The Streets of Kathmandu

When you enter the streets of Kathmandu, the first thing I notice is the traffic. People are on their way by every mode of transportation imaginable. As they walk they are dodging cars, bikes, rickshaws and trucks. There are a lot of motor cycles, amazingly quiet, but to make up for it they beep and honk incessantly as do the cars and trucks. The sounds are constantly shrill interjections of horns: "Look out for me, I'm coming through!"

The piece de resistance is the roundabout. There is one just down the road from our hotel. There seems to be no order, yet the people of Kathmandu seem to know just what to do; when to go and when to stop. People and vehicles are going every direction and yet, we have not seen anyone hurt or any two vehicles crash.

They travel so close to one another that we gasp and wait for a crash or a scream, but none happen. Also, interspersed amongst he pedestrians and vehicles are street people sleeping under a tree and vendors selling food, mainly nuts and seeds.

Storefronts and vendors line the streets designed to sell only one thing. Beside one another, are food, small machine repairs, rugs, fabrics, light hardware, and trekking stores. Today I saw a man with a dead goat. He was immersing it in a tub of water before he butchered it. Stacks of meat and eggs sit open and unrefrigerated waiting to be purchased. Maple Leaf Foods would be proud.

Amongst all is a large amount of garbage. It is everywhere and people walk along seemingly oblivious to it. The amazing thing to me is that the women dress in the most beautiful array of coloured Saris and Nepali clothes. They look beautiful, stunning in contrast especially to the drab buildings, garbage and construction materials.

Also among the pedestrians are many children walking to and from school. They are the same as children everywhere; laughing, holding hands, and dressed in their uniforms ready for a day of learning. They often will say "Hello" practicing their English from class.

At first, the people seem different from us as they live their lives foreign to us. But then you make eye contact and a beautiful smile is communicated. I have felt that we are all just the same - people going about our lives, providing for our families in our own ways.

Tomorrow we leave Kathmandu and the traffic behind. I have enjoyed the experience immensely. However, I confess, I look forward to some quiet, some green spaces and some clean air. I won't miss the traffic but I will take with me the special moments when one of the people and I shared a smile.

-Laurie