Kathmandu

Kathmandu is the largest city in Nepal. It is situated in a large valley in the Himalayan foot hills. It was the home of some prosperous medieval kingdoms on the trading route to Tibet. It is now a combination of a tourist mecca and a third world city struggling to claw its way to become a developed nation with modern industry and prosperity. In the sixties, the tourists were hippies seeking enlightenment and the meaning of life. Now the tourist crowd is dominated by people seeking the experience of a trek in the Himalayas. The town is a maze of small shops and restaurants catering to tourists.

water water everywhere and not a drop to drink

Public water pumps or fountains seem to be widely available, but alas, it is not clean enough for a western tourist to drink. One gets used to drinking bottled water, it is widely available. I have never gotten used to using bottled water to brush my teeth and to rinse my toothbrush. I am usually brushing my teeth at a sink in my hotel and I am conditioned to want to reach for a glass and to rinse my mouth and tooth brush with the water from the sink faucet, but it is best to use bottled water for that to.

cows everywhere

Until you see it, it is hard to imagine just how many cows, sometimes water buffalo, goats, pigs and dogs there are on the streets. The streets are crowded and busy with wild chaotic traffic, but the cows and other animals seem casual about it all, and the cars, motorcycles, taxis, trucks, people and bicycles just accept them and go around them. In the top picture, a holy man is feeding a cow in the street.

street kids

During the day there are always lots of cute kids on the street. Some are begging, but most are just friendly and curious. The like to have their picture taken and then to see it, and with their friends they laugh and point at the pictures.

Janakpur - birthplace of Sita

Janakpur is a holy city for the Hindu. It is a bit off of the general tourist circuit. Sita, Lord Rama's perfect wife was born in Janakpur. The story is told in the ancient dramatic adventure called the Ramayana which is a sacred Hindu text.

hucksters and helpers

In the areas that attract tourists, there are a lot of people trying to work every angle that they can to make a few Rupees. The most prevalent on the streets are the rickshaw drivers and taxi drivers who try to extract the maximum that they can from the tourists and who try to direct you to hotels and shops that will give them a kick-back. They can be very persistent and sometimes downright dishonest. There are also many people who go out of their way to be friendly and helpful. On the balance, all works out OK in the end, but sometimes it is frustrating and bewildering.

crossing the Koshi

Nepal's main east-west Highway was broken at the Koshi River. The bridge over the Koshi, and a major chunk of the highway were wiped out during the recent monsoon season. The only way to get across the river was to go south into India to find a crossing, or to take a boat across the river. I chose the boat alternative. I caught a series of local buses to where to highway ended and then took a tailer pulled by a farm tractor across the silt and gravel about a mile up river to where boats were crossing. A friendly local young man (pictured above with me) helped me along the way. Few people spoke any English. We loaded onto a boat and paid our fair, then we crossed to where we could catch some rickshaws and local buses to get back on our way. Once I got back to a small town on the western side of the washout, I caught a bus to Janakpur, my next destination.

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