Internet

In a previous post, I mentioned that I was writing from the roof of my house. I've taken to writing these posts out beforehand in a notebook, usually while sitting on the roof. It's much nicer than a dingy internet cafe.
The internet here is decidedly unreliable. The power cuts often result in lost emails, and the connection often drops. Saving after every line has become second nature - another reason I write these on the roof, so I only need to copy while typing.
In Gorkha (there is no internet cafe in Laxmi) the connection is often very slow. It can be kind of fast sometimes, but not often. When you sit down and the people on both other computers are having video conversations, you know its going to be a slow day. Once it took almost 5 mins to get into my email!
Other then in Kathmandu and Pokhara, internet cafes are rather airless and hot. In most cases they are small and kind of dingy, not really a nice place to be. But, internet is worth it!
Home computers are available, but not yet widespread in Gorkha and Laxmi. Many younger people use the cafes for msn and games. I already appreciate having my own computer at home, as well as fast and reliable internet. That's something I won't take lightly when I get back!
The most colourful feature of the internet cafes in the group of observers, often young boys. The perception of personal space/privacy is very different here, so its not uncommon to find someone reading your email over your shoulder. They even will read what you type out loud, usually to practice their English. It's hard to tell how much they understand though. It can get annoying to be constantly minimizing something private, but if you do it enough times they will get the message pretty quick. And when it's something you don't mind sharing, it can be fun to see if I can type faster than the kids can read. I can't. Their English is too good!