Through the cacaphony of traffic, people
and diverse wildlife...all using the same roads Kathmandu reveals itself in so many different ways.
The air is foul, thanks to the 12-14 hours per day “load
shedding” being supplemented by myriad diesel generators, wood fires and
vehicles which seem to try to cover their tracks by belching out dark exhaust
clouds.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the newest shiniest vehicles are the
UN white 4wd’s. The sheer stupidity of driving a large vehicle in Kathmandu
where the street width varies from “ooohh look I can touch both sides” to
really wide two lanes where you can then fit as many assorted vehicles as you
could possibly want is breathtaking (if you dared take a deep breath). If you
then consider that the country is really not benefitting from the UN personnel
driving shiny white Landcruisers which
cost much the same as 20 good Nepali salaries…the whole approach seems to be
fatally flawed.
One of the pleasures in the city is to walk around early in
the morning before the shops open, local markets are just getting started and
the traffic is not yet in gridlock.
There’s everything from the butcher’s delivery van to fresh
orange juice sellers, kids going to school (6 days per week…try selling that
idea at home) and the shopkeepers happy to have a chat. It’s not unusual to
have someone switching between three different languages as they talk on the
phone, chat to passers by and try to snag tourists. It’s low key and a lot of
fun.
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| butcher's boy |
It doesn’t look like there’s much of a planning code for
buildings so you can have an ancient Newari house right alongside a shiny
office tower (maybe 4 stories) and then some generic building which has its
bulging wall propped up with a piece of timber. No major earthquake since 1934
so nothing serious has fallen down recently.
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