so, it's my second full day in kathmandu (sort of), and i already feel behind on what i should be writing...i expect this will be a pattern. unfortunately, i won't be able to post pictures for a little while, but should be able to get them up in a week at the latest. until then, everyone will just have to make do with my weak prose.
one of the many things that is truly mind-blowing about coming to nepal is the sheer distance. seeing a 30 hour travel itinerary on paper and actually doing it are two wildly different things...it defintely does not compute in theory and barely does even when you're in the midst of it. incidentally, i definitely recommend jet airlines...the layovers may have been long (3 hours with delay in brussels and 8 hours in dehli), but they are totally worth it for the individualized video consoles and menus that allow you to start and stop your own movies, both hollywood and bollywood. mmm...trash viewing...delicious in any language.
my travel experience also got a major boost by getting quasi-adopted by a small cadre of nepalis in the dehli airport. on arrival, everyone going to kathmandu got shunted into this fairly barren transfer area; there was as much nescafe as you could drink, but not much else in the way of creature comforts between 10pm and 6am. however, i ended up spending most of the time talking to a guy returning to kathmandu from getting his master's at washu in st. louis. in addition to some great discussions about the state of development in nepal, he and two older couples (in translation and between naps), fielded some questions about life in kathmandu, and even withstood my crude attempts at nepali greetings and pleasantries. one thing definitely made an impression for me, though: seeing how elegant and comfortable the two women looked in their light kurta salwaar, compared to my own bedraggled and sweaty state, made me even more determined to get some of the light tunic, trouser, and scarf ensembles made.
the flight from dehli to kathmandu was only about an hour and a half, and i will say, without reservation, that the early morning view coming into the valley made the previous 30 hours of travel, the layovers and airline food and general exhaustion, worth it. at some point, you look across the cloud cover at some odd, sharp formations in the distance and go, "huh. those aren't clouds". no, indeed, they're the snow capped jagged heights of the himalayas cutting up through the clouds. it's beautiful and jarring and distinctly unsettling, especially if you've gotten complacent about the kind of superiority of human innovation represented by, say, airplanes. humbling, i suppose, is the term. then, as you break through the clouds, you descend along the green "hills" that rim the kathmandu valley. these are not what those of us on the east coast would think of a "hills"...you know, the things you roll down in the summer and sled down in winter? no, these are freakin' mountains, with occaisional winding dirt roads and spotted with small buildings clinging to the sides.
as we got closer and closer to the ground, we were flying over more and more heavily developed landscape which covers the valley floor, and eventually as we pulled into the airport, i caught first sight of the colorful, dirty apartment buildings, spotted with billboards and laced with crowded streets full of careening cars, trucks, motorbikes and pedestrians. kathmandu.
anyway, internet time is almost up and i feel a jet lag nap coming on, so i'll talk more about my first day on the ground later.
This is a lovely, funny, sharply-written first post. Worth the wait. (See what I did there? I had to tweak you.) It's almost like I'm there with you, minus the 30 hrs in flight and the colorful exhaustion. Get some rest, post pix when you can, and keep us filled in. We (me + wife + dogs) love you. yr pal, bb
ReplyDeleteDear friend !
ReplyDeleteGood Morning !
I also welcome in Nepal. You know,Nepal is regarded as a mini-world. Physically, the structure of Nepal shows Himalayas having the highest peak in the world, Hills, and low-lands i.e. Tarai. Various types of castes & creeds settle there. The soil also differs from east to west, hills to Tarai. Having different climate we can produce different edible crops. Whatever crops are available in the nook & corner of the globe we can produce in this soil. The Himalayan region of north Nepal is the store of fresh water. The Himalayan area of Nepal ecologically is very rich in nature. There are almost 100 peaks in Nepal's Himalayas. More than one million visitors come Nepal for wildlife viewing, river rafting, mountain climbing- Mount Everest highest peaks 8000 meters, third highest peak Kanchenjunga as well as Gaurishankar, Annapurna, Lamlang etc.
This country is blessed by the nature by providing various rivers, streams and fountains. Nepal has ample sources of water, actually as a white gold. Nepal can be a great store of food-grains if well irrigated and high potential of hydroelectric energy. As Arabian countries are god gifted with sufficient Petroleum products, Nepal has sufficient water for hydroelectricity, which can be used for foreign money generation. Having dense forest, rare animals and more than 800 types of birds plus herbaria makes it naturally friendly in many ways. Nepal is one of the best tourism destinations in the world. Many of the tourists and the foreigners, like you, claim-'Nepal is the most beautiful place in the world.'
Though Nepal is a small country it is rich in various types of castes. The national aspirations can't be met by belittling any of the castes and sub-castes. Nepal is fortunate enough to have one cultural nationalism. This culture is made with the components of Hindu, Vedic and Buddhism. Tolerance, civilization makes our sublime culture. The flagrance and aroma pleases the whole world. Many visitors come to the pilgrimage to Hindu and Buddhist sacred places. Nepal's History and Religions Nepal is a rich and complex mix of different cultures and traditions, melded over thousands of years into a unique whole. For the western traveler there is much that is familiar, and many surprises. The communicative language has been one and common Nepali in hundreds of languages and dialects written and spoken.But, now some Indian agents (traitors) are going to obstruct the national language. You see, how can we talk about national identity? Some extreme wing anti Nepali groups, (the Madhesis- agents of RAW), have been already going to obstruct to abolish Nepali language. We know-Due to the notorious activities of the leaders of Party ( Congress, UML, Maoists)who are in regime, we are suffering. But we think-'too much cunning over reaches itself.'
Thank you.
All the best.
Dirgha Raj Prasai
Oh, Molly. It sounds marvelous. Eagerly awaiting more posts from Boston.
ReplyDeleteHave a huge amount of good fun. thanks for sharing your impressions. this is a delight!
ReplyDeleteI am mostly jealous. I love the unexpected Wash U shout out.
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