Dominic

Today we met Dominic. I have known his father for some years. He lives in Fredericton but has worked internationally a lot. When his father heard I was going to Kathmandu, he suggested that I look Dominic up. Today was the day. We shared tea at Mike’s Breakfast.

Dominic works for a non-government organization that promotes democracy by helping to build institutions around the world. He has worked in several parts of Asia, but will be heading back to Ottawa shortly to start working with a similar organization. In Nepal he has been working with the some of the new parties.

He said that Elizabeth Weir is scheduled to arrive next week, but that her flight goes through Bangkok, so whether she in fact gets here is uncertain. Mumbai is no longer a good option. I’m sure glad my flight returns home via Doha.

After meeting with Dominic we headed to New Road and Durbar Square. I needed a new battery for my watch, had not yet seen Durbar Square this trip, and wanted to tidy up shopping. The shop where they replaced the battery was a tiny little thing. I can’t think of a space small enough to compare it with. But it is certainly smaller than our upstairs bathroom. And there were 2 guys in this stall, one squatting on a stool, who knew how to do these things.

It now costs a small entry fee to get into Durbar Square, and I don’t know if that is good or bad for the vendors there. Certainly there was not the crush of people I remembered from our last visit, but the vendors were just as pesky. If they decide they want you to buy something they just don’t leave you alone. It gets exhausting after a while.

We walked from Durbar Square to Thamel, past the vendors that cater to the locals – the vendors with fresh fruit, onions, mushrooms, greens, track suits, sneakers, winter jackets, saris, pots and pans, spices, street food. Then stopped at the Big Belly for beer and something to eat. Gabriel has had stomach problems and I explained to him that beer is the best food in that instance.

Back to work tomorrow.