Bob Seger must have been crazy
After talking with someone at the U.S. Embassy, some locals and some other tourists, I've decided to stay in Nepal and do an abbreviated version of what I wanted to do. I can't even begin to descibe how absolutely and undeniably insane Kathmandu and more specifically the tourist center, Thamel, is. But that's not going to stop me from trying.
Let's start with the streets. Only the largest streets in KTM have anything resembling a sidewalk. Everyone just walks down the street, sometimes in the middle of the road. Only when two major roads cross is there a traffic light, and there are no traffic signs here what-so-ever. All of the non-major roads are about as wide as a narrow alley. After pedestrians, the next most common thing on the streets are small motorcyles, followed closely by bicycles, then by bicycle rickshaws, and taxis and other cars. All of them drive while weaving through each other, honking or ringing their bells to alert the ones in front of them of their presence. Roads that don't look like they could even support one-way traffic somehow manage two-way traffic. Folks are supposed to drive on the left, but really only do that when it's convenient. But even with all this chaos happening constantly, walking down the road seems as natural as can be. It's strange how close to death you can be when someone honks behind you, yet you effortlessly step to the side and manage to miss getting hit by the vehicle that has no intention of stopping for you.
My first day in KTM, I met these two boys, Roshan and Santos who are 14 and 15. They've been showing me around, and I buy them food. I bought them a bunch of food for their families, but I'm almost sure that I got overcharged and they returned the food to the vendor for a cut in the profits. But the deal is fairly equitable. It's costing me a little more, but I'm seeing a lot of stuff I never would've seen by just going through the guidebooks. Tomorrow I'm going to Nagarkot and staying overnight there. If it's clear, the skyline of the Himalayas is supposed to be fabulous and the sunrise, even better. I'm trying to hook up with some people to start a trek soon. Internet connections are slower here (of course), so I'll try to get some Nepal pictures up soon, hopefully before my first into the mountains. Wish me luck in avoiding the Maoists.
Let's start with the streets. Only the largest streets in KTM have anything resembling a sidewalk. Everyone just walks down the street, sometimes in the middle of the road. Only when two major roads cross is there a traffic light, and there are no traffic signs here what-so-ever. All of the non-major roads are about as wide as a narrow alley. After pedestrians, the next most common thing on the streets are small motorcyles, followed closely by bicycles, then by bicycle rickshaws, and taxis and other cars. All of them drive while weaving through each other, honking or ringing their bells to alert the ones in front of them of their presence. Roads that don't look like they could even support one-way traffic somehow manage two-way traffic. Folks are supposed to drive on the left, but really only do that when it's convenient. But even with all this chaos happening constantly, walking down the road seems as natural as can be. It's strange how close to death you can be when someone honks behind you, yet you effortlessly step to the side and manage to miss getting hit by the vehicle that has no intention of stopping for you.
My first day in KTM, I met these two boys, Roshan and Santos who are 14 and 15. They've been showing me around, and I buy them food. I bought them a bunch of food for their families, but I'm almost sure that I got overcharged and they returned the food to the vendor for a cut in the profits. But the deal is fairly equitable. It's costing me a little more, but I'm seeing a lot of stuff I never would've seen by just going through the guidebooks. Tomorrow I'm going to Nagarkot and staying overnight there. If it's clear, the skyline of the Himalayas is supposed to be fabulous and the sunrise, even better. I'm trying to hook up with some people to start a trek soon. Internet connections are slower here (of course), so I'll try to get some Nepal pictures up soon, hopefully before my first into the mountains. Wish me luck in avoiding the Maoists.
posted by Scott at 6:15 AM
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