House hunting Nepali style

So today was the day I set aside to look for a place to live outside of the hotel apartment.  My agent met me on foot and suggested we walk to see the places he thought I would like.  Our foot travels took us from a busy, dusty, noisy street outside the Shaligram Hotel where I am currently staying to a quiet, scenic, beautifully cultivated oasis which I will soon call home.  There were many single family and apartment buildings typically 3-5 stories tall.  En route we met a man from Vancouver, Canada who asked if we needed assistance.  I was so delighted to meet someone who spoke perfect English that we struck up a conversation and he invited us to see the single home he was renting in a gated community of 5 homes.  Steve is a teacher at an American school in Kathmandu who is near completion of his two-year assignment.  In some ways it was like looking fast forward at my experience in that he was very comfortable in this environment whereas I am still at the point where every sight and event seems newsworthy - but clearly it is not.

This view is from Steve's upper floor - he has a 4 story home all to himself, furnished by his school!

I found a place with a private courtyard that sits atop a hill with wonderful views of the Himalaya's....BUT, because of the climate and some other weather related issues that I have yet to understand they are not always visible, but the best views are apparently in the fall.  (If you look closely you can barely make out the foothills in front of the mountains.

This is a view from the roof deck where you can see the foothills in front of the mountains but the Mountains could not be seen today for some reason.  At the end of the street lies the Greenwich Hotel - it is equipped with nearly everything the westerner could want including pool, sauna, al fresco dining, and a charming lobby with fireplace.  I can see you and I having a cocktail at the bar after your long trip to Kathmandu (I'll save you a seat.)

The street around the hotel is quiet and the flowers are beautiful - spring has had a wonderful impact on this area of the city - known as Lalitpur.  There are a number of quaint restaurants and shops as well as a new temple - if you are Hindi, this would be your local place of worship.

And while the streets around my new home are rather tame, it is just a short walk to the bustling streets of Patan where I came upon a young man sewing flowers together and a woman cooking maize.  All in all it was a great day - tomorrow is moving day, so I've got to start packing

!