Q & A with Aging One (his asian experiences)

[aging one]

Ka Ka Ka Ka Kathmandu!!! As Bob Seeger said!!

The old TG DC8 jet came throught the clouds to reveal the Himalayas and the little city of Kathmandu below us. After finally clearing customs we were off to my friends house in Bodnath. Ted Wooster was an old friend from my free wheeling days in Uni, he had gone to the University of Wisconsin at Madison, but left after two years to tour the world and had now been in Katmandu for 4 years.

I had some Kyat left over when I left Burma but they would not give me dollars only "goods" so I had two bottles of Stoly to give my buddy. As we got nearer to Bodnath just outside of Kathmandu I could see the large stupa of the Tibetan temple there, and the prayer flags were a flapping in the wind. The airport taxi pulled up in front of a decrepid palatial sized compound behind walls next to the stupa.

Yup it was Woosters house, or ex palace. It was every hippies dream, soft rugs on the floor, water pipes in everyroom, incense burning along with tolas and tolas of hash.

No he was not manufacturing carpets as I had been told but was actually in the high grade hashish exporting business. Where was he? Coming soon I was told. A loud bang, and an old Russian motorcycle pulled up. There he was changed yes but it was still Ted.

Now 50 pounds heavier, and sporting a chest long red beard to go with the red hair. My 6 foot 4 buddy did stand out amongst the Tibetans, and Nepalese.

We proceded to drink the bottle and smoke god knows how much hash. Damn hungry we were and I needed to find a place for my other two friends to stay. So soon Steve, Nigel, myself, and Ted were off for Thamil the tourist area of Katmandu. Food was the first things we needed. I really wondered if Nepalese food could kill the case of munchies that I had.

Menus were brought out. I had died and gone to heaven. Apple pie, chocolate cake, cheesecakes of every type, chocolate chip cookies. Damn the Nepalese are smart about farungs and wanting sweets when the get the munchies.

Two hours and two kilos of food later we got over to the Katmandu GH and got Nigel and Steve checked in. Then down to the river to see what we could see.

Steve and Nigel were throwing stones at a log seeing who could hit it the hardest, soon the log came closer to shore. Nope not log but a dead body floating in the river. Steve lost his lunch at the site of the fellers bloated body, and Nigel and I were about to follow, but we quickly got the hell outa there. Kathmandu had already blown Steven's mind, and he would never be the same. He now lives in Hong Kong and owns Plum Blossoms Gallery one of the larger Tibetan Antique galleries in the world.

But back out to Teds for me, for a great dinner and an all night session discussing what we had been doing for the last 4 years.

Tomorrow would be a very new day.