Andrea and I made way to the final destination that we would share together…for now, काठमाडौँ (Kathmandu). The ride there was a tourist bus, which we were hoping would be a bit faster. As it turns out, tourist bus just means there is a bit more leg room. Either way, we were used to it at this point, so it wasn’t all that bad. Plus I got this amazing and super cheap meal:

Kathmandu is kind of…crappy. Many of the locals are wearing face masks to combat the pollution. The streets congested and under constant construction. I wondered to what extent this is due to the 2015 earthquake. We found a cheap and dirty hotel in Thamel, the main tourist district. We could have certainly found something nicer, but at a cost.

As a change of pace, I happily accepted Andrea’s suggestion that we get some climbing in. We stopped at the local gym, which wasn’t too bad, but reminded me a lot of the gym in Novi Sad, Serbia: handfoot match > mega reach > handfoot match > dyno > repeat. Not a welcoming experience for the vertically challenged. While we were taking a short rest I was pleasantly surprised to find the lovely Ooona walking towards me. Oona is a Finish girl that had attended the tantra course with me back in Rishikesh, India. What a funny coincidence!

The three of us got a fancy dinner together at OR2K, a fresh vegetarian restaurant in Thamel that lived up to the reputation. It was such a nice change of pace to have fresh salads and goat cheese. Yum! Our hefty bill still only added up to $8 each.

The next day Andrea and I just relaxed and spent some time together. We looked up the best momo restaurant in Kathmandu and…damn it was good!!!

Momo and dried fruit dessert momos:

Andrea (Momo), I already miss you so freakin’ much. We have had such an incredible adventure together. I can’t imagine having been with anyone else through all of this and I know I wouldn’t have grown in the way that I have if you weren’t there. I am so happy to have have you as a friend. Until we have those Enfield engines rumbling between our legs. Love you so much la mia Italiana!