Like Seth mentioned, India was easier for me to handle than for him. But, that doesn’t mean that I wasn’t confounded or appalled at times. As a matter of fact, upon leaving India I ended up becoming so infuriated that I was barely holding myself together. If I were a different person I would have started punching people, but luckily I have a thread more of patience, but really it was only a thread.
We began to see enormous mountains peeking through the clouds from the airplane. It was really exciting. But the real excitement came when we began to walk around the area surrounding our hotel. We, luckily, booked a crap hotel in a good area. Thamel is the super touristy area, but that means that food is basically safe wherever you go. There are tons of shops, overpriced of course, but many things to look at. Bustling streets, live music, and the best part… no cows! And when there are no cows, there are no cow patties. And, on top of that, the streets are clean! I can walk without looking down. I can look at shops as I walk past. It’s amazing. But, what I really found here in Kathmandu on our first night, was the magic that was missing in India. It was clean, safe, and smiling. I felt as if a huge weight, that I didn’t even realize was there, was lifted from my shoulders. I’m not going to say that I completely disliked India, because there were parts that I enjoyed. But, I don’t think I felt as relaxed, comfortable, or happy one single day while in India, as I felt this first night in Nepal.