Somewhat due to the Nepali festival Dashain, the biggest of the year, we've been laying low for the past few days. Most people are spending time with the families, so most shops and restaurants have been closed, some for ten days straight. Here's a BBC article about one controversy associated with the festival - animal slaughter, though it also talks about the festival in general quite a bit.
To keep our lives exciting, we went rafting yesterday on the Bhote Khosi river, which was pretty enjoyable. Billed as Class III/IV, it wasn't anything too intense, but definitely more whitewater than the Trisuli River. A few times wave walls hit us pretty hard, and we got stuck for a bit in a "hole" at the beginning of the trip. So we're, like, totally loving the rafting, dude, and feel foolish for not having taken more advantage of the opportunities available to do so in the States. The cost here in Nepal is about 1/4th of that in the US, so it is definitely cheaper here, and probably more beautiful as well in some ways, but this will hopefully be far from our last rafting adventure, though we will probably be taking the next year off :-).
And Kevin, we were definitely thinking of you when we weren't focused on paddling!
No new job news yet, hopefully things will start moving forwards early next week, when our "pin number" is released for our approved E-2 work visas. Then it's off to the Korean consul here in Kathmandu to sort everything else out. Should be fun...
We've found a cheap new local restaurant hidden behind an elaborate Nepali sign - haha - which is where we are headed now, our 2-meal/day plan works great except in the long hours right before dinner.
Hope all is well
Peace
A&E