Nepal: land of the Himalayas, mo-mos, torturously slow internet, and doggedly determined street salesmen. Stepping out of the plane and into shiver-inducing 75-degree weather, I had almost decided then and there that the transition from Southeast Asia to Nepal was going to be a piece of cake. Almost.
24 hours and five scheduled power outages, one ordeal ncessitating the slicing through of airline-placed zip ties on my suitcase with the top of a can of tuna inadvertently placed in my carry-on bag (hey, God's plan may seem whacky at times, but it works!); being bodily shoved, pushed, and prodded by passersby, rickshaws, and taxis every time I ventured outside; and three encounters with undeniably insulting Nepalese men later, I sort of kind of reconsidered my perception.
Nepal Facts:
1) It is a fact widely acknowledged by those who find breathing here to be somewhat of a challenge, that out of 180 countries, Nepal ranks as the world's 2nd worst for air pollution. I am in agreement with this fact, though even if I were not, I am positive that it would continue to be true. Breathing here has become burdensome and does not occur unaccompanied by productive coughing.
2) In addition to air pollution, noise pollution is particularly severe, particularly in Kathmandu, particularly in the tourist district of Thamel, particularly just below my window, particularly in the wee hours of the morning. The honking of one's horn is more readily executed than greeting someone with, say, one's voice or the wave of a hand. A horn honks every 0.3 seconds in Kathmandu, but just in case you were about to lose your mind, be aware that every time a horn honks, a person doesn't die.
3) There are mountains here. Really, there are. But, given fact #1, you can't see them, so mind your step or you may very well run into one.
4) To avoid overloading the generators (or generator; I haven't counted them yet), routine power outages occur across the country several times a day. I say 'routine', because allegedly there is a schedule by which the people of Nepal abide. I attempted to do so, once, but I think I must not have this whole telling time, arithmetic thing down yet, which does make things somewhat inconvenient when one is ascending six flights of stairs at eight in the evening, because the power was not supposed to shut off until nine-thirty and one's flashlight just happened to run out of battery charge. It's all right, though. At least I, I mean "one" wasn't descending the stairs, because that would have made things downright dangerous.
5) Cats have tails here!
Now, before you jump to the conclusion that Nepal is not my favorite country in the world, please note that I have only listed a very few facts that, though terribly true, are not omnipotent when it comes to influencing my verdict. I shall reserve that until the end of the trip.
Nepal Observations:
1) The air pollution is somewhat masked by the burning of incense by almost every shopkeeper and home in Kathmandu.
2) Instead of the tuk tuks that populate the streets of Cambodia, bicycle-conducted, flower-adorned rickshaws make their treacherous way through the narrow streets of Kathmandu.
3) There are no fruit stands here, or really any food stalls at all. Coffee shops abound, advertising organic coffee, banana lassi, and German breads
4) Dogs sport Tikas (red powdered dye spread along their foreheads), but are just as moth-eaten and people-wary as anywhere else.
5) Hinduism here is not like the Hinduism on Pearl Street. It involves centuries of implantation, national identity, and the permeation of every aspect of life. The 20-something westerners who wander the streets here outwardly displaying their adoption of the religion are identical to the ones seen on Pearl Street, however.
6) The conserving of energy and natural resources in the United States is an absolute joke compared to here, where energy, fuel, and resources are not shut off because of conservation; they're shut off because they've run out!
7) I have not seen a single traffic light or sign in this entire city, which isn't surprising, for I highly doubt they would be acknowledge. The streets are too narrow to accommodate more than one lane, let alone sidewalks, and yet, somehow pedestrians, bicycles, motorbikes, taxis, vans, trucks, and school buses all manage to get where they need to go with nary a scratch.
8) Sidewalks really are a luxury item, sort of like sun roofs and shih-tzus.
9) I have yet to see a Yeti!
24 hours and five scheduled power outages, one ordeal ncessitating the slicing through of airline-placed zip ties on my suitcase with the top of a can of tuna inadvertently placed in my carry-on bag (hey, God's plan may seem whacky at times, but it works!); being bodily shoved, pushed, and prodded by passersby, rickshaws, and taxis every time I ventured outside; and three encounters with undeniably insulting Nepalese men later, I sort of kind of reconsidered my perception.
Nepal Facts:
1) It is a fact widely acknowledged by those who find breathing here to be somewhat of a challenge, that out of 180 countries, Nepal ranks as the world's 2nd worst for air pollution. I am in agreement with this fact, though even if I were not, I am positive that it would continue to be true. Breathing here has become burdensome and does not occur unaccompanied by productive coughing.
2) In addition to air pollution, noise pollution is particularly severe, particularly in Kathmandu, particularly in the tourist district of Thamel, particularly just below my window, particularly in the wee hours of the morning. The honking of one's horn is more readily executed than greeting someone with, say, one's voice or the wave of a hand. A horn honks every 0.3 seconds in Kathmandu, but just in case you were about to lose your mind, be aware that every time a horn honks, a person doesn't die.
3) There are mountains here. Really, there are. But, given fact #1, you can't see them, so mind your step or you may very well run into one.
4) To avoid overloading the generators (or generator; I haven't counted them yet), routine power outages occur across the country several times a day. I say 'routine', because allegedly there is a schedule by which the people of Nepal abide. I attempted to do so, once, but I think I must not have this whole telling time, arithmetic thing down yet, which does make things somewhat inconvenient when one is ascending six flights of stairs at eight in the evening, because the power was not supposed to shut off until nine-thirty and one's flashlight just happened to run out of battery charge. It's all right, though. At least I, I mean "one" wasn't descending the stairs, because that would have made things downright dangerous.
5) Cats have tails here!
Now, before you jump to the conclusion that Nepal is not my favorite country in the world, please note that I have only listed a very few facts that, though terribly true, are not omnipotent when it comes to influencing my verdict. I shall reserve that until the end of the trip.
Nepal Observations:
1) The air pollution is somewhat masked by the burning of incense by almost every shopkeeper and home in Kathmandu.
2) Instead of the tuk tuks that populate the streets of Cambodia, bicycle-conducted, flower-adorned rickshaws make their treacherous way through the narrow streets of Kathmandu.
3) There are no fruit stands here, or really any food stalls at all. Coffee shops abound, advertising organic coffee, banana lassi, and German breads
4) Dogs sport Tikas (red powdered dye spread along their foreheads), but are just as moth-eaten and people-wary as anywhere else.
5) Hinduism here is not like the Hinduism on Pearl Street. It involves centuries of implantation, national identity, and the permeation of every aspect of life. The 20-something westerners who wander the streets here outwardly displaying their adoption of the religion are identical to the ones seen on Pearl Street, however.
6) The conserving of energy and natural resources in the United States is an absolute joke compared to here, where energy, fuel, and resources are not shut off because of conservation; they're shut off because they've run out!
7) I have not seen a single traffic light or sign in this entire city, which isn't surprising, for I highly doubt they would be acknowledge. The streets are too narrow to accommodate more than one lane, let alone sidewalks, and yet, somehow pedestrians, bicycles, motorbikes, taxis, vans, trucks, and school buses all manage to get where they need to go with nary a scratch.
8) Sidewalks really are a luxury item, sort of like sun roofs and shih-tzus.
9) I have yet to see a Yeti!
