Today I got my first professional massage!! I went back to the place after a coffee and some nachos at New Orleans Cafe (very good coffee!!), and they said they could do it there and then - 30 minutes for 800rps (about £4 or £5). So I followed the small Nepali lady into the "paradise" massage room, and she told me to undress my top half. I expected her to leave the room to let me get on with it, but she just stood there. A very embarrassing moment for a young woman, to strip off her top half in front of a random person. It gave me comfort thinking that she's seen thousands, and not all young people!! I lay down on the bed face down, and she got out a flask of warm oil. My back now feels a lot better after that massage, and the skin is now very soft after using the oil!!
I then went to find Bika, the girl I promised I would find her today so she could do my henna. I found her and she looked very pleased!! We sat down in a cafe, and I bought us both a banana lassi. Bika told me she's 16, and she's been doing henna in Thamel for 8 years!! It explains why she's very good at it!! You can see in the photo some of the finished result. The orange colour will go darker as it sets into my skin. The pattern goes up my arm, almost to my elbow. And she wrote my name in Nepali on one side. She also gave me a small free thing on my other hand - Buddha eyes and "Nepal" written above it. It's very nice, but I accidentally smudged it a little with my watch so I don't think the colours going to come out as much...
I then went back to the hotel, where I waited for the henna to dry so I could scrape the hardened gel off my skin, which then shows the orange colour underneath. I decided I was going to buy some henna packets for the girls at DNC, as I saw one time one of them had a small pack they were using. I ran out and found a man who said he would sell some to me. He took me to the spa place I went earlier today!! They gave me one pack for 50rps, so I bought 6. On my way back I bought some takeaway momos and some mango juice for my supper - yum!! The sauce with the momos was a little too spicy and left my lips tingling for ages!!
I'm planning to hitch a lift with Michael tomorrow to DNC, so I had a hot shower, and I'm thinking I might have an early bed!!