crazy ironic.

so i was walking by a bookstore last week and a National Geographic caught my eye. it was a travel-edition and on the cover was the phrase: "the best little city in America: Austin, Texas." being in Nepal i was freaking out showing everyone, who mainly didn't care because they didn't spend five incredible years of their lives in that town. so i bought the magazine. and in this same magazine there was an article that rated 94 various World Heritage sites from best to worst. they had a panel of environmental, cultural, historical, tourism, blah, blah, blah experts who all contributed to the reviews. number one on the list were the fjords in Norway - yeah sure, they look spectacular. and then i keep flipping the pages, the reviews are getting worse and worse. and i couldn't believe it of all the places around the world -- Kathmandu Valley came in dead last on this particular list. man, i had to laugh because i was sitting in Kathmandu reading the article. and well, the things they said about it were definitely true - polluted, crowded, politically chaotic, and obviously poverty stricken.

wow, i just love how life doesn't make sense like that. i mean i started this journey in Austin - "the best little city in America!" and now i'm here in the town that came in last place!! and you wouldn't believe it - i've been overwhelmed this past week with all these jewels i've been finding nestled in the crooked streets of Kathmandu. like my new favorite little Japanese-coffee-shop-diner with the best little grilled sandwiches and fancy green tea. they even serve coffee that was grown here in Nepal - who knew!! it feels like Portland, Oregon, but you're eating Japanese food and the people are speaking Nepali and delicate French-cafe-music is coming through the speakers - oh, i just love it. and then there's this little Spaghetti Bar in this one alley - i've never seen anything like it - there are only about 15 bar stools, everyone sits at the counter and you watch the guys toss the spaghetti - it's so cozy. the tentalating Italian spices and sauces lure me, before i've even turned the corner. then there's this one pedestrian bridge... oh, man, i have to start a whole new post to tell you about the bridge...

but mainly i just wanted to share the irony; the absurdity of life and lists and ratings and Western standards.