You always walk away with a laughing eye and with a crying eye.
(Proverb, author unknown)
The leaden End
How do I spend the last day?
Shall I do the crazy, LSD-like walk through this crazy city again?
Feed the lungs with dust and fumes for one last time?
Enjoy Chicken Momos in my favorite restaurant one last time?
Have a really good coffee while eating a Danish roll?
Walk around Durbar Square and visit the reconstructed or still ruined temples?
Observe the infernal bustle in Thamel, knowing it will be the last time?
Alltogether. That is the plan.
It's all part of the farewell.
Thamel - the last ride on the Mustang
Then let's go for the last ride on the wild horse called Thamel. It seems to me that for the first time I enjoy going through the narrow streets, being almost run over or knocked down every few moments (which in fact never happens), being asked by a hundred voices to buy this or that thing at a fabulous price. And to breathe in the fabulously bad air.
I have defeated it, this monster.
Maybe it's because you've been getting to know each other. The bored salesmen nod at me, although they know that I won't buy anything. But a friendly smile is still the best door opener for getting to know each other.
The lady in my favorite restaurant greets me after a long absence with a smile. "Welcome back!" she mumbles. I am very touched.
Anyway, there's actually some kind of homely feeling coming on. And that on my last of all days.
Durbar Square - Temples and Ruins
The second visit reveals the true damage left behind by the earthquake. Some temples are restored to their former glory, others still lie in ruins or have to be stabilised.
"There ain't no such thing as a free lunch."
The temples behind huge scaffolding, obviously being rebuilt with Chinese support (and money), give me food for thought. That's where the old saying comes to my mind, which describes the matter quite exactly.
But let's leave that.
Heartbreaking looks
The plazas around the square are packed with tourists, and thus, there are of course also numerous sales stands offering all kinds of things, but at much higher prices than in the alleyways of Thamel. But there seems to be some desperation; being an goodhearted pedestrian, one is almost forced to at least have a look at the objects. A negative answer causes heartbreaking looks …
The way back is slow, thoughtful.
So that's it. Tomorrow morning a cab will be waiting for me and my heavy backpacks, and a short time later I will board the plane bound for Qatar. I say goodbye, feeling in my mind like one of the painted gods whose facial looks express something between laughing and crying.
24 hours later ...
Once again I am sitting at the airport in Doha, tired and bored, and still having to spend many hours at this godforsaken place, until finally my onward flight will take off at 2 in the morning. Until then, Netflix, reading, dozing, drinking coffee and taking a last look at the skyline of Doha in the evening light.
A wonderful last picture of this wonderful, unforgettable journey ...
This is not the end ...
Of course not. In the worst case it is the end of this trip. It goes on and on and on. There are so many white spots left on the map, others visited before (Asia and America). After all those wonderful experiences in Myanmarin Southeast Asia, South America, Ladakh and Rajasthan, India , Laos. ... the travel virus is still active. It will hopefully stay this way ...
New ideas arise ... The trip on the Trans-Siberian Railway to Wladiwostok. The alternative path of St. James from Seville to Santiago de Compostela. Namibia. Japan ...
The world is waiting …
P.S. Matching Song: Red Hot Chili Peppers - Goodbye Angels
And here the trip ends ... with a few books that I took with me to Nepal
And here another journey begins, unexpected, something completely different...
