give herself agonizing grief

The Hippo must hate herself very much to give herself agonizing grief. Months before departure agonizing through wardrobe, how much to bring, weather conditions, had kept her up at night. Then when the time came, she dreaded going. Was this a vacation? A asked me if I were excited when he took me to the airport. I think this was probably the first time I didnt look forward to the trip and I wasnt really into it. The 12 hrs flight to Seoul was long but not terrible. Singapore airlines had good service. They even came out to the waiting line at the check-in counter to greet you. A hot towel to start things off and they gave you a pair of socks and tiny toothbrush and toothpaste, in a cute Givenchy bag. At Incheon, we had to get out of the plane only to board again in 1 hr. So alone in Changi at the transit hotel with nothing to do. Tried to sleep but couldnt. The airport at this hour of the night was quiet. I loved it. I walked everywhere and not a sound, most stores were closed, only an occasional passenger sleeping on the floor or an aiport staff still working. Flight to KTM was stuck on the front row again with crying babies. The Himalyas were on the right side and I was on the left. No views. My airport pickup didnt show up and I had to get a taxi to the hotel. Kathmandu was dirty, dusty, broken roads, people, cows and traffic everywhere. How do the people live like that? The taxi driver asked for a tip. Gave him a dollar and he looked at me like "that's it?". I didnt pay him any attention. I hate it when they ask for tips. I grabbed my bag and walked in to the hotel. My airport pickup was there and asked where were you? I said I've waited and didnt see you. He said he was there. Liar. Not really having fun yet. So what's the point?

I've checked out the Shanker hotel online before I came. It had bad reviews about the staff always asking for tips. It's an old palace converted into hotel. One of the floors had arched windows that were basically on floor level. They had converted 1 floor with high ceilings into 2. And I was given one of these rooms. The room itself was actually pretty nice but the window was low, with no view, making the room claustrophobic and dark. But for one night, I didnt mind too much. Everything in the hotel was old but the decor was great. It had a front garden with gazebos and a very nice swimming pool with a bar. The food wasnt bad either and by our standards, very cheap. Not a bad hotel if you didnt mind the noise as the walls werent insulated. The staff was friendly, over friendly actually. Everyone greeted you with a Namaste every time they saw you. I had one extra day here at the end of the trip and I intent to spend it in the garden with a cup of tea, writing my travel blog and chilling out.

Hotel Shanker