suffer the verbal slings and arrows of those behind, or, go to the back of the melee.  Neither option was particularly appealing to me.  Being somewhat passive in nature, I found myself being squeezed to the rear like an old tube of toothpaste by the crush of anxious, hot, sweaty and intolerant humanity.

         There were no fisticuffs, just a lot of shoving, and the exchange of certain opinions that were not always diplomatic.  The Nepalese must just sit back in amazement at this self-induced turmoil and laugh.  In situations like this it is important to have a sense of humor and to attempt a more of the laid-back attitude of the local inhabitants.  I handled the problem by splitting the process into two days; filling out the forms one day and completing the payment end of it the next,  at least this way my patience was not overly strained and my sense of humor remained intact.

         The better way, I later learned, was to give one of the locals hanging around $5.00 to do it all for you. Of course one reason why it all took so long is that these same locals, no doubt, received first service.

          Arriving Early and spending five days in Kathmandu has allowed me to see some of the city and the surrounding areas.  It has also let me rest and acclimate, learn some of the ropes, meet people, see the best and worst of this ancient city. 

            My initial reaction, sitting up here in the restaurant, looking down on the street vendors and tourists wearing their obligatory authentic traditional dress, was that there were more of "me's than them's."  It was not the pristine cultural experience that I had envisioned when I was dreaming up this adventure and it had definitely put me in a funk. "The Man Who Would be King,"**  this was not.  I missed it by a couple of decades.  All the old hippies of the sixties who could not afford to go back then, now that they are in their forties, and fifties, with expendable incomes, have arrived from all over the world in force.  I feel like one of the herd and I guess I am.  I am anxious to get away from the throngs. 

           Saturday, I was up early and rented a bicycle for 100 rupees for the day.  The exchange rate is 46 rupees to the dollar. The amount for the bicycle seemed cheap enough.  Therefore, I did not negotiate a lower price, only to find out later I paid 80 rupees to much.  Still even at the higher rate it was a bargain. I certainly can afford to pay a little more than they can afford to receive a little less.