a good samaritan

'hold the phone peoples, Jo has written two posts in one month!'

Alana and I have had a pretty 'blah'* week owing to the Nepali bureaucracy, or should I say, bureaucrazzzzy, involved with registering for our language course...I'm not going to go into the 'ins n outs' of the saga, cause I really don't care to relive it, but you need a little context to truly appreciate this story....

So yesterday we set out to accomplish the final task of opening a bank account...(We need proof of substantial dosh^ in a Nepali bank account in order to register blah blah blah).

My task: Get the 'moolah'** and meet Chasty at Bank of Kathmandu at 1400.

So I forgot that I had asked her to mind my wallet for me, didn't I? and only remembered when I arrived at the atm and reached into my bag to find, nothing - doh!....so I trudge back up to the bank...the sun is beating down, onlookers are looking on, my frustration is frustrating...why do I do this to myself?????!

Take 2:  Wallet in hand this time, I walk back to the atm, get out the dough^^ and split...

Meanwhile back at Bank of Kath'n'Kathmandu, someone has finally cut us some slack and Alana has opened her account...minutes later the greenbacks*** are in the account and we are walking out of the bank in jubilation!

We are moseying on down to our local haunt, Cafe Kaldi, (on the same road I was now traversing for the 5th time that day...) when all of sudden my thong (Australian for 'flip flop'...that's how we say folks, you just have to accept it!) broke!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  What to do???  I am standing on the side of the road considering, 'do I just wear the one thong?  do I discard both thongs and walk barefoot?  do I stay put and let Alana go and buy me some new thongs?'...did I mention the sun beating down, and being a mere hop away from the 'promise land', a land flowing in milk and iced-coffee???

This is my predicament when I hear a voice from behind me, 'here, take my shoes!'...I turn around and this Nepali guy in the middle of the foot-path has taken off his thongs and is insisting I take them...'don't worry I'll buy new ones, don't worry just take them'...I am speechless!!!....Technically, shouldn't I just go and buy some new ones???  Who does that?  Would you do it?  I wouldn't...But they are off his feet and there is no going back!...I decide to go with it.  I slip them on, chuckle at the fact they are way too big, get a picture taken (a small price to pay...) and proceed across the road to my iced-cappuccino...

And here endeth my story...I haven't ever been given the shirt off someones back, but I can now say I have received the sole off their feet...good times!

Til my next post - 'How to treat tinea in Kathmandu' - Say hi to your mum for me...

* 'blah' - average, slightly annoying, tiring, frustrating, mediocre
^ 'dosh' - slang for money
** moolah' - slang for money
^^^ 'dough' - slang for money; also used to make pizza; not a doe, not a female deer
*** 'greenbacks' - slang for money