From yesterday work began and I have since started trying to get daily routines in place. It’s less easy than it was in Byblos where restaurant options were few but the flat was comfortable, there was a convenient daily sunset, and there was little or no risk of food poisoning. Here the risk of food poisoning is significant, particularly for the GF, and our Airbnb is significantly less well-appointed. It’s new and comfortable and reasonably well done but we only have a living room and a bedroom+bathroom on either side of a landing, with not particularly comfortable furnishings and no access to a kitchen. I am sure the sun sets here in Kathmandu as well, but the GF’s afternoon calls have, of course, been time shifted so there is no prospect of going out to see it. Annoyingly, restaurants here generally close up by 9 (a few at 10) so we often have to make a dash to get any food at all, unless we’re ready to eat at 6.
Instead I have taken to a breakfast routine, which I am enjoying very much for all the risk to my stomach and body fat – strolling the streets of Patan in the morning, looking for tea and a breakfast. The traditional breakfasts here are deep fried – today it was a sort of fat deep fried pancake that I had seen for sale in Lahore, but of course never tried. It’s a mighty but tasty morsel, a little sweet, and goes nicely with chiya or tea. Today I had my breakfast standing in a quiet courtyard looking out at the stupa that dominates it. A fine habit, for all the cholesterol hazards.
And then a return to the flat and work. Meanwhile the GF is experimenting with the various cafes in the neighbourhood; yesterday turned out to be tricky to begin with as it was only the third cafe which had wifi, but today is at a nearby place where I met him briefly for lunch and we looked grimly at each other over the climate change report.