Happy? Thanksgiving

After much debate, we decided not to go to Hatiban for Thanksgiving. Instead, we'd take the bus to Kathmandu, eat a nice lunch at Roadhouse in Thamel, and then go to Patan to pick up the missing flower for K's statue.

We got on the bus early this morning, slowly making our way down the mountain. As usual, more and more passengers got on until I was pressed against the window there in the last row, and the entire aisle was packed. We kept hearing teenage boys mention, "bhanda, bhanda," but didn't take it seriously over the Avril Lavigne songs emanting from their cell phones...Until we reached the bottom of the mountain and the bus creaked to a stop at the very outskirts of the city. Finally, when everyone began to jump out the back door, then we realized, "Oh, there really is a strike today!" much to our chagrin. Not a single person seemed perturbed that the bus could go no further. They simply started walking.

K and I stood there on the side of the road, kids in their school uniforms swarming by, laughing and talking. Unsure whether or not to try to venture into the city, knowing we could be stuck there if the strike lasted for days...Finally we decided to head back up the mountain and luckily, a bus came along that we caught, standing while we rode back up...

And so we decided maybe we were meant to go to Hatiban afterall...The Hatiban of my dreams I'd heard so much about. The Hatiban owned by the Bhutanese Dudjom Yangsi's father. The Hatiban that the old monk Sonam Drakpa had said there was no point going to because it's not like there was a stupa or anything there. From Hatiban you were supposed to have an amzing view of the Kathmandu valley. It was also supposed to be a fancy restaurant. In my mind, it would be the perfect place for a Thanksgiving in Nepal.

So we hopped off the bus at the place where K had assured me that Hatiban must have shuttles to get you up to it's spot on the top of the mountain. Wrong! And so we walked and walked up through the pine forest. It was lovely, but it sure was a long walk. Finally, we got there and I felt like I was in Thailand. There were flowers everywhere and small villas. The restaurant was beautiful and sort of like a ski lodge. K and I went to sit out on the pation in the sun. We were alone except for a few European men staring at the smoggy Himalayas through their binoculars.

Of curse there was no turkey--we knew that! And so after studying the menu, for some reason we decided upon pizza and garlic potatoes. Big mistake! Not only was it expensive--it was the worst meal we have ever had in Nepal and there's a good chance that the cheese on the pizza might possibly have been rancid!

Next, we continued through the woods, over a ridge, to the Yangsi's place. It was beautiful and silent and a Nepali man let us into the temple. But alas, the Yangsi was in Bhutan. And so we continued our walk, this time now picking our way down the mountain to Drolod. This was my only truly great moment of the day. It was amazingly beautiful walking down the side of this mountain--and so quiet. We stopped to sit for a few moments.

But eventually we reached Drolod and sat down on a bench to wait for the bus to come by. While sitting htere I suddenly heard a loud, "Thwap!" and quickly turning my head, saw a shopkeeper holding a rat by it's tail and killing it by beating it against the ground. He prceeded to throw it in the gutter and then just rinse his hands under the outdoor spigot. That was the best part of my Thanksgiving...

Damn-these pictures never appear in the right order!!!

A moment of peace in an idyllic valley towards the end of our journey....

K happy at Hatiban--before the food arrived...

Hatiban "Resort"

Thanksgiving dinner in all its glory...