

The airport has the original pink Palm Beach airport beat by a mile. I will add a photo after I download, but it is teeny with a small sign that says "Arrivals" as you walk into an open corridor; no ac, no fans, just an open space above low walls. As we tumbled off the plane - and this plane left Doha at 1 a.m. with a full load of Nepali men returning home after working for months in Nepal - we were met by men and women masked and armed with thermometers. Each held the thing on our forehead for about 10 seconds and then asked if we knew about swine flu. We were shooed into the main building where we threw our bags onto a belt without taking out computers, etc... Then, because I checked no bags, I was just waved on through the customs out to the 30 or so waiting people. A nice man asked if I was looking for someone, and I told him I thought the Garuda Hotel would come. Sure enough, the man checked it out, returned and said the taxi was on its way.

The car arrived and a squirrely little man got out with a notecard pencilled with my name; his car had a Malaysia sticker on it, and I had a chuckle. We swerved through small, windy, muddy streets, and I noticed a meat stall had the back two legs and groin of a goat, face up so the little blue penis of the poor butchered animal protruded rather laciviously above the table. I made a mental note to check it out later, whichI did but did not have the heart to photograph it. NOW, I can only wonder at the splendours lurking in that gustatory pleasure,but I do not think it is something I willl pursue. I am.after all, a vegetarian...

My hotel is smarmy as usual, but I'm so discumbobulated that where I put my head tonight will not matter. My seat mate on the plane was returning to Nepal after over 2 years in U.S. where she lives with her husband in Atlanta. Her 5 year old son is here. I asked what she did in Atlanta, and she muttered into her hand something that sounded exotic; when pressed, she acknowledged that she works for Dunkin Doughnuts... She was funny and very warm. Her family lives in Pokhara, and I shall call her when I go there, which is looking extremely likely because I am really not interested in trekking in snow in June (Kris, will you ever forgive me?). I've got Kris's purple raincoat with me, Betsy's sock liners, Bob's Bhutan money and 50 Indian rupees. I hope I can do you all proud!

Landing in Kathmandu was extraordinary with the mounds of puffy clouds cradling the plane, the Himalayas glistening in the background, and blue sky above. Then we got beneath the clouds, hit turbulence, solid gray and a jolted landing. The hilly environment looks Swiss, cozily surrounded by hills and mountains, connected by a few muddy roads. The rainhad stopped so things were glittering in the post-rain sunshine.

I'm going to eat some easy veggie things and probably crash early even after about a 3 hour nap. There is no evidence of Maoist insurgencies or violence, but I do need soap for my awaitingly delicious cold shower... Over and out - especially after this giant Everest beer!!

DonQuixote is turning out to me wonderfully funny company, and I am not sorry I lugged Cervantes with me. If you've not read it, DO! It's wickedly witty.