Well I have been stuck in Kathmandu for three days now. I was supposed to go to Pokhara last Thursday (it's Sunday now) for about 5 days of tours and sightseeing. The office received a phone call explaining there was mail for me to be collected. We arranged for the mail depot to stay open (it was almost closing time) and zipped across the city to collect it. When we arrived there it was closed. Dang it!

I had been waiting for two items to come to Australia by post. The first was an incredibly important form processed by the US consulate in Canberra which is required to obtain a US J1 work visa, which has been in the pipeline since before Christmas. The other is a package of toys I'd purchased in Australia to give to whoever I felt was worthy in the village. My time in the village was over and the mail still hadn't arrived.

Anyway, on Friday I made the trip across town to collect the mail, this time on the back of a scooter. The pollution and dust in Kathmandu causes me some respiratory difficulties violently and often if I'm not cautious. Passengers don't require helmets (by law), so there was visor to protect me from the wind. I just wrapped my scarf over my face like a bandit or ninja and that usually serves me well.

The mail service there is a mess (no surprises there). The package I'd received contained the gifts rather than the visa form which meant that I would need to make a special trip back from Chitwan or Pokhara at the drop of a hat, a some six hour drive by rickety bus.

I received an email saying the FedEx envelope containing the form will be arriving on Sunday, meaning that I will need to hang round again until then.