Dubai Post 46: The People of Kathmandu

The way of life is completely different in Nepal compared
to the U.S.  Yet, just like Americans, Nepalis
do what they have to do to get by. 

Traditional Nepali dancing at the dinner in the casino. 

Although Kathmandu is the most advanced city in Nepal, it is still extremely poor.  As I mentioned, it was a complete eye opener to see the citizen’s way of life.  Don’t get me wrong, there were some residential apartments, but it did not seem like this was where the majority of the population stayed.  To me, it seemed like most people stayed in shacks on the side of the road or in half-finished buildings. 

Common road side shack where people worked and lived. 

On the way to the Last Resort, we saw many kids in
school uniforms on their way to school.  (His older friends were going)

Very safe mode of transportation from the mountains. 

Similar setup to how street meat is made.  Needless to say,  I did not
buy any. 

The driving in Nepal was almost as bad as Saudi Arabia.  People do not really have a mind for road rules and it can be a bit scary at times.  Luckily, my friend Sumit spoke Hindi.  He was able to arrange for us to have a driver all day on Saturday so we did not have to worry too much about the driving situation.  You could of course hire a rickshaw if you wanted to.  Spending more than a dollar would be expensive for one of these rides.

Something that we all noticed and thought was interesting was that the entire city was up by 6AM.  The city was packed with people in the markets, soccer fields, streets etc.  We realized this made sense since the city became dead once the sun went down.  Perhaps the reason being  Nepali people do not have electricity so they take full advantage of the day light. 

Working on the side of the road. 

The driver let us take control of the rickshaw
on the way home from the bar.

A guy we bargained with all day in Bhaktapur. 

Someone who sold us beer on the side of the road. 

Sumit talking Hindi to our driver while walking streets 

It was also great to meet fellow travelers.  We met people from Australia, Russia, Israel, Canada and even Washington D.C.   Most of them were staying in Nepal for weeks, maybe even months.    Although we were only there for 48 hours were met some great people and enjoyed the hospitality of the Nepali. 

Andy with the local Sadhu. 

Small price to be able to speak and talk with them. 

There is also a Mongoloian presence in Nepal.  I am standing
with two young monks at a Stupa. 

It is common for men and women
to attach a basket with a strap
around there head and carry different type of items.