Life in Kathmandu

Some more observations about life in Kathmandu....

Weather

It has been monsoon season for most of my stay here. It apparently hasn't been as severe as it usually is - I guess that weather patterns are changing all over the world. It has been overcast and we get a bit of rain pretty much daily but there have been very few deluges. Other areas of Nepal have been hit quite hard with flooding. Even though the rain isn't that heavy, it still does considerable damage to the roads. The place where I do yoga is on a dirt road and I usually arrive with mud half way up my calves. The rain also makes the potholes that much more treacherous and I am frequently splashed by vehicles driving through them.

The last four or five days have been sunny and hot. I'm not sure if the monsoon is over or if this is just a brief respite. The first day I woke to sunshine I felt my first incident of homesickness. It felt just like a beautiful Canadian summer day, and I got e-mails from friends at home telling me of their cottage plans for the long weekend. I can't think of what I wouldn't do to take a swim in a clean lake or sit on a dock with friends and cocktails. I treated myself to a day at a high end hotel here called the Yak and Yeti. I sat by their pool, swam and walked barefoot through the grass on their estate. It wasn't exactly the Gatineaus, but it was a nice break from the noise and smog of Kathmandu.

Modesty

Nepal, like many of the other countries I've visited in Asia, is fairly conservative in its dress. I have become comfortable in my long skirts and short sleeved tops. Every once in a while I'll put on a camisole top but I'm increasingly uncomfortable with baring my shoulders or cleavage. I put on a pair of shorts in my room the other day and I felt half naked. I wonder if this will change when I get back to a first world country or if I'm destined to hide my legs forever. Even when I run I go in long pants, which is another reason to do it first thing in the morning when it's a few degrees cooler. I have to admit that running in long pants is quite uncomfortable in this heat, and I'm very envious of the few male runners I pass who are wearing shorts.

Getting Around...Cont.

Sometimes I wonder if they don't deliberately step into your path here. They can watch you coming for quite a long way and then step in front of you as soon as you get close to them. I was talking to a Nepali friend of mine here who claims that they are so alive when they drive here because they have to be so alert all the time. It's a valid argument I guess, but I would still be happy to have a more peaceful walk down the road. He's right when he says that they have many fewer accidents here than we do in the west, although for the life of me I can't figure out how.

Street Vendors...Cont.

I forgot to mention that the vendors start each pitch with "yes?" or "yes please?" as if you had actually started the conversation. The whole tone of voice makes it very difficult not to get engaged in conversation with them. The worst are the taxi and rickshaw drivers who insist on stopping right in front of you (usually when you're waiting for them to pass so you can get across the street). They keep at you no matter how many times you say no. When they finally give up, the one right behind them pulls up and has a go at you, and so it goes. It's like you really want a rickshaw ride but the first five who came by just weren't good enough and you were waiting for the sixth.

Running Environment

When I'm running in the morning I'm pretty much left alone by the locals except for the odd stray dog that chases me for a minute or two. It's actually really nice to be out there in the "hard core" parts of Kathmandu when the city is waking up. I get to watch the morning pujas (prayers) at the temples, ablutions in the communal fountains, produce and meat being prepared for sale, stores being opened and kids on their way to school. It's a great glimpse of daily life here.

Friends

I have made lots of friends here, but am somewhat saddened by the transient nature of all these relationships. I had a friend Anna from the Netherlands here, but she just left last week after a long stay. I really miss her. I have met really great people on a couple of occasions who were leaving the next day. It's such a drag to get a tease like that, but I've also got quite a few keyboard-pals as a result. I have a gaggle of Dutch guys in town for the next few days who I met a couple of weeks ago. They spent that last two weeks cycling from Lhasa, Tibet to Kathmandu. I look forward to spending some time with them over the next few days before they fly home. Most of the Nepalis I've met are quite young and mostly into the bar scene, which is getting a bit tired for me.

Tidbits

> Everyone smokes here, both tourists and locals alike. I find this especially weird in the organic cafes and vegetarian restaurants where everyone is supposed to be concerned with their heath.

> All pop and beer bottles are opened at the table so you can be sure of what you're getting. Strangely, wine bottles are usually brought to the table opened.

> Garbage is dumped in certain places in the street all week and picked up once a week or so. They don't use garbage bags - they just toss the raw trash out there. There are always animals (e.g. dogs, cattle etc.) nibbling at it until it gets picked up.

> All the music shops here advertise a service where you can download a CD to your iPod for 100 rupees (about $1.50). I was very excited about this until I found out that it doesn't actually work. All the CDs are bootlegged here, and I guess the iPod recognises this and doesn't allow the download. Very disappointing, but good on Apple, I guess. I've asked around and it appears that there are no legitimate CDs in the country.

That's it for now. I have a cold and am really struggling with the heat as a result. I need to head back to my room and lie down under the fan for a while.