Tuesday April 27th 2010
About 12.15pm
Coffeestation Cafe, Thapathali, Kathmandu
Nepal
Two days ago I lost, or had stolen my phone which was also my camera. I had had it for four years. Now I am cameraless. This is what I am thinking about today. Should I buy an expensive replacement or a cheap one? or just result to sketching? I bought some pencils and blank A4 today.
I'm in a small coffee shop near a university in Kathmandu. Also I'm wondering what to do with myself, where to go and what to see, not just today but over the coming weeks. My plan to go back to India long term is on hold, I can't get a new visa until the end of May. The world cup is coming up, it would be great to watch it at home.
To teach in India would be great, but my mind wonders on to the expense of it all from May to November. To really really enjoy it it would be nice to spend a little extra but I'm a little too conservative for that. I'm thinking of going home in early June.
I'll look up flights online later.
There are often power cuts in Kathmandu though. I arrived in the middle one at night. My head was pounding from the stress of losing my camera, and from continually banging my head on the low roof of the mini-bus.
My camera disappeared between two stops en-route from Lumbini to Kathmandu.
So what now?
Finish my tea.
Ponder some more.
Eat.
Do more thinking.
I just bought some new books...Vanity Fair...a book on Buddhist Ethics (that's the second book, not Vanity Fair) and something by Nietzsche. I found a great bookstore
A masters in English Literature or Buddhist Studies?
Full of plans and potential ideas...
I could go trekking in the Himalayas tomorrow, or back to the monastery I was in in Lumbini or somewhere new, indeed I could go nowhere. I'm a bit tired of continual travel. Cities are hectic though.
I'm buzzing (like the traffic on the junction outside this coffee shop) itineraries and possible schedules.
I really want to read and study more about Buddhism. Now that my camera has gone I almost don't want to go anywhere scenic. Unless I sketch of course.
Kathmandu is pleasant enough, young people always want to speak to you, the city has energy and less beggars than in India. But it can still feel a little draining.
I'll decide after using the internet the best course of action to enjoy this time now as much as possible. But also to lay out my plans for what I'll do when I return to England for the first time since August 2007.
I've had a wonderful time over the past few years and these last couple of months, but maybe my camera going was a sign...not just my waning energy and wondering mind.