It's my Birthday!

Guess what I did for my birthday?

Last night I had Japanese hot pot (shabu shabu) with 7 friends at a fun place along the river in Chiang Mai.

Then, early this morning I flew to Kathmandu, Nepal, and saw my first glimpse of the majestic Himalayas (from the airplane). It really is surreal.

Overall, the experience has been pretty overwhelming...

--red brick airport (looks kind of like my high school!)
--people inviting us to check out their trekking company
--lots of brilliant colors (saris for sale, people wearing)
--I'm amazed that I'm here. I find myself feeling pretty introverted and uncertain.
--cute kids saying 'hello'
--Pretty rough, old, even "falling-apart" looking buildings.
--dirt roads
--lots of honking horns
--a pretty basic room in a guest house

I'll learn more in the next days.

Lisa has spent a lot of time here, so she's a big help. We'll probably hang around town for a couple of days and then hopefully head out on a trek! Don't know exactly how to get photos from my camera onto my blog at an internet cafe... If so I'll post, if not, after I get back!