Nepal is a very poor country.
Kathmandu is the craziest place I have ever been.
I spent my first night here crying like mad and planning how I could get a ticket home as quickly as possible. I felt tired, cheated, sick, alone, afraid, and trapped. Streets are piled high with people, monkeys, dogs, chickens, cows, goats, pigs, ducks, garbage, motorcycles, vans, buses, bicycles, and so much more that you can't even imagine. Everything is flying this way and that, horns are honking, music is playing, people are yelling and hitting the buses with their hands, police are blowing whistles... I was exhausted and overwhelmed by just sitting in the back of a van on the way to my RCDP volunteer program. If I didn't die in a car accident first, I thought my brain might explode any second from all the sights, sounds, and smells pushing themselves (unwelcomed) into my perception.
Today, I got up after worrying and stressing the whole night instead of sleeping. I had my first Nepali lesson, and at the time, I felt like I was learning a lot. The language is actually really similar to Hindi, which I learned a little bit of from Prannay for a project in my linguistics class. After a full and exhausting day, I think I remember only a few sentences... Oh well, I'll catch up.
After the language class, I realized that I need money and asked where the nearest ATM was. It isn't anywhere close by, so Christna (one of the staff at this hostel) took me there on his motorcycle. Again, I was thrown into the craziness of Kathmandu, but this time I wasn't protected by the shell of a vehicle, so I noticed the steepness/narrowness/ruggedness of the streets much more. Surprisingly, it didn't scare me as much as it did the first time. It was actually kind of pleasant and exciting.
On the way back to the hostel, we ran into some of the other travelers and staff from the hostel. (Not literally... everyone is still alive) They were going to an orphanage and taking the kids on a hike up a "hill" to have a picnic. Christna and I joined them. We had a wonderful time with some of the most well behaved and friendly children I have ever met. They were really excited that I had a camera, so they took it and took a ridiculous amount of pictures. The camera eventually died, and we don't have power right now, so I will post pictures and tell accompanying stories as soon as I charge the camera. (Note: The amount of electricity that Nepal gets depends on how full the rivers are, since they use hydro power. Monsoon season starts in like June, so the rivers are currently quite low, which means we don't get much power and I can't charge things.) We made a fire at the top of the (veery big) hill, and we cooked some hot dogs. Once the sun went down, we descended the hill and got in a bus/van thing to go home. Again, we went flying full force down steep streets, honking the horn nonstop and hoping the masses of people/animals/vehicles get out of our way. I almost peed my pants, but I guess it's getting more fun each time.
At the hostel, I've met some wonderful people who are helping a lot to get me out of my "oh-my-god-culture-shock" state. In particular, Maria and Santiago (cousins from Mexico) have been traveling through India and had experienced similar "oh-my-god-culture-shock" there. They've been brilliant in helping my laugh when I want to cry/scream/run. They say that I will soon start to love the chaos. I hope they're right!
I hope that this post made some sense. I haven't slept in a very long time, and I'm going to go do that now (once the dogs outside stop barking). I feel like I have so much more to say about this ridiculous place, but it will have to wait until I can form coherent thoughts.
Kathmandu is the craziest place I have ever been.
I spent my first night here crying like mad and planning how I could get a ticket home as quickly as possible. I felt tired, cheated, sick, alone, afraid, and trapped. Streets are piled high with people, monkeys, dogs, chickens, cows, goats, pigs, ducks, garbage, motorcycles, vans, buses, bicycles, and so much more that you can't even imagine. Everything is flying this way and that, horns are honking, music is playing, people are yelling and hitting the buses with their hands, police are blowing whistles... I was exhausted and overwhelmed by just sitting in the back of a van on the way to my RCDP volunteer program. If I didn't die in a car accident first, I thought my brain might explode any second from all the sights, sounds, and smells pushing themselves (unwelcomed) into my perception.
Today, I got up after worrying and stressing the whole night instead of sleeping. I had my first Nepali lesson, and at the time, I felt like I was learning a lot. The language is actually really similar to Hindi, which I learned a little bit of from Prannay for a project in my linguistics class. After a full and exhausting day, I think I remember only a few sentences... Oh well, I'll catch up.
After the language class, I realized that I need money and asked where the nearest ATM was. It isn't anywhere close by, so Christna (one of the staff at this hostel) took me there on his motorcycle. Again, I was thrown into the craziness of Kathmandu, but this time I wasn't protected by the shell of a vehicle, so I noticed the steepness/narrowness/ruggedness of the streets much more. Surprisingly, it didn't scare me as much as it did the first time. It was actually kind of pleasant and exciting.
On the way back to the hostel, we ran into some of the other travelers and staff from the hostel. (Not literally... everyone is still alive) They were going to an orphanage and taking the kids on a hike up a "hill" to have a picnic. Christna and I joined them. We had a wonderful time with some of the most well behaved and friendly children I have ever met. They were really excited that I had a camera, so they took it and took a ridiculous amount of pictures. The camera eventually died, and we don't have power right now, so I will post pictures and tell accompanying stories as soon as I charge the camera. (Note: The amount of electricity that Nepal gets depends on how full the rivers are, since they use hydro power. Monsoon season starts in like June, so the rivers are currently quite low, which means we don't get much power and I can't charge things.) We made a fire at the top of the (veery big) hill, and we cooked some hot dogs. Once the sun went down, we descended the hill and got in a bus/van thing to go home. Again, we went flying full force down steep streets, honking the horn nonstop and hoping the masses of people/animals/vehicles get out of our way. I almost peed my pants, but I guess it's getting more fun each time.
At the hostel, I've met some wonderful people who are helping a lot to get me out of my "oh-my-god-culture-shock" state. In particular, Maria and Santiago (cousins from Mexico) have been traveling through India and had experienced similar "oh-my-god-culture-shock" there. They've been brilliant in helping my laugh when I want to cry/scream/run. They say that I will soon start to love the chaos. I hope they're right!
I hope that this post made some sense. I haven't slept in a very long time, and I'm going to go do that now (once the dogs outside stop barking). I feel like I have so much more to say about this ridiculous place, but it will have to wait until I can form coherent thoughts.
2 comments:
I am so glad that you are blogging your trip! This is fascinating! Keep it up!
-Amy Simpkins (Travis's wife)
im glad you made it! thats really scary about the driving... though im sure your friend is an experienced driver in such conditions. Picnicing sounds awesome, cant wait for the photos!
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