TGIF! Friday, December 2 -- HAPPY FRIDAY!

 I have a lot to share today, so here goes;

I awoke at the Kumari Inn in Kathmandu. My room is drafty and cold, so I was glad that I brought my portable electric heater from Dhulikhel. 

In just the past week, the sunrise has shifted noticeably further South, such that it is now obscured by this tree. I am looking forward to the approaching Winter Solstice when the sun will return Northward.

My room at the Inn has an interesting toilet. Somehow I appreciate the aesthetic of how this toilet enters the floor.

This is a deadbolt-type lock on my Kumari Inn room's door. These types of latches are on seemingly every door and window here. This something I really haven't seen in the U.S.

I had my typical Kumari Inn  breakfast, except today they also served me these cooked vegetables-- an interesting breakfast food item.

There is some kind of water-well drilling going on outside my Kumari Inn room's window. This is an interesting apparatus.

While awaiting Nisha to pick me up, I befriended Lucy. She is a sweetheart.

Nisha took me back to the Tribhuvan University (TU) Institute of Medicine School of Dentistry where she works. 

At her office, this woman was sweeping her carpet with this broom made of some kind of bristle-like twigs. It was very effective, but so different than my Dyson vacuum in the U.S.

Next, Nisha introduced me to the campus chief and his assistant. He is essentially the Dean of this Institute of Medicine. He is an orthopedic surgeon and his assistant is a gynecologist. They warmly welcomed me and served me coffee.

Then Nisha toured me all over the campus and the HUGE hospital complex. 

This is the very modern cancer center.

I saw this beautiful and season-appropriate poinsettia flower.

So many students and others ride motorbikes here. This is just one of many many motorbike parking areas.

Next, after I lectured to a group of dental students, Nisha took me off campus to "Momo Magic" for some delicious momos. I ordered 5 chicken and 5 vegetable. They were really good. I actually preferred the vegetable momos. I ate 3 chicken and 4 vegetable. The sauce is actually just a tomato-ish sauce -- not spicy at all. Our meal cost a total of $5.50 US --including the two Cokes.

After returning to the school, Nisha had to leave to attend here niece's "wedding." So I took over, her teaching, demonstrating an endodontic access cavity preparation to her students and then providing another impromptu lecture related to that topic.

After class a group of male students invited me to have tea with them. Unfortunately, I had already made arrangements to catch a ride back to my Inn, so I declined-- but I promised to join them for tea after class next Friday.

To get back to the Kumari Inn, I hitched a ride on the back of Prashan's motorbike. Prashan is one of the dental students. He lives somewhere nearby to where I am staying. I found his motorbike ride to be a surprisingly efficient means of navigating the crazy traffic here. I was very quickly "home."