I was ready to leave Thailand. Bangkok was amazing but I really didn't care for Koh Phi Phi at all. After 2 flights and a lengthy connection in which I accidentally cleared Malaysian customs (turns out I didn't go to the 'connecting flights' area so now I have a Malaysian stamp in the passport) I made my way to Nepal. Luckily the airport wasn't busy and so was able to get my visa and clear the necessary desks and baggage fairly quick. I got a cab to take me to the hotel. It was about 10:30 pm
Surprise 1: the city was quiet.
I don't mean there was no hustle and bustle like I was expecting I mean it was quiet. Shops were closed and there was nobody in the streets. I was in thamel.... A busy district..... In the centre of the city.... A city I heard is busy and bustling. What was happening? I mentioned this observation to a hotel employee who said that the city more or less shuts down at about 8:30 every night. I wasn't expecting that, I had a small meal in the hotel and went to bed. The next day, more surprises.
Surprise 2 - the city is NOT quiet.
After a long sleep and slow morning I hit the pavement to walk the city, the best way to get a feel for a place in my opinion. It was conjested, it was busy, it was loud, it was polluted. I would say that this is what I was expecting from what I had seen and heard before arriving in Nepal but this was everything to a higher degree. This leads me to the next surprise.
Surprise 3 - the earthquake from last April is still having a huge affect on daily living in Nepal.
Again, not much of a surprise but the degree of effect is what was surprising. Everywhere I would walk there was damaged buildings, sometimes people would be working on them but mostly large piles of rubble just sit and some building have wood supports holding walls and roofs up. The devestation is everywhere.
Surprise 4 - there are no tourists.
I booked a rather highly reviewed hotel in the middle of thamel... The heart of the city if you will. There were 3 other people in the hotel. I booked a dorm room. For 4 nights I was the only person in that dorm room. I was shocked at how few tourists there were. What really hit that home was how much the people who depend on tourism were suffering. On multiple occasions I had people come up to me and talk to get me to use their services. One man was so brash he began an impromptu tour through Kathmandu, it was after a couple minutes I asked him the catch and he wanted me to buy him food for his family he said he hadn't been able to get work and is in need. I didn't buy him food because what he was asking me to buy was a ridiculous amount of rice but I did give him a small amount of money. Like I said, a number of times I was approached to have a "tour guide". What was tough to see is when people would ask and I could see their desperation in their eyes. One man asked just to guide me for 30 minutes, nothing much. He didn't want to beg, he wanted to work, he just couldn't get work. In pokhara (another city) I talked with a shop owner who almost broke into tears when he told me about how slow business has been since the earthquake. I was his first customer of the day. It was 7pm. I knew these weren't lines I was being fed, the evidence was everywhere: empty hotels, empty shops, desperate shop owners, it was not uncommon to eat in restaurants where I was the only patron or one of a very few patrons in the establishment. I made a very concious decision on the first day after seeing this. I wasn't going to barter very hard when asking for products or services. Living in Canada I'm already quite privelaged by comparison to mostly nepali people (even though I'm feeling the budget pinch because of the weak Canadian dollar), I certainly wasn't going to haggle over a couple dollars (if that) given Nepal's current state.
Surprise 5 - how polluted it is.
I knew Kathmandu is a polluted city. I wasn't expecting the degree where masks are common and everything has a brownish greyish tinge to it. Any trees and plants look like they are fighting hard to live. On my 3rd day in Kathmandu I had to buy a mask because my chest was getting tight to a point I needed a reprieve.
Surprise 6 - how fun the public transportation is.
I've been on plenty of busses, trains, planes, cars etc on this trip. I haven't had as much fun as I did on a public bus. It was awesome. It was crowded, people were loading up provisions, people sat in the aisle, young guys put luggage on the roof and hung off the side of the bus, there were even chickens loaded onto the bus (literally on top of the bus). Some busses had people sitting on the roofs playing instruments and dancing while zooming down the highway. I was fascinated and thoroughly entertained. I'm sure some westerners would hate it, But with the 'part of the adventure' mindset I try and hold, I couldn't get enough.
Surprise 7 - how much I needed to be in nature.
This is more of a surprise for myself and not a reflection of Nepal. I went on a 7 day trek to the lower annapurna mountains. I didn't realize I needed it but I felt so rejuvenated every day I spent in nature. It makes sense, I've been in so many cities and around so many people. Being in nature (especially mountains) and adding up the kilometres on my feet was great for my mind, body, and soul.
Surprise 8 - drugs are easy to get.
I cant walk usually more than about 100 metres in Kathmandu before I get asked by someone if I "want something". Sometimes there are descriptions about what that 'something' might entail other times they turn attention elsewhere as soon as I shake my head and say no. What's really interesting is how it happens. Here's the sequence:
1) man spots me (white guy alone, clearly tourist)
2) man smiles and appears as friendly as he can appear. Interesting distinction is that in pokhara the men who asked me this were really put together and coherent, I even bantered with a couple. In Kathmandu the guys looked rough, like functioning barely enough to get their own hit of whatever it was that had a grip on them. Anyways, man says something basic to get my attention - hello, where are you from, want to go on rickshaw, how are you. Whatever.
3) if asking if I want services I politely decline. If a question, I answer with as few words as possible while trying not to be rude (i know what's coming).
4) they say "okay" but still take another step towards me, the tone of voice changes to that of someone telling a secret in a rush and then they lean in and say "want something". This has a few forms. Something else, some marijuana, some hash, some drugs, something for fun. The follow up has variances, but its all the same, and these requests are everywhere.
5) I decline and keep walking. I never stop moving my feet leaving the man behind. Exchange over. Maybe a minute or 2 later it begins again with someone new.
Surprise 9 - the longer I'm in Nepal the more I like it.
Coming off of koh phi phi and with my initial impressions of Nepal, I wasn't sure how much I was going to like it. When I reflect on my own internal state I was also starting to get some serious travellers fatigue setting in. The trekking took good care of that. Despite the negatives of Nepal I found I really liked it. Like anywhere else I've been it has its pros and cons but overall I have enjoyed it. The people are friendly, the culture is rich, the nature is scenic, the food is delicious (nightly dal baht while trekking,) I saw things ive never seen, learned about a place first hand, learned about myself. All in all another interesting chapter in the journey.
