kathmandu.
kathmandu has not changed. an hour after arrival i get a sore throat and start coughing. it can't be fresh and crisp mountain air.
before getting out to the mountains some sightseeing.
- boudhanath. busy with pilgrims and tourists. picturesque as ever.
- pashupatinath. still irritating to watch the cremation rituals. indeed a place to observe the finiteness of human existence.
- durbar square. the results of the 2015 earthquake are still visible. beams to stabilize the buildings all over the place.
- swayambhunath, monkey temple.
- diwali festival. mingle with the locals. good fun, apart from the noise of the drums. but to get acceptable pictures you need to get close, meaning next to the drums.
and xmas shopping on the last days of the trip ...cashmere scarfs for family and friends. a complicated topic. not fun. invested more than a day to get an understanding (maybe not. rather a feeling) of the prices and qualities.
what did i learn?
- a scarf of pure cashmere below 50$ is not possible due to the market price of the wool.
- 'all shopkeepers sell fake. except me'
- even synthetic fibre can be processed to feel as soft as cashmere
a shopkeeper had a fit of laughter:
- 'you're very unusual. 'show me your best quality!' is definitely not the 1st statement we here from a client entering the shop. people want a cheap deal.'
'- 'it's about a bargain not the cheapest price. the goal is to find handwoven top quality for my mum, and friends asked me to buy some stuff for them. they don't deserve that i show up at home with fake... so let's talk about the quality. don't worry, we'll talk about the price soon enough.'
...he was the only shopkeeper who did not declare that a scarf i bought somewhere else to be fake but explained the good quality and the reason for the acceptable price i paid.
well, mum and my nieces were happy with the xmas gifts...