Monday 9 September 2013

Kathmandu - initial impressions

Namaste
I've now been in Nepal for four whole days, but my head is full of all the new experiences and suffering from sensory overload - sights, sounds, smells!
Initial impressions of life in the city are;
  • Chaotic roads, with cars, motorbikes, bicycles and pedestrians all jostling for space. Driving seems to be a game of bluff as to who will give way first! Most roads seem to be under some kind of construction or repair, with piles of gravel or stones on the edges. 
  • Wonderful smiley people who want to help and please. Women dressed in beautiful colours.  

  • Much bigger buildings than I expected, brick-built, many with 3 or 4 storeys, but all crammed closely together. I've yet to discover how many people actually live in these buildings.
  • Warm/hot temperature at the moment, hot during the day and very comfortable at night when you don't need bed covers.
  • Noise - constant and loud. Car horns, dogs barking, salesmen and rubbish collectors shouting and music playing.  Planes taking off and landing, because Kathmandu is sited in a basin surrounded by hills, the planes have to circle over the city to gain and lose height.
  • Smells, not unpleasant but spicy, smells of food cooking.
  • People working hard in many different trades, to earn a livelihood.


tata - goodbye in Nepali


3 comments:

  1. Good luck Ann. What sort of pass-times do the locals have? (and how much time do they appear to have, to have pass times?)

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  2. Not sure yet - most seem very busy working until late in evening. Family is important and I suspect music and dance may be. It's 6.30am and someone nearby is playing a pipe or nepali recorder (not a child!!).

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  3. Great that you are blogging, I will be following! Sian x

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