Himalayan Odyssey(21)

Tuesday 23rd October, 2007

Happy birthday to me, happy birthday to me ...
I'm feeling so much better this morning following yesterday's big hit of antibiotics plus the follow up ones I have to take. While not completely 'healed up' its just so much better and since today is my birthday I think that is a pretty good present!

I'm back at the clinic at 11am for a quick check on progress. At 105/65 my blood pressure is a bit low but nothing to get too concerned about. Tomorrow I have to go for a CT scan for an anomaly which showed up on the XRay.

Later in the day the hotel sent up a birthday cake and Dominic and I had some of it as desert after dinner.

Birthday cake kindly provided by Radisson Hotel, Kathmandu

On this day last year I was at the Radisson in St Petersburg, Russia and they also provided a birthday cake and a bottle of bubbly which I shared with Mike and Sandra. Maybe this is to become a tradition for me? I wonder where I'll be next year - hopefully somewhere exotic.

Wednesday 24th October, 2007

Feeling so much better every day now so after breakfast, at Dominic's suggestion, we walk to Hanuman Durbar Square. This is an old imperial and religious area and even though it is a significant tourist attraction parts of it are still in use for religious purposes. On the way there we traverse back streets which I find quite interesting with normal everyday business going on.

Kathmandu street scene on the way to Hanuman
Durbar Square

There is a lot of reconstruction and renovation going on. Many buildings date back as far as the sixteenth century.

Pagoda, Hanuman Durbar Square, Kathmandu

Statue of Garuda, Hanuman Durbar Square, Kathmandu

Leaving the area we are again in among the back streets and alleyways and the older architecture is quite fascinating - particular the upper storey overhangs which are reminiscent of parts of some of the older towns in the UK where they built out over the street to gain more space in the building.

Residential architecture, Kathmandu

At 5pm the CT scan is over quite quickly although it takes a bit longer to get the bill paid as they have to go to another building to do the credit-card transaction. Afterwards we walk back looking for an Italian Restaurant but finding none we arrive back at the hotel and have a very pleasant dinner at their Italian Restaurant and are serenaded by a live group of local musicians. Now that I can eat again the Minestrone soup and Spaghetti Carbonara is delicious.